Samuel Beck: Engineer in Bryan, TX

• Working building and wiring control boxes designed for large winches used on boats and rigs. • Learned to adapt well when working for a small engineering firm where my working role could change from day to day. • Gained confidence performing tedious work while wiring low and high voltage control boxes from complicated schematics. • Wired control boxes in specific ways to ensure easy troubleshooting in the field if something were to go wrong.

• Working part time selling outdoor gear and apparel including brands such as Salomon, Arc’teryx, Patagonia, The North Face, Osprey, and more. • With my outdoorsman and engineering passion I have digested the designs and usage of material from many brands and learned what sells to customers. • I have further developed my relations with clienteles and strengthened my communication by appealing to all types of consumers.

• Performed research in the Aerosol Technology Laboratory. • Designed, built, and ran UAS bioaerosol collection device for 3-D air sampling initiative for urban health. Bacteria samples taken from air, water, soil, and plants was gathered and analyzed to create a microbiome of areas at Texas A&M University. Presented this material at the American Association for Aerosol Research conference in Portland, 2016. • Performed big data analysis of bioaerosol samples, processed by Illumina Sequencing, using QIIME to determine relationships between complete microbiomes and create phylogenetic trees. • Created a dynamic network of bioaerosol collectors in beef facilities to experimentally detect and track pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella and STEC E. Coli. Generated models of these facilities with their HVAC systems from blueprints and used CFD to analyze the airflow inside the facility and track particles.

• Taught Junior and Senior level Heat Transfer Lab and held office hours. Every week would prepare the equipment before the lab and create presentations. Ran tests on thermocouples, steady state heat transfer columns, fins, heat exchangers, and uncertainty analysis. Worked as a team with other TA’s to grade reports fairly and create exams. • Taught Sophomore level Mechanical Measurements Lab and held office hours. Before class every lab was completely run through to ensure equipment was working and troubleshooting during class would be quick. Ran tests on relays, LabView, oscilloscopes, and various analog and digital instruments. Existing presentations were enhanced to give a more stimulating experience to the students. • Taught Graduate level Mechanical Vibrations and held office hours. I never took Mechanical Vibrations as a class but was tasked with staying a week ahead of the class material and have the ability to help students with their homework and answer their questions.

• Researched a method to reduce estrogen from escaping wastewater facilities. • Knowing that laccase has the capability of breaking down estrogen, I determined an optimal fungal source for laccase production that would naturally produce this enzyme, saving costs. • Began development of a novel estrogen degradation assay using a fluorescent probe in order to find the rate at which laccase degrades estrogen. First person to identify the metabolites of laccase-catalyzed estrogen degradation. • I was expected to present my research and progress weekly to the department, as well as present related published material. Proved capability of producing original results while working alone. • Presented poster material at SERMACS 2014 conference in Nashville.