STORY COLLIDER PRESENTS: Stories from Boise State and Center for Advanced Energy Studies

The Story Collider is delighted to partner with Boise State University and the Center for Advanced Energy Studies.

Join us for an evening of five true, personal stories from veterans and service members in STEM.

Hosted by Jitesh Jaggi and Nakeysha Roberts Washington.

Sean Bradford: Growing up in Boise Idaho, I never knew how lucky I was, with our clean streets and outdoor enthusiast attitude. however, like everyone else, after high school, I was ready to see the world and prove myself. I enlisted in the Marine Corps at the age of 17. It was the best choice I ever made, for the friends and family, the successes and failures, and the pure experience. During my time in, I never got to deploy, or see the combative scene I was looking for. But after meeting many who did, I consider it a blessing in disguise. Going to school for mechanical engineering at Boise State University has been an awesome and meaningful experience. I am eager to apply my skills and habits to the civilian sector and through innovation, help the world crawl out of the hole the past generations have dug.

Lori Malin is currently a Director of Planning & Operations at Palo Alto Networks, after spending 24 years at Cisco Systems. Her current focus is on cybersecurity solutions and supporting the systems engineering team within global sales. She began her career in the U.S. Air Force as a Tech Controller, working on the communication systems for the base. She holds a Bachelors of Information Systems degree and enjoys coaching/mentoring others in their career journeys. Lori is on the Board of Directors for Vector Veteran Foundation, supporting veterans in their transition to the corporate and civilian sector. She is also a former Board of Director/CFO for the Boys & Girls Clubs of East County in the San Diego area.

Kevin Smiley is a US Army veteran and senior mechanical engineering undergraduate with a minor in applied mathematics and an interest in thermal-fluid science.

Gregor Posadas is a Civil Engineering student and Undergraduate Research Assistant at Boise State University. He is currently set to graduate from his undergraduate studies by December 2023. Born and raised in the Philippines, he grew up with a strong interest and deep appreciation for science and engineering, thanks largely in part to the influence of his late father Dr. Roger Posadas - a former relativity physicist, professor, and chancellor of the University of the Philippines. Gregor is committed to learning about new technologies in water/wastewater treatment, sustainable infrastructure, and water resource systems in developing countries. He specializes in data analysis and environmental engineering. He is set to begin his masters studies at Boise State University in the Spring semester of 2024, immediately following his undergraduate graduation. Outside of his studies, Gregor also currently serves as a Combat Engineer in the United States Army Reserves. He enlisted in 2019, just eight months after moving from the Philippines to Idaho. Gregor also serves as a Graphic Designer and Marketing Delegate for the Boise State Martin Luther King Living Legacy Committee - Boise State's student agency in charge of organizing the annual MLK Day March in Boise, Idaho. With a unique upbringing and a diverse set of experiences, Gregor is an engineering student with many interesting stories to tell.

David Estrada is originally from Nampa, Idaho. From 1998 to 2004 he served in the United States Navy as an Electronics Warfare Technician/ Cryptologic Technician – Technical. David achieved the rank of Petty Officer First Class in 2003 before receiving an honorable discharge and returning to Idaho to pursue his undergraduate education at Boise State University (BSU) where he was a Ronald E. McNair scholar. After completing his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from BSU in May of 2007, he began graduate studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) under the direction of Professor Eric Pop. David received his Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from UIUC in 2009, and his Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical Engineering at UIUC in 2013. David then joined Prof. Rashid Bashir’s Laboratory of Integrated Bio Medical Micro/Nanotechnology Applications as a Visiting Postdoctoral Researcher before moving to the Materials Science and Engineering Department at Boise State University. David is the recipient of the NSF and NDSEG Graduate Fellowships. His work has been recognized with several awards, including the Gregory Stillman, John Bardeen, and SHPE Innovator of the Year awards. His research interests are in the areas of emergent semiconductor nanomaterials and bionanotechnology.

The Story Collider Boise, ID – Veterans in STEM