Two Years In The Life Of A GE Researcher : Blog : GE Global Research

Two years in the life of a GE Researcher

Charles Theurer, editor
Software Sciences and Analytics
Niskayuna, NY USA
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My GE interview took place in the fall of 2003 (roughly one month before I was to defend my dissertation). I had a couple of academic and one other industrial research offer in hand and I decided to interview at GE against the advice of a faculty member friend. He had some experience with ‘Big Corporate America’ and it left a bad taste in his mouth. When I came onto campus at GRC in Niskayuna I came with the idea that I was going to satisfy my curiosity about GE and leave knowing I was going to take one of the other jobs.

The interview consisted of a seminar about my research followed by several personal interviews with people in PDS (the lab I work in) and the global technology leader. The first thing I noticed about the people here at the center was their amazing curiosity. During my seminar presentation people actively followed my work, asking many deep questions about my research. Here was a group of people I just met who were interested in me, and voraciously curious about my research. This was significantly different from all of my other interviews in the industry, which seemed less like an active exchange of ideas and more like the speed round on Jeopardy. The seminar ran long (which I have since learned is not unusual) and the personal interviews began.

I came with many questions about the ‘GE corporate culture’. Collaboration and curiosity were on my mind. At every turn I was amazed by the openness and candor of the people I met. These were real scientists with real curiosity. I left that day hoping that I would be offered an opportunity to work with the inquisitive, passionate researchers I had met there.

The next few months were a blur. Offer letter, dissertation defense, moving my family to Upstate New York, and the holidays (I took a full 2 weeks off before I started work).

In early January 2004 I began working at the Center. I was asked to provide technical support to a new company on a telematics product they were selling called VeriWise. Within a few months I had made myself familiar with the product and participated in the invention of an antenna (patent pending).

My project leader then asked me if I would mind going to Australia to test this tracking system on shipping containers. MIND? I jumped at the chance to have such an adventure. In addition to high adventure, this trip also offered an opportunity to find the answer to a burning question I have had for years about my bathtub and the Coriolis effect.

In no time, a friend and colleague and I were on a plane to the other side of the world. In 8 days of extremely hard work (and at least 3 all-nighters) we had worked out all the technical kinks and the containers were fast on their way home to the US. It’s then I learned a valuable lesson about the hard working people in my lab (many of whom spent many hours on the phone with me working on this global installation). They know how to work hard – and they know how to have fun.

This trip was only the first of many adventures I have had here at GE with my coworkers in the Pervasive Decisioning Systems Lab. In the next 18 months I would, among many other things: meet hundreds of customers, visit mission control for a satellite company, make two presentations to the president and CEO of a GE business, go to several conferences, take a cruse on Lake George with a hundred of my coworkers, go a white water rafting down the upper Hudson river, and participate in the successful launch of a new GE business.

Through all the hard work and adventure over the last two years I have gotten a sense that the leadership here at the center is truly concerned about my career and my happiness. I have had many discussions with my manager about how I can use GE to best serve my career and how my career can best serve GE. I am confident that the next two years will be as rewarding and exciting as the last.

February 23rd, 2006 | Software Sciences & Analytics

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Comments

So, did you successfully test that Coriolis effect?

Bob | 3/02/06, 8:05 AM

Great to see excited, motivated young scientists being hired at GRC.

Francis | 3/02/06, 9:16 AM

Now that Wal*Mart has signed up for Veriwise, we know it was worth the many extra miles down under Inpiring job !

Yvan | 3/03/06, 9:45 AM

Bob,
My hypothesis was that the Coriolis effect is so week on the scale of a sink drain that random variations in the movement of the water would statistically overwhelm it.

My family and friends, on the other hand, were convinced that I was wrong: I had an axe to grind.

Unfortunately, when I got to Singapore on a layover (very close to the equator), the only test I could run proved inconclusive. This was not supporting my argument since that effect should be much smaller on the equator.

The entire time we were in Australia, we were able to conduct 3 tests. All drained in a CC direction, once again supporting the Null hypothesis. This weekend my case significantly I left with the unhappy task of reporting my experimental results to my family. Guess I will just have to do the mathÃ¢â‚¬Â¦

Charles | 3/06/06, 4:48 PM

Yeah that is much the same I’ve heard. The earth only rotates once a day. The force this would create on water moving though a sink or bowl would be exponentionally smaller than something as simple as the shape of the bowl or sink. I would be surprised if you could actually measure it/detect it in an average sink or bowl.

Alan | 3/07/06, 3:27 AM

Burt,

Congratulations on your successful achievements in life, you may remember I went to Umass with you lived in Crabtree. Well i am very impressed by all the work that you are doing and what you have accomplished.

If you remember me, feel free to write sometime..

Brian Berkovitz | 4/15/06, 11:01 AM

Brian,
Please send me your email address. I would love to get in touch.

-Burt

Burt | 3/20/07, 9:46 AM

jorge GOnzales | 3/23/07, 11:30 AM

What is your plan to the next career step?

Jilai Lu | 5/15/07, 8:58 PM

The world is open. Every day I come to work and learn something new… I am a happy happy man

Charles | 5/16/07, 9:57 AM

Burt! Haven’t talked to you in, oh, AGES.

-chris

Christie Rice | 5/22/07, 9:23 PM

I congratulate you on your success in GE. However, I feel I must add something here to temper the impressions given to a prospective GE scientist or engineer reading this and who spent a good piece of their life devoted to discovery.

I joined (and left) GE some years back, however I was employed within the Healthcare business, with occasion to deal with and visit GRC. It is indeed the most enjoyable of atmospheres within the company to be placed as a scientist. There are restrictions however on your work. This is a commercial company. And it may be of interest to note if I recall correctly many of the projects being undertaken are non-GE pay for service, as the company does not fully fund the facility.
GE proper however is a very different place to work. In my experience very little emphasis is put on development work and the Profit and Loss divisions often penny pinch. This leads to a most unsatisfactory working environment for any real talent who goes in there and notices real failure (simply because the divisions are generally manned by pure MBA types). Every few years these failures add up and a significant event occurs at which time they head to GRC to ‘give them new technology’ to make them competitive again/get them out of trouble. On the other hand if you want to forgo science completely GE proper could be an avenue if you can get appointed at management levels. Any sub-management post cop the full force of technical difficulties. Its amazing but later on you realize they can operate like this as GE itself really only participates in Major Growth markets, leading to an anything works result.

So the purpose of this is.. yes if you are a phd looking at GE, consider GERC, but give GE proper a fairly wide birth.

Mr Disdainful | 5/24/07, 10:06 PM

Long time no email.

Helen Gladish | 8/17/08, 11:38 PM

Burt, I had no doubt that you would end up successful. We all knew that growing up! I wasn’t sure which road you were going to choose. You chose wisely. So, knowing a little more about what you do for a living, I am truely honored that you liked my idea for the new bluetooth. As for GE…I was able to go on a tour of their Massachusetts manufactuing facility where they make their filters. The tour was informative and organized. I didn’t get to stay for the surf-n-turf The highlight of the evening was a presentation breaking down the overall business platform. I could see that their branched/diversified business units were going to keep them in a top position for a long time to come. Keep thinking of the end user and GE will continue to ‘bring good things to life’

Amie | 8/18/09, 10:23 PM

Amie,

Great to hear from you too. (Amie is as an old friend from high school as well one of my funniest facebook friends). It was either R&D or circus clown, seems you agree with my mom on that decision Glad you had a good time on your tour. The branched nature of the company does sometimes make it feel like I work at an agile startup. This is sometimes a very good thing. We at the research center have a great view into all of the GE businesses and as a result we get to do a lot of learning and problem solving. Thanks for the feedback! See you on facebook