Jennifer King

Claudia Mueller, Process Engineer III, ITT Bornemann

Adam Osburn, Foreman, Manhattan Mechanical Services The term “tinker” would be an appropriate description for Adam Osburn, who said he grew up wanting to figure out how things work.

Annually on Feb. 11, International Day of Women and Girls in Science, which was declared by the United Nations, recognizes the critical role women play in science and technology. This year the theme was recognizing the role women scientists have played in the fight against COVID-19. The UN says that while progress has been made to engage women and girls in science, they “continue to be excluded from participating fully.”

The United States infrastructure just received a grade that most students would be upset to receive. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) released its 2021 Infrastructure Report Card March 3, assigning bridges, roads, wastewater systems and more in the U.S. a grade of C-.

While 94% of respondents said they feel safe at their workplace, some respondents would like to see more training on arc flash, chemical hazards, hearing safety and more. The number of respondents who experienced an injury in the last year was low but two people did report that they lost a finger. H…

Learning about different types of machines is what fuels Ashutosh Mishra, lead application engineer, KSB Company in his work each day. When he started working for KSB Company after graduating in 2007, he was familiar with rotary machines, but said he was not aware of the vast applications of centrifugal pumps. “In brief, pumps, manufacturing applications, troubleshooting, plants, EPCs [engineering, procurement, and construction], [and] having exposure [to] instrumentations and electrical, all to…

For Ares Panagoulias, director of the Condition Monitoring & Test Lab at Hydro, working in fluid dynamics is his way of rising to the challenge. While studying civil and environmental engineering at the University of Michigan, he gravitated toward fluid dynamics despite his father’s warning. A mechanical engineer focused on fluid dynamics in cooling systems of nuclear power plants, Panagoulias’ father told him, “Whatever you do, don’t do hydraulics, it’s too hard.” “So, naturally, I have been t…

Long ago, North American-based pump manufacturers had to offshore items like casings and impellers due to costs, access to raw materials, and because the work is not environmentally friendly so it was more difficult to do in the U.S., Michaud said.

Pump industry expert Todd Loudin—head of Neles USA Inc. Maryland Flowrox business, head of sales and service North and South America, mining and metals Flowrox business—spoke with Pumps & Systems on the state of the industry as 2022 begins.

Many people pay their dues when starting a career. That was true for Nicole Pasch, who worked at a utility in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for 14 years. “My first job was literally to wash the sludge buckets,” said Pasch. Starting as an intern at the wastewater treatment lab in her community wasn’t the easiest road. In fact, it took convincing just to walk in the door on her first day.