Resigned as EE From STI

This is my last week at Superconductor Technologies as an electrical engineer.  It’s been an interesting 4+ years here and leaving some great co-workers is the hardest part of quitting.

It’s weird to read a want ad for your own job.  STI has already posted an employment opportunity for my replacement using the qualifications that apply to my current position:

Senior Electrical Design Engineer

Superconductor Technologies, Inc. – Austin, TX 78754

Superconductor Technologies (STI) is a dynamic company with innovative and proprietary technologies applying its proven superconducting deposition techniques and manufacturing experience to the development of cost effective, high performance superconducting wire. Based in Austin, TX, our facility is seeking a Senior Electrical Design Engineer. Under the supervision from the VP of Engineering, this individual will be a key contributor to help us adapt our world-class R&D HTS thin film process technology to produce second-generation (2G) HTS wire. Our product is a key enabling technology for emerging power generation and electric power grid applications which is supply-constrained. We are looking for experienced, talented, high-impact professionals who can help us successfully deliver on this opportunity. Requirements: KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Working with AC Power Distribution for industrial manufacturing equipment Working with a variety of automation systems including; PC-based and/or PLC system level controllers, SCADA, and I/O subsystems like EtherCAT Familiarity with vacuum equipment instrumentation and power supplies. (Ion gauges, Baratrons, QCM’s, PID loop DC/AC power controls, etc..) Generation of specifications, schematics, and P&IDs Manage contract manufacturer for integrated power systems delivery Manage machine development programs thru project schedules and budgets Selecting and managing key suppliers for advanced equipment development DESIRED EDUCATION, SKILLS, & EXPERIENCE BS or MS degree in electrical engineering with a minimum of 5+ years of design experience – a must. Experience with electrical design for thin-film deposition hardware design, assembly, integration and maintenance Specifically, PVD processes, high-temperature processing, and/or cryogenic applications desirable Experience in the generation of P&IDs, project schedules, and budgets Demonstrated ability to manage suppliers, project schedules, and budgets Proficiency in specification & schematics generation as well as document revision control Good communication & presentation skills as well as an ability to work as a team member Excellent hands-on troubleshooting skills. Comfortable with scopes, multimeters, network analyzers, etc. Benefits: Competitive salary, company-matching 401K, BCBS medical/dental insurance, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, Flexible-spending accounts. 3 days ago – save job – original job » Apply Now Please review all application instructions before applying to Superconductor Technologies, Inc.. 4 people have already applied to this job on Indeed.

Interesting that four people have already applied for this job.

Grandpa Peisker’s Visit to a Danzig Battlefield, 1946

My grandfather took this photo of what appears to be a Sd.Kfz. 250/3 small half-track at a farm outside Danzig (now Gdansk) in the summer of 1946.  There was fierce fighting 14 months earlier, as evidenced by the damaged half-track and German soldier’s body in the foreground:

Sd.Kfz. is a German abbreviation for Sonderkraftfahrzeug, literally,  ‘special motor vehicle’.  In English we would call it a light armored half-track.   Here is an example of a Sd.Kfz.250 in better condition:

While we can’t see the front of the vehicle in Grandpa’s photo, the slant of the rear and the uniquely-shaped door identify it as a Sd.Kfz.250.  The racks for fuel/water cans (likely salvaged by locals or the Soviet Army) are quite evident to the right of the door.  Possibly an aerial (vertical whip antenna) bent over plus what looks like a canopy mount to the left of the racks suggest a /3 variation (Sd.Kfz. 250/3).  Admittedly the “canopy mount” is not in the normal location so it might be something else. 

Markings I11 on back indicate that it is the 11th vehicle of the 1st Battalion.  Unfortunately the main divisional or regimental marking on the door is not clearly visible.  The dark shield shape has  rounded bottom.  The marking on the shield looks like a palm tree similar to the AfrikaKorps but not quite the same.  The tag and other markings on the left fender above the track are too dark to make out.

The soldier’s uniform is also too blurry to make out any detail. Presumably this dead German was associated with this half-track vehicle.

Grandpa’s poignant observation is written on the back of the enlarged photo:

Their’s Was NOT The Glory!!

Fourteen months after the great battle for Danzig, the bones of this German trooper (along with many others) still remain unburied on the sands of this Polish battlefield. 
Such remains as these, bleaching in the summer sun (close to the wreckage of a blasted half-track) bear mute evidence of the sheer futility of Hitler’s dream of world conquest.

Original Shot Taken on a farm just outside Danzig, Poland.
Eastman Box Camera
Summer of 1946 by Ken Peisker

Grandfather Charles Kenneth Peisker served with the US navy in WWII but was not in combat.  He was about 40 years old in 1946.

I love and miss Grandpa and wish he was still around to talk about many things.

Immediately after the war he traveled to Germany and Poland for a Wisconsin newspaper to report on recovery efforts in that region.  He saw many things, including battlefields with damaged vehicles and unburied bodies.  This particular shot is very compelling to me and I would love to learn more about the scene.