idm/ise 288 alumni interview presentation

Education Current Career Work Environment College Experience Career Choice/Path Advice

04/22/23Interviewer: K. Alston Interviewee: Dr. F. Alston 2

Degrees› BS in Industrial Hygiene & Safety – Saint

Augustine College› MS in Environmental Engineering –

Southern Methodist University› MS in Systems Engineering - UAH› PhD in Industrial and System

Engineering/Engineering Management - UAH

Certifications› Certified Hazardous Materials Manager› Yellow Belt

04/22/23Interviewer: K. Alston Interviewee: Dr. F. Alston 3

Interviewee: Dr. Frances E. Alston Employer: URS Corporation Job Title: Environmental, Safety, & Health

Director

04/22/23Interviewer: K. Alston Interviewee: Dr. F. Alston 4

Established in 1951 “Provide program management, planning and

design management, systems engineering and technical assistance, construction and construction management, operations and maintenance, and decommissioning and closure services.” ~ URS Website

Employees 45,000 employees in over 30 countries

Focused on Federal, Infrastructure, Power, and Industrial & Commercial

04/22/23Interviewer: K. Alston Interviewee: Dr. F. Alston 5

Works in Niskayuna, New York on the SPRU DP Project

“Responsible for implementation of ESH program, policies, and practices to ensure safety and health of the workforce, that quality of work meets company standards and that the work that is preformed by the company does not adversely impact the environment and surrounding communities.”

In charge of people with both engineering and science degrees

04/22/23Interviewer: K. Alston Interviewee: Dr. F. Alston 6

Has good benefits Require travel approximately 2 times per

month (depends on your assignment) A Lot of room for growth and professional

advancement Can travel all over the world Does not usually work on weekends and

nights (depends on the assignment)

04/22/23Interviewer: K. Alston Interviewee: Dr. F. Alston 7

Normal work day includes meetings with engineers and customers, doing presentations, and reports

Require skills such as communication, technical knowledge, and the ability to converse with a diverse group of people, and flexibility

Generally work 40-50 hours per week

04/22/23Interviewer: K. Alston Interviewee: Dr. F. Alston 8

Job can be stressful; you have to handle differences of opinions between staff and clients

Satisfying when you know people have a safe and productive environment to work and succeed in

04/22/23Interviewer: K. Alston Interviewee: Dr. F. Alston 9

Helpful Courses› Engineering Courses› Leadership› Communication› Some technical classes

Least Helpful› Liberal Art courses

04/22/23Interviewer: K. Alston Interviewee: Dr. F. Alston 10

Chose engineering field because it links people, processes, and the work environment with engineering principles

Would not change anything. Future Plans

› 5 years - ESH Director for a large project with limited travel requirement (5000 people)

› 10 years - Retired

04/22/23Interviewer: K. Alston Interviewee: Dr. F. Alston 11

Internships Leadership courses Communication courses Maintain a GPA above 3.0

04/22/23Interviewer: K. Alston Interviewee: Dr. F. Alston 12