May is AAPI Heritage Month, where we pay tribute to the generations of Asian and Pacific Islanders who have enriched America's history and are instrumental in our future success.
This is a time of reflection on our historical past, tradition, and the numerous ways that our community has shown that we are here to stay and that we are also a part of this country.
Every year, our SPAM (Sound Transit Pacific Islander Asian American Masterminds) employee resource group hosts a variety of events to help us learn more about our colleagues and their cultures.
For this month's entry in our series introducing you to the people who work here trying to make it easier for you to get to where you work, live and play every day, we meet SPAM member and Corridor Design Systems Manager Sanjay Samuel.
He has worked at Sound Transit for three years, after leading design and development of passenger, freight, and light rail projects in the U.S. and around the world. He also enjoys using his engineering skills to give back to the community.
"AAPI Month is an opportunity to speak out, share experiences, and debunk stereotypes about Asian people," he said. "Our heritage is also studded with magnificent tales of resilience, persistence, and determination in the pursuit of our fundamental rights."
Now. on to the questions!
Q: What do you tell your friends you do for work?
A: The majority of my friends are cognizant that I am a non-IT Engineer and I work in rail industry. Most of them are familiar with me through my leadership roles as Co-Chair of the IEEE Seattle Section, International Council for Systems Engineering “INCOSE” AI- Systems working group member, and mentor for Tahoma High school's Robotics team "Bear Metal."
Q: What's your passion outside of your job?
A: I have multiple passions outside of my work, including developing awareness regarding STEM education among high school students. I have also used my engineering expertise to support the development of Artificial Intelligence /Internet of things "AI/ IoT"-based agricultural farms to yield higher harvests and go green using the latest technologies internationally in my farms and locally in the U.S. While working from home during the Covid time, I developed a pilot IoT and Radiofrequency "RF" wireless sensor-based poultry farm in Washington. With this, my family and friends enjoy fresh eggs regularly. And I lead a church-based group that financially supports people in need with medical health conditions by paying for medical expenses.
Q: What attracted you to work at Sound Transit?
A: Overnight and international travels are not associated with my employment.
Q: How do you get to work?
A: Multimode of public transportation.
Q: What three things would you take with you to a desert island (besides food and water)?
A: I would take a notebook with numbered pages to jot my thoughts and process to develop an Integrated Chip manufacturing unit in the desert. Where I can get silica raw material for free—the primary raw material in IC chip manufacturing. This will help the global market with the IC Chip shortage. If my thought process becomes successful during my stay in the desert, I will file the patent for my design upon arrival with the United States patent office. I would also bring an insulated jacket designed to protect me from the harsh desert environment, and a manual compass with a mirror on the backside. The return direction home will be established by using a compass. The mirror will be used to broadcast the signal to flying aircraft or emergency management towers in an emergency.
Spoken like a true engineer!