Systems Engineer Interview
(When they ask if you have experience in something that you DON'T)
I don't currently have practice in that, but I can take charge and start training myself to catch up to speed.
If you are interviewing with multiple places, then why are you interviewing for this job?
I feel like I'm the best fit for this position, especially since my experience has included designing devices and robots along with quantitative analysis such as statistics and hemodynamics analysis. I also feel more connected to the Edwards mission and Spirit, especially knowing a few people who work there.
Why did you leave CRS in 2018?
At that time, the position was only part-time, and it was in the commercial real estate field. I was contacted with an opportunity for a full-time position that was in a field more relevant to my career goals, so that's why I took that opportunity.
How would you find the time duration of a signal?
Number of samples / sampling frequency
What is numpy used for?
Numpy is a python library that allows a user to store and manipulate data in arrays and matrices. I've used numpy in bioinformatics projects to analyze bacterial genomes, and I've also used it in machine learning when creating augmented feature vectors and performing supervised learning techniques.
How do you calculate specificity?
TN/(TN+FP)
What did you dislike about your previous job/s?
I actually quite enjoyed my previous job. The team was very collaborative and we were extremely productive. Previous jobs, perhaps the only thing I would have disliked were that they were not entirely relevant to the medical device industry, although they were each valuable stepping stones to this opportunity here today.
How do you handle limited supervision?
I don't need much guidance for a job well done. What I do is first make sure that I understand my manager's expectations, key deadlines, and contacts. From there I communicate with my contacts to get the information I need. And after that, I split up my tasks into milestones to get myself there.
Do you prefer to work alone or with others In Edwards Lifesciences?
I enjoy both equally. I feel like I'm a team player and have a strong independent work ethic.
Why should we hire you?
I feel like I have the experience you need with various areas of engineering as well as medical instrumentation and marketing. I also enjoy breaking down complicated systems into smaller parts for either development or optimization. I'm a positive person and a quick-learner, and I'm passionate about patient outcomes, so I think I would be valuable in Systems Engineering.
How do you deal with conflict and how do you overcome it?
I keep a cool head and first self-reflect to see if I could be contributing to the issue in any way. If I am, I modify my behavior. If I feel I'm not, I'll meet with the person privately and ask questions, and make sure that they feel heard. I'll really sit down with them and see how we can find some middle ground to resolve the issue.
What do you know about Minitab?
I know that Minitab is a software that is a little smaller than MATLAB but does allow for similar statistical analysis techniques. I also know that it allows for the running of Python scripts. So, I feel that I'll be able to quickly transfer my skills in MATLAB and Python into Minitab.
What do you know about LABVIEW?
I know that it's a system design platform that uses the G language to code for and represent data flow. I feel that my programming skills will make it easy to transition into that environment. I also know you can perform simulations, which is something I have experience in using ANSYS.
Why did you leave Equity Evaluations in 2019?
I left Equity Evaluations in 2019 because that was the year I transferred to CSULB for my engineering degree. Schoolwork became very heavy and I could not work full-time anymore because of that. So, I left on notice and on good terms in order to focus on school until it became less course-heavy.
Why did you leave your Research Position in February 2022?
I left my research position in February 2022 because I had been an undergraduate researcher for 2 years and the project for that academic year had finally concluded. Since I was graduating soon, I didn't start a new project because I would be searching for an Industry position in just a few months when I graduated.
What are your hobbies and interests (what do you do outside of work)?
I love to sing and go to museums. I'm also very connected to my family; I spend a lot of time with my mother and sister. I recently got into jogging, too, which I find relaxing and good for my health.
How do you define system requirements?
I would define system requirements based on user needs, patient needs, and safety needs. I would obtain these from deliverables such as clinical testing observations, usability studies, user interviews, patient needs, and research. For example, in my LVAD project, I defined the device size, shape, housing, electronics, and powering system based on user (surgery), patient, and safety needs. In my robot project, I defined the hardware, software, and overall behavior requirements based on user and safety needs as well as the assignment needs.
How would you handle conflict with me (the manager) if I asked you to do one thing but you did another?
I would firstly apologize and own up to the error. Then I would make sure I fully understand what I did wrong, and correct the mistake. I would double check with you to see if the corrected task was what you were expecting, and make a note for myself for the future.
What if you were dealing with a rude/disrespectful employee?
I would remain respectful and conduct myself in a professional manner. That would not change. If at some point their behavior was causing issues with deadlines or interfered with my team's work, I would make a recommendation to my manager and see what they think.
Talk about a goal you set for yourself. What did you do to make sure you met that goal?
I would say that one goal I had was to develop a social robot with my classmates in a single semester. It was a big project and we had limited time, especially since we had to collaborate with a different department at our school and they joined in one month into the semester. I had to break down our ultimate goal into smaller milestones that had their own milestones. This made it easier to keep track of each of our progress and remain on the same page. Having Gantt charts and personally set deadlines helped as well.
What would you do if you and a coworker had different goals/desires in mind for a project?
I would schedule a meeting with them so that we could go over the patient's requirements. At the end of the day, the medical outcome is more important than any personal desire, so it would be essential to mitigate and gear our solutions to patient needs.
Do you know how to push back tactfully? Elaborate.
If the idea at hand is negotiable, I would do is approach someone with respect and communicate to find some middle ground. The important thing is to find an ultimate goal that we both share, and find a way to get there that both could agree to. But if the idea is non negotiable, in that case I would still find our common goal, for example patient needs, and explain how it would get us there.
What's your ideal work environment?
My ideal work environment is positive, cross-functional, and geared toward problem-solving.
What are your strengths?
My strengths are my ability to learn quickly, adaptability, intrinsic motivation, and teamwork experience. I feel like I communicate well and can handle a constantly changing environment without much supervision.
How would you influence people in other departments without authority?
First I would establish a connection and make sure they feel heard. It's important to develop trust with anyone that I would be working with. Then, I would present the items to them and emphasize patient needs, while explaining how these items would help us progress toward meeting those needs. Because at the end of the day, we all have the same focus on the patient.
What do you offer that other candidates can't?
Firstly, my degree by nature has covered a wide breadth of engineering topics such as electrical, mechanical, and programming which I feel captures the essence of this position. Also, I'm highly energetic, a quick learner, and I enjoy teaching myself things. So I don't need much guidance. I'm very adaptable as well, since I've spent most of my life and career in situations that were constantly changing.
Walk me through your role in another project relevant to systems engineering.
For one of my projects, my team members and I were tasked to collaborate with the Design Masters students at the school and build a social robot that would meet both of our course outcome requirements. I hosted a meeting where we found common ground for both of our course needs. From there, we made a list of requirements for the system and narrowed it down to design, electrical, mechanical, and software requirements. I delegated tasks to team members and we would work independently on them while keeping track of progress in Gantt charts I made on Google sheets. We met regularly to give each other feedback and coordinate based on our activities. Then we worked to assemble all subsystems together, after verifying them individually, and proceeded to verify and validate the usability of the robot as well as ensuring it met the requirements we initially set.
What are you passionate about?
Having an impact on people's lives in a positive way. It doesn't need to be direct; I actually feel that most of the impact on people and patient lives lies within companies like Edwards where everyone has their own role as a contributor to an ultimate solution.
Talk about an instance when you wish you handled things differently with a team member.
On one of my group projects, one team member was not responding to our emails or communications, and she was not doing much of her work. I eventually gave up and took over her portion of the work because we were approaching an important deadline. I wish that I had escalated the problem since I had already exhausted the options within my scope of authority. I learned from that situation that in the future if someone is hindering the team's progress, and I've exhausted all the options I have, that it's important to escalate the issue rather than take it upon myself. Even if I know I can handle the tasks myself.
What is scikit-learn?
Scikit-Learn is the machine learning library in Python. I've used this library frequently to perform supervised learning techniques such as Linear Discriminant Analysis and Regression, Bayesian Decision theory, and k-Nearest Neighbors
What is software?
Software is a computer program that typically is in binary but developers use source code to create these programs since it's much more efficient. Software can be developed using many programs like Python, C++, and C.
What is a transducer
Something that converts one form of energy to another (pressure to signal; brightness to signal)
What are your weaknesses?
Sometimes I can take on more work than I should. I still succeed in that work, but it can stress me out. So I've been working to improve in that regard.
What is SciPy?.
Stats, optimization, and signal processing. I would use NumPy first to store data in arrays and analyze it using SciPy.stats. For example, finding probability distributions, regression, correlation, anova.
How do you calculate sensitivity?
TP/(TP+FN)
What is a capacitor
a component that stores charge
What is a Swanz-Ganz catheter
a pulmonary arterial line- specialized central venous line that has a small electrode on the end to monitor pulmonary arterial pressures
What is preload?
end diastolic volume
What is SVO2 and what does it measure?
mixed venous oxygen saturation. It measures the balance between oxygenation of of the arterial blood, tissue perfusion, and tissue O2 consumption
What is ejection fraction?
stroke volume/end diastolic volume The percentage of blood leaving the ventricle each time it contracts
What is stroke volume?
the amount of blood ejected by a ventricle in any one contraction
What is EDV (end diastolic volume)?
volume of blood in the ventricle at the end of diastole (preload)
What is a diode
A device that only allows current to flow in one direction
Why do you need to use negative feedback in an op amp?
To control the gain, since amplifiers theoretically have infinite gain.
What is an inductor
A component that has the ability to concentrate a magnetic field and store energy
Tell me about your experience multitasking; give an example and how you handled it.
An example is my recent engineering research position. We had a lot of deadlines for conferences, competitions, and our own meetings with our advisor. What I did to prioritize our work was I managed a Google Sheet document for our team that had Gantt charts for each of the team members. I ensured we were all prioritizing tasks based on time sensitivity, urgency, and workload.
Give an example of how you've done verification.
An example of how I've done verification is in my LVAD project. Some of the requirements we had were that the diameter needed to be less than 30mm, the longitudinal length had to be less than 40mm, and the impeller needed to rotate to generate flow. Some ways I verified these requirements were using the ANSYS Spaceclaim measurement features and ANSYS Fluent to simulate the impeller's rotation in the correct direction.
What is embedded software?
Embedded software is software that is built directly into a device such as a GPS or a smartwatch that serves a specific purpose rather than a general one.
List qualities that a leader should have.
Empathy, assertiveness, and good judgment. Empathy because those under the leader should feel seen and heard. Assertiveness because leaders need to take charge with monitoring and delegating tasks. Good judgment because when delegating tasks, I feel that it's important to understand which members may be stronger and more passionate for one over another.
How would you deal with conflict with a coworker?
First I would do some reflection to see if there is anything that I'm doing to contribute to the conflict that I can resolve. And if I happen to feel there isn't, I'd meet with my coworker privately to see how we can resolve the conflict collaboratively.
Tell me about a situation where you disappointed a client, and how you tried to fix it.
I had accidentally double-scheduled a medical legal evaluation with the same doctor on the same day, and the patient called 3 months before to let me know that the doctor canceled it. She was very upset because it meant rescheduling 3 months later since the evaluation window needed to be between 6 and 9 months. I was very understanding, listened to her concerns, and owned up to the mistake. I told her I would fix the issue immediately and that I would email her in advance of their appointment as a reminder. She calmed down and thanked me, and I feel that the situation was resolved.
What is your experience debugging? Example?
I have a lot of experience debugging in software and some in electronic circuits. Oftentimes when I've had to code complicated programs, they would not deliver the result that I wanted and I would have to find out what was missing or incorrect in the code. An example that I have of debugging was when I was programming for a social robot to move through MATLAB and a program called RoboDK. The robot kept moving only in simulation and not in realtime. I had to first of all identify the problem, then understand the problem, and finally narrow down and evaluate the potential causes. Some potential causes were interface connection error, issues with the hardware itself, or a problem in the code where I needed to manually define for realtime movement. It ended up being the code, so I went through it and fixed the line for runmode. For electronic circuits, there was an occasion where the LED lights for the social robot's eyes were not working. I first looked at every connection and made sure they were connected correctly and that no ground wires were accidentally connected to power supplying nodes. Then I checked each component to make sure they had the correct polarity. Finally I looked at the actual connections to see if any joints had desoldered and found that a grounding joint at the start of the LED strip had desoldered. I went ahead and resoldered it with more rosin and at a higher heat, then wrapped it in shrink tubing. Further I probably would've checked that the microcontroller was working, or that the MATLAB program code hadn't given errors.
What is your experience with hardware?
I have experience in 3D printing ABS and lactic acid components for the LVAD we were developing. I also have experience in using servomotors and assembling electronics into a social robot that I created with a team in my senior year.
What experience do you have relevant to this role?
I have experience in biomedical research and development based on requirements, electrical and mechanical engineering, verification and validation, and Python and MATLAB. I'm very independent and can handle tasks without much supervision. And I'm quick to learn, with a tendency to embrace change.
What type of people do you not work well with?
I prefer people who are respectful and communicative. Sometimes I've encountered people who don't respond to emails at all or that communicate in unprofessional ways. I still stay friendly because they're just human after all, but I make sure to keep my focus.
Tell me about your experience in team building.
I think it's important to have trust and respect first and foremost. When I have a new team to lead, I make sure to meet first and have an icebreaker, to get to know each other and find our common passion that glues us together as part of the project. From there I prefer to ask about each member's strengths and specific passions related to the project, and make sure to delegate based on a happy medium between the two for each member. I want them to feel heard and like they matter. And I also find that if each team member feels both confident and passionate toward their task, the team works better as a whole.
What do you think about teamwork?
I think teamwork can be very productive if it's managed in an efficient way. I feel like the more people there are, especially, with diverse backgrounds, the more lucrative a project can be. I heard something a few years ago that stuck with me; "if you have 5 people each with 20% of the solution, then your problem is solved."
What part of this position do you think will challenge you?
I think the greatest challenge will be in the beginning when I'm getting used to the techniques and specific programs and preferences you use. I'm a quick learner though so once I'm trained on those details, it'll go very smoothly.
How did you perform simulations in ANSYS?
I used ANSYS Fluent. First I created a volume within a cylinder that simulated the ascending aorta. I defined that volume as a non newtonian fluid with the viscosity of blood. I set boundary conditions that simulated a heart failure environment based on literature. Then finally I defined the parts of the pump and the impeller's angular velocity. I used the CFD solution software to create contours and evaluate for flow rates, shear rates, turbulence, pressure, and axial velocity.
How do you create and manage requirements?
I would use the tools and method that Edwards prefers of course, but in my projects we used a program called Miro. What I've done is first create a general system requirement diagram with the initial item at the top being the highest level use requirement. I've then added subsystem requirements such as electrical, mechanical design, and software and their functions which would meet that higher level requirement. I've then made separate diagrams for each of those subsystems so I could go into detail about respective components or program workflow. Miro board is collaborative so all team members had access to these diagrams. I delegated each subsystem to members based on their strengths and interest. Separately I created Gantt charts in Google Sheets where we would provide updates on our progress.
What kind of leader are you?
I'm a compassionate leader who prioritizes deadlines and the details of project requirements. I communicate with my team regularly and use project tracking tools to create Gantt charts and make sure everyone is on track for deadlines. (Microsoft project and Monday)
Tell me about yourself.
I'm a recent graduate from Cal State Long Beach, with a Bachelor's in Biomedical Engineering. I have experience in biomedical research, electrical and mechanical engineering, machine learning, and Python and MATLAB. I'm very independent and can handle tasks without much supervision. And I'm quick to learn, with a patient-focused mindset.
What do you know about our hemodynamic monitoring devices?
I'm aware of the HemoSphere monitoring system and its relevant measurements of cardiac output, ejection fraction, preload and afterload.
Tell me about your experience dealing with multiple departments
I've acted as a communication middle-man in a couple of my positions. I've found that it's important to establish respect and trust, take notes of our communications, and make sure to follow up regularly. Keeping shared documents is essential as well.
Describe a time when you had to prioritize tasks
I've had to prioritize tasks many times since my experience involved a lot of multitasking. An example is my recent engineering research position. We had a lot of deadlines for conferences, competitions, and our own meetings with our advisor. What I did to prioritize our work was I managed a Google Sheet document for our team that had Gantt charts for each of the team members. I ensured we were all prioritizing tasks based on time sensitivity, urgency, and workload.
What is your experience relevant to systems engineering?
I've managed and contributed to projects, such as my LVAD project and social robot senior project, where I developed and tested a system based on requirements I defined from user, patient, and safety needs. I understand the importance of requirements, delegation, cross-functional communication, verification, and validation.
What is your experience with root cause analysis?
I've used root cause analysis in projects where something isn't going right. For example, when I was programming for a social robot to move through MATLAB and a program called RoboDK, the robot kept moving only in simulation and not in realtime. I had to first of all identify the problem, then understand the problem, and finally narrow down and evaluate the potential causes. Some potential causes were interface connection error, issues with the hardware itself, or a problem in the code where I needed to manually define for realtime movement. It ended up being the code, so I went through it and fixed the line for runmode.
Which MATLAB toolboxes have you used?
I've used the machine learning toolbox, Arduino IDE, image acquisition, and data acquisition.
Give an example of how you've done validation.
I've validated by performing quantitative analysis on simulations of a heart failure environment with the LVAD that my team and I designed. I needed to validate that cardiac output was at 5-7 L/min, and that shear rates as well as turbulence were within safe hemodynamic limits.
Why Edwards?
I've wanted to work at Edwards since I started studying my degree. There are 2 reasons. First, the Company doesn't just state that they're patient-focused, but they express it as well. I know from a few people about the Patient Days that the company hosts where you can see the impact you're having, and I'm aware that the CEO even shows patient videos in meetings. The second reason is that I know how much Edwards cares about its employees. The people I know at Edwards have told me about how happy they are and how collaborative the culture is. It's important to me to join a Company that fosters such a positive work environment.
What projects did you work on and what was the impact?
I've worked on a few projects but I would say the biggest ones were my biopsychology research projects, my LVAD research and development project, and the social robots that I developed with classmates in my senior year.
What is your philosophy towards work?
If 5 people each have 20% of the solution, then you're heading toward solving 100% of the problem. I can't remember where I heard that, but it's stuck with me for years.
What sort of leadership experience do you have?
In 2017-2018 I was the president of an Honor Society that had over 500 members. I also had a leadership team of officers that I would regularly communicate and delegate with. After that, I had an Office and Sales Manager role that required overseeing an entire Internship program. Meanwhile, I was leading a research team of 8 students in biopsychology. I later got involved in Cardiovascular Biomedical Engineering research where I also led a team of 4 in research.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
In 5 years, I see myself still working at Edwards either in the same role or hopefully having advanced to a higher level. I also will have developed myself professionally, and be seen as a trusted and productive employee at Edwards.
What is your experience with MATLAB?
In MATLAB, I've performed a lot of quantitative analysis for both research and statistics. That can range anywhere from basic linear regression to complex signal and image processing problems. I've also used MATLAB to code an active social robot that incorporated speech recognition
What is your experience with Python?
In Python, I've also performed basic quantitative analysis and statistics. Most of my machine learning experience was in Python as well, where I conducted supervised learning techniques like Linear Discriminant Analysis and Bayes Decision Theory
Give an example of a statistical problem you've solved.
In my biopsychology project, I calculated Heart Rate Variability and post-stimulus heart rate change for 30 students based on EKG data that we collected from them. I used Python. I had to find the Pearson's correlation coefficient using scipy stats pearsonr for the baseline HRVs compared to the post-stimulus HRVs. I found the correlation to be about -0.6 with a p value of less than 0.001.
Give an example of a Python project you had.
In my computational physiology class, I was given a supervised machine learning project to complete. I was provided with a large set of data from MIT that included patients who had measurements taken of breast tumors. It was a csv file with several tumor features such as diameter, symmetry score, concave points, and diagnosis. I used the diagnosis column as the labeled set for training. From there I selected radius and plotted it against other features to see which feature vector plot would have the most differentiation between two general groups of benign and malignant diagnosis. I decided that radius against concave points was the best. So, I chose those two as the feature vector set and created an 80% training and 20% testing split. With sci-kit learn I first tried bayesian decision theory and accuracy was something like 95%, which isn't too bad, but I felt it could be improved so I tried it again with linear discriminate analysis. It came out as 98% accurate or so.
Give an example of a time you had to work with someone who had a different personality from yours.
In my experience each person has a unique personality. I've had the pleasure of working with all types of people; those who are very creative and artistic, those who are more mathematical in their way of thinking. I feel like I learn a lot from people. I enjoy hearing their take on things, especially if we're on the same team, because it can open my eyes to a different point of view and new ideas.
Walk me through your role in the LVAD project.
Initially, I was the only student on the project. I saw a need in current research and MedTech for smaller and less invasively deployed LVADs. So I sat down and developed an exact list of those needs along with already established physiological needs such as cardiac output and aortic size limits. From there I defined system requirements that would address those needs, and narrowed them down into mechanical design, electrical components, and software requirements. Once I presented my ideas to other researchers under my mentor, 3 students joined my team and we worked on the mechanical design, simulation, and electrical components. One student also began developing a closed loop simulation system in the lab. ....... Software requirements: By the time I graduated, we hadn't yet begun working on implementing the software, but I had passed the requirements onto the team. I established that it needed a Graphical User Interface (MATLAB or Python) that a user on the outside would control. It would display RPM, cardiac output, heart rate, and alerts. The RPM would only be adjusted by the surgeon. This outer device would also house a battery and would connect to an ultrasonic transmitter placed over the thorax which would provide a signal to a receiver housed within an endograft holding the pump in place. This would provide the power.
What salary range are you looking for and why?
It's negotiable based on the benefits, but the positions I'm currently interviewing for are around $85,000 a year. (Samsung (R&D Systems Engineer), J&J (New Product Development Engineer))
Why this position?
My degree in Biomedical Engineering was very diverse in nature, since I took courses in programming, electrical and mechanical engineering, and medical instrumentation. My professional experience, most specifically my research positions, involved a lot of tasks that I feel are relevant to systems engineering. For example, in my recent cardiovascular engineering research, I managed a team of 4 in developing a new device by first defining our requirements, delegating sub system tasks, prototyping, and verifying and validating. I also really like to find solutions by looking at every working piece of a challenge and getting to the root cause. So, I feel like I'm prepared for this position and would enjoy it very much.
What is a great success you've had?
My degree would have to be my greatest success so far. I worked full time to support myself when I could, and studied full time. On top of that I was conducting research throughout my education to make sure I was applying what I learned, and I was part of the University Honor's program. It was tough but I am so passionate about this field and can't wait to continue growing and learning in Industry.
Give an example of a project you had in MATLAB.
One project that I had in MATLAB was in programming for facial recognition, safety, and user interaction for a social robot. Once the program was started all of the code needed to be within a constant while loop. I also created a GUI app that had a stop button which would break from the program when pressed. Anyway, within the while loop, I first identified the usb input that the webcam was connected to, the speaker and audio outputs, and the arduino uno with the ultrasonic sensor and LED libraries. From there I coded for the webcam to detect a pattern of eyes and a mouth. Once it detected more than 10 points in the same geometric pattern, it would check that the user is between 3 and 4 feet of the ultrasonic sensor. That was the safety region. If both of those conditions were satisfied, then the robot began moving using RoboDK through MATLAB, and the electronics worked in sync according to what was happening. We had different interactions like speech recognition and response, audio play, and the ability to call a nurse by setting off a bluetooth alarm.
What is pandas used for?
Pandas can be used for data analysis and storing data in the form of dataframes. I've used pandas a lot when dealing with large, labeled datasets for machine learning.
Describe yourself in 3 words
Productive, self-motivated, and energetic. I feel like I'm a positive person to work with and always prioritize patient outcomes.
What is afterload?
Resistance that a ventricle has to overcome to pump blood out
What is hardware?
The physical aspect of a device, like screens, keyboards, and electronics.
Talk about a time when you had problems building a relationship with a key team member. What did you do?
There was a time when I had teamed up with a few classmates for one course's laboratory section. One of the team members was not contributing to the technical reports and was not communicating with any of us. I privately reached out to the team member and asked how they were, and if there was anything I could do to help. She actually confided in me that she had social anxiety and wasn't sure how to ask us to clarify her tasks. I was happy to clarify them for her and made sure to include her during meetings since now I was aware she was shy to speak up. She eventually opened up and became a key member during the course.
Tell me about a time that you failed.
There was a time when I was training for my Administrative position, and I had made an error when filling out and sending a notice to parties on a case. I realized it when I was filing the copies away, and immediately told my managers. Then, I contacted each party to let them know in a calm manner, and sent out amended notices. From then on, I created a checklist that I kept in front of me so I knew exactly which lines I needed to fill out and which ones I didn't. It never happened again after that.
What is your biggest professional disappointment?
This was probably at my first big convention, the Western Psychological Association Conference in 2016. I remember presenting my poster, and although I had prepared for questions, there were many doctors who walked by and asked questions about neurology that I hadn't studied too far into at that point, and were more related to future work that my research could lead to. I found myself unable to answer their questions and felt pretty disheartened after. However, I made sure that for future conferences, instead of just preparing for questions they might ask about my own research, to also anticipate answers to abstract theories and neuroscientific questions that they may ask. Over the years I started to get used to the types of questions people would ask and became more comfortable.
What is the most difficult MATLAB/Python problem you've ever had?
This was probably during my biopsychology research, when I was using Python to analyze data that I had collected from EKGs of volunteers. The signal was very noisy for most of the volunteers, and as a result my code could not find the R peaks accurately or would sometimes give back multiple peak values for each heartbeat. That was an issue because I needed the code to calculate the time between each heartbeat throughout the entire EKG recording. This was before my in-depth programming courses so I had a hard time understanding what to do. I had to train myself on signal processing. Eventually what I did was plot the frequency spectrum by performing a fourier transform on the signal datapoints. Then I saw that there was a lot of low DC frequency noise and high frequency noise probably from muscle signal interference. So I applied a bandpass filter which smoothed out the signal.
How would you deal with a situation where a coworker tells you something bad about another person and it was hard on you?
Unless it were an illegal threat to someone, I would just continue with my work.
How would other people describe you?
Upbeat, self-motivated, and passionate about medicine. I think they would also describe me as a problem solver. I really enjoy breaking complex problems down into different parts for analyzing.
What is your experience with software?
Well, I have developed programs throughout my degree that require user input and give an output after running the source code. For example, I developed one program in Python that could predict with high accuracy whether a breast tumor could be cancerous based on diameter and number of concave points (concave portions on the contour of the tumor). I used a labeled database from MIT and performed supervised machine learning that used Linear Discriminant Analysis to separate tumor feature vectors according to diameter and number of concave points as well as label of benign or malignant. After training and testing, and 10-fold cross-validation, the model was shown to be over 98% accurate in predicting breast tumor malignancy.
Walk me through your resume
Well, I'm a recent graduate from Cal State Long Beach with a Bachelor's in Biomedical Engineering. Before that I earned 2 Associate degrees from Irvine Valley College. Through my education, I gained a lot of experience in Python, MATLAB, electrical and mechanical engineering, as well as medical instrumentation. As far as professional experience goes, my most recent position was under limited supervision as a Cardiovascular Biomedical Engineering Research Assistant. I led a team of 4 members in the research and development of a new left ventricular assist device. I was responsible for defining device requirements and delegating the necessary sub-system tasks to the other members. Before that, I was an administrative assistant at a Medical Legal Company where I assisted with the coordination and communication relating to medical legal evaluations. And prior to that I was an Office and Sales Manager, where I oversaw and trained interns while also acting as a communication liaison between the CEO and his clients. I also handled marketing and sales strategizing and implementation. And finally, I also was a student researcher in biopsychology, where I led and managed a team of 8 students in researching physical fear responses indicated by heart rate variability. I performed EKGs and used Python for analysis.
Tell me about a suggestion you made that benefited the company you worked for.
Well, while I was working for Mr. Mason at Commercial Realty Specialists, someone was hacking into his website and charging clients. I had to learn how to kick off an IP address from the web designer app and block the wildcard IP, then I found that the root cause was the easy password that the CEO had been using. I made a suggestion to him to use capital letters and special characters. He was a little hesitant at first since he wanted simplicity, but I emphasized to him how automated generators these days can figure out the password and hack in if it's easy, so he understood and we tried it out. He did not have a hacking problem since then.
Describe a time when you had to deal with someone who was challenging.
When I was at my Administrative position, there was one Defense Attorney's office that would not send over their cover letter by the evaluation date, which was an issue because the cover letters would outline exactly what the Attorney would want the Doctor to assess. The DA's paralegal would say that she'd send the cover letter by next week, and just wouldn't send it. It continued like that for the few weeks before the evaluation and a couple of times the Doctor had to reschedule, which lost them money and time. I ended up highlighting the Office Name in my records so that I'd take special care if they were any cases. I'd begin calling for the cover letter 3 months prior to the evaluation and follow up every single day until I received a cover letter. After starting that procedure, we did not have an absent DA cover letter from that office again.
Tell me about an instance when it was important to make a great impression on a client. What did you do?
While working as an Office and Sales manager, I communicated with clients frequently. I made sure to carry a positive demeaner, ask how they were, practice listening skills such as asking questions, and highlighting the importance of the client to us.
Can you multitask? How do you organize yourself?
Yes, I can. A lot of my experience has involved handling tasks of diverse nature, for example my LVAD project, so I have had to manage multiple facets at once. I organize myself by using Microsoft Onenote (having different subjects and sections in a notebook) and Excel to create and monitor Gantt charts.
