Career

Happily employed...

I'm currently working for an outstanding technical communications company, Prima Communications, Inc. Prima bridges the gap between the information and the people who need it. Please visit our website to learn what we can do for you!

My Education:
What is Interdisciplinary Engineering?

From the Purdue University School of Interdisciplinary Engineering webpage:

The primary responsibility of the Division of Interdisciplinary Engineering Studies (IDE) is to provide a coordinated and controlled educational opportunity for select students whose interests and talents fall at an interface either between engineering disciplines, or between engineering and other disciplines. The division does not have a prescribed curriculum, so it can accommodate highly flexible interdisciplinary programs. These programs are broad, innovative, and challenging, and enable graduates to seek better solutions to a variety of complex socio-economic-technical-humanitarian problems.

Students applying to the IDE program develop their own personal plan of study. Before a student is admitted to the school, a board of advisors reviews the plan and an accompanying essay explaining the degree and justifying the classes. The board members may offer suggestions for improvements, eventually approving the plan when they're satisfied. Future changes to the curriculum must also be approved by the board.

Looking back, I'd already started doing technical writing before I even knew what it was. At the end of one of my summer jobs, I used my own time and resources to document work processes and explain maintenance procedures (with photos, of course) for John Deere commercial lawn mowers because I wasn't satisfied with the owner's manual. I just thought it needed to be done, so I did it.

After high school, I considered both journalism and engineering as potential career paths. I chose to pursue engineering, figuring that it would be easier to be an engineer and write in my free time than to be a writer and engineer in my free time. Heading to Purdue, my intent was to go into mechanical engineering with a focus on research and design. Late in my freshman year or early in my sophomore year, I realized that I loved writing and editing too much to just keep it as a hobby; I wanted it to be part of my career. That's when I found my way to the IDE program.

Engineering Communications

I doubt there are many students who have found their education as rewarding as I have. Much more than a means to an end, my degree let me take classes that intrigued and challenged me. IDE gave me control over my own education and allowed me to explore different areas that normally don't coincide: engineering and communication. I've always enjoyed math, science, and problem solving, which is how I ended up in the freshman engineering program in 1995. The flexibility of my major also let me study communication practices, with a focus on technical communication. My minors in English and Communication satiated the liberal arts major in me, while the hard sciences and engineering classes kept my analytical thinking skills sharp. I almost never missed classes because I loved what I was learning and wanted as much as I could get. I'm not qualified to build bridges or design wafers, but my technical background gives me a good starting point and also helped me learn the art of learning.

What classes did I take?

Freshman Engineering & Computer Science
CHM 115 - General Chemistry I
CHM 116 - General Chemistry II
CS156 - C Programming for Engineers
CS 190W - Intro to Internet and Webpage Design
CS290W - Advanced Webpage Design/ Java, JavaScript, Perl
ENGR 106 - Intro to Computer Tools in Engineering
MA 165 - Analytic Geometry & Calculus I
MA 166 - Analytic Geometry & Calculus II
MA 261 - Multivariate Calculus
MA 262 - Linear Algebra & Differential Equations
PHYS 152 - Physical Mechanics
PHYS 241 - Electricity and Optics
TG 155 - Graphical Communication and Spatial Analysis

Civil Engineering
CE 220 - Construction Management
CE 221 - Construction Plans and Estimates
CE 231 - Engineering Materials I
CE 297 - Basic Mechanics/ Statics
CE 350 - Environmental Engineering

Industrial Engineering
IE 230 - Probability & Statistics I
IE 330 - Probability & Statistics II
IE 332 - Computing in Industrial Engineering/ Information Systems
IE 386 - Work Analysis and Design I
IE577 - Human Factors in Engineering

Humanities
PSY 120 - Elementary Psychology
PSY 240 - Social Psychology
PSY 242 - Psychology of Personality
SOC 100 - Intro to Sociology
SOC 341 - Culture and Personality

English and Communication
COM 114 - Fundamentals of Speech
COM 204 - Communication and Social Knowledge
COM 212 - Approaches to the Study of Interpersonal Communication
COM 252 - Journalistic Writing
COM 318 - Principles of Persuasion
COM 324 - Intro to Organizational Communication
COM 415 - Discussion of Technical Problems
COM 458 - Copy Editing
COM 491S - Culture/Person/Meaning (Semiotics)
ENGL 101 - English Composition I
ENGL 306 - Intro to Professional Writing
ENGL 420 - Business Writing
ENGL 421C - Technical Writing
ENGL 396H - Scientific and Literary Paradigms in Modern Thought

Resume

Work Experience:
Prima Communications, Inc.; Schoolcraft, Michigan
Technical writer (December 2002 to present)

Pfizer Global Manufacturing: Coordinated Chemical and Pharmaceutical Equipment Standards Committees, including rewriting and reorganizing technical information, handling variance requests, guiding the committees' activities to meet requests from engineering and production representatives
Pfizer Global Manufacturing: Organized two teams and aided in the development of two computer-based training modules intended to explain the role of automation in the pharmaceutical industry, how 21 CFR and cGMP guidelines drive the manufacturing environment and validation requirements, and illustrate the traceability matrix of documentation requirements
Pfizer Global Manufacturing: Gathered data, interviewed operations personnel, and examined production equipment to aid in the development of a long-term master plan and capital expense estimate for several modifications to all Self-Discharging Nutsche Filters in the API site
Dow Chemical: Compiled and edited process control specifications for an ABS plastics plant under construction in China; Extracted inputs and outputs from P&IDs and sequential block, controller block, and logic diagrams; Edited engineering drawings and specifications for consistency and clarity
Coordinated a project Steering Committee comprised of representatives from six major pharmaceutical companies, equipment vendors, and the leadership of 3-A Sanitary Standards Incorporated dedicated to the production of industry-wide equipment standards; worked with subcommittee leads to assemble resources and develop scopes for individual standards
Developed content for corporate image marketing pieces and industry newsletters

Project GO@LS; Portland, Maine
Full-time AmeriCorps Volunteer (2000 - 2001)

Taught basic computer use, web-based email account set-up, and Internet use to librarians, teachers, and library patrons
Developed curricula and handouts aimed at a variety of knowledge levels and topics
Transported and set up a Mobile Technology Lab of seven laptops, a proxy server, and a wireless internet connection antenna for training courses in libraries throughout rural Maine

IBM, AS/400 Headquarters; Rochester, Minnesota
Hardware Team, Up and Running Services, User Technologies (summer/fall 1998, summer 1999)

Transformed the Physical Planning/Site Preparation manual from a hardcopy book to online documentation; maintained and updated online version
Updated and compiled information for the AS/400 Diagnostic Aids Manuals

Freelance Web Design (2002)
(please see http://www.shannonigans.com/mildflower)

Education: