Role: Materials
Q: Tell me about your job and how it contributes to the overall goals of CIRAS to help companies prosper.
A great deal is working with a company to tease out the data behind their problem or processes. Sometimes, this means conducting a fully detailed study with defined questions to answer.
Q: What skills or experiences have prepared you for this job?
My experience working with a variety of companies in Iowa, primarily in the now diminished appliance market, where I specified, developed processes, and qualified applications.
Q: What types of companies do you work with?
I work with small to medium-sized companies that face specific issues they want to analyze but lack the tools or time to do so. These issues often involve a quick teleconference followed by a few hours of lab work. Occasionally, it involves cases where a company is successfully performing an application that is academically considered unfeasible.
Q: What opportunities for advancement are available for companies by working with CIRAS?
Opportunities can include gaining a better understanding of process issues and how adjusting process inputs, such as materials, can impact yield or process robustness.
Q: How do you stay updated on the latest developments or trends in manufacturing/government contracting?
Constant reading and researching technical and trade literature. Keep an open mind. Not everything was invented in an academic laboratory.
Q: What is the best part of your job?
Providing the connection between theory and application. Brainstorming with other CIRAS team members.
For more information, contact Bruce Janvrin at janvrin@iastate.edu or 515-686-9331.