The BARC Seminar Series brings top Boeing Researchers to give talks at UW and fosters UW Faculty to present at Boeing. The seminars at UW are attended by faculty and students from the College of Engineering. Boeing speakers discuss the engineering issues in their topic of expertise and provide insights into what helped them succeed in their careers. UW speakers present at the Boeing Distinguished Researcher/Scholar Seminar (B-DRASS) Series at Boeing, which is the Technical Discussion Forum (TDF) at Boeing.
Boeing Speakers
- Liz Ugarph, October 27, 2023, A Career Path at Boeing Industrial Engineering
- Jill E. Seebergh, November 23, 2021, Materials & Processes for Sustainable Aerospace
- Robert McIntosh, June 7, 2021, Boeing Commercial Airplanes In-Service Product Safety and Air Safety Investigation Overview
- Sayata Ghose, January 26, 2021, Augmenting Automated Material Placement via Material Characterization
- Marvi Matos Rodriguez, December 8, 2020, Engineering Knowledge Management throughout the product life cycle
- Gary Georgeson, May 28, 2019, Current and Next Generation Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) for Manufacturing
- Anne Kao, March 5, 2019, Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Aviation Industry
- Tia Benson Tolle, January 29, 2019, Industrializing Composites Materials
A Career Path at Boeing Industrial Engineering
By Liz Ugarph
ABSTRACT:
The ISE Professional Practice seminar series takes place every autumn quarter and features talks by ISE alumni and industry partners. These seminars are designed to provide undergraduate students with insights that will help them prepare for the working world.
SPEAKER BIO:
Liz Ugarph is the Director of Industrial Engineering for the 777 Program at Boeing Commercial Airplanes. In this role she leads a team of ~200 Industrial Engineers and managers who are responsible for production system scheduling and execution, process improvement, and planning for future rates and derivatives. Prior to this role she led the Industrial Engineering team for Boeing Commercial Airplanes Fabrication Division, which is the company’s internal supply chain spread across ~15 global factories. Liz joined Boeing in 2011 and has held prior leadership assignments in Supply Chain, Product Development, and Analytics. She started her career at GE Healthcare where she completed the Operations Management Leadership Program.
Liz holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from The University of Wisconsin-Madison, an MBA and master’s degree in Systems Engineering from MIT, and a certificate in Data Science from the University of Washington.
Materials & Processes for Sustainable Aerospace
by Jill E. Seebergh
ABSTRACT:
The aviation industry has announced ambitious sustainability goals, including the Fly Net Zero commitment of airlines to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and commitments from manufacturers such as Boeing and Airbus to reduce water consumption, energy use, solid waste to landfills, and hazardous waste. Achieving these goals will require innovation throughout the product lifecycle, including designing fuel-efficient aircraft, shrinking the environmental footprint of manufacturing, optimizing aircraft operations and maintenance, and maximizing recycling and reuse at the end-of-life of the aircraft. An introduction to materials and processes for enabling sustainable aviation goals will be provided and several examples of current technologies will be discussed, including opportunities, challenges, and progress pertaining to lightweight materials, hazardous materials elimination, passive ice protection, and durable coatings.
SPEAKER BIO:
Dr. Jill Seebergh is a Boeing Senior Technical Fellow with expertise in colloid and interface science.
In her current role with Boeing Research & Technology, she provides technical leadership to develop and implement chemical technologies that improve safety, reduce manufacturing flow time, enhance sustainability, and improve aircraft performance.
Current areas of focus include chromium-free coatings and surface treatments, durable exterior coating systems, anti-microbial coatings for aircraft cabins, and materials that reduce build-up of ice and bugs on exterior surfaces. Dr. Seebergh received a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from Lehigh University (Bethlehem PA) and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Chemical Engineering from the University of Washington (Seattle WA).
She is the Chair of the Boeing Technical Fellowship, a member of the Editorial Review Board for the Journal of Coatings Technology and Research, and serves on the Advisory Board of the International Networking Forum on Aircraft and Aerospace Coatings. She is an active member of SWE, ACS, and SAE, and has been recognized with awards including the SWE Patent Recognition Award, UW Chemical Engineering Distinguished Alumni Award, CSIRO Gold Medal for Research Achievement, and the Boeing Chairman’s Safety Award.
Boeing Commercial Airplanes In-Service Product Safety and Air Safety Investigation Overview
by Robert McIntosh
ABSTRACT:
This is a special joint BARC and UW Aero and Astro Distinguished Speaker Seminar
SPEAKER BIO:
Robert McIntosh is the Boeing Commercial Airplane Director of Product Safety and Air Safety Investigation. In this role, he is responsible for the oversight of Air Safety Investigation and both In-Service and Design Airplane Safety Engineering. Robert began this current assignment in 2017.
Prior to this, Robert was the Chief Engineer of Weight Engineering in the BCA Flight Sciences organization. In this role, he oversaw groups responsible for the determination of and delivery on design weight guarantees for all Boeing aircraft. His responsibilities in this role also encompassed both the Seattle and Everett Delivery Operation Centers, Flight Test, Sales and Marketing, Customer Introduction, Mass Property, and Weight & Balance Manual groups.
In previous roles, Robert was the Senior Manager in charge of project managing the Flight Sciences portfolio of technology projects. In this role he was responsible for the strategy and oversight of projects focused mainly on improving the performance of aircraft, reducing the cost and cycle time of the Flight Sciences analysis tool suite, and the improvement of flight and wind tunnel testing methods.
Prior to that, he was the Supervisor of the 787 Static Loads Group. Robert was hired into the BCA Loads and Dynamics Group in 1989 and supported BCA Programs performing wind tunnel testing, wing design, and multi-discipline analysis and optimization.
Robert received his BS and MS degree in Aeronautical/Astronautical Engineering from the University of Washington. He also received a Master’s in Engineering Management from Washington State University. Robert is an AIAA Associate Fellow and has served as the Boeing Company Executive Focal for the Commercial Aviation Safety Team (CAST), Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing (ASIAS), and the Society of Allied Weight Engineers (SAWE). He also earned a patent on wing-body load alleviation on aircraft.
Augmenting Automated Material Placement via Material Characterization
by Sayata Ghose, Ph.D.
ABSTRACT:
The lay-up performance during automated material placement (AMP) is significantly affected by the quality of adhesion (tack) at three interfaces: 1) between the material and the tool, 2) between neighboring material layers, and 3) between the material and rollers on the deposition head. There is currently no means of defining the ideal processing parameters for automated processes.
To optimize AMP process parameters, tack on different surfaces was characterized for multiple aerospace-grade unidirectional tapes. A peel test fixture, developed jointly with the University of Nottingham and currently residing at multiple Boeing locations, was used to measure tack between a prepreg and a steel substrate. Modifications of the test methodology enabled the measurement of prepreg-to-prepreg tack and prepreg-to-fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) tack. In general, the test parameters, feed rate, and temperature affect the balance between cohesion within the resin and adhesion between resin and substrate. Exploring a range of parameters is required to understand the effect of viscoelastic resin properties on tack. Changes in molecular mobility in the resin related to specimen conditioning (i.e., aging or moisture uptake) result in maximum tack to occur at lower or higher feed rates, respectively. The test method is currently being developed as an ASTM standard (D30) and will assist in achieving maximum production rates and product quality by appropriately tailoring AMP process conditions.
SPEAKER BIO:
Dr. Sayata Ghose attained her Ph.D. in Polymer Engineering from The University of Akron following a B.S. in Chemistry and B.Tech in Polymer Engineering. She then worked at NASA Langley Research Center for 7.5 years before joining The Boeing Company in 2011 where she has been working on materials producibility and composites fabrication. Ghose has 18+ years of experience processing and characterizing elastomers, nanocomposites, aerospace prepregs, and high-temperature resins. Her academic work includes 26 peer-reviewed journal publications, ~60 conference proceedings,15 poster presentations, 2 book chapters, >1000 citations, 10 U.S. patents, 1 patent application publication as well as multiple invited talks and funded proposals.
Engineering Knowledge Management throughout the product life cycle
by Marvi Matos Rodriguez, Ph.D.
ABSTRACT:
A Path that Leads to the Start – From research and technology development to manufacturing, this talk will focus on the career path of a Chemical Engineer in the world of aerospace. Dr. Matos’s work roles have been stepping stones that have led to her focus on engineering requirements, product lifecycle, and the importance of knowledge management. Today, she leads Design Practices at the Boeing Company, a central system covering engineering knowledge and requirements for all Engineering Disciplines and Product Families.
SPEAKER BIO:
Dr. Marvi Matos works as Director of Engineering – Design Practices at The Boeing Company. Marvi is a Chemical Engineer with a B.S. from the University of Puerto Rico and Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University. She worked as a postdoc at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) under a fellowship from the National Research Council. She served as a Lecturer in Chemical Engineering and later as a Senior Research Scientist in Bioengineering at the University of Washington. She also worked as an independent consultant in the field of engineering innovations and intellectual property development prior to working in the aerospace industry. Marvi transitioned to Boeing as a Scientist and Engineer. While at Boeing she served as lead of a Thin Films research team, as Manufacturing Engineering manager, as Research and Technology manager in a special assignment in Australia, and as director of Chemical Technologies, Metals and Ceramics. Marvi worked at Blue Origin, where she led the newly formed Materials and Processes group for the company and later served as director for the Crew Capsule team in the New Shepard Program and as the director for Mechanical Engineering leading the New Shepard functional design teams of structures, mechanical systems, fluids systems, technical design and materials and processes. In her capacity as a scientist, manager, and director, Marvi has led teams in the development of novel super alloy and thermal protection system materials and the qualification of manufacturing technologies in aerospace. Marvi is married and is the mother of two. She balances her life by exercising frequently, eating healthy food, formulating products such as soap and wine at home, and presenting on STEM outreach activities.
Current and Next Generation Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) for Manufacturing
by Gary Georgeson, Ph.D.
ABSTRACT:
Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) plays an essential role in ensuring that the quality of a manufactured part that will be utilized for its structural features and performance capabilities. Whether the part is on an airplane or bridge deck or automobile, the confidence that the part will perform as designed under all relevant loading conditions is essential to the fabricator and the user.
This presentation will describe the current and emerging roles of NDE in U.S. manufacturing, with a focus on innovative technology and methods being developed for aerospace applications. Interesting examples of how NDE makes a difference will be given. The significant challenges and opportunities that NDE development faces today will also be described
SPEAKER BIO:
Gary Georgeson is the Senior Technical Fellow in Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) at Boeing, where he has worked since 1988 in Seattle, Washington. He holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering/Materials Science from the University of California at Santa Barbara.
Gary is the technical leader to Boeing NDE scientists, engineers, and technicians, advancing methods for evaluating aerospace structures, particularly composites, during manufacturing and aircraft service. As Boeing’s most prolific inventor, he has developed or co-developed numerous NDE systems and methods (200+ patents). For example, Gary is the co-inventor of the Boeing X-ray Backscatter System, the Boeing Rotorblade Crawler, and the Boeing ROVER Robot, which were each developed for automated inspections of various aerospace structures. His work has supported numerous Boeing programs and helped win contract R&D programs from the USAF, USN, NASA, TTCI, and the FAA. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Nondestructive Testing, and a regular keynote speaker, having spoken about the importance of NDE in Spain, Singapore, Germany, Brazil, China, and France, as well as the U.S..
On a personal note, he has been married to his wonderful wife Lori for 35 years and has three adult children and a one-year-old granddaughter. He also holds an M.S. degree in Theology and is the pastor of a church he founded in 1990 that serves the poor in his community.
Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Aviation Industry
by Anne Kao, Ph.D.
ABSTRACT:
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one of the fastest-growing fields in computer science, and the hottest topic in modern technology, promising to revolutionize our daily lives. In this talk, Anne will review briefly the evolution of AI, the past and current state, and where we see its successes. She will also discuss applications of AI in the aviation industry and how it might impact our daily life and people’s careers.
Anne will also discuss career development with participants of the seminar after the technical talk.
SPEAKER BIO:
As a Senior Technical Fellow in Boeing Research and Technology, Anne Kao is responsible for leading enterprise research and development of advanced analytics, aligning the Long Range Plan/Operating Plan (LRP/OP) with Boeing BGS, BCA, BOS and IT, and coordination of data analytics activities. This responsibility includes leadership of technology advancement, intellectual property strategy, enterprise leadership in transferring new analytics technology, technical interface to the US government, US and international university collaboration, and defining priorities for teaching and mentoring on data analytics.
Anne’s specialty is Data Analytics, especially text analytics, and artificial intelligence. Her research interest is in the philosophy of language, especially “Ordinary Language Philosophy,” and Direct Reference Theory, epistemology, and Naïve Realism. She received her B.A. in Philosophy from National ChenChi University and a Masters in Philosophy from the Chinese Culture University, both in Taiwan. She then received her MS in Computer Science from the San Diego State University and her PhD in Philosophy from the Chinese Culture University.
Currently, she is leading Boeing data analytics and artificial intelligence research and strategy as a Boeing Senior Technical Fellow.
Industrializing Composites Materials
by Tia Benson Tolle, Ph.D.
ABSTRACT:
Advanced composite materials have their roots in aerospace applications, and represent one of the preferred engineering materials for structural applications where high strength-to-weight and stiffness-to-weight ratios are required. Various material systems have been developed to meet specific applications and service environments, and their performance benefits have been realized. Numerous manufacturing processes have been developed as well, offering designers options for building the material/component. Today we see many aerospace systems using composites, and a growing market for diverse aerospace systems. As new aerospace vehicles and frontiers grow, the application of advancements in the manufacturing of composites will have the opportunity to evolve to enable their industrialization for an exciting future.
SPEAKER BIO:
Tia Benson Tolle graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. She also earned her Master of Science and Doctorate of Philosophy degrees in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Dayton. In addition, she holds a Masters Certificate in Leadership and Executive Development from the University of Dayton and completed the Air Force Senior Leadership Development Course and Air War College Senior Leader Course from the Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base.
Tia joined NASA’s Johnson Space Center in 1983 as a co-op student and in 1986 as a Flight Crew Instructor in the Space Shuttle Flight Training Division, Mission Operations Directorate. In 1989, she joined the Flight Dynamics Laboratory, Wright Laboratory, as a Composite Structures Program Manager in the Advanced Composites Advanced Development Program Office.
Tia joined the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, in 1992. She held several positions, including Chief of the Structural Materials Branch and lead of the Composites Core Technology Area. During this period she was responsible for materials for satellites, airframes, engines, and launch vehicles spanning basic research to advanced development and transition. In 2007, she was assigned as the Technology Director of the Nonmetallic Materials Division. She was also USAF Deputy to the DoD Reliance Community of Interest for Materials and Processes, coordinating research interests across Defense Science and Technology. In 2012, Tia joined Boeing as the Director of Advanced Materials, Product Development at Boeing Commercial Aircraft. In this position, she is accountable for the integrated materials portfolio for Boeing’s commercial airplane products.
Tia is a Fellow of the Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (SAMPE), an International Past President of SAMPE, and was President of the Materials Research Society (2014). She is the BCA Executive Sponsor for Boeing’s SAMPE External Technical Affiliation as well as Edmonds Community College. Serves on Iowa State University’s Aerospace Engineering Department’s Industry Advisory Council, the University of Washington Materials Science & Engineering Department’s Industry Advisory Council, and is a Trustee of Edmonds Community College.