Professional Practice Honors Seniors for Outstanding Professional Achievements

At a recognition event held on May 23, Professional Practice honored 33 seniors for outstanding professional achievements made while working co-op jobs. This annual award is one of the most significant recognitions the university offers to students in the co-op colleges.

Each year, Professional Practice faculty advisors select one award recipient from each major participating in the cooperative education program. Each student received a certificate to recognize their excellence.

COLLEGE OF APPLIED SCIENCE

Jennifer M. Ogletree
Architectural Engineering Technology

Jennifer Ogletree, from Indian Springs, Ohio, completed all six of her co-op terms with Cincinnati United Contractors (CUC). While at CUC, Jennifer fulfilled a key role in the Architecture Department working on everything from preliminary drawings to interior design to building permits and code issues. After graduation, Jennifer will be joining KT Design as a Project Professional.

Clarence R. Hartman
Chemical Technology

Clarence has had co-op jobs with both Sun Chemical and Procter and Gamble. He has worked hard for his degree and it shows well in his excellent employer reports. Most recently with P&G, he has been a recipient of the Procter & Gamble Minorities in Scientific Studies Scholarship. Clarence’s plans include continuing education in graduate studies.

Charles N. Bossart
Computer Engineering Technology

Charles is from Huron, Ohio and completed his last assignment with Rockwell Automation—Entek. Charles’ immediate supervisor stated “Charles is a smart, positive worker. I can rely on Charles to complete a task in a professional and timely manner. He has also gained enough experience that I would feel confident in giving him the responsibilities of a software developer with 1-3 years of job experience!” Charles desires to pursue a career in software development.

Jason E. Lester
Construction Management

Jason Lester, from Lebanon, Ohio, completed his last two co-op terms with Moss and Associates. During these terms, Jason worked with Tom Russell on a new prison complex being built in Arizona. Jason has already accepted an offer with Moss and Associates and will join them as a Project Engineer after graduation.

Brandon E. Sorn
Electrical Engineering Technology

Brandon is from the Cincinnati area and completed his last co-op assignment with the Harris Corporation in the Broadcast Communications Division. Brandon worked in Engineering Support Services providing support for all product development and production activities. He consistently worked with design engineers to research, select and document new products for use in designs throughout the transmission business. Brandon’s career objective is to become an engineer for Harris Corporation working with the Digital Engineering team developing embedded systems.

Eric M. Ridder
Information Technology

A native of Loveland, Ohio, Eric completed his last co-op assignment with General Electric Aviation as a member of the Information Management Leadership Program (IMLP). Eric led the initiative to improve data quality of all the Oracle Enterprise Resource Planning Center of Excellence projects for digital Project Management Methodology reporting. After graduation, Eric has accepted a position with G.E. Aviation in the full-time IMLP program. He was selected as one of fifteen students nationwide to enter this prestigious program.

Joseph A. O’Connor
Mechanical Engineering Technology

Joe carries a 3.85 GPA and has nothing but excellent reviews from his employer, Campbell-Hausfeld. He is working on a development team looking at new products. To quote his supervisor, “Joe always takes the initiative to think things through on his own and then shares his ideas with the team. He is an excellent team member and communicates well with all levels of the organization. Joe is truly an asset to our company.”

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

Braden J. Martini
Accounting

Braden J. Martini is a resident of Cincinnati with a dual interest in the fields of accounting and finance. He began his cooperative education experience with The Fifth Third Bank. There he was assigned to the Audit Division where he gained an understanding of the various lines of business within the bank and how they affect the bank on a daily basis. His supervisors indicated that Braden became an integral part of the organization, developed excellent work relationships, but agreed that he should experience working in other departments. Building on his previous work experience, he decided to look for an opportunity in the finance field working with a financial adviser. He pursued an opportunity with Merrill Lynch where he completed four work quarters. Some of his duties included assisting with client reviews, preparing client proposals, prospecting new clients, completing securities litigations, and compiling cost basis. Braden’s supervisor, Kevin Bruegge, states that he has a great work ethic, he is a quick learner (very smart) has good communication skills and is a quality individual. Braden has accepted a full-time position with Merrill Lynch & Company, Inc.

Jeffrey P. Brawand
Finance

Jeff is a finance major and a resident of Cincinnati. He began his initial experience with Ultimus Fund Solutions. Jeff’s responsibilities ranged from assisting with the implementation of a new accounting software system where he performed data entry and reconciliations during the conversion of funds to the new system, to keeping track of and controlling the basics of five mutual funds and three money markets. His second engagement was with Delta Airlines where he spent the majority of his co-op work experience. Jeff was assigned special projects fro Delta Solutions, which is the flight attendant contract training revenue generating part of the company. His duties ranged from creating travel arrangements for clients to landing a client from India. He performed field analysis for catering operations, developed a pipeline to keep track of work along with a pricing model to track profit and traveled to London, UK for a conference. His supervisors, Dave Paule, General Manager and Michelle Tomason, Account Manager, indicated that his strengths lie in his strategic thinking, verbal and written communications, analytical skills, and his understanding of financial and business results. Finally, Jeff wanted to explore his entrepreneurial side and was able to obtain an opportunity with TouchSmart Publishing Company for his last co-op work experience. Jeff was responsible for organizing trips to different conferences all over the US and he tracked the company’s accounts payable/receivables. His supervisor Jason Barkeloo, indicated that Jeff’s commitment, passion, initiative, and leadership are among the best he had ever encountered. Jeff has accepted a full-time position with Delta Airlines.

Zachary C. Gillerlain
Industrial Management

A native of Chesapeake, Virginia, Zach Gillerlain is in the Honors Plus Program. He has completed six co-op terms with General Electric in the Lear Department, Development Assembly, Development Engine Test and CFM56/CF6 Engine Operations. Zach has been accepted into the Doctoral Program at the Simon School of Business at the University of Rochester.

Joshua F. Wolf
Information Systems

Joshua Wolf completed his first three co-op quarters at Milacron, Inc. where he has consistently performed at an outstanding level. There he worked on networking, server building, application support, programming, and telecommunications. Joshua completed the Professional Practice Program through the International Co-op Program (ICP). As an ICP student he co-oped at General Electric Engine Services in Sanbu-gun Chiba, Japan. At GE-Japan, Joshua continued at a level of excellence while learning about network administration, project management, and digitization. He plans to work as a System Developer after graduation and continue to travel.

Dahn D. Vu
Marketing

A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Danh completed his last co-op assignment with Nielsen Buzzmetrics here in Cincinnati. His position was in Market Research with Todd Budin as his supervisor. He will be working for Toyota in Production Planning after graduation.

Michelle R. Geiyer
Operations Management

A native of Findlay, Ohio, Michelle completed five co-op terms with General Electric Aviation. Michelle worked in International Sourcing and was responsible for maintaining the Global Pipeline. She worked extensively with China suppliers on a daily basis to assure meeting department and company goals. Upon graduation Michelle will continue working with GE Aviation in International Sourcing as the buyer for India.

Jacquelyn M. Ducat
International Co-op Program - Finance

A native of Bowling Green, Ohio, Jacquelyn completed her last (double section) co-op assignment with Chiquita Brands in Costa Rica. Her department was responsible for consolidating financial information from all tropical divisions reconciling financial statements and processing and generating information for clients. Jacquelyn was responsible for the Books Management process, which was key to the overall management reporting function of the department. Jacquelyn participated in the International Co-op Program with a focus on Spanish, and was sent on assignment to Guatemala while working in Costa Rica. Jacquelyn has accepted a full-time position with Chiquita Brands.

Mey Ozkan
Master of Science in Information Systems

Mey is originally from Ankara, Turkey and currently resides in Oxford, Ohio. Mey states that “By applying knowledge of the Information Systems program at UC as well as my strong commitment to the job, I was successfully able to assist the many employees of AtriCure, increasing the efficiency of employee workflow.” Mey’s career objective is to be a project manager and she believes gaining such “value added” experience through the co-op program will give her an advantage in her search for a job after graduation.

COLLEGE OF DESIGN, ARCHITECTURE, ART AND PLANNING

Brett M. Albert
Architecture

Brett Albert has been an outstanding architecture co-op for such prominent firms as Peter Eisenman, Mecanoo and Gensler. His work has progressed tremendously over the past four years, and Brett has a very critical eye for design. His consistent growth in theory, practice and, of course, design has demonstrated a strong work ethic, creativity and an inquisitive mind. While on co-op at Mecanoo in the Netherlands, Brett’s supervisor appreciated his knowledge and consciousness of the complexity of architecture, his capacity of control of complex spaces and his enthusiastic attitude.

Christian W. Sabyan
Digital Design

Christian Sabyan has been an outstanding digital design co-op for many employers including Second Story, Hyperquake, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Design Central and Kontrapunkt in Denmark. He was the first digital design student at the University of Cincinnati to co-op abroad and his courage, determination and sincerity are commendable. His consistent growth in design (especially motion and interactive) combined with an admirable social awareness demonstrates a strong work ethic as well as a kind heart. He is an avid volunteer and assists the Human Rights Campaign. Christian’s Capstone project reflects his commitment towards human understanding and acceptance.

Abigail M. Hofmeyer
Fashion Design

Abigail Hofmeyer is an outstanding professional practice student because of her hard work talent and achievements in the co-op program. She has developed into a successful design professional. Abigail always demonstrated a passion for the fashion industry while on her co-op assignments and she received outstanding evaluations. Her co-op jobs as follows: Garan, New York; Target corporate headquarters in Minneapolis; Oshkosh in New York; Saks, Inc. in Birmingham; and Castle House in Cincinnati. Abigail recently completed her last co-op assignment with Oshkosh in New York. Abigail was offered a full-time job with Oshkosh, however, she had to decline as she has her eye on another company in New York.

Jamie R. Clark
Graphic Design

Jamie has achieved an outstanding performance record with four very diverse employers in the field of graphic design: Alliance Display, Cincinnati; Jamie Moffet Design, Philadelphia; Salomon Sports, Annecy, France; and Hunt Design, Pasadena. Her performance in all of her co-op positions was characterized by her passion for whatever she undertakes, her professionalism, and her unselfish work ethic. Jamie has also achieved an exemplary academic record as well as being a member of the UC Women’s Soccer team for four years and participating in numerous volunteer initiatives both on and off campus.

Mark A. Chrapla
Industrial Design

Rich Sheer of General Motors writes “Mark . . . Great Person, Great Designer, Huge Talent!” From Indianapolis, Indiana, Mark Chrapla exemplifies the qualities needed to be successful in Industrial Design and has been an excellent representative of the Division of Professional Practice. Mark’s work experiences have progressed from two quarters with Lexmark, on to HotWheels in Los Angeles, Sea Ray in Florida, and finally General Motors in both Detroit and California.

Alison T. Mann
Interior Design

Alison came to UC from Frederick, Maryland to major in Interior Design. She was a member of the Honors Scholars Program and a Cincinnatus Scholarship recipient. Her first co-op quarters were with V.O.A. in Chicago. She then worked two quarters with Lippincott and Mercer, Incorporated, New York City. Alison completed her co-op program with two quarters at CORE Group in Washington, DC. Congratulations on your accomplishments, Alison.

Courtney Stegmayer Bowden
Product Development

Courtney began her co-op program working a double section with American Eagle Outfitters in New York. At American Eagle her supervisor evaluated her work performance as “Exemplary” stating, “Courtney has exceeded the expectation of an intern.” Courtney’s next co-op assignments were with the following companies: Atrium Buying Corporation in Johnston, Ohio; Too Inc., Corporate Headquarters located in Columbus, Ohio and Lion Uniform Group in Dayton, Ohio. Her last co-op assignment was with Oshkosh in New York City. Courtney received outstanding evaluations on her co-op assignments and acquired many enriching experiences in the fashion industry.

Christopher M. Dourson
Urban Planning

Chris used his co-op assignments to explore different facets of the planning profession. He applied his skills while at environmental, design, non-profit, public, and private firms. At his most recent employer, McBride Dale Clarion, he worked on site design and zoning projects. Chris is to be commended for embracing the concept of co-op to prepare himself as a well-rounded graduate.

Ryan P. Newman
Master of Architecture

A native of Dayton, Ohio, Ryan completed his last co-op assignment with SeARCH, a small architectural design firm in Amsterdam with a growing international reputation. Ryan sought out and obtained this position on his own initiative and was involved in all phases of design in an intellectually rich and intensive work environment. Throughout his co-op experience here at the University of Cincinnati, Ryan made the most of all co-op had to offer and then some.

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

Douglas K. Huseman
Aerospace Engineering

Doug spent four co-op quarters at Wright Patterson Air Force Base working for the Simulation and Controls Branch of the Air Vehicles Directorate within the Air Force Research Labs. During this time Doug gained programming experience working on various simulations. His work included programming for a real-time pilot simulator evaluating the use of a high energy laser on fighter aircraft and correcting and debugging the coding for take-off and landing characteristics in a simulation of a multi-role support aircraft. Doug entered the International Co-op Program and spent his final two co-op terms in Germany at Technische Universite of Berlin where he supplemented his analytical experience with water-tunnel experimental work. In all cases Doug received high marks for his performance.

Crystal L. Coolbaugh
Biomedical Engineering

Crystal was the first UC engineering co-op student accepted at Nike in Portland. While completing all six co-op quarter there, she worked on a variety of advanced R&D projects which we can’t go into for proprietary reasons. Suffice it to say, Crystal gained a great background in biomechanics, especially test techniques, and in advanced materials properties as regards shock absorption. Being the first co-op student at a new company brings with it a little extra pressure to set the bar high and give a strong impression of UC co-op students. Crystal set such a high standard that Nike returned last fall and hired a total of six new co-op students into their engineering department. When asked what kind of student they were looking for, Nike simple said “more like Crystal”. While Nike would really like to bring her on board full-time, Crystal will be attending grad school at the University of California – Davis where she will further her expertise in biomechanics.

Stephanie L. Gehlenborg
Chemical Engineering

Stephanie completed her six quarters of co-op at Dow Chemical. Stephanie embraced her co-op career from day one with careful thought, great organization and enthusiasm. She had good experiences in three different Dow locations and explored two very different job functions. She received excellent employer evaluations for each of her co-op quarters. Stephanie has accepted a permanent position with Dow-Corning.

Daniel E. Hoffman
Civil and Environmental Engineering

A native of Beavercreek, Ohio, Dan completed six co-op terms with Fuller Mossbarger, Scott & May (FMSM). Dan performed a wide variety of tasks, including storm water modeling, CADD, soil lab testing, GIS, and field testing and reconnaissance. Upon graduation Dan plans on attending the University of Cincinnati and obtaining a Masters in Environment Engineering.

Ronald F. DuPlain
Computer Engineering

Ronald DuPlain completed his co-op program at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory where he worked in the Software Development Division. There he participated in projects performing programming and data analysis duties related to the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope. His accomplishments include being the lead author of a paper, Autonomous Quality Assurance and Troubleshooting, which was featured at the 2006 International Society for Optical Engineering Conference on Advanced Software and Control for Astronomy in Orlando, Florida.

Adam L. Smieszny
Computer Science

Adam Smieszny completed his co-op program at Digilore. During his quarters there, he worked on various software development projects. He consistently received excellent performance ratings while working on Graphical User Interface designs and enhancing his JAVA skills. Adam has accepted a consultant position with the Teradata Division of NCR in Atlanta, Georgia.

George B. Hazelbaker
Electrical Engineering

George Brett Hazelbaker completed six co-op rotations with General Electric—Consumer and Industrial, Louisville, Kentucky. George worked in GE’s dishwasher manufacturing. He was given significant responsibility as a line supervisor, production manager, and finally in quality control. George had a significant impact on cost, quality and delivery of the product. In one quarter, he was given responsibility for a new production line that was not meeting production quota, to a production rate meeting quota 98% of the time. George will be starting a full-time job in production management at GE after graduation.

Kristen E. Kesse
Materials Engineering

Kristen completed her six quarters of co-op at the Toyota North American Manufacturing Center. She was a great example of co-op technical growth and maturity in a challenging work environment. Kristen did an exceptional job on her co-op reports which went well beyond our normal student report. Kristen also served as President of the UC Society of Women Engineers for three years and was instrumental in growing the organization. She recently received the UC Just Community Award. Kristen has accepted a full-time position with Toyota.

Evan S. Buell
Mechanical Engineering

A native of Bryan, Ohio, Evan worked for the Dow Chemical Company at facilities located in Texas, Michigan, Minnesota, and West Virginia. During his final co-op rotation Evan completed projects which save Dow approximately $1,000,000 a year. Upon graduation Evan plans to work as a Project Management Engineer with Dow Corporation in Minneapolis, Minnesota