RESUME
Professional Experience
Altec Industries, Inc.
Associate Engineer - Manufacturing Burnsville, NC December 2013 - Present |
Altec's Burnsville Plant makes bodies for utility service vehicles (trucks with aerial devices a.k.a. cherry pickers). I serve as the Manufacturing Engineer in charge of our Electrocoat Paint System and our Wastewater Treatment System. One of the Rapid Continuous Improvement events I led improved throughput of our e-coat system by 20%. Beyond helping to maintain and improve those systems, a major responsibility of mine is to help the workers on the floor do their jobs as easily and efficiently as possible. To this end I have implemented a several designs to make tasks easier.
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Savannah River National Laboratory
Post-Graduate Researcher Aiken, SC August 2010 - May 2013 |
While at SRNL I researched a variety of topics including wind energy in SC, hydraulic conductivity of waste analogs, soil vapor extraction, soil contamination with VOCs, and environmental impacts of novel remediation techniques. Our wind energy analysis focused on our on-site wind farm and sensors deployed along the coast of SC for potential off-shore wind development. My research into novel remediation techniques led to a presentation at the 2011 International Symposium on Bioremediation and Sustainable Environmental Technology.
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Clemson University
Graduate Teaching Assistant Clemson, SC August 2006 - May 2010 |
I taught in the Deparment of Environmental Engineering and Earth Science, the Department of General Engineering, and the School of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE). Within MSE, I taught lab modules in tensile testing, metallography sample preparation, and determination of fracture toughness. In other departments, my responsibilities ranged from in-class assistance to assignment grading.
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NovusWay: Lutheridge Summer Camp
Area Director, Counselor Arden, NC Summer 2006, Summers 2003 - 2005 |
As an Area Director, I led teams of counselors on the road to take the Lutheridge camp experience to various locations throughout the southeast. As a Counselor, I led cabins of 6-8 campers in outdoor, experiential, faith-based learning.
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Skills
Computer
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Laboratory
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Field
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Communication
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Education
Minneapolis College of
Art and Design MA, Sustainable Design in progress Minneapolis, MN Fall 2012 - Present |
This innovative Sustainable Design Online program is intended to fit into a working professional schedule and allow the student to expand the student's knowledge and skills in the realm of sustainability and applying sustainable solutions to design problems. I focused my studies in biomimetic design and design for community through elective courses.
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Clemson University
MS, Environmental Engineering and Science Clemson, SC 2008 - 2010 |
While studying EE&S, I focused in Sustainable Systems and Environmental Assessment and my thesis examined Land Use in Life Cycle Assessment. I was a student organizer and presenter for the South Carolina Bioenergy Summit in Florence, SC in 2008 and 2008. The summit brought together scientists, policy-makers, and farmers. Beyond sustainability metrics, my coursework included mass transport and solution chemistry.
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Clemson University
PhD Coursework and Research, Materials Science and Engineering Clemson, SC 2006 - 2008 |
I completed my coursework with exemplary marks, but found the laboratory setting to be less than ideal. My coursework included electrochemistry, heat transfer, kinetics, and phase equilibria. I changed majors in Spring 2008 to EE&S.
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Clemson University
BS Ceramic and Materials Engineering Clemson, SC 2002 - 2006 |
I graduated summa cum laude and with General Honors in 2006. While an undergraduate, I was the Treasurer of the Keramos fraternity, President of the Ultimate Frisbee Club, and a photographer for The Tiger newspaper.
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Papers and Presentations
- R.L. Nichols, J.L. Kohn, and E. Boessneck. Variability of the wind shear profile on the coast of South Carolina, USA. Renewable Energy an International Journal, under review.
- J. Kohn, R. Nichols, and B. Looney. Sustainable remediation software tool exercise and evaluation. Technical report, SRS, http://www.osti.gov/bridge/purl.cover.jsp?purl=/1026833/, 2011.
- International Symposium on Bioremediation and Sustainable Environmental Technology, June 2011, Reno, NV. Presented the above report.
- J. Kohn. Multiple criteria decision analysis for the selection of a land use impact method for a life cycle assessment of switchgrass as a bioenergy feedstock in the Pee Dee region of South Carolina. Master’s thesis, Clemson University, http://gradworks.umi.com/14/80/1480579.html, 2010.
- T. Seager, S. Miller, and J. Kohn. Land use and geospatial aspects in life cycle assessment of renewable energy. In IEEE International Symposium on Sustainable Systems and Technology, pages 1–6, http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/ISSST.2009.5156724, 2009.
Volunteer Work
Western North Carolina Alliance - Water Quality Assessment of the French Broad Watershed. Weekly I collect water samples from Hominy Creek for bacteriological assays. I plate my samples with growth medium, culture them in a home-made incubator, and analyze the resulting colonies.
Western North Carolina Alliance - Forestkeeper Program. I volunteer to take notes during my hikes in the local woods on exotic invasive plant species, illegal roads, and erosion. This program includes continuing education on the various forest issues we are to monitor.
Western North Carolina Alliance - Forestkeeper Program. I volunteer to take notes during my hikes in the local woods on exotic invasive plant species, illegal roads, and erosion. This program includes continuing education on the various forest issues we are to monitor.
Other Interests
- Whitewater kayaking
- Five string banjo
- Guitar
- Bluegrass music
- Bicycle polo
- Home brewing
- Illustration