Andrew Ruba

Experience

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  Andrew's Swim Lessons

  May 2018 - Aug 2019

  Private Swim Lesson Business Owner and Instructor

  • Managed a successful entrepreneurial business providing personal swimming and water safety instruction • Promoted business with advertising; scheduled and led personalized, interactive learning sessions• Earned confidence of parents and students, providing instruction for children from ages 6-17

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  Iowa State University

  Aug 2019 - Dec 2022

  • Perform state-of-the-art parabolic flight research with a cross-disciplinary team, simulating zero gravity • Formulate nanoparticle ink to print conductive circuitry for potential use on the International Space Station • Design and print 3D models to improve the methodology for gene delivery via Solidworks to capture for later publication; earned a co-author position of a scientific publication through this work • Perform silver ink nanoparticle formulation, testing and analyzing conductivity and bending durability • Test nanoparticle ink for electrohydrodynamic inkjet printing with a focus on viscosity, conductivity, sintering parameters, and durability Show less

  • Undergraduate Research Assistant- Soft Matter and Nano Engineering Lab

    Feb 2020 - Dec 2022

  • Undergraduate Teaching Assistant

    Jan 2020 - May 2020

  • Peer Tutor

    Aug 2019 - Feb 2020
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  Iowa Department of Transportation

  May 2020 - Sept 2020

  Materials Engineering Intern

  • Certified in several materials testing procedures including Aggregate Technician and PCC 1; conducted Portland cement concrete slump tests per ASTM C143 and sieve size distribution analysis via ASTM C136 • Pioneered Geocortex, the first person at the location to utilize this JavaScript application, to enable DOT field workers to collect and store data more efficiently than legacy data collection applications • Created initial construction plans by modeling with MicroStation and estimating project costs Show less

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  Mercury Marine

  Jan 2021 - Aug 2021

  Materials Lab Polymer Engineering Co-Op

  • Operated FTIR, TGA, DSC, tensile testers, & optical microscopes to characterize engine components• Conducted material analysis of fiberglass, composites, polymer resins, paints, and some metallic materials relating to the design, production, and manufacture of the outboard and sterndrive boat engine industry• Wrote the lab’s first Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for DSC and TGA characterization equipment• Wrote and reported characterization findings, working with mentors to provide root-cause analysis and product recommendations, such as component manufacturing conditions, component material design, and material choice Show less

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  ASM International

  Jul 2021 - Jul 2022

  ASM Student Board Member

  • Attended ASM International executive meetings and conferences, providing insight on behalf of global undergraduate and graduate students on long- and short-term ASM strategic planning and innovation • Fully funded travel to the IMAT2022 annual conference to attend ASM Board of Trustee meetings

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  Medtronic

  Jun 2022 - Aug 2022

  R&D Engineering Intern

  • Investigated the diffusion-bonding mechanisms of sapphire-titanium interfaces, aiming to enable highly efficient rechargeable & Bluetooth-capable lithium-ion batteries in deeply implanted pacemakers• Utilized JMP software to create Design of Experiments (DOEs) to maximize prototype bond strength, hermiticity, and surface area by controlling pressure, temperature, and time in a high temperature cryopump vacuum furnace• Characterized diffusion bond data and perform critical statistical analysis via JMP, Minitab, and Excel• Collaborated with subject matter experts to design and print 3D fixtures that aid in the investigation of diffusion bonding via Solidworks; automate some image analysis via Fiji ImageJ software Show less

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  It's a Material World Podcast

  Oct 2022 - Dec 2023

  Podcast Manager

  • Plan weekly podcast episodes, networking and ideating with industry leaders; craft coherent and compelling stories regarding MSE-related industries, subjects, or career paths in an educational manner • Grow our global communities of industry professionals, graduate, and undergraduate students with extensive university outreach; form partnerships with industry sponsors and university student clubs• Utilize engagement and retention tools to craft high-quality podcast content; continuously improve audio and video, aiming to grow our cross-platform presence Show less

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  Los Alamos National Laboratory

  Jan 2023 - Aug 2024

  Post Bachelor’s Student