EPIC Speaker Series

Fall 2024

Walter Cuculic

November 22, 3–4:30 p.m.
In person; Eng 218

• MBA from UCLA and bachelor’s in science in Engineering and a bachelor’s in arts in Spanish from NAU.
• Lecturer, NAU
• Working in the renewable energy industry for 20 years including development and project finance.
• Senior Vice President, Director of Solar Lending at Legacy Bank and Trust.
• Developed and financed over $1B of renewable energy projects
• Worked at Sunwest Bank, Bank 34 and AVANA Capital, SunPower, SolarCity and Tesla.
• Board of Directors for the U.S. Green Building Council

Come and listen to our guest speaker:

• Interesting engineering projects
• Renewable energy industry
• Personal experiences

Spring 2024

Boeing, BE-IN

March 1, 2:30–4 p.m.
In person; LRC 106

Boeing Panel Discussion, Mesa Boeing Employee Indigenous Network

Come and listen to our guest speakers:

• Discuss their experiences with Boeing and their interest in joining the company
• Learn about how to pursue a career in STEM/engineering and get involved in the field.
• Discover fascinating projects and achievements at Boeing.

The Positives of Failure

April 12, 3–4:30 p.m.
Online

The Positives of Failure: How failing can lead to success

• Failure is not an option? How often do we hear or even say this in our society; but is it really true?
• Mistakes can lead to success; learning from failure can lead to better outcomes.
• Join us for a presentation and hands-on activity as we explore what are the benefits to failing and why failure may not only be an option but also may sometimes be the best option.

Speakers:

• Dr. A.D. Cropper: PhD in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech, Electro-Optical, Infrared Engineering Fellow, and a Hyperspectral Imaging Technical SME with RTX. The AISES “2014 Professional of the Year” and past President of AISES Publishing Inc. Board of Directors. The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago has recognized him as a “National ICON in Science & Technology” and a “Caribbean ICON in Science Technology & Innovation.” In 2017, Dr. Cropper received the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award.
• Susanna Packauskas-Lewalski: Bachelor of Industrial Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology. Principal Systems Engineer with Collins Aerospace. A 2019 Sequoyah Fellow, she has been an avid supporter of AISES since 2013. She is an active member of the RTX Alliance of Indigenous Nations (RAIN). Susanna is the 2023 winner of the RTX Ally of the Year for her work with RAIN. Although non-native herself, Susanna is interested in Native American culture and issues, as her husband and children are members of the Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma.

Fall 2023

Mentoring and EPIC Opportunities

October 13, 3:30–5 p.m.
In person; EGR 101

Come and hear about:

• EPIC Pre-internship Program
• Grants and Scholarships
• Guest Speaker Talking about Mentoring

Cole Hatfield Joslyn, PhD

• Assistant Professor, NAU
• Director of Humanizing Engineering (HumanizEng) Education, Research, and Outreach (HERO)
• Research area: Integrating Hispanic/LatinX/Boricua/CubanX/MexicanX/XicanX (HLBCMX+) cultures, values, and holistic, socio-culturally responsive/relevant practices into educational success strategies for HLBCMX+ students to nurture a sense of belonging in engineering and the profession.

Women in STEM

November 17, 3:30–5 p.m.
In person; ENG 101

Join us in learning:

• How this group of women thrive in their positions of leadership.
  Also:
• Great opportunity to ask your questions about both academic and industrial environments
• Speakers with different majors and experiences to share

Speakers:

• Kate Carroll: NAU CEIAS, Mechanical Engineering Lecturer
• Nassibeh Hosseini: W.L. Gore, Bio-Material Scientist
• Diana Calvo Martinez: NAU CEIAS, Environmental Engineering Assistant Professor

USPTO’s Inclusive Innovation Initiatives

December 1, 3:30–5 p.m.
In person; ENG 101

NAU engineering alumni and U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Western Regional Director Mary Fuller will discuss:

• The progress and challenges to increasing participation of women in underrepresented groups in the innovation ecosystem.
• The inclusive innovation initiatives and activities at the USPTO designed to broaden participation in innovation, as well as share her own career path as an electrical engineering major.
• Student internships and careers at the USPTO, America’s Innovation Agency.

Spring 2023

Women in STEM Panel

April 14, 2:30–4 p.m.
In person; EGR 101

Watch a Zoom recording of the Women in STEM Panel

An Afternoon with Gore and AISES

March 10, 2:30–4 p.m.
In person; EGR 101

Watch a Zoom recording of An Afternoon with Gore and AISES

Learn more about the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES)

Fall 2022

EPIC Fail with Raytheon

December 2, 2–3:30 p.m.
In person; EGR 101

Soft Matter Leads to Hard Science

November 4, 3–4 p.m.
In person; EGR 101

An Evening with SACNAS

October 14, 4–5 p.m.
In person; EGR 101

Learn more about the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) at NAU

Spring 2022

Women in Leadership Panel

April 6, 5:30–6:30 p.m.
In person; EGR 120

Veterans in Engineering Panel

March 9, 5:30–6:30 p.m.
In person; EGR 120

LatinX Leadership Panel

February 16, 5:30–6:30 p.m.
In person; EGR 120

Fall 2021

Brooke C. Coley, PhD

Assistant Professor in Engineering, ASU
Principal Investigator, SPACE Lab
November 17, 5:30–6:30 p.m.
EGR, Rm 218

Zach Lerner, PhD

Assistant Professor, NAU
Cofounder, Biomotum
November 3, 5:30–6:30 p.m.
EGR, Rm 218

Dominique Bain, PhD

Xcel Energy, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
October 20, 5:30–6:30 p.m.
EGR, Rm 218

EPIC Fail

October 6, 5:30–6:30 p.m.

Matthew Montoya Rush

September 29, 5:30–6:30 p.m.
Center for Materials Interfaces in Research and Applications (MIRA)

Raytheon Panel

August 25, 5:30–6:30 p.m.
Online

Spring 2021

W.L. Gore Panel

April 7, 5:30–6:30 p.m.
Online

Kiona Ogle

Professor in the School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems (SICCS) at NAU
March 31, 5:30–6:30 p.m.
Online

EPIC Fail and Recovery

March 10, 5:30–7 p.m.
Online

Ana Dyreson

Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics, Michigan Tech
January 27, 5:30–6:30 p.m.
Online

Lisa Bagwell

Director of Field Application Engineering, leading North America teams at ABB
February 17, 5:30–6:30 p.m.
Online

Fall 2020

John Georgas, PhD

Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, NAU
November 4, 5:30–6:30 p.m.

Jennifer Martinez, PhD

Director, Center for Materials Interfaces in Research and Applications (MIRA), NAU
October 21, 5:30–6:30 p.m.

EPIC Fail

October 7, 5:30–7 p.m.

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Karin Wadsack, MS

Project director and technical expert, Energy policy
September 23, 5:30–6:30 p.m.

Map a career in clean energy

Raytheon Panel

August 26, 5:30–6:30 p.m.
Online

Spring 2020

EPIC Fail open mic event

March 11, 5:50 p.m.
EGR 101

Kelly Franklin, PE

April 23, 5:30 p.m.
Online

Gabriel Montaño, PhD

April 9, 5:30 p.m.
Online

Laura Mersmann

March 4, 5:30 p.m.
Building 69, Rm 101

Chad S. Hamill, PhD

February 9, 5:30 p.m.
Building 69, Rm 101

Genevieve Bennally

January 23, 5:30 p.m.
Building 69, Rm 321