Fall 2022 Commencement - Systems Engineering

We had 23 outstanding graduates from our programs in Fall 2022! Three earned PhDs, 15 received master’s degrees, and five got certificates.

Here’s a list of the graduates followed by select testimonials.

Congratulations to the graduates! Such an amazing achievement!

Hamza Ahmed, Ph.D.

Bryan Boots, Ph.D.

Tian Ma, Ph.D.

Somayeh Aliebrahimi, M.S.

Joe Christensen, M.S.

Maurice Ombogo, M.S.

Christopher Snyder, M.S

Brittany Bittner, M.E.

Jorge Catano, M.E.

Ashley Dice, M.E.

Bretton Gines, M.E.

Ryan Hall, M.E.

James Imler, M.E.

Henry Ragin, M.E.

Gabriel Ramirez, M.E.

Jake Reckinger, M.E.

Kyle Rothwell, M.E.

Erfan Vananpour, M.E.

Bob Barnum, Certificate

Austin Moore, Certificate

Abigail Morris, Certificate

Eric Stuart, Certificate

Cameron South, Certificate

Hamza Ahmed, Ph.D.

Hometown

Sudan

Current Home

Fort Collins, Colorado

Dissertation title

Human Systems Integration of Agricultural Machinery in Developing Economy Countries: Sudan as a Case Study

Advisor

Dr. Erika Miller

Post-graduation plans

Moving to Peoria, Illinois, to work for Caterpillar as part of the Engineering development team.

Thanks

“My sincere thanks to all the systems engineering department faculties and staff, who were very supportive and were able to provide us with all the help we need that helped us to reach our goals.”

Bryan Boots, Ph.D.

Hometown

Kansas City area

Current Home

San Jose, California

Dissertation title

Networks and Trust: Systems for Understanding and Improving Internet Security

Advisor

Professor Steven Simske

Favorite memory from the program

“The opportunity to meet and learn from amazing peers from all over the world!”

Post-graduation plans

“Continue to do research! In my dissertation I identified several areas of future networks-related research that represent important areas to expand knowledge related to networks and, just as important, are very interesting to me personally. I plan to pursue some of these lines of future research.”

Thanks

“Thank you to the entire Systems Engineering Department. Everyone in the Department is incredibly talented, smart, creative, and supportive. A huge thank you to my advisor, Professor Steve Simske - your guidance, recommendations, and support were invaluable. Thank you to my dissertation committee: Professor Anura Jayasumana, Professor Leo Vijayasarathy, and Professor Ramadan Abdunabi - I'm grateful for your insights, ideas, and support.”

A woman sitting hands over knees with a head scarf on.

Somayeh Aliebrahimi, M.S.

Hometown

Tehran

Current Home

San Jose, California

Thesis title

Evaluating Factors that Impact Situation Awareness and Takeover Responses during Cyberattacks on Connected and Automated Vehicles.

Advisor

Dr. Erika Miller

Favorite memory from the program

“I have many good memories from the program during my study. One of them is the great lectures from industry engineers who were invited to provide us their experiences and give us insights about our future career in industry. Overall, this program makes a great connection with industry professionals, which motivates students to learn what they need as future systems engineers.”

Post-graduation plans

“After graduation, I would like to work as a systems engineer in transportation, automation systems and human factors area.”

Thanks

“I would like to thank my advisor, committee members, SE instructors and SE student advisors for great lessons, advices and helps they provided me during my study.”

Maurice Ombogo, M.S.

Hometown

Nairobi Kenya

Current Home

Loveland, Colorado

Project title

Analyzing lifecycle requirements of marine hydrokinetic energy systems

Advisor

Dr. Herber

Favorite memory from the program

“First class with Dr. Sega felt surreal.”

Post-graduation plans

Staying local in Northern Colorado

Thanks

Dr. Herber, Dr. Bradley, Dr. Simske, and of course Ingrid.

Anything else you would like to share?

“I have learnt a lot and grown in the program. I hope to put to great use the knowledge that I got. Thank you.”

A woman standing in front of the Disney Castle at night.

Brittany Bittner, M.E.

Hometown

Boulder, Colorado

Current Home

Winter Garden, Florida

Favorite memory from the program

“There were several favorite memories I have from this program, it's hard to select just one! One of my favorites was in Dr. Miller's Human Systems Integration course where she shared the story about the fly picture added to the urinals to increase accuracy. This class helped me take a different approach to design work by viewing it from the end-user's perspective.”

Post-graduation plans.

“After graduation, I plan to continue working at Walt Disney World on the Magic Kingdom Sustaining Engineering team. I look forward to applying the knowledge I learned through the program to my everyday job.”

Thanks

“First, I would like to thank all of the professors and the Systems Engineering department. This is a unique program that I am very grateful for, and I appreciate that it is offered remotely so I could attend from Florida. I would like to thank my husband, Dayne, for all the support and encouragement over the last 2 years. I couldn't have done it without you! My parents, Peggy and Terry, for always pushing me to reach for the stars and beyond. My family, friends, and co-workers for your support through my program. And to the best study buddies, my dogs, Kodiak and Theodore!”

Anything else you would like to share?

“Thank you very much, I'm excited for Graduation!”

A woman in graduation regalia holding a diploma cover and standing in front of a christmas tree.

Ashley Dice, M.E.

Hometown

Chambersburg, Pennsylvania

Current Home

Chambersburg, Pennsylvania

Advisor

Dr. Steve Conrad

Favorite memory from the program

“My favorite memory from the program is meeting lots of new people!”

Post-graduation plans

“I will be moving to Mount Laurel, New Jersey to start my job as a Systems Engineer at Lockheed Martin.”

Thanks

“I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. Steve Conrad for giving me research opportunities and helping me select my courses and overall being an awesome advisor! I would also like to thank all the professors in the program for being so awesome and kind!”

Anything else you would like to share?

“The CSU Systems Engineering program is really amazing, and I am so thankful I had to the opportunity to be part of it. The professors are so kind and amazing, the courses are really interesting, and everyone I met in the program has been so nice and really excited to be engineers.”

Ryan Hall, M.E.

Hometown

El Paso, Texas

Current Home

Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts

Favorite memory from the program

“How welcoming and accommodating the Professors, Administrative Staff, and fellow students were in the SE program.”

Post-graduation plans

“Work for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Concord, Massachusetts.”

Thanks

“I would like to thank Dr. Dandaneau and Mrs. Bridge for their patience and assistance in selecting the right classes and setting me up for success. I would also like to thank Dr. Miller for her understanding, ability to visualize my non-sequitur thoughts, and ability to simplify complex things. Thank you to Dr. Marzolf for your leadership, mentorship, and aiding me in bridging my military education with civilian education at CSU. Finally, I would like to thank Dr. Bradley for leading a great program and for a fantastic final semester in the SE program.”

James Imler, M.E.

Hometown

Duncansville, Pennsylvania

Current Home

Marysville, Ohio

Favorite memory from the program

“Group projects with so many other talented students.”

Post-graduation plans

“Going to an Avs game, snowboarding at Copper, then going back to work at Honda in Ohio.”

Thanks

“To all the SE faculty and staff for sharing your vast knowledge and for your dedication to the students.”

Anything else you would like to share?

“The world needs more systems thinkers. Keep growing the department!”

A man in a collared shirt standing a sidewalk.

Gabriel Ramirez, M.E.

Hometown

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Current Home

Castle Rock, Colorado

Favorite memory from the program

“In hindsight, I learned a great deal from the 'Foundations of Systems Engineering Course,' as well as the follow up 'Overview of the SysE Process.' Working on those projects really helped to bring the entire process together and exposed me to ideas that are outside of my normal work roles and responsibilities.”

Post-graduation plans

“I will continue with my current work for the immediate future, but plan on seeing what opportunities are available in the coming year.”

Thanks

“Thank you to all the professors who helped make my graduate course of study a success. I learned so much and am happy to have taken part in this program.”

Anything else you would like to share?

“I think that the content presented in the CSU Systems Engineering program is broadly applicable to many different disciplines and industries. I would encourage anyone to consider this as a solid option for a post graduate degree.”

Bob Barnum, Certificate

Hometown

Houston, Texas

Current Home

The Woodlands, Texas

Advisor

Professor Steven Simske

Favorite memory from the program

“My favorite part of the certificate program has been the exposure to a wide range of technical fields which each of the professors and students bring with them into the classroom. In particular, I enjoyed the opportunity to work on a few group projects in the aerospace field as part of the coursework. I have had a lifelong fascination with space exploration and space technology, and while it is outside the scope of my professional technical expertise, it has been refreshing to dive into this field while studying systems engineering. I have been able to learn a lot from my classmates who have technical backgrounds in the aerospace field, and the exposure outside my core competency has given me a fresh perspective from which to develop my systems engineering foundation. I think this experience also speaks to the broad applicability of systems thinking and systems engineering processes across all engineering disciplines and projects.”

Post-graduation plans

“Post-graduation plans: I plan to take one semester off to spend some much-needed time with my wife and our two children after nearly 18 months of continuous study. My intention is to continue in the fall pursing Master of Engineering studies after completing my application this spring. I continue to be employed as a Product Development Engineer executing research and development projects for new systems and hardware in the oil and gas production market.”

Thanks

“I must begin by thanking my wonderful wife, Taylor. Her love and support throughout the certificate program were critical to my continued success. Thank you for everything you do for me and our family.”

“I would also like to thank my groupmates across the several group projects we have been assigned in various classes. Anima, Cameron, Claribel, Jacob, Matt, and Paul – thank you to each of you for your hard work and contributions. I have learned so much from each of you as we worked together on our projects - I wish each of you continued success in your studies and professional endeavors.”

“Finally, I would like to acknowledge my employer, Pentair. Without Pentair’s generous financial support, my participation in the certificate program would not have been possible.”