>> Rose: I saw like well, you're the chemical engineer, you know how to do X, Y and Z. You're
the mechanical engineer, you have this other area. And then I come in and I try to make
what you're doing better. [Laugh] I try to optimize what you're doing or help you understand
the process and merge those two so there's a cohesive environment.
>> Celia: So we can just start off with some brief introductions, so I am Celia, I am a
rising senior in industrial and operations engineering. I have loved being in IOE. I
think it's such a cool major that doesn't get enough hype or recognition. So, that's
a little bit about me. Tell me a little bit about yourself.
>> Rose: So I feel the same way. I did my undergrad in industrial engineering in Puerto
Rico. And then I went, I actually did summer research in Michigan as an undergrad, and
that's how I stated getting into the potential of doing a Ph.D. I was already considering
it. So then I went to Michigan, did my Master's and Ph.D. in IOE as well. So I feel the same
way. I feel like there are so many ways that you could use your background in industrial
engineering that people don't even imagine.
>> Celia: So, kind of going into where you're working now, can you tell us a little bit
about the company where you work at and what your role is at that company?
>> Rose: So, I work for Explico Engineering. It's a consulting firm. We do accident investigations,
so forensic consulting. And what I basically do is I get a case that a client comes and
asks, what happened. And I do the accident investigation. It could be as simple as a
slip and fall case. Somebody slipped in a mall or restaurant and maybe the person is
claiming that the injury that they have was caused from it. Or they're claiming that it
happened because the establishment should have done something to prevent that. And then
you go and do an objective evaluation and an analysis. So, what happened, at the end
of the day, and why this incident happened. So it could be as simple as a slip and fall,
it could be a vehicle collision. And we try to explain it in simple terms to the client
and in some cases to a jury in legal cases.
>> Celia: That makes sense. That makes sense. So how would you explain, or could you walk
us through what a typical day for you at work looks like, if there is anything that's typical?
>> Rose: There's no typical day. I can go from, I wake up, and I get called and I need
to do an inspection right away and I have to travel. Or there's a day where I'm just
reviewing a bunch of materials, and I'm just reading a lot of legal documents, or any other
factual information to help me understand the case. Then there's another day I could
have a lot of meetings, because we're going through different cases. So it's all over.
And in our case, we also do research in some specific areas to keep building that knowledge.
In my case, I do distracted driving. I do a lot in virtual reality, trying to bring
virtual reality to the courtroom.
>> Celia: When you're working, what do you love the most about your job? Why do you care
about it? Do you feel like you're making an impact? Or what kind of like drives you and
inspires you to continue working in this field?
>> Rose: So, I love that I work with people that actually strive to give the best. So
there's the team, the people that are not only in the human factors team, but the others
as well. So it's something that I really enjoy. I know that I can pick up the phone, and I
have a question that might not be related to human factors, just to have a better understanding.
And I know that I'm going to get a good answer. So overall, I love that team environment.
It's one of the things that I do -- and that's it pretty challenging. So, you're always looking
at different ways and new cases. And a lot of cases at once. So, it's fast paced, and
I actually really like that a lot.
>> Celia: So how did you come to choose...first of all, how did you come to choose to study
industrial engineering in your undergrad?
>> Rose: I actually, when I was in high school, I did a summer job in the Department of Water
Resources. And a manager that was in charge of my group, he was actually an industrial
engineer. I actually, I didn't even know what that was. I actually applied for computer
engineering. And at that point I already got accepted, so the first thing I did when starting
college was changing majors to industrial engineering. So, that's how I ended up being
-- it was just more of, exploring and meeting people and they told me what they did, and
I liked it.
>> Celia: What advice do you have for students who are still trying to figure out what they're
doing or they're trying to find jobs that they care about and feel connected to, and
not just finding a job to just be like an engineer?
>> Rose: Well, it depends on what stage they are. If they are an undergrad, freshman, they
can just start looking for different internships. And try to explore different areas, even if
they don't know if for sure they are going to love that. But if they get the exposure,
they can get a better understanding. The other thing is just looking at the different work,
student organizations and just talk to people, talk to professors. You would be amazed at
how many times...you as an undergrad, specifically, are more scared of talking to the professors
and instructors. They're more than willing to talk to you, and tell you what are the
areas that they do. Even if you go research route or industry route. So at least, I mean,
it's hard to learn from other peoples' experiences. But you could always see what sparks your
attention when they mention something.
>> Celia: That's very good advice. What do you think, this is kind of out of the blue,
but what you think your college self would think of your self now?
>> Rose: One of the things that...I was just like, wow, was when I just started my work
and Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico. And I found myself in the middle of leading the
Hurricane Maria, like the Michigan statewide relief efforts. And I was able to leverage
the network that I had from Michigan. And that resulted in the distribution of 50 tons
of essential goods from Michigan. For me it was just like, now in hindsight I look back,
and I see all the things we were able to accomplish. And I don't know how ended up in the middle
of all of it and the connection between all the big companies in Michigan and majors that
were calling me -- companies from Puerto Rico, from the private sector, and all over. And
I think that's something that ended up being, of course, because of the network and the
skills that I built at Michigan.
>> Celia: Wow! That's so amazing. Kind of looking back on that experience, how does
it make you feel that you were able to accomplish all of that, as just a single person with
a few supporting members?
>> Rose: No, I mean, it feels great. It feels like, there is still much to be done. You
even go back there, there is still much help. But it was great to see that the team that
we created and the people that helped me co-lead this activity, we were able to join many forces
and get something done. So it is something that we are all proud of.
>> Celia: Awesome. That's very cool. Thank you for going into detail about this. Well
I think that's all that we have. So thank you so much for joining us and sharing all
of you experiences. I'm sure that the people that watch this video will feel very inspired
and excited about everything you had to say, so we really appreciate you taking your time
to be here.
>> Rose: You're welcome. Thank you for inviting me.
[Music]