PRODUCT DEVELOPER | DESIGN STRATEGIST | SOCIAL INNOVATOR | MECHANICAL ENGINEER
Contact
630-258-1772
suraskya@gmail.com
647 E Dayton Street
Madison, WI 53703
Skills
Design Research
User Interviews
Survey Development
Co-Design Activities
Persona Development
User Journey Mapping
Software
Solidworks
Autodesk Inventor
Microsoft Office
C++ (Particle) Development
Machining
Mill
Lathe
Table Saw
Band Saw
Drill Press
Activities
Panelist, White House Discussion on Making & Education – National Week of Making
Contributor, White House “We The Geeks: Made with Pride”
Member, IMSA Presidential Committee on Social Entrepreneurship
Fellow, StartingBloc - Boston Spring ’07 Class
Education
Master of Integrated Innovation for Products & Services May 2015
Carnegie Mellon University | Pittsburgh, PA
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering May 2007
Brown University | Providence, RI
Projects
Satellite Shelter Summer 2015
Social Innovation Project | Pittsburgh, PA
Developed shelter for homeless individuals sleeping out in Pittsburgh winters with interdisciplinary team; researched the needs of homeless individuals and agencies that serve them; conceptualized a variety of collapsible concepts; tested full-scale prototype with corporate partner; original concept took 2nd place in social innovation competition.
ID Aware Spring 2015
Capstone Project | Pittsburgh, PA
Created ‘ID Aware’ system: wearable device, wallet insert and service to prevent financial loss due to identity theft among the elderly; performed primary research through focus groups, co-design activities and online surveys to understand user concerns about identity theft; constructed looks-like and works-like prototypes; developed sustainable business plan to support product and service.
Cool Baby Fall 2014-Spring 2015
Boeing Grant Project | Pittsburgh, PA
Identified market gap and potential technology to prevent parents from leaving children in cars; completed user research; researched sensor options and selected those best-aligned with user needs; created works-like prototype; wrote grant application for Boeing Corporation funding.
Experience
Mechanical Engineer + Project Manager January 2016 - Present
Design Concepts | Madison, WI
Mechanical Engineer April 2012 – July 2014
Ross Industries | Midland, VA
Redesigned in-line food-packing machine for 30% cost savings in six months by improving design for manufacturing and assembly.
Lead Design Engineer June 2010 – February 2012
Anza Technologies | Washington, DC (Moshi, Tanzania & Qingdao, China)
Led design team to develop the Anza cart, which offered Tanzanian farmers the opportunity to increase income and facilitate water transport; completed user research and translated user needs to engineering requirements; constructed and developed prototypes; tested final design; selected and managed cart manufacturing vendor in China; produced container of 1,000 carts delivered at $20 fully loaded cost.