Hi, I'm

Rebecca Schmitt an Engineer an Environmentalist an Enthusiast

Summer ScholarDeloitte Consulting LLP

• Facilitated integrated project team sessions between the Information Technology and Business departments
• Gathered requirements, track milestones, and report project health to stakeholders
• Created client task managing tool and onboarding overview of team workstreams

Engineering InternCenter for Transportation and the Environment

CTE is a nonprofit organization that develops, promotes, and implements advanced transportation technologies, vehicles, and fuels that reduce environmental pollution and fossil fuel dependency. As an intern, I did the following:

• Conducted data modeling on cost and feasibility of operational routes for Laketran battery electric busses.
• Researched and reported analysis on heavy duty vehicle life-cycle cost and zero-emission fleet initiatives.
• Created, verified, and updated databases on the organizational partners, national electric school busses, and government-funded electric heavy duty vehicles.

PresidentDuke Smart Home

As the intersection of sustainability and technology, the Duke Smart Home is a living learning laboratory in which students are able to engage with technology within a sustainable lens, including working on various engineering projects, gardening, or living in the platinum LEED certified home. Here were some of my presidential responsibilities:

• Coordinated collaboration with other groups, outreach efforts, and faculty to increase club presence.
• Virtualized tours, recruitment, and community bonding activities, and piloted an alumni engagement initiative.
• Budgeted yearly financial sources and secured funding for future projects through proposal.
• Managed an array of projects, conducted adminstrative work, and ensured residents both felt safe and adhered to university guidelines during the pandemic.

Research AssistantHumans & Autonomy Lab

Duke University's robotics research lab, HAL, focuses on the multifaceted interactions of human and computer decision-making in complex systems with embedded autonomy. As a researcher, I worked on:

• Researched human and computer interactions via drone piloting training methods
• Proctored tens of drone confidence training experiments
• Gathered requirements on road infrastructure needed for driverless cars.

Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering

Duke University

With a concentration in Optimal Design for Virtual and Physical Systems, I furthered my engineering knowledge with this program. Under the advisement of Dr. Henri Gavin, I successfully wrote and defended my thesis: Stability and Accuracy of Discrete-Time High Pass Filters with an Application to Geophone Deconvolution

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering & MathematicsDuke University

During my undergraduate career, I had a breadth of experiences inside and outside of the classroom. My classes equipped me with valuable research and collaboration skills; I was fortunate that some classes even equipped me with international flight tickets! During my time at Duke, I was able to travel to four different countries, which I consider to be a quadruple blessing. Besides being a leader on campus, I volunteered in a variety of educational and mentorship programs.

International Baccalaurete Highschool DiplomaMaynard H. Jackson Highschool

During highschool, I was like any other student-athlete-musician, juggling a variety of practices while keeping my nose in the textbooks. It all worked out as I successfully received my International Baccalaureate diploma and was ranked the Valedictorian of my class.