Jennifer B. Jackson  NRAO/ ALMA/ FELO

ALMA Front End Local Oscillator Group Technical Specialist III

Some other things I do, and/or have done at my wonderful job!

I do SMT soldering of parts for prototype boards.  I help with the testing and troubleshooting of prototypes, mostly phase lock loop boards.  My boss designed them, and they are pretty cool.

Not every cartridge will work exactly how you expect to.  Sometimes I can catch what is wrong with them, sometimes I need a little help from the engineers!  I usually make a rule, if I spend more than 30 minutes, I call for help.  Can’t stop the flow!

Otherwise known as being nosy.  It is important to me to know what everyone is doing, so that I can make decisions on what to do next and where we are.  It also allows me to recognize when someone is working super hard and deserves kudos for a job well done.  Its also helpful when the engineers or managers have questions, I like being able to give answers quickly!

Our parts procurement system is pretty good, but it can be time consuming when you have a lot of parts to order.  I spend time finding the parts my engineers need, for the best price and the quickest arrival. I process them through the system and track them in a database I designed for it.

I run white wires, add components, and make other changes to boards when there are problems with them.  Occasionally we get parts that come straight from the manufacturer needing changes.

Prototype building

Parts Research and Ordering

Team Building

Troubleshooting

Rework

Project List