[Nfb-science] [nfb-scinece] professional networking

Thu Feb 19 09:44:00 UTC 2009

Greetings John,
Sorry it took a while to get back to you.

I had never heard of infty-reader before.  So I googled it and have been experimenting for the past couple of days.  I have been able to convert some AIAA journal articles I had laying around (previously, I could only get the textual components, but infty-reader appears to do a good job with the arithmetic too).

I have one last experiment to try.  I am going to take a book on space dynamics and scan a couple of pages through infty-reader: I am already familiar with the basics of dynamics and orbital mechanics, so i already know what the equations should look like, and can use this test as a good control case to evaluate infty-reader's accuracy.  

So far though, it is looking good.  Thank you for pointing out this valuable resource.

--Paul

> Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2009 09:14:08 -0800
> From: John Miller <j8miller at soe.ucsd.edu>
> Subject: Re: [Nfb-science] [nfb-scinece] professional networking
> To: NFB Science and Engineering Division List <nfb-science at nfbnet.org>
> Message-ID:
> <40DA60EAEFAF8643A9E996AA9EC5A73605E7915B at oecxchg2.ucsd.edu>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> Hello Paul and listers,
> I started a new position last month. The last 5 months of last year, I was between jobs and in a job hunting mode.
> When job hunting, I spend 15 hours a week working 1 on 1 with a sighted assistant. I have also spent as muchas 25 hours per week doing this kind of activity.
> Meantime, I identify some book or set of articles that I have not read before pertinent to my field. Do you have access to Infty Reader for reading typeset mathematics independently?
> A new position will require quickly becoming an expert on a subject with which you are somewhat unfamiliar.
> I encourage each of us, particularly those contemplating starting a new position, to engage in technical activity. Visit Wikipedia. Do you know the ins-and-outs of the technology that interests you?
> Can you work related problems that come to mind?
> Given the current economy, the opportunities that offer themselves will not be our first pick. If you can do a job and are not adverse to it, take the job.
> Meanwhile, use the talents you hone from the job to search for a job more suited to your interests.
> Can you volunteer to do a project with a local university?
> We the blind are resourceful. It is how we got the training we have thus far.
> There is an opportunity to apply that adaptability and creativity to improving our work situations.
> I look forward to hearing from those on the list about your job searches, personal career development, and what methods are working for you.
> Very best,
> John Miller, president
> Science and engineering division of NFB
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfb-science-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfb-science-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of David Evans
> Sent: Thursday, February 12, 2009 7:33 PM
> To: NFB Science and Engineering Division List
> Subject: Re: [Nfb-science] [nfb-scinece] professional networking
>
>
> Dear Paul,
>
> I think that proccemity could have something to do with it also. You may
> need to think about moving from where you are at, to an area where there are
> businesses that could make use of your skills.
> Florida, California, Texas, North Carolina might be better hunting grounds.
> You might even check with Emery Riddle in Daytona Beach Florida as I think
> their aviation program has a Blind Professor teaching there.
> There are some other Blind engineers in the NFB who work for the Navy and
> Aircraft makers.
> Just don't give up and keep plugging away. You will find it or it will find
> you somehow.
>
> Look at NASA jobs and the Army Corp of Engineers.
> It is out there somewhere.
>
> Your friend,
>
> David Evans, NFBF
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <aerospace1028 at hotmail.com>
> To: <nfb-science at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Thursday, February 12, 2009 2:34 PM
> Subject: [Nfb-science] [nfb-scinece] professional networking
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Dear List,
>
> I apologize in advance for the lengthy post.
>
>
>
> I have been lurking here for the past couple of months now
> and feel I should introduce myself. My
> name is Paul, I am a recent college graduate and I have been visually
> impaired/blind since birth (for those of you that are curious, I have
> "retinopathy
> of unknown etymology"). I have some
> usable vision, but I travel with a cane, read Braille (g2, Nemeth, and
> recently
> I've started dabbling in UEB), and I use a screen-reader to access a
> computer
> (I'm most familiar with JAWS, but have also recently familiarized myself
> with
> Orca on Ubuntu).
>
>
>
> Like many persons with visual disabilities, I am unemployed.
>
>
>
> Ever since my childhood, I have had a fascination with spaceflight. In
> primary and secondary school, I did well
> in the sciences. When I graduated high
> school, I enrolled in college to study engineering. I successfully obtained
> my undergraduate
> degree in aeronautical and astronautical engineering, with a focus on
> structural mechanics.
>
> Unfortunately, during my term of study, I was unable to
> obtain any relevant work experience--and not for lack of trying. One of the
> prerequisites for internships is
> 1-3 years previous internship experience.
> Upon graduation, the prerequisite for an entry-level engineering
> position is 2-5 years previous experience.
>
>
>
> I remained persistent and kept applying everywhere; from the
> big-name contractors like Boeing, Lockheed-Martin, and ATK Thyakol, to the
> smaller sub-contractors like Analytical Mechanical Services, and even some
> of
> the newer private-sector companies like Armadillo Aerospace, bigellow
> Aerospace, and SpaceX.
>
>
>
> On several occasions, I was able to land an interview. The question of my
> lack of employment always
> came up, some companies were even less critical than others that it was not
> an
> oversight in updating my resume. But I
> always ended up getting a letter, "regretfully informing me that the
> position to which I had applied was being filled with another qualified
> candidate."
>
>
>
> I am working with VR, but they seem to have trouble with my
> education as an aerospace engineer. They
> recognize me as being "smart,"' and they see my resume has a list of
> "computer skills" and seem to be herding me towards software
> engineering and network administration positions.
>
>
>
> I had a recent close call with a job. I found a start-up company in
> Portland
> Maine that was willing to hire me for
> structural consulting, but they have since folded under.
>
>
>
> I am finally willing to admit, the clich? is correct; who you
> know, is more important than what you know. My problem is that I have no
> network of "whos"
> inside the engineering industry. None of
> my relatives works for any aerospace companies, and living in a rural
> community
> on the Maine-New Hampshire border, there just isn't much aerospace presence
> around.
>
>
>
> Finally, arriving near the end of my post, is there anyone who
> can help? Does anyone on this list have any
> contacts with whom they could put me in contact?
>
>
>
> Thank you
>
> --Paul Boucher
>
>
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