Natalie Nigro's Resume Prior to 1999

Prior to giving her full-time attention to her construction document coordination review business in 1999, Natalie’s experience was technical and quite varied, ranging from facilities management to artificial intelligence programming, working for Department of Defense contractors (and needing a Secret Clearance) a to private sector accounting and inventory management software company.

A detailed breakdown is as follows, listed in order of most current first:

Senior AI Software Engineer: Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD (4 years)

Ms. Nigro was a member of the Trans team in the SST (Software Support Team) in the PRESTO (Project to Re-Engineer Space Telescope Observing) Division. The primary product that the Trans team was responsible for is Transformation, a knowledge-based system which takes a high-level description of a Hubble Space Telescope (HST) observing proposal and generates detailed plans for executing it on the telescope, including exposure layout and scheduling properties for the observing proposal.

In addition, Ms. Nigro was the team’s representative when dealing with sensitive, complex, and difficult issues between departments. She also spear-headed peer review meetings for ensuring the quality of “zero-tolerance for error” programming that was to go live on the Hubble Space Telescope.

Research Scientist: Barron Associates, Inc., Charlottesville, VA (4 years)

Ms. Nigro researched and developed models for complex physical technological systems. She wrote software programs that simulated the systems, manipulated measured data, and implemented advanced mathematical and inductive modeling techniques. She used sophisticated artificial neural network algorithms to predict, estimate, classify, and forecast the results of complex phenomenon and processes: multivariable active control of structural acoustic systems, cancellation of sonar waves to avoid submarine detection, creation of guidance laws for surface-to-air missiles, cancellation of ship background noise for quick identification of threats, detection of faults in shipboard electrical power systems and the coordination of multiple circuit protection devices, creation of dynamic models of electrical machinery, and active noise and vibration control in auxiliary power units.

While with Barron Associates, Ms. Nigro was also the Security Control Officer. It was her responsibility to ensure that the Department of Defense (DoD) sensitive data (those with a “Secret” classification) was handled in an appropriate manner and kept protected according to government rules.

When given project specifications, she researched and selected the courses of action to obtain the anticipated results. She then designed, debugged, tested, and documented the required software. Ms. Nigro implemented the customized software, analyzed intermediate results, updated software, and/or redesigned the solution procedure to produce the best off-line simulation results possible.

When necessary, Ms. Nigro traveled to customer sites to implement the off-line designed solutions. To achieve the same results with these solutions on-line, she successfully ported software to customer platforms by modifying code, generating new algorithms, and redefining parameters.

Ms. Nigro wrote code for a dynamic, nonlinear, neural network parameter optimization software tool. It was a time-series modeling tool that synthesized multiple-input, multiple-output, dynamic (i.e., recurrent) artificial neural networks. This tool made use of a generalized network structure and training algorithm which allowed the basis function (series expansion) and post-transformation to be arbitrarily specified for each network node as well as the arbitrary connection of the nodes. Useful basis functions included polynomial, wavelet, spline, and exponential functions. Furthermore, the generalized training algorithm allowed specification of the distortion (or constrained loss or optimization) function, squared error or logistic loss, that the algorithm attempted to minimize when searching for parameter values. The generalized network structure and training algorithm used by this tool to implement neural networks was also designed allow implementation of a number of commonly used neural network paradigms at the time, such as the Group Method of Data Handling (GMDH), the Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP), Radial Basis Function networks (RBFs), Elliptical Basis Function networks (EBFs), and higher-order networks (such as Pi-Sigma networks). The power of this tool was in its flexibility to combine aspects of a variety of paradigms in new ways that may be uniquely appropriate for specific applications. This tool also provided the necessary code for embedding synthesized neural networks into application programs.

Technical Writer: Fields Software Group, Park City, UT (1 year)

Ms. Nigro produced accurate, easy-to-read, and comprehensive documentation for various modules in a business administrative software package that allowed communication between a corporate headquarters and its thousands of retail outlets throughout the world. The software was originally designed for Mrs. Fields Cookies and grew into being used by large companies such as Burger King, Disney, Skippers, Pizza Hut, Osco Drug, Phar-Mor, and Winn Dixie.

While working in the office and home environments, Ms. Nigro allocated the appropriate amount of time for software updates, customer special requests, and corporate directives to meet critical deadlines.

Within the design stages of new software products, Ms. Nigro advised software developers concerning user interface, general functionality, and consistency with existing software.

Graphic Designer & Software Developer: Nigro & Associates, Salt Lake City, UT (2 years)

While attending the University of Utah as a full-time student, Ms. Nigro assisted companies with their software manual generation and presentation on a freelance/consultant basis. She wrote, updated, laid out, typeset, and illustrated user's manuals within specified deadlines. She also beta-tested software while preparing documentation and revised and augmented programs written in C when necessary.

Research Associate Co-op: Barron Associates, Inc., Charlottesville, VA (6 months)

In a University of Utah approved Co-op/Internship, Ms. Nigro temporarily relocated herself across the continent to engage in employment at Barron Associates. There, she implemented C programming and Macintosh Programmers Workshop (MPW) scripting skills in defense contract projects which required a "Secret" security clearance. She precisely documented and organized projects so that results could be easily reproduced. She updated, improved, and streamlined numerical database manipulation software. In a projectile guidance project, she researched critical design issues--documented and interpreted clearly the tasks to be accomplished and presented findings and recommendations during review meetings.

Process Engineering Co-op: National Semiconductor, Salt Lake City, UT (1 year)

While attending the University of Utah as a full-time student, Ms. Nigro identified, evaluated, and minimized the causes of costly particulate defects in semiconductor manufacturing. She designed specific experiments that monitored and examined suspect precision equipment. She statistically analyzed raw data and produced reports which reflected the results of experiments. In addition, she initiated required changes in policy, and familiarized personnel with new procedures.

Project Engineering Co-op: VA Medical Center, Salt Lake City, UT (1 year)

While attending the University of Utah as a full-time student, Ms. Nigro produced electrical schematic drawings, budget estimates, construction specs, progress reports, payment logs, and close-out documents. She inspected submittals for contractor compliance with government specification requirements. She evaluated construction projects and prepared cost estimates and she determined time extensions required to execute change orders. Furthermore, she proposed resolutions for construction problems, disputes, and conflicts through effective verbal and written communication.

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