Author Archives: John Agliata

Ryan Lee (MMM ’16) talks about how Northwestern’s MMM program prepared him for his work as senior director of product management with Hologram, an Internet of Things startup. Published May 17, 2022 Ryan Lee spent more than five years as a consultant, and he enjoyed helping clients solve their business and technology challenges. But heContinue reading “Designing IoT Products to Connect the World”

Current student Raj Shekhar Madhurakavi talks about the lessons he’s learned in the MEM program as he prepares for graduation and a new role as senior program manager at Mathworks. Published May 17, 2022 Raj Shekhar Madhurakavi is ready to change the world. Shekhar will begin working this July as a senior program manager atContinue reading “An Eight-Point Plan For Success”

Denny Hsieh applies lessons from Northwestern Engineering’s Master of Project Management (MPM) program into his daily work at Intel. Published May 10, 2022 Denny Hsieh speaks candidly when he discusses his skills as a presenter prior to starting the capstone communication project in Northwestern Engineering’s Master of Project Management (MPM) program. “I was pretty bad,”Continue reading “Making Sense of the Magic”

MBP director Danielle Tullman-Ercek and two current students talked about the American Chemical Society’s massive spring gathering and how Northwestern Engineering’s Master of Biotechnology Program (MBP) is preparing students for new trends and innovations. Published April 20, 2022 There was a lot of “new” for Olivia Meyer and Byron Fan when they attended the AmericanContinue reading “Seeing the Science in Person”

Bridget McMullan (MPD2 ’17) is using her MPD2 knowledge to meet member needs as director of product strategy at Anthem, America’s largest for-profit health insurer. Published April 20, 2022 Bridget McMullan expected that falsified or lost COVID-19 vaccine cards would be a problem for the public once vaccinations became available.  As the director of productContinue reading “Designing Products People Love”

Anna Garverick talks about her experience creating a robot that remains centered on a moving ball and the most important lessons she took away from the experience. Published April 20, 2022 The night before Anna Garverick was to present her independent project for Northwestern Engineering’s Master of Science in Robotics (MSR) program, she learned aContinue reading “What I Learned Creating A Self-Balancing Robot”

Published April 13, 2022 Back in January, we gazed into The Official Allen Brake Team Housing Market Crystal Ball and asked the question “Is the housing market about to crash?” Now that we’re a quarter of the way through 2022, let’s take a look back at our prognostications and see how close we are soContinue reading “An April Look At Our 2022 Housing Market Predictions”

Published March 23, 2022 It sounds too good to be true: Boot up the old Google machine, punch in some data about the home you’re looking to sell and whammo! Have an all-cash offer in less than 24 hours.  While it’s a possibility with sites like Offerpad and Opendoor, the old adage holds true: If itContinue reading “iBuyer Beware: How Sellers Lose”

Published March 8, 2022 Another day, another crash for a company once believed to have special insight into the real estate industry.  This time it is mortgage lending start-up Better.com, which announced in early March it was laying off nearly half its workforce after stumbling mightily in a shifting housing market.  Its decision to axContinue reading “Inside The Better.Com Debacle”

Published March 7, 2022 George Orwell’s famous book “1984″ came out 35 years before the dystopian world in which the author imagined a government that is watching you – always watching you. Now, more than 35 years after Orwell’s imaginary future, Zillow has made it a reality with people doing nothing more devious than searching forContinue reading “Big Brother Zillow Is Watching You”

Published March 7, 2022 When James Micioni passed away in 2020 at the age of 97, he left a long-forgotten investment for his family to uncover – a collection of more than 1,000 vintage baseball cards, including one signed by Babe Ruth.  What was purchased for mere pennies as a boy had grown to beContinue reading “What’s Your Hidden Investment Worth?”

Thomas Sparks embraces the chaos of life as a full-time IT professional and part-time MSIT student in pursuit of his dream job. Published March 9, 2022 Evenings for Thomas Sparks can be a bit chaotic.   As a student in Northwestern Engineering’s Master of Science in Information Technology (MSIT) part-time program, he can easily spend twoContinue reading “Mastering the Work-School Juggling Act”

Published March 15, 2022 Andrew Benintende, MD, has witnessed the tragic consequences when a human body rejects a transplanted organ. His goal is to stop that rejection from happening.   Dr. Benintende is taking time away from his general surgery residency at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City to perform research at NorthwesternContinue reading “Regrowing Hope for Transplant Patients”

Students in Northwestern’s Engineering Design Innovation (EDI) program collaborated with the company known for its Roomba® vacuum cleaner to address new business opportunities. Published April 14, 2022 Visitors to the iRobot website are greeted by a picture of a Roomba cleaning a living room floor on its own. The robot vacuum is the most famousContinue reading “Helping iRobot Become a Tech Lifestyle Brand”

Part-time student Kanika Singh talks about the lessons she’s learned in Northwestern Engineering’s Master of Science in Information Technology (MSIT) program and how the program helped her move into a leadership role at her company. Published March 25, 2022 Kanika Singh was a learning technologies analyst at the global law firm DLA Piper when sheContinue reading “MSIT Skillset Lands Current Student with New Job”

Andy Lin talks about his role at the major biotech company and his role as a mentor on the Industrial Advisory Board (IAB) for Northwestern Engineering’s Master of Biotechnology Program (MBP). Published April 15, 2022 Andy Lin knows what it takes to be successful in the rapidly evolving biotechnology industry.  As the technical development teamContinue reading “Shaping Biotech’s Future, at Genentech and MBP”

Joanna Szymel (EMDC ‘20) talks about launching her own construction and consulting firm as an EMDC student, thanks in part to a professor’s simple comment. Published March 25, 2022 A twist on a familiar saying helped Joanna Szymel determine the next stage of her career. As a new student in Northwestern Engineering’s Master of ScienceContinue reading “The Question That Defined a Career”

Diane Zimmer (MPM ’97, EMDC ’14) has built a 20-plus-year career in the construction industry, thanks in large part to her willingness to ignore suggestions of what she should do professionally. Published April 13, 2022 One of Diane Zimmer’s favorite pieces of career advice is that sometimes it’s important not to listen to other people’sContinue reading “What Happens When You Ignore Career Advice”

Naveed Asem’s new MSIT mini-course will unveil how to responsibly shape the future with emerging technology. Published April 15, 2022 Naveed Asem said the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) has put humanity at a crossroads. In his opinion, those who embrace AI now will thrive in the future; people who don’t take it seriously willContinue reading “Embracing Artificial Intelligence and Automation”

MSIT IAB Chairman Kevin Glynn talks about next-generation technological innovations and how MSIT is preparing students to leverage them in the future. Published April 15, 2022 When Kevin Glynn thinks about the future of information technology, his mind goes to quantum computing.  Glynn, who is the chairman of Northwestern Engineering’s Master of Science and InformationContinue reading “Understanding Tomorrow’s Technology Solutions Today”

A recent MEM event with the American Association of Engineers of Indian Origin (AAEIO) helps students focus on finding their way in a post-digital world. Published April 15, 2022 Students from Northwestern’s Master of Engineering Management (MEM) program gathered earlier this year to learn how to shape their careers in a world where technology andContinue reading “Next-Generation Career Development”

EDI advisory board member Kevin Bethune’s new book, Reimagining Design, reflects the optimism he brings to design during times of exponential change. Published April 7, 2022 There is an aspirational nature that exists among most designers, a common feeling of optimism that design can make things better, that design can make life better.  KKevin BethuneContinue reading “Designing with Curiosity, Bravery, and Optimism”

MEM student Usman Rafiq is helping humankind’s latest space exploration efforts. Published April 15, 2022 Usman Rafiq is part of humankind’s quest to reach faraway frontiers.  As a member of Northwestern’s Master of Engineering Management (MEM) program, Rafiq is honing the skills he needs to push himself into higher leadership positions to help guide NASA’sContinue reading “Missions: Mars and the Moon”

Republished from allenbrake.com If I told you that super-cute sweater you were looking at was going to cost 10% less tomorrow, you’d wait to buy it. Of course you would. It’s 10% and one day. Smart move. If you’re taking that same approach when you’re looking to buy a house, you could be making aContinue reading “The Hidden Cost of Waiting to Buy”

Republished from allenbrake.com Attribute it to whatever you’d like, but most of us feel an increased desire to hunker down and hibernate during the winter. Tis the season for hoodies, warm blankets and cozy fires in the fireplace.  Also tis one of the best seasons to buy a house.  “Are you kidding me?!” you replyContinue reading “Top 5 Advantages of Buying in Winter”

Republished from allenbrake.com Your husband asks you where you want to go to eat Friday night. Great question. Of course, you’re not entirely sure why he doesn’t just tell you where he wants to go eat Friday night, but whatever. You’re on it.  You think about what you’re in the mood for — Italian. Great.Continue reading “Five Easy Questions to Help You Select the Right Realtor”

Republished from allenbrake.com It’s not the winter weather that’s starting to cool down the hot sellers’ housing market of the past year or so, but the cold front is forming nonetheless.  A mix of rising interest rates and an increase in the number of homes on the market are starting to tamp down buyer demand,Continue reading “Top 5 Reasons to Sell in Winter”

Republished from allenbrake.com Can we interest you in buying a house that doesn’t exist?  Oh, and we’re not talking about a piece of property on which you can build your dream home. We’re talking about something that isn’t part of our reality.  Confused? Talk to your kid.  Today’s children know all about the metaverse. IfContinue reading “Welcome to Your New (Virtual) Home”

Republished from allenbrake.com A new year comes with a sense of freshness. Once that calendar flips from what was to what is, it’s like there’s a clean slate on which you can write a new story.  No one wants to make the same mistakes from the previous year, whether it’s getting back together with theContinue reading “Five Home Buying Mistakes You Can Avoid in 2022”

Reprinted from allenbrake.com Key Points The year that just ended was a historically unprecedented seller’s market in the St. Louis region.  Many of the same market conditions exist in 2022.  Rising interest rates make this a key time for potential buyers to take action.  Remember the Cabbage Patch Kid craze of 1983? If not, it’sContinue reading “Is The Housing Market About To Crash? “

Republished from allenbrake.com If you’re in the market for a Ferrari 485, first off, lucky you. More importantly, we probably don’t need to tell you that you might want to take it for a test drive before plopping down the more than $270,000 it would take to bring one home.  Whether it’s a Ferrari orContinue reading “Top 3 Things To Learn When Test Driving Your Dream Home”

Republished from allenbrake.com Anyone who has ever tended a garden, worked on a farm or taken a basic science class would tell you it’s crazy to expect to be able to plant a seed one day and harvest the next. As it goes with seeds, so it goes with a home you’d like to sell. Continue reading “Want to Sell in Spring? Plant the Seeds Today!”

Republished from allenbrake.com If the past year has taught the real estate world anything, it’s that it’s actually possible to see dollar signs in people’s eyes.  With a bounty of buyers looking to land their dream homes and a historical shortage of houses on the market, home prices have boomed in the past year. TellContinue reading “Top 5 Ways Buyers Can Win in a Sellers Market”