Professional Development Committee

Elizabeth Cagle is a junior studying Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Management from Mount Airy, Maryland. Last year, she conducted research with Professor Wenzu Wu within the IE department at Purdue. She researched skin integrated triboelectric cardiovascular sensors to detect cardiovascular diseases. She focused mainly on the mechanical design and development as well as the clinical trials of the device. The past two summers, she interned at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab. At APL, she collaborated with NASA and Caterpillar Inc. to develop and test an IPEX rover simulation in a CARLA environment. She also designed a UAV rover focusing on optimal sensor mounts and enhancing navigation accuracy. Elizabeth is a peer TA for Purdue’s Honors Engineering freshman class, ENGR 161/162. She has also been the treasurer for Purdue’s FACT club. Outside of academics, Elizabeth enjoys hiking, listening to music and podcasts, and binging TV shows.

Maura Whitaker - Junior from Mequon, WI | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical and Computer Engineering | Turbocharger Application Engineering Intern at Caterpillar | Application Engineering Intern at Rockwell Automation | PMEA Professional Development Committee Member | PSWE Technical Director: Motorsports Focus | PSWE Grand Prix Pit Crew Member and Relief Driver | Purdue University Run Club |

Maura is a junior from Mequon, WI, majoring in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Electrical and Computer Engineering. This past summer, Maura interned at Caterpillar as a Turbocharger Application Engineering Intern, where she conducted research to identify technologies that could be used to mitigate turbocharger compressor fouling due to closed crankcase ventilation systems. She also formulated test plans to validate these technologies for future implementation. Additionally, Maura previously worked as an Application Engineering Intern at Rockwell Automation, where she engineered customer modifications to Allen-Bradley low voltage motor control centers. At Purdue, Maura is a member of the Purdue Mechanical Engineering Ambassadors, serving on their Professional Development Committee. Maura is also the Technical Director: Motorsports Focus for the Purdue Society of Women Engineers, and is a pit crew member for their Grand Prix team. Lastly, Maura is a member of the Purdue University Run Club. In her free time, Maura enjoys reading, hiking, running, and trying new coffee places.

Ervin Liao is a junior in Mechanical Engineering from Portland, Oregon. This past summer, he interned at Honeywell Aerospace Technologies in Atlanta, Georgia; he also previously participated in the Purdue SURF program, as well as multiple semesters of undergraduate research in additive manufacturing. Ervin’s campus involvements include serving as the VP External of the Taiwanese Student Association and volunteering for the Asian American and Asian Resource and Cultural Center (AAARCC). He also competes in drone racing for Purdue as part of the drone club and is a TA for ENGR 16X. In his free time, Ervin enjoys traveling, cooking, and trying new things.

Rodrigo is a Senior in the School of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University. This past summer, Rodrigo was a Research and Development intern with Procter and Gamble in Cincinnati, Ohio. The two prior summers he was also with Procter and Gamble as a Research and Development intern, also in Cincinnati, Ohio. In the first internship, Rodrigo was involved in developing new photostability test methods for the skin care team at Olay. In his second internship, he worked in machine learning for automated error detection through image analysis. Then finally, this most recent summer, Rodrigo spearheaded an initiative to under consumer behaviors and habits and how to create consumer interventions on the Spruce (weed and grass killer) package to drive correct application methods through a rigorous iterative research and prototyping process. Through all of these experiences, Rodrigo was able to cultivate his teamwork skills, technical curiosity, networking, and project management capabilities for future endeavors. While at Purdue, Rodrigo is involved as an outreach fellow for Boiler Catholics, head of the Boiler Catholic Men bible study, a member of the professional development team within Purdue Mechanical Engineering Ambassadors, a small group leader through BoilerCatholics, with additional involvements on Grand Prix teams, Mission Trips through BoilerCatholics, and the Club Tennis team. In his free time Rodrigo loves to do anything sports-related, cooking, working out, and hanging out with friends and family.

Aurelia Lau is a junior from Pasadena, California studying Mechanical Engineering. This summer, she interned at ASML as an operations project lead intern. Here, she identified BOM items not needed for proto builds in SD and drafted a proposal for continuous improvement in clean room inventory storage. Last spring, she interned at Tesla as a process engineering intern. While working at Tesla, she designed a fuse impedance tester using CAD, wiring pin outs, and machine manuals. She also created production ignition tasks that communicated the exact area of nonconforming materials and managed the revamp of LDU mounting plates to decrease cycle time. At Purdue, she is on the APEX Committee in the Purdue Student Engineering Foundation and previously worked as the President of the Purdue Badminton Club and mentored for the women in Engineering Program. She also studied abroad at University Carlos III of Madrid during her last spring semester and participated in the Silicon Valley and Tech Study Abroad her freshman year.

Katia Olmstead is a senior studying Mechanical Engineering. Last semester, she studied abroad in Madrid, Spain. This summer, she interned at Linde Advanced Material Technologies in Indianapolis, IN, as an atomization engineering intern for a second term. There, Katia focused on optimizing equipment efficiency in the powder plant’s processing and combustion spray pyrolysis sectors. On campus, she’s on the professional development committee for PMEA, does research regarding environmental fluid mechanics, peer mentors sophomores in ME 290, and is a member of PURC. She also has experience extending to ASME, SASE, WIEP, and Purdue’s Orientation programs, BGR. In her free time, Katia enjoys running, hiking, thrifting, and doing art.

Olivia is a Senior from Beijing / New Jersey studying Mechanical Engineering. This past summer, she completed her 5th co-op rotation with Mercedes-Benz Truck in Woerth Germany as a durability test engineering intern. In her previous rotation in the U.S, Olivia worked on fuel economy testing and powertrain integration for electric vehicles. She has also interned with Cummins Inc. as a Current Product Improvement Intern, worked on their internal software development. During her freshman year, she also participated in the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF), and worked with Professor Blumenschein in the RAAD Lab. Additionally, she has performed Finite Element Analysis research under the Microstructure Testing and Analysis Lab, and currently she is working in Herrick Lab as an undergraduate researcher on engine diagnostics. Outside PMEA, Olivia works as ME 270 TA and serves as a mentor in the Professional Practice Ambassador (PPA) program. In her free time, Olivia enjoys swimming, working out, dancing, traveling, hanging out with friends, and exploring different cultures.

Ava Hallberg is a junior studying Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University with a minor in Global Engineering Studies. She has conducted research at Zucrow Laboratories, where she developed pulsed laser systems for combustion imaging and contributed to government-regulated optical diagnostics projects. In addition, her work at nanoHUB led to a publication in the Journal of Applied Physics, where she applied machine learning to accelerate physics-based simulations. Professionally, Ava has completed internships in engineering R&D and manufacturing reliability, most recently with Ardagh Group, where she supported asset reliability across nine glass production sites. On campus, Ava combines leadership and community involvement with her technical interests. She serves as a PMEA Ambassador, Vice President of ASME DEI, and Systems Lead for the ASME Robotics Team, fostering collaboration and mentorship among students. She also represents Chi Omega as a Panhellenic Delegate and competes with the Purdue Women’s Club Soccer team. Through these experiences, Ava has built a strong foundation in engineering innovation, teamwork, and leadership.