Work Experience

February 2023 - June 2024

Associated Projects:
AI Enabled Movement | Automated Test Result Reporting | Protobuf Script Generation | Test Plan Application | Automated Defect Duplication

At John Deere (Deere & Company), I worked as a software test architect on the Obstacle Intelligence (OI) team. When I joined, the team was small, consisting of just my team lead and me. This was a blessing, as I was trusted with my own projects. My primary responsibilities included writing, executing, and reviewing test plans for software used on various types of heavy machinery used on construction sites. I also maintained and developed tools for use within the team and department.

During my time at Deere, I gained invaluable experience. I learned how to collaborate with overseas colleagues and navigate the challenges of differing time zones. I became familiar with Scrum, discovering that a "sprint," despite the name, doesn't involve running on a track. One of the most important lessons I learned was the “golden rule” of development: when estimating how long a something will take, double your original estimate—twice. I also learned the importance of saying no when your plate is full, and I realized just how crucial it is to document every step of the testing process. Even seemingly insignificant details, such as whether the A/C was running when there was a defect in the AI, can come back up.

One of my favorite "treats" of working at John Deere was operating the machines. While I had operated some of the smaller things like skidsteers or excavators before, it was a whole new experience to be driving a massive articulated dump truck (Photo) or navigating the complex controls of a grader (Photo of a grader and the controls). I loved going up to the Hill (the testing grounds) with the job of "breaking" the software. All in all I got trained on 6 different machines, my favorite being the loader (Photo).

August 2023 - Present

These positions have shown me how much I LOVE to teach. I have been lucky enough to be asked to be a supplemental instructor for 5 classes: Physics I (PHY210), Physics II x2 (PHY211), Intro to Robotics (EGR116), and Numerical Methods (EGR339). Below is my reflection on the journey.

Physics I & II

For physics I held sessions 2-3 times a week outside of the normal class time for students who wanted to get additional work in. This was my own class of sorts—one I was able to work on my skills as an educator and rediscover my love of physics. I was able to empathize with the students because they were going through the same "How the heck am I going to find the velocity of this" that I went through. This not only gave me insight into how to talk to them, but let me understand how much they actually understood when asking questions.

That was an important thing—they didn't just want answers to a homework problem (well, some of them did)—they wanted to understand the concept. That principle guided how I taught. I would rarely tell them the way they wanted to do it was wrong and instead would guide them in debunking or proving their methods. Most of my answers became questions, encouraging them to think critically.

Intro to Robotics

For Intro to Robotics, I helped with labs, occasionally teaching them myself. This was a blast as I got to see the various ways students wired their circuits or organized their code and compare it to how I did when testing the lab. Even better I was able to give students who had a solid understanding of the course additional challenges to push their critical thinking skills. That was something I've always liked in classes so I tried to apply it to my teaching.

Numerical Methods

Unlike the previous courses I've been an SI for, I never took this class. I was asked to help with this class 6 weeks into the semester which meant that I got to catch up to the students over a single weekend. The weekend led into our first session which included a brief overview of programming basics, followed by mini challenges I put together to address concepts that were problematic for the students. These challenges were first presented to the students as individual problems, then followed by a group effort to solve them. This approach encouraged students to explain their reasoning to their peers, which not only deepened their understanding through teaching but also provided the other students a different perspective. While I only have anecdotal results of this technique, students seem to have benefited greatly in tranforming their mathematical solutions to more robust and scalable programmatic solutions.

Reviews

February 2021 - May 2023

When I took an astronomy course in high school, I expected to learn about constellations and horoscopes—it turns out that's astrology and what I was in for is much more scientific. Luckily, I loved the class, which led to me joining the Planetarium Club by the end of my 1st year of college. Eventually, I became president. I had no idea what I was in for, so it was quite the surprise when I was asked if I wanted to sign up for a show after the first meeting.

Shows were ran by teams of 2 to 5 people and presenting to crowds averaging 60 people and maxing out around 90 (only because we ran out of seats). The first few shows were nerve-wracking as I stuttered through my facts about Mars, but as time went on, I grew confident enough to throw in some jokes and engage with audience a bit more. Because we were a small club and the professor knew I enjoyed working with computers I also got to control the planetarium projector for the shows. There was a lot that you could do with the projector that we weren't taking advantage of, and after a bit of experimentation I was able to work more into the shows. This was great. Shows became a lot more dynamic and fun for both the audiences and us. We began to increase the marketing of our shows which inevitably led to more interest in the already packed shows, so much so that we would often do 2 performances in the same night to accomedate.

My absolute favorite moments were when we'd project the northern lights or a stunning nebula on the dome, and kids would fill the room with "oooo"s and "ahhhh"s. It was a magical feeling that further grew my passion for education. Other pretty awesome experiences I had included working with accomplished Loras alumni Beth Mund and Jeff Heitzman to present a show for homecoming and giving a show for members of the Iowa Space Grant Consortium.

August 2021 - May 2023

Being a residential advisor brings a ton of opportunity to make a difference in the lives of those around you. For many students, moving away from home—often for the first time—can be a stressful or anxiety-inducing experience. Being able to help make that transition easier for people is extremely rewarding. While staying up on duty wasn't always fun, every time someone would walk in needing to talk or de-stress, it made it worth it. The position also gave me the opportunity to meet people outside of the wrestling team, and some of my closest friendships were formed through residence life.

The position was a mix of on-call counseler, mediator, custodian, event director, safety monitor, and at times, what felt like a parent (Yes, you do need to add water before microwaving your mac and cheese). Through our pre-semester training and hands-on experience, I learned how to handle a variety of situations, largely growing my interest in communication and emotion science.

Some of my favorite aspects of the position were putting on events. My favorites included:

• "Drugs, Sex, and Rock & Roll": A program about safely navigating the college environment, set to a rock and roll soundtrack.
• "Be a Responsible Drinker": A PSA for responsible drinking, paired with a drunk-goggle obstacle course.
• "Paint Night": A relaxed hangout event where students could destress while painting.

These events gave me a chance to connect with people I otherwise may not have got to interact with and it was awesome to see the smile on their faces when you say hi to them around campus.