{"id":143684,"date":"2022-11-14T15:44:59","date_gmt":"2022-11-14T22:44:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/?p=143684"},"modified":"2022-11-15T10:32:07","modified_gmt":"2022-11-15T17:32:07","slug":"revolutionizing-automation-cory-ross-18","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/?p=143684","title":{"rendered":"Revolutionizing automation | Cory Ross &#8217;18"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/CoryRoss-AlumniSpotlight-02-1-900x675.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-143760\" width=\"675\" height=\"506\" srcset=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/CoryRoss-AlumniSpotlight-02-1-900x675.jpg 900w, https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/CoryRoss-AlumniSpotlight-02-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/CoryRoss-AlumniSpotlight-02-1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/CoryRoss-AlumniSpotlight-02-1-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/CoryRoss-AlumniSpotlight-02-1-326x245.jpg 326w, https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/CoryRoss-AlumniSpotlight-02-1-80x60.jpg 80w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 675px) 100vw, 675px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Cory at work<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bal Seal&#8217;s ATLAS machine may not be capable of holding up the sky, but as their first internally developed and fully automated testing robot, designed in part by UCCS Alumnus Cory Ross, it&#8217;s still quite an impressive feat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ross shares about how ATLAS came to be, his hopes for the future and advice for current UCCS students in his success story.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"alignnone\"><style>#sp-ea-143752 .spcollapsing { height: 0; overflow: hidden; transition-property: height;transition-duration: 500ms;}#sp-ea-143752.sp-easy-accordion>.sp-ea-single {margin-bottom: 10px; border: 1px solid #e2e2e2; }#sp-ea-143752.sp-easy-accordion>.sp-ea-single>.ea-header a {color: #444;}#sp-ea-143752.sp-easy-accordion>.sp-ea-single>.sp-collapse>.ea-body {background: #fff; color: #444;}#sp-ea-143752.sp-easy-accordion>.sp-ea-single {background: #eee;}#sp-ea-143752.sp-easy-accordion>.sp-ea-single>.ea-header a .ea-expand-icon { float: left; color: #444;font-size: 16px;}<\/style><div id=\"sp_easy_accordion-1784662587\"><div id=\"sp-ea-143752\" class=\"sp-ea-one sp-easy-accordion\" data-ea-active=\"ea-click\" data-ea-mode=\"vertical\" data-preloader=\"\" data-scroll-active-item=\"\" data-offset-to-scroll=\"0\"><div class=\"ea-card ea-expand sp-ea-single\"><h3 class=\"ea-header\"><a class=\"collapsed\" id=\"ea-header-1437520\" role=\"button\" data-sptoggle=\"spcollapse\" data-sptarget=\"#collapse1437520\" aria-controls=\"collapse1437520\" href=\"#\" aria-expanded=\"true\" tabindex=\"0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"ea-expand-icon eap-icon-ea-expand-minus\"><\/i> Describe what you do in 280 characters or less.<\/a><\/h3><div class=\"sp-collapse spcollapse collapsed show\" id=\"collapse1437520\" data-parent=\"#sp-ea-143752\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"ea-header-1437520\"> <div class=\"ea-body\"><p><\/p><div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-default\"><p>I am an Automation Engineer developing, manufacturing and testing machines at Bal Seal Engineering. I write software to integrate the many components of a machine into a single, cohesive unit. I also support existing automation machines via maintenance and upgrades.<\/p><\/div><p><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"ea-card sp-ea-single\"><h3 class=\"ea-header\"><a class=\"collapsed\" id=\"ea-header-1437521\" role=\"button\" data-sptoggle=\"spcollapse\" data-sptarget=\"#collapse1437521\" aria-controls=\"collapse1437521\" href=\"#\" aria-expanded=\"false\" tabindex=\"0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"ea-expand-icon eap-icon-ea-expand-plus\"><\/i> How did you end up in your career?<\/a><\/h3><div class=\"sp-collapse spcollapse \" id=\"collapse1437521\" data-parent=\"#sp-ea-143752\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"ea-header-1437521\"> <div class=\"ea-body\"><p><\/p><div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-default\"><p>I was approached by a former Bal Seal Automation Engineer and UCCS student, Alfredo Guillem. He noticed my profile in the UCCS careers system and believed my combination of skills in both electrical and mechanical engineering would be a good fit for an internship beginning in July 2018. I graduated in December of 2018, and received a job offer from Bal Seal that same month.<\/p><\/div><p><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"ea-card sp-ea-single\"><h3 class=\"ea-header\"><a class=\"collapsed\" id=\"ea-header-1437522\" role=\"button\" data-sptoggle=\"spcollapse\" data-sptarget=\"#collapse1437522\" aria-controls=\"collapse1437522\" href=\"#\" aria-expanded=\"false\" tabindex=\"0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"ea-expand-icon eap-icon-ea-expand-plus\"><\/i> What\u2019s the best part of your job?<\/a><\/h3><div class=\"sp-collapse spcollapse \" id=\"collapse1437522\" data-parent=\"#sp-ea-143752\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"ea-header-1437522\"> <div class=\"ea-body\"><p><\/p><div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-default\"><p>I\u2019m fortunate to do what I love every day. I\u2019ve always been fascinated with technology and gadgets of all kinds. To be able to bring machines to life give me a profound sense of joy. And sometimes terror.<\/p><\/div><p><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"ea-card sp-ea-single\"><h3 class=\"ea-header\"><a class=\"collapsed\" id=\"ea-header-1437523\" role=\"button\" data-sptoggle=\"spcollapse\" data-sptarget=\"#collapse1437523\" aria-controls=\"collapse1437523\" href=\"#\" aria-expanded=\"false\" tabindex=\"0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"ea-expand-icon eap-icon-ea-expand-plus\"><\/i> What achievement are you most proud of?<\/a><\/h3><div class=\"sp-collapse spcollapse \" id=\"collapse1437523\" data-parent=\"#sp-ea-143752\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"ea-header-1437523\"> <div class=\"ea-body\"><p><\/p><div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-default\"><p>In work, I\u2019m most proud of my part on the team that designed and built ATLAS, which is Bal Seal\u2019s first internally developed and fully automated testing robot. The project was a success, and has spawned a second iteration \u2013 cleverly named ATLAS 2 \u2013 and has laid the groundwork for even greater in-house automation in the future. My girlfriend, Jessica, and I are expecting our first baby in December. I\u2019m hoping to make that my proudest moment outside of work.<\/p><\/div><p><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/CoryRoss-AlumniSpotlight-03-900x900.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-143758\" width=\"675\" height=\"675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/CoryRoss-AlumniSpotlight-03-900x900.jpg 900w, https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/CoryRoss-AlumniSpotlight-03-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/CoryRoss-AlumniSpotlight-03-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/CoryRoss-AlumniSpotlight-03.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 675px) 100vw, 675px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Cory and his girlfriend, Jessica<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"alignnone\"><style>#sp-ea-143753 .spcollapsing { height: 0; overflow: hidden; transition-property: height;transition-duration: 500ms;}#sp-ea-143753.sp-easy-accordion>.sp-ea-single {margin-bottom: 10px; border: 1px solid #e2e2e2; }#sp-ea-143753.sp-easy-accordion>.sp-ea-single>.ea-header a {color: #444;}#sp-ea-143753.sp-easy-accordion>.sp-ea-single>.sp-collapse>.ea-body {background: #fff; color: #444;}#sp-ea-143753.sp-easy-accordion>.sp-ea-single {background: #eee;}#sp-ea-143753.sp-easy-accordion>.sp-ea-single>.ea-header a .ea-expand-icon { float: left; color: #444;font-size: 16px;}<\/style><div id=\"sp_easy_accordion-1784662587\"><div id=\"sp-ea-143753\" class=\"sp-ea-one sp-easy-accordion\" data-ea-active=\"ea-click\" data-ea-mode=\"vertical\" data-preloader=\"\" data-scroll-active-item=\"\" data-offset-to-scroll=\"0\"><div class=\"ea-card sp-ea-single\"><h3 class=\"ea-header\"><a class=\"collapsed\" id=\"ea-header-1437530\" role=\"button\" data-sptoggle=\"spcollapse\" data-sptarget=\"#collapse1437530\" aria-controls=\"collapse1437530\" href=\"#\" aria-expanded=\"false\" tabindex=\"0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"ea-expand-icon eap-icon-ea-expand-plus\"><\/i> What was your lowest career moment, and how did you pick yourself up and move on?<\/a><\/h3><div class=\"sp-collapse spcollapse spcollapse\" id=\"collapse1437530\" data-parent=\"#sp-ea-143753\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"ea-header-1437530\"> <div class=\"ea-body\"><p>When the ATLAS project began, I had only written small programs and tinkered with little gadgets like Arduino and Raspberry Pi, but never a project so large as an industrial automation machine. I experienced tremendous uncertainty and self-doubt. However, I learned to manage these things by exploring all learning resources at my disposal, relying on the great team around me for support and suggestions, and breaking the project down into manageable pieces. I celebrated each small step as it was accomplished and my determination grew with each of those little wins. I have much more confidence now, knowing that I have the ability to find a path through uncertainty \u2013 professional or otherwise.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"ea-card sp-ea-single\"><h3 class=\"ea-header\"><a class=\"collapsed\" id=\"ea-header-1437531\" role=\"button\" data-sptoggle=\"spcollapse\" data-sptarget=\"#collapse1437531\" aria-controls=\"collapse1437531\" href=\"#\" aria-expanded=\"false\" tabindex=\"0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"ea-expand-icon eap-icon-ea-expand-plus\"><\/i> How did your UCCS education prepare you for your career?<\/a><\/h3><div class=\"sp-collapse spcollapse spcollapse\" id=\"collapse1437531\" data-parent=\"#sp-ea-143753\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"ea-header-1437531\"> <div class=\"ea-body\"><p><\/p><p>UCCS provided the flexibility to tailor my education and extra-curricular opportunities to explore my skills and interests. I was fortunate enough to work with Dr. Steven Tragesser in the Space Grant Lab for several years. We took on several varied projects that forced me to think creatively and learn new skills which I\u2019m currently applying in my career. I would like to thank Dr. Tragesser for trusting me to invent solutions and for providing the environment to develop those ideas. I\u2019m sure I made him nervous more than once.<\/p><p><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"ea-card sp-ea-single\"><h3 class=\"ea-header\"><a class=\"collapsed\" id=\"ea-header-1437532\" role=\"button\" data-sptoggle=\"spcollapse\" data-sptarget=\"#collapse1437532\" aria-controls=\"collapse1437532\" href=\"#\" aria-expanded=\"false\" tabindex=\"0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"ea-expand-icon eap-icon-ea-expand-plus\"><\/i> Where do you hope to be in 5 or 10 years?<\/a><\/h3><div class=\"sp-collapse spcollapse spcollapse\" id=\"collapse1437532\" data-parent=\"#sp-ea-143753\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"ea-header-1437532\"> <div class=\"ea-body\"><p>I would love to spearhead the sort of \u201cautomation revolution\u201d that Bal Seal has emphasized in its future goals. I hope in 5 to 10 years I can look around a fully-automated manufacturing plant and say that I was one of the primary builders. I\u2019m thankful to Bal Seal leadership for trusting its engineers to innovate in this area.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"ea-card sp-ea-single\"><h3 class=\"ea-header\"><a class=\"collapsed\" id=\"ea-header-1437533\" role=\"button\" data-sptoggle=\"spcollapse\" data-sptarget=\"#collapse1437533\" aria-controls=\"collapse1437533\" href=\"#\" aria-expanded=\"false\" tabindex=\"0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"ea-expand-icon eap-icon-ea-expand-plus\"><\/i> Best general career advice?<\/a><\/h3><div class=\"sp-collapse spcollapse spcollapse\" id=\"collapse1437533\" data-parent=\"#sp-ea-143753\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"ea-header-1437533\"> <div class=\"ea-body\"><p>Never stop learning. Investing in yourself &#8211; via new skills or knowledge &#8211; gives the best return on investment. Good employers will support, recognize, and accommodate your growth and modify your role accordingly.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"ea-card sp-ea-single\"><h3 class=\"ea-header\"><a class=\"collapsed\" id=\"ea-header-1437534\" role=\"button\" data-sptoggle=\"spcollapse\" data-sptarget=\"#collapse1437534\" aria-controls=\"collapse1437534\" href=\"#\" aria-expanded=\"false\" tabindex=\"0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"ea-expand-icon eap-icon-ea-expand-plus\"><\/i> What advice do you have for current UCCS students?<\/a><\/h3><div class=\"sp-collapse spcollapse spcollapse\" id=\"collapse1437534\" data-parent=\"#sp-ea-143753\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"ea-header-1437534\"> <div class=\"ea-body\"><p>When you graduate, you will be competing with many other graduates who all have the same degree you have, so give employers a reason to choose you over the others. Take every opportunity to build your current skills, learn new ones, and don\u2019t let yourself get too comfortable. Do your best to stand out in creative ways \u2013 I once received a job offer after I stapled my resume to the back of an exam. (If you try this, be sure to ace that exam!)<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"ea-card sp-ea-single\"><h3 class=\"ea-header\"><a class=\"collapsed\" id=\"ea-header-1437535\" role=\"button\" data-sptoggle=\"spcollapse\" data-sptarget=\"#collapse1437535\" aria-controls=\"collapse1437535\" href=\"#\" aria-expanded=\"false\" tabindex=\"0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"ea-expand-icon eap-icon-ea-expand-plus\"><\/i> What do you like to do when you\u2019re not at work?<\/a><\/h3><div class=\"sp-collapse spcollapse spcollapse\" id=\"collapse1437535\" data-parent=\"#sp-ea-143753\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"ea-header-1437535\"> <div class=\"ea-body\"><p>What I like to do \u2013 watch baseball, learn about statistics, make absurd things on my 3D printer. What I usually do instead \u2013 work on my 115-year old house.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"ea-card sp-ea-single\"><h3 class=\"ea-header\"><a class=\"collapsed\" id=\"ea-header-1437536\" role=\"button\" data-sptoggle=\"spcollapse\" data-sptarget=\"#collapse1437536\" aria-controls=\"collapse1437536\" href=\"#\" aria-expanded=\"false\" tabindex=\"0\"><i aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"ea-expand-icon eap-icon-ea-expand-plus\"><\/i> Give us one fun or surprising fact about yourself.<\/a><\/h3><div class=\"sp-collapse spcollapse spcollapse\" id=\"collapse1437536\" data-parent=\"#sp-ea-143753\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"ea-header-1437536\"> <div class=\"ea-body\"><p><\/p><div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-default\"><p>I used to have a full head of hair.<\/p><\/div><p><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About the UCCS College of Engineering and Applied Science<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The College of Engineering and Applied Science enrolls more than 1,700 students and offers 23 engineering and computer science degrees, ranging from bachelor to doctoral. The college is a Department of Homeland Security \/ National Security Agency Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense and works closely with the National Cybersecurity Center and with more than 250 aerospace and defense, information technology, cybersecurity and engineering organizations in the Pikes Peak region. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uccs.edu\/degreesandprograms\/college-engineering-and-applied-science\"><strong>Learn more about the College of Engineering and Applied Science<\/strong><\/a> at UCCS.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>Bal Seal&#8217;s ATLAS machine may not be capable of holding up the sky, but as their first internally developed and fully automated testing robot, designed in part by UCCS Alumnus Cory Ross, it&#8217;s still quite an impressive feat. <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/?p=143684\" title=\"Revolutionizing automation | Cory Ross &#8217;18\">(More)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":66,"featured_media":143686,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1,427,48],"tags":[370,107,369,114,332],"class_list":["post-143684","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","category-alumni-stories","category-science-and-tech","tag-alumni","tag-alumni-relations","tag-alumni-success","tag-college-of-engineering-and-applied-science","tag-more-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Abby-Copy-of-Communique-Featured-Image-4.png","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1mBpJ-Bnu","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143684","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/66"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=143684"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143684\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":143780,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143684\/revisions\/143780"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/143686"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=143684"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=143684"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=143684"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}