Andy Corsini, Group Engineering Manager
I’ve been with Superior for 9.5 years.
What type of engineer are you? Do you have a degree? If so, what was your discipline? I am an Automation Engineer. As such, I help translate the mechanical aspects of a system into information that can be easily understood by the users of that equipment. I have a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from UNH.
What made you get into this line of work? What made you realize this was the right career path for you? I was immediately interested in a field where I could write and implement code to help automate equipment in a variety of industries. It was my Department Chair at UNH who recommended that I look into Superior Controls since they had excellent relationships with several local colleges. I have now been with Superior Controls since graduation. My primary focus is the biotech industry, and it is a great feeling knowing that I am able to play a part in creating life-saving medicines.
What excites you about the field? What excites me about the field is the way we can help optimize so many different processes by looking at the bigger picture. There is a lot of problem solving involved.
What advice would you give to someone who is interested in pursuing engineering? I would advise they should keep in mind that there are many different options for a career in engineering. While that may seem somewhat intimidating, it ultimately opens up many opportunities. One of the most interesting things about automation engineers is that they represent all backgrounds including chemical, mechanical, electrical, computer, and other areas of engineering. All of those paths led to the same career. Keep asking lots of questions and research different industries so you can decide the best fit for you.
What was your favorite project to work on? My favorite and most challenging project thus far is supporting a pharmaceutical manufacturer with the automated production of COVID-19 treatments. It is extremely rewarding to see the real-world impact of this work.
What do you like most about working at E Tech? What I like most about working at E Tech is having the freedom to work independently while knowing that I have the backing of an extremely knowledgeable team and an abundance of resources.
What are your hobbies? What do you like to do outside of work? I enjoy staying active by playing golf, softball, and running road races. I am also an avid New England sports fan. My wife and I love to travel and we are trying to visit all 50 states. We have 24 left.
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Virginia Bergman, Senior Validation/Project Engineer
I’ve been with Superior for 24 years and have 32 years experience.
What type of engineer are you? Do you have a degree? If so, what was your discipline? I am a Senior Validation/Project Engineer. I have a BS in Electrical Engineering. Given the option of Power, Controls or Straight EE, I took the latter which covered both Power and Controls.
What made you get into this line of work? What made you realize this was the right career path for you? When I completed my degree at Northeastern University, I worked for a consulting firm in Boston as an Instrument Engineer. I was responsible for selecting and specifying instrumentation, and then installation and wiring diagrams for the same. Seven years later, I started working for a systems integrator, developing documentation using the ISPE’s Good Automated Manufacturing Practice (GAMP) guidelines. Just over a year later, I joined Superior Controls and started out doing some programming and control panel design. Going from being an Instrument Engineer to a Controls Engineer put me on opposite ends of the wire which gives me a well-rounded understanding of how controls relates to the physical devices in their operating environment. When Superior adopted GAMP, I was called on to implement its guidelines due to my past experience. I developed the documentation templates and, along with the project team members, apply them in the various projects, whether the project entails validated or non-validated systems. We have developed a strong foundation for our documentation and it is often well recognized by our customers.
What excites you about the field? I love working with the different engineers, and face the various challenges in the different flavors of projects that we’re involved in, whether it’s Life Sciences, building monitoring system, food and beverage, etc. It’s very exciting to learn the impact that we have in the development of the different drugs that aim to better one’s quality of life, including the COVID 19 vaccine. As I walk through the grocery store, I feel a certain pride as I spot some of the brands that we’re involved with.
What advice would you give to someone who is interested in pursuing engineering? Always keep an open mind when you consider pursuing engineering and know that there are always exciting opportunities within the field. It doesn’t matter what flavor engineering you end up majoring in, know that we’re one big team. At Superior, we have chemical, mechanical, electrical, industrial, bio-chemical, and we all work together to the same end – support our customers in developing a reliable product, make them successful which in turn leads to our success.
What was your favorite project to work on? There is no favorite project that comes to mind. I’m involved in a lot of different projects with various documentation requirements and challenges. If I had to pick a favorite project type, then I’d pick the projects that require validation such as Life Sciences. I work closely with the project team to develop the design documentation, and then the test protocols while meeting the validation requirements dictated by the customer’s validation team.
What do you like most about working at E Tech? What I like most is the Team effort that is put into the projects. When we’re awarded a project, a project team is formed and together we watch the different pieces, electrical design, code development, documentation, come together while meeting budgets, schedules and customer’s expectations.
What are your hobbies? What do you like to do outside of work? My main hobby is to knit, my latest projects being Aran sweaters. I have formed a group with family and friends who craft together, although we haven’t done it for about a year due to COVID; we call ourselves Krafty Katz, my cat being our biggest fan. I enjoy hiking and camping, and love the beach.
Anything else you would want to share about yourself? I was born and raised in the Azores, Portugal, and emigrated in 1980 with my parents and three younger siblings. Today, I’m married and a proud mom of two sons. My husband and I enjoy travelling, our main trips being all over Europe on a motorcycle. Looking forward to a motorcycle trip across US.
Interested in working for E Technologies Group?