Company: Temperature@lert, Boston, MA
Company Description: The most critical aspect of any company's day to day activities revolve around temperature. Temperature@lert is the leading provider of low-cost, high-performance temperature monitoring products. Our products provide early warning of temperature changes before it's too late. Since launching, over 40,000 Temperature@lert products have been sold to customers in over 50 countries.
Nomination Category: Products & Product Management Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Product Developer of the Year

Nomination Title: Phil Trapasso, Manager of Research and Development

1. Tell the story about what this nominee achieved since January 1 2013 (up to 525 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:

Although many in the product development field strive to be the best at development, not many strive to lead collaboratively with projects spanning across departments, including assisting in efforts for both support and marketing. Philip Trapasso is that person who understands beyond the science of product development; he understands the true art behind product development. And prides himself in not only producing quality designs but also in ensuring that client’s are met with a great product and service.

Well-versed in the needs of many industries, Trapasso has worked diligently on several of Temperature@lert’s development endeavors. Having begun as an intern at Temperature@lert while enrolled at Wentworth Institute of Technology for his BS in Mechanical Engineering Technology, Trapasso has now grown into the role of the full time Manager of Research and Development. He has lead many development projects under the advisement of senior and executive employees.

Since 2013, Trapasso has assisted with the successful collaboration and development of several products and services . These projects include:

• Component Sourcing - Worked with a manufacturer to design low cost platinum RTD sensor for cryogenic applications. (2/2013)

• Management - Trained and managed two interns to assist in development, design, and production. (4/2013 – 7/2013) • Product release - Tested all firmware for the release of an ultra-low power wireless node and GSM gateway, which uploads data and readings to Sensor Cloud. (6/2013)

• Jig design - Lead the design and construction of a jig for contract manufacturers to program and test sensors. It compared the temperature and humidity readings of a newly built sensor to a calibrated on board sensor, and illuminated either a red or green light depending upon whether the readings were acceptable. (7/2013)

• Product development - Developed production device variant to withstand harsh environments. (12/2013)

• IQ, OQ, PQ Documentation - Aided in the creation of IQ, OQ, and PQ documents. (1/2014

• Patent - Applied theory acquired in school to solve a real-world problem for clients. (3/2014

• Sensor design - Lead the design of a capacitive flood sensor that is better than traditional resistive sensing because there are no exposed electrodes. (3/2014)

• Sensor integration - Lead the integration of 3rd party sensors into monitoring system.
This allowed customers to affordably monitor their product or system using specialized sensors, including:
o Pressure - sensor was used to monitor the CO2 pressure in tanks that supply soda fountain machines.
o Liquid CO2 level - sensor was used to monitor the amount of CO2 left in the tank.
o Differential pressure - sensor was used to monitor the positive pressure in pharmaceutical compounding clean rooms. (2013-2014)

Besides working on Temperature@lert development projects, Trapasso has also passed the Society of Manufacturing Engineer's CMfgT exam, which has deemed him to be a Certified Manufacturing Technologist. Trapasso has thoroughly demonstrated his abilities in design, development, and experience while many other product developers would solely focus on hardware and software development. He truly understands what it takes to be in product development: the ability to understand the client and how to provide exceptional customer experience. As a team player who comprehends all facets of the company, Trapasso plays an integral part of the team.

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2. Provide a brief (up to 125 words) biography about the nominee:

Philip leads the Research and Development team and is responsible for integrating new sensors, validating the performance of new software and hardware, and overseeing in-house production.. His contributions to the intellectual property portfolio have helped set Temperature@lert apart from competitors. Starting as an intern, he joined Temperature@lert full-time after earning a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering Technology from Wentworth Institute of Technology.. He also earned his Certified Manufacturing Technologist certificate from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers.. While at Wentworth, Philip served two co-ops at Dana Farber Cancer Institute where he gained significant knowledge about HVAC equipment, systems and operation.. When it comes to temperature preference, Phil sticks to 22.22c, the perfect temperature for pitching Saccharomyces cerevisiae.