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VOLUME 1 NUMBER 1

www.ieee.org

Features/Incredible Careers

From Pet Shop to Pilot, p. 14How NASA launched the career of one Latina.By Julia C. Keller

Top Copy, p. 16Michelle Gielan has engineered a fine network news career.By Leslie Prives

A Force of Nature, p. 18Inspiring women to focus on the technical aspects of engineering.By Leslie Prives

Extra Sensory Perception, p. 20From the CIA to the Johns HopkinsAPL,Alison Carr is on the cutting edge.By Leslie Prives

Chip Off the Old Block, p. 22The powerful woman behind PlayStation3.By Julia C. Keller

Looking at the Big Picture, p. 25Bridging the gender divide with Joan Mitchell.By Julia C. Keller

Columns/DepartmentsLetter from the Editor, p. 2Amperes: Current Affairs from Around

the World, p. 4Women to Watch, p. 10The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly:

Engineering FACTS, p. 13Career Advisor: Experiences from the

Real World, p. 28Pipelining: Attractive Programs

for Women, p. 32 WIE from Around the World, p. 43

winter 07/08

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14From simulators

to the skies.

10Disney rides the tide

of its imagineers.

35Some assembly is requiredfor the BUA robotics team.

PHOTO COURTESY OF NASA AND SANDY GIBBS

WINTER 2007/2008 IEEE WOMEN IN ENGINEERING MAGAZINE 1


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IEEE WOMEN IN ENGINEERING MAGAZINE WINTER 2007/2008

Letter from the Editor

2 07/$25.00©2007IEEE

Karen Panetta

Welcome to the premiere issue of theIEEE Women in Engineering (WIE)Magazine! WIE now boasts over 12,000members worldwide, with over 176 affin-ity groups, making us the largest inter-national professional organizationdedicated to promoting women engi-neers and scientists. As a member ofIEEE WIE, you will be receiving futureissues of this magazine as a benefit ofyour WIE membership. If you are not amember, we invite you to join us andhelp build our community of supportand encouragement.

The goal of this magazine is to be yourresource for helping to attract, retain, andsustain women in the engineering and

science fields. For parents and educators,IEEE Women in Engineering Magazinewill showcase the exciting careeropportunities in the IEEE fieldsof interest and provide youwith access to successfuloutreach activities that willhelp encourage children topursue engineering. Themagazine will also providenetworking and career sup-port whether you are a student,young or seasoned professional,or reentering the workforce. Today, mostindividuals do not create a path plan toreturn to work after taking a leave ofabsence for family reasons. We will look at

“career maintenance” and life balanceissues for families including young chil-dren or aging parents. IEEE Women inEngineering Magazine will showcase thebest practices and profile the companiesat the forefront of supporting theiremployees’ needs.

IEEE Women in Engineering Maga-zine will present informative topics inengineering and science, while providinga well-rounded and transnational view ofcurrent events affecting women of allcultures. Our first issue is dedicated in

memory of Clementina Suduwa, oneof our own WIE committee

members, who was violentlyslain in her native countryof Nigeria. Her pictureappears on our cover.Despite this solemn note, it

is our intention to celebrateher life and support women in

all regions of the world facingthe same barriers that

Clementina overcame during her life.In this issue, you will find articles that

highlight some of the interdisciplinarynature of electrical and computer

Welcome to IEEE Women in Engineering MagazineWorking together to attract, sustain, and enrich women engineers

Karen Panetta

IEEE WIE CLEMENTINA SADUWA SCHOLARSHIPELIGIBILITY AND SELECTION:

Selection criteria will be reviewed by the IEEE WIE Commit-tee. Scholarship applicants must:

◗ be female◗ be a student from Africa, in good academic standing, and

must provide information on involvement with academic,extracurricular, civic responsibilities, and outreach efforts toother women (scholarship open to all IEEE fields of interests)

◗ maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.8 on a 4.0 scale◗ submit two referral letters from individuals who are quali-

fied to evaluate your academic accomplishments (e.g.,teachers, administrators)

◗ provide a personal statement (750-word maximum) thatreflects your career goals.

The scholarship offer will be made to the selected candidateone time only. There will be two scholarships in the amount ofUS$500 paid from the IEEE WIE budget through 2008. In addi-tion to the monetary scholarship, WIE will pay IEEE membershipfor the selected candidates for one year.

The recipients will be selected by the IEEE WIE Committee. Ifsuitable applicants are not available, no scholarship will beawarded for that year. Judgment will be based on the review ofthe application, endorsement letters, and personal statementand reviewed by the Selection Committee. Voting will take placeunder the leadership of the chair and the outcome will bebased on majority vote.Clementina

Saduwa


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engineering careers and the inspiring stories of the women inthese positions. You will see how important it is for the engineer’svoice to be heard beyond the cubicle. Engineers have a responsi-bility to properly inform government officials and the publicregarding engineering and science issues to ensure that allaspects and implications of policies are thoroughly scrutinized.Having engineers integrated in all positions of society as educa-tors, medical doctors, lawyers, and even as leaders of governmentwill not only bring attention to the importance of engineeringbut will also help elevate more women into leadership positions.In this issue, we profile a young engineer who is now a reporter.What other individual is better suited to ask the tough questionsabout engineering and technology than an engineer?

Oftentimes, I am met with questions about the need for theexistence of groups such as WIE. Less than 30% of all engineersare women, with the majority of this number falling in the chem-ical and biomedical engineering fields. Electrical engineering andcomputer engineering still continue to be the most underrepre-sented engineering fields for women. The attrition of women inthe electrical engineering profession also shows that women areleaving the discipline at extremely high rates. Women are a valu-able untapped resource that makes up 50% of the world’s work-force. This, coupled with the fact that there are so few womenpursuing engineering, is evidence that a problem exists anddemands action. Furthermore, we often forget that places in theworld still exist where women are not allowed to pursue educa-tion, never mind the possibility of pursuing an engineeringcareer. There are countries that have IEEE chapters, yet womenare still not permitted to present their work due to culturalissues. IEEE WIE is committed to overcoming the barriers thathave kept women from pursuing and advancing in their careers.

Another common question I am often asked as the chair ofthe IEEE WIE Committee is whether we are doing women adisservice by having an organization that seemingly excludesmen. People are surprised to discover that WIE has over 2,700male members. This is not unusual considering that our mis-sion is to foster a community of women and men that supportstheir mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives to pursue engi-neering and science careers that will inevitably lead to enrich-ing lives within the global community and the environment.They are even more surprised that every WIE-sponsored eventhas attracted an equal number of male and female attendees,regardless of the country in which the event was held.

Remember, WIE is pronounced “WE,” and only together asa community of women and men can we change the waynations perceive women in engineering and help initiate thechanges necessary to finally tap into that 50% of the world’smost valuable resource, brainpower.

—Karen A. PanettaEditor-in-Chief

IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine

IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine is published biyearly by the Institute of Elec-trical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. Headquarters: 3 Park Avenue, 17th Floor,New York, NY 10016-5997 USA. Responsibility for the contents rests upon theauthors and not upon the IEEE, WIE or its members. IEEE Service Center (fororders, subscriptions, address changes): 445 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08855-1331.Telephone: +1 732 981 0060, +1 800 678 4333. Copyright and reprint permissions:Abstracting is permitted with credit to the source. Libraries are permitted to photo-copy beyond the limits of U.S. Copyright law for the private use of patrons those arti-cles that carry a code at the bottom of the first page, provided the per-copy feeindicated in the code is paid through the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 RosewoodDrive, Danvers, MA 01923 USA. For other copying, reprint or republication permis-sion, write Copyrights and Permissions Department, IEEE Service Center, 445 HoesLane, Piscataway, NJ 08854 USA. Copyright © 2007 by the Institute of Electrical andElectronics Engineers, Inc. All rights reserved. Periodicals Postage pending at NewYork, N.Y. and at additional mailing offices. Ride along enclosed. Postmaster: Send address changes to IEEE Women in Engi-neering Magazine, IEEE Operations Center, 445 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854USA.PRINTED IN THE USA

Advertisers Index

The Advertisers Index contained in this issue is compiled as a service to ourreaders and advertisers: the publisher is not liable for errors or omissionsalthought every effort is made to ensure its accuracy. Be sure to let our adver-tisers know you found them through IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine. Company Page # URLUniversity of Illinois at Chicago . . . . . . .24 . . . . . . . . . .EPFL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 . . . . . . . . . .www.epfl.chJacobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 . . . . . . . . . .www.jacobs.com

IEEE Women in Engineering MagazineKaren Panetta – Editor-in-Chief

Tufts University161 College AvenueMedford, MA 02155

+1 617 627 [email protected]

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yA Tribute to Clementina

Pioneer for WIE left a lasting impression

“You can kill a man, but you cannot killhis legacy.”

This adage holds true for ClementinaSaduwa. An engineer for Ericsson, atelecommunications supplier in Nigeria,chair of IEEE Women In Engineering(WIE) in Nigeria, and regional coordina-tor for Region 8’s (Europe, Middle East,and Africa) IEEE WIE, Clementinaleaves behind a rich legacy to those whowere privileged enough to know her.She died on 23 January 2007 after shewas attacked in her car on the Apogbonon her way home from work.

“Clementina was a wonderful repre-sentation of IEEE and IEEE WIE. Shewas always so pleasant, friendly, sup-portive, and dedicated. She was anachiever who inspired those around herand was an all-around wonderful moth-er, wife, and friend. Her presence wasalways warm and genuine,” says KeyanaN. Tennant, program administrator forWIE in the IEEE Educational ActivitiesDepartment.

As the pioneer coordinator for WIEin Europe, the Middle East, and Africa,Clementina focused on helping youngwomen make informed decisions abouttheir careers. Under her leadership,

programs were organized to pair femaleengineers as mentors to young Niger-ian girls.

A Little HistoryClementina was born on 26February 1977 to Chief Vin-cent Uvieghara and TheresaUvieghara of Odedogho. Sheis the only girl and theyoungest of three children.Tina, as she is popularlycalled, was known as a God-fearing, lively, and jovial per-son who loved to sing.

She finished her primary educationwith distinction from Oharisi PrimarySchool, in Ughelli, Nigeria, and wasaccepted into the Federal GovernmentCollege, in Ijanikin Lagos, Nigeria.While in school, she participated insports and church activities. She cameout on top in all her classes except inher Yoruba language class where shenever received an “A” but eventually wasable to understand and speak it fluently.Her integrity earned her the admirationof the school, and she was selected“school head” in her last year of highschool. She finished her secondary edu-cation in 1995 and went on to studyelectrical engineering at the Universityof Nigeria, Nsukka.

While in Nsukka, she joined the St.Peter’s choir in the school’s CatholicChapel. She was an active member ofthe B-KADD, an electronic design

group, and also joined the IEEE in 1999as a student member. She became thepioneer chair of the University of Nige-ria Student Branch of the IEEE.

After graduating with an honors dis-tinction in 2002, she formed the WIEAffinity Group in Nigeria, which was thefirst in Africa. During her tenure as WIEcoordinator of the Nigeria section, sheorganized career seminars for secondaryschool girls. In 2004, she was appointedregional coordinator for WIE in Region8. She was financial secretary of theNigeria section of IEEE and vice chair

of IEEE Graduates of the LastDecade (GOLD). She also

served in various IEEE com-mittees in Nigeria.

She joined Ericsson in2003 as an engineer in thecustomer solutions depart-ment and in 2006 wasappointed assistant technicalmanager of new accountswhere she worked on clos-ing multimillion-dollar

deals. During her stay in the depart-ment, she displayed leadership quali-ties and initiative.

“Clementina was an extraordinarylady. She was intelligent, professional, acaring friend, a loving wife and mother,beautiful and elegant. She was instru-mental in leveraging Ericsson’s busi-ness in Nigeria. She was also very proudof being able to serve IEEE WIE both inher section and in Region 8. She reallywas instrumental for WIE developmentin Region 8,” says Magdalena SalazarPalma, IEEE WIE member.

In 2003 Clementina married VictorSaduwa. The couple had a baby girl, whois now two years old.

Although her death is heartbreaking formany, Clementina will not be forgotten.

“Her enthusiasm for the work shedid, her wonderful smile, and her capa-bilities as a skilled speaker left lastingimpressions on me,” says Anita Thomas,

Women engineers fight numbers lagImpact is felt across the globe

Amperes

Current Affairs from Around the World

07/$25.00©2007IEEEIEEE WOMEN IN ENGINEERING MAGAZINE WINTER 2007/20084

Clementina’sinvolvement spurredWIE in both Nigeria

and Region 8.


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U.N. representative for the World Asso-ciation of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.

You can say that again.—Nancy Salim

I’ll Always Have Paris

Following in the footsteps of Clementina

Life comes at you like a flying torpedo,and before you know it, you must makevital decisions that will determine yourfuture path. Some people are luckyenough to discover their calling in timeto make it happen. I am one of thoselucky people that have a goal. Thanks toIEEE Women in Engineering (WIE), adivision of the global organizationIEEE, I’ve embarked on a journey ofself-discovery.

When I boarded a flight to Paris dur-ing the summer of 2006, the last thingon my mind was engineering. I was sim-ply the little sister who got to tag alongon an overseas field trip. My eldest sisterwas working with WIE, coordinatingtheir annual meeting in Paris.

Upon arrival, all of the engineers metin the hotel lobby, exchanged greetings,and conversed about their latest studies. Iwas the outcast, standing there among asea of women from 42 different countries:Nigeria, the United Arab Emirates, Spain,and even Kuwait. Not until Clementina,an engineer from Nigeria, approached,did my trip begin to mean so much more.

As we waited for the rest of thewomen to arrive, Clementina and I sat inthe lobby discussing our hobbies. Shethought I was already in school studyingengineering, and she questioned meabout my studies. I informed her that Iwas not in the field but simply accompa-nying my sister. We talked about ourfamilies, our ethnicities, our favoritesubjects, and other topics to pass thetime. I brought up my grandfather, whohad both his legs amputated and hasbeen living in a wheelchair for as long asI could remember. She informed me thatbiomedical engineers, some of thewomen with whom I was sitting, werethe people that made prosthetic legs. Iwas floored! My family had been workingso hard to afford legs for my grandfather,and here I was sitting with the peoplewho made them. A remarkable feelingcrept over me.

I continued traveling with the engi-neers instead of touringalone in Paris, whichhad been my originalplan. Throughout mystay, I became moreinterested in engi-neering, and I wassurprised to discoverthat I had much incommon with thesewomen. We all sharedthe innate desire tohelp, had logicalminds, and strove tobe successful. Clem-entina and I would sit

in the meeting halls putting togetherfoam puzzles, “working like real engi-neers,” she would say.

When WIE took its next trip to Orlan-do, Florida, in the summer of 2007, Iaccompanied them, this time not as thelittle sister but as a prospective engineer.Unfortunately, Clementina was not ableto join us, for she had been tragicallykilled during a robbery in her country.This news crushed me. I can remembersitting in my high school cafeteria andgetting a phone call from WIE. Tearsrushed down my face, but I knew deepinside that it was my time to step up andfollow in her remarkable footsteps.

Clementina and all of the womeninvolved in WIE have been extraordi-nary role models, and because of themI can confidently say that I want to bea woman in engineering and I willmake everyone that has supported mevery proud.

—Michel’le Forrest

A Nation in Desperation

Education and inspiration need to continue

How often do we see international eventsthat inspire organizations into action tostop atrocities? For instance, saving therain forests or stopping the poaching ofendangered animals. To those of us wholive in industrialized countries, theseacts may seem unthinkable, but considerthis: If you or your children were starv-ing and dying, would you steal to feedthem? Would you chop down trees in arain forest to earn money if that was theonly job you could find? How desperatewould you have to be before you wouldrob and take the life of another humanbeing to survive?

In Nigeria, a nation faced with suchdevastating poverty, individuals will stopat nothing to survive, including murder.For many of us, this reality is somethinghidden away in the news and secondaryto the many wars and turbulent conflictsour world now faces.

IEEE WIE was thrust into this realitywhen one of our own members, Clementi-na Saduwa, was murdered in her countryof Nigeria on her way home from work.Bandits blocked her vehicle on the bridgeshe was crossing and robbed her.Clementina was 30 years old, married,and the mother of a young daughter.

By all accounts, Clementina was anexample of a young woman who beat allthe odds. She was a young black womanfrom Nigeria with a passion for educa-tion and helping others. Even if studentsin Nigeria manage to attend college andgraduate, the majority of them are metwith high unemployment rates and littleprospect of finding a job.

Clementina(right)continues toinspirewomen likeMichel’le topursueengineering.


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Clementina pursued electrical engi-neering at the University of Nigeria,Nsukka, knowing that she could con-tribute to building her country’s technol-ogy infrastructure and use engineeringto improve the lives of members in hercommunity. She spoke four languagesand was an expert in communicationsand networking systems. She secured aposition at Ericsson as an engineer andwas so well respected that she was cho-sen to present at the United Nations.

Clementina recognized early on,while she was a student, that joining theIEEE was a way for her to reach beyondthe geographic boundaries and turmoilof her country and connect with theworld. She joined the IEEE and quicklybecame recognized as a wonderful volun-teer, a strong leader, and a world rolemodel for all women.

She formed the first WIE NigeriaAffinity Group and formed the IEEE Uni-versity of Nigeria Nsukka StudentBranch Section. She was the regionalcoordinator for IEEE WIE Region 8 andwas excited to be named the WIEnewsletter editor in December 2006.

She represented the voices of allNigerians who could not representthemselves, and on January 2007 thosesame desperate individuals thatClementina had hoped to inspire andencourage to pursue a better way of lifesilenced her voice.

One has to wonder if these individ-uals will ever know or feel remorse forher loss or for the small child who willgrow up without a mother. We have noway of knowing if the individualsresponsible for this atrocity were driv-en out of desperation or just plain cru-elty. In any case, the world has lost aliving star of hope.

We dedicate the IEEE Women inEngineering Magazine to Clementinaand will continue to be her voice and lether star continue to shine. To this end,IEEE WIE has created the ClementinaSaduwa Memorial Scholarship for IEEEAfrican Women (see page 2). We shallcontinue her mission to inspire andencourage all individuals to achieveunimaginable possibilities.

—Karen Panetta

Engineering a Solution

Why is it taboo for many Indian girls?

I remember, about two years back, at thecoaching institute I attended for engi-neering, that my first day out there wasnothing short of a nightmare! Comingfrom a typical all-girls, disciplined con-vent environment, all I saw in that class-room were about 40 odd heads crammedinto the dingy classroom—of which 39were male! I was beyond myself with sur-prise! Maybe it was just my class…. Nope!Class after class, institute after institute,same story! “Hey I just have one girl inmy class!” or worse, “I’m the only one inmine!” Did that mean I was among aprivileged few whose parents had letthem take engineering as a dream careerfor themselves?

When I walked into IndiraGandhi Institute of Technolo-gy (IGIT), an all-girls engi-neering institute, agovernment initiative,and the first of its kindin India, my classmateshad almost similar sto-ries. What was worsewas possibly the fact thatmost of them from co-edschools had faced a two-girlsper 50-boys ratio even in theirscience stream classrooms at school!

When I really started thinking aboutwhy girls were just hallucinations inengineering, I stumbled upon a numberof hidden sentiments deep down withinmy mind, which I’d overlooked beforeand suddenly became so obvious. Simplethings. Like attending the workshoppractice. My neighbor said somethinglike—“Oh my god! Girls welding andsawing and doing metal work! Thesethings, smithy and all, that isn’t awoman’s job. That’s stuff men are bornto do!” to which I could only say “Ohplease!” but really deep down that is whatmost parents feel. The entire issue of fewwomen in engineering as compared tomass female enrollment in architectureor medicine is not simply a matter of

preferred professions but, to a largeextent, a profession is determined by thesocial getup of the region.

In a society infested by dowry, femalefoeticide/infanticide, and sexual discrimi-nation, a number of factors would makeconventional parents think twice aboutputting their daughters into an engineer-ing course. I say parents “putting”because in India most kids take up cours-es of their parents’ choices.

The first factor is that engineering isquite an expensive affair. To guardiansinterested in getting rid of “an accident”(read: daughter), spending so much onher, when there’s already the expense ofdowry itself, is just not worthwhile. Soinstead, a graduation course would bejust adequate for getting a good groom.

Wait, let me contradict myself some-what. These days, many urban parents pre-fer to keep their daughters in a professionalcourse. That is to say, they believe that girls

can earn their dowry themselves.Engineering happens to be

the easiest way to earn inthe shortest span oftime possible. Thenwhy the meagerfemale enrollment fig-ures? That brings usto the second problem

that parents have withengineering.Architecture, medical

fields like gynecology, or lawdon’t take a woman beyond her little cubi-cle with men and don’t require a woman togive in hours of her precious family time tothe office whereas most of the hardcoreengineering fields like civil or mechanicaldo. Also, most of the other professions arenot predominantly male oriented as isengineering. Basically, most engineeringjobs are not marriage compatible and that,to parents, isn’t exactly acceptable.

Another very valid concern that par-ents have about their girls is the increasedchances of sexual harassment that areidentifiable with the corporate sector. Theyfeel, and rightly so, that most if not all cor-porate houses have little or no provisionfor ensuring the safety of female employ-ees. Right from the parking lot of thebuilding to the manager’s office, there is no

Mostengineering jobsare not marriage

compatible and that,to parents, isn’t

exactlyacceptable.

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such haven for awoman should shebe a victim ofsuch unprece-dented acts byfellow colleaguesor seniors. To topit all, the loop-holes in the Indianlegal system are toomany to ensure justicein case of such incidents.

Of course there is the ulti-mate drawback for girls: the negativepsychology that they experience and theunderestimation that they face fromhome to school, right through class 12.Your brother is better than you, you aretoo delicate to handle this, you can’t trav-el this far, you can’t compromise yourhealth. The can’ts are too many.

Freelancer Prachi Patel-Predd writes in“A League of Extraordinary Women”[IEEE Spectrum, October 2005], “All toofew girls consider engineering as a career,and the profession is the poorer for it, astalented individuals seek vocations else-where. But a new program is in the worksin the United States to attract youngwomen to engineering and to keep themin the career.”

Prachi was talking of the UnitedStates, where a number of professionalengineering societies, including ASCE,the IEEE, and the National Academy ofEngineering, are carrying forth a nation-wide program: Extraordinary WomenEngineers Project or EWEP. This programencourages women to take up engineer-ing as a career, through counseling andtelling teenage girls how lucrative thisprofession can be. The pioneer of thismovement is Patricia D. Galloway, whosemotivation had been the falling enroll-ment rates of women in engineering.

The percentage of women graduates inengineering in the United States as ofOctober 2005 was 23%. In India, the figurein some of our advanced regions is just athird of this—about 7.9% at I.I.T. (IndianInstitute of Technology), Mumbai. In TamilNadu, however, the percentage of womengraduates in engineering was 10.1%,slightly more, possibly because of thenumerous private institutions that have

sprung up all over.However, statisticsshow that whilealmost all regionsare almost at par,northern Indiastill has to catch

up with the rest innumber of female

engineer graduates.Still, there is a sil-

ver lining to every cloud.At least we have an uphill

enrollment rate, not downhill. The situ-ation obviously has to be improved. How,is the million-dollar question.

I guess the first step would be to counselparents of girls to motivate them to sendtheir daughters to engineering colleges.Side by side we need to step up enforce-ment of our laws that safeguard women,particularly in workplaces and for this weneed the support of NGOs on a nationalscale. In addition what we need is assurancefrom faculty and staff in educational institu-tions of their belief that girls can be suc-cessful engineers if they so desire.

And then of course, an indispensableprerequisite is the “never say die” spiritin girls themselves. It’s up to us to decidewhat's best for us, and live up to our ownexpectations as engineers.

—Anwesha Bhattacharjee

Major Malfunction

Number of women engineers lag in the household robotics era

Domestic robots for vacuuming and lawnmowing are mobile units that useautonomous mobile robotics technology,with the aim of reducing household timeand costs for the owner [1]. In this con-text, it is difficult to imagine women as“domestic slaves.” Nowadays, the imageof women’s roles in the realm of science,technology, and engineering becomesmore and more clear. Unfortunately, theunder-representation of women in sci-ence and technology, especially in seniorand leadership positions, remains aworldwide phenomenon [2].

In the excellent report on women forscience, published in June 2006 by Inter-Academy Council [2], it has been statedthat in developing countries the womenare denied access at the grassroots levels.In developed countries such as those inEurope, things are not much as expect-ed—the women are given access but notmuch support in a career pursuit in engi-neering. An overview of the situation ofthe number of women in engineering inEurope in general, and Belgium in partic-ular, is presented in this contribution.Several directions to improve the numberof women in engineering are also detailed.

The Situation in Europe and BelgiumFigure 1 depicts statistical results [3],noting the female distribution of studentgraduates and researchers in Europe.Some countries such as Bulgaria, CzechRepublic, Hungary, Iceland, and Slovakiaare clearly leading in the percentage offemale researchers in the field of engi-neering compared to the total number offemale researchers in science. Similarly,of the total number of female graduates,Belgium has the most female studentgraduates in engineering.

In comparison with other Europeanuniversities, the Ghent Alma Mater is rela-tively young (www.UGent.be). The institu-tion was inaugurated on 9 October 1817,after King William I, in the preceding year,had proclaimed the establishment of threeuniversities in the Southern Netherlandsand lectures started on 3 November.

Two events had a decisive influenceon the University’s history: the politicalseparation from the Netherlands in 1830and the introduction of Dutch as the offi-cial language in 1930.

The first professorial staff had 16members, including nine foreigners,mainly Northern Dutch and Germans. In1817, a total of 190 students were regis-tered in the four faculties: Arts, Law,Medicine, and Sciences.

A systematic and thorough modern-ization of higher education in Ghent tookplace after the Laws of 1876 and 1890were passed, granting universities thepower to award academic degrees, whichenabled scientific development. Due tothe relaxed entrance requirements for


Thepercentage of

women graduates inengineering in the UnitedStates as of October 2005

was 23%. In India, thefigure in some of our

advanced regions is justa third of this—

about 7.9%.

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university studies, femalestudents gained access tohigher education. The firstwoman came to study inGhent in 1882, and sheopted to study Sciences.Laboratory exercises andlaboratory research workgot their start in this peri-od, and research assistantswere also appointed.

The current outlookregarding the female stu-dents ratio at UGent andat FirW (Faculty of Engi-neering) is shown in Fig-

ure 2. The high female percentage is aresult of the elevated number of femalestudents in Faculties, which includes:Law, Medicine, Arts and Philosophy, Psy-chology, and Economics.

The percentage of female students inthe first year at FirW is approximately14% (50 female students out of a totalnumber of 344 students enrolled for anengineering degree). Figure 3 depicts thedistribution of these female studentsaccording to the degree/specialization.

At the end of 2002, Ghent Universityemployed 4,606 people, equivalent to3,979 full-time positions. The overall dis-tribution of female professors and assis-tant is given in Figure 4.

Constructive EffortsOver the last couple of decades, it hasbeen observed that women prefer sci-ences to engineering, and in today’scontext of cross-disciplinary education,the thematic network ESTIA-Net [4]proposed bringing forward a completeset of women-friendly course programs.After deep investigations on the femalepercentages in engineering and the rea-sons that make it difficult for women tocope with an engineering career, theprogram has reached its completion.The network aimed to create awarenessabout gender bias issues in education,information, and motivation for youngwomen, leading them to their educa-tional and career paths.


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The distribution of the 14% women-students within FirW degrees (normalizedas a distribution of 100%). Engineering degrees: (A) chemical and material, (B)

architechture, (C) applied physics, (D) civil, (E) computer sciences, (F) electronic,and (G) electrical and mechanical.

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The network also created a new inter-disciplinary-based postgraduate curricu-lum, based on feedback from womenregarding their future education andcareer, women executives with postgradu-ate training in new technologies, womenstarting a new career, and women immi-grants. The main activities initiated bythis network include research regardingthe number of women students and pro-fessors, of which important parts werepresented in this contribution; buildingrelationships with career women; develop-ing a mentor’s curriculum, mentor’s sem-inaries, information days, Web site-basedinformation; and the design of a women-friendly postgraduate curriculum. Allthis information can be freely accessed aspreviously referred [4], including infor-mation on conferences such as ICIE2007 Third International Conference onInterdisciplinarity in Education andMULTI FORUM 2007 InternationalForum for multiculturality, multiethnic-ity, and multidisciplinarity in EuropeanHigher Education and Research.

It is worth noting that the key to thesuccessful increase in the percentage ofwomen in engineering studies and careersis addressing women at their early decisionpoints in time. Therefore, it is important toattract, motivate, and guide young womentoward engineering and technology. Themost attractive way to do this is to embodyboth sciences and engineering in interdis-ciplinary courses. In nearly every presti-gious university such curricula exists at thelevel of master’s degree, graduate, and evenpermanent education courses. A very sim-ple example is biomedical engineering,which successfully combines medicinewith (control) engineering. A manifold ofapplications where an increased number of

female engineers are involved can be sum-marized under the title of modeling andcontrol in biomedical applications [5],drug-dosing control in anesthesia and dia-betes, rehabilitation systems for gait andmotion control, artificial ventilation, anddiagnosis-based modeling of the respirato-ry system. One may only take a good lookaround to realize that in most of theseapplications women play a key role.

Another important aspect in highereducation is to offer equal mobility oppor-tunities to women and men. Althoughthere is no difference when it comes togranter evaluation, there should be spe-cial student exchange grants with coursesor research programs that are both attrac-tive and accessible to women. For exam-ple, women tend to be more interested incombining medical and control engineer-ing sciences than engineering alone;another example is the combination ofeconomics with modeling and control indecision-making systems and supplychain management. In this way, cross dis-ciplinarity is ensured, and women canenjoy both the nontechnical aspects inmedicine and economics and the abstract-technical background of control.

Looking Forward to the Bright FutureAs a young woman working toward herPh.D. degree in the cross-disciplinarytopic of biomedical engineering atUGent, I found great pleasure in findingthat most of the issues discussed in [6]were helpful hints and encouragingthoughts. There is no one path to ensurea successful career for women in engi-neering, but there are a manifold ofguidelines waiting to be considered.

AcknowledgmentsI would like to thank Prof.Robin De Keyser Chair-man of Internationalisa-tion at Ghent University,Belgium, for being such adedicated mentor and astriving promoter of sev-eral projects involvingfemale students andfemale researchers inEngineering.

Read More About It[1] H. Sahin and L. Güvenç, “Household robotics,” IEEE

Control Syst. Mag., vol. 27, pp. 20-23, Apr. 2007.[2] “Women for science-IAC advisory report,” InterA-

cademy Council, Amsterdam, The Netherlands,2006.

[3] National Statistical Profiles for EU Member States& Associated Countries [Online] Available:ftp://ftp.cordis.lu/pub/improbing/docs/

[4] Opening Up Electrical Engineering, ComputerTechnologies and Applied Sciences to SuccessfulWomen Careers, ESTIA-Net, [Online] Available:www.estiatn.net

[5] C. Ionescu and R. De Keyser, Some Challeng-ing Feedback-Control Applications in Biomed-ical Systems, J. Inf. Technol., University ofSilesia - Poland, Vol.9, ISSN 1642-6037, pp.35-46, 2005.

[6] B. Lazarus, L. Ritter and S. Ambrose, TheWoman’s Guide to Navigating the Ph.D. in Engi-neering and Science New York: John Wiley &Sons, 2001.

—Clara Ionescu,Faculty of Engineering

Department of Electrical Energy,Systems and Automation

Ghent University, Belgium.


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IEEE WIE“BEST COMPANIES” AWARDIEEE WIE is accepting nominations for its “Best

Companies for Women to Work” award. We

want to hear what makes your company the

best work environment for women. Include

examples of programs, support groups or ini-

tiatives that the company has instituted to

make the work environment more inclusive for

its employees. The nominations should include

employee and/or student intern testimonials.

Companies that employ engineers and/or sci-

entists are eligible.

The nomination essay should consist of no

more than 1,500 words and should include

the name and address of the company being

nominated and the nominator’s mailing

address, email, phone and fax number. Send

nominations to: [email protected].

Applications will be judged by a panel of

national experts in workforce diversity and by

engineering and science leaders from various

science, technology, engineering and math

(STEM) disciplines. The top ten companies will

be announced in the June 2008 issue of the

IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine. The

award will be presented at a special IEEE WIE

event to honor the winners and the winning

company will be profiled in the magazine. The

deadline for nominations is 1 March 2008.


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i

Women to Watch

Nancy Salim

07/$25.00©2007IEEE

If creating an iconic image of a duck ina sailor suit seems impressive, considermeshing the creativity of imaginationwith the technical nature of engineer-ing into what is known as “imagineer-ing.” A large part of being an engineerrequires creativity. Especially if youwork as an employee of Walt DisneyImagineering.

Almost all imagineerswork at the corporate head-quarters in Glendale, Califor-nia, developing ideas andattractions for Disney parks.During the construction of amajor project, imagineers areoften deployed to work onsitefor six months to a year. Imag-ineers can be artists, writers,architects, landscape architects,engineers, model builders, con-struction managers, techni-cians, designers, and a wholerange of others.

Walt Disney formed WaltDisney Imagineering on 16December 1952 as WED Enter-prises to develop plans for a theme parkand to manage Disney’s personal assets.It was originally an independent, privatecompany, owned by Walt Disney, but on3 February 1965 it was merged into WaltDisney Productions. It is currentlyknown as Walt Disney Imagineering(WDI), Disney Imagineering, or simplyImagineering.

WDI is well known today fordesigning and building Walt Disneyparks and resorts all over the world,including Disney Resort in Anaheim,California, Walt Disney World Resortin Lake Buena Vista, Florida, andTokyo Disney Resort in Urayasu,Chiba, Japan, among others.

WDI is now the research and devel-opment arm of Walt Disney Parks andResorts, no longer a division of WaltDisney Productions. Imagineering alsoincludes Walt Disney Creative Enter-tainment, the company that utilizesImagineering techniques to createshows, fireworks displays, and paradesat the Disney theme parks.

To get a better understanding ofwhat imagineers do we talked withthree Disney-Imagineers.

Be Our GuestMaureen Hart, principal mechanicalengineer at Walt Disney Imagineering,describes herself as “short and bossy,”but her passion shows through her workto enhance guests’ experiences at thecompany’s theme parks.

Q: Tell us about yourself.Hart: I’m a principal mechanical

engineer at Walt Disney Imagineering inGlendale, California. I have a bachelor’sand a master’s degree in mechanicalengineering. I grew up in Minnesota, andafter I earned my bachelor’s degree from

Stanford University, Palo Alto, Califor-nia, I decided to stay in California. Theenergy crisis in the 1970s sparked myinterest in engineering and alternativeenergy. I still remember it beingChristmas with no Christmas lightsbecause we all were trying to saveenergy. My first job was in thermalanalysis at Rockwell’s AlternativeEnergy division in El Segundo, Cali-fornia. At the risk of dating myself, myfirst calculator was an HP 35, and Iassembled my first computer from aHeathkit. I follow Formula 1 racingand have a daughter in high schooland a son in middle school.

Q: What made you decide to becomean imagineer? Hart: Working for Disney, I am able to

share what I do with my friends and fami-ly. I work on a variety of engineeringprojects and always like a challenge.

Q: What is a typical day for you at work? Hart: I’m currently working on global

accessibility and safety to improve ourguests’ experiences at our parks.

Building the House of MouseDisney imagineers bring park attractions to life

Maureen Hartsays that whilethe goal isopening theattraction,engineering isabout goodcommunicationandobservation.



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Q: What do you like best about your job?What do you like least or what is mostchallenging?

Hart: I really like the people I workwith and the variety of engineering I do.At Imagineering, everyone on a projectteam is focused on the goal of openingthe attraction to guests in our park. Theteamwork and “can do” attitude of ourproject teams make for a great workenvironment. Another bonus is theinstant recognition and interest in mywork that I receive from people. Thehardest part of my job is juggling multi-ple tasks, but that’s also what makes itinteresting.

Q: What advice would you give to otherswho want to become imagineers?

Hart: Pay attention to people. Observehow they interact with their environ-ment and with others. Remember, suc-cessful engineers are good observers andgood communicators. I’d also like toremind younger women that engineer-ing really is about people. Engineersdevelop and apply technology to betterthe human condition. I’ve noticedrecently that engineering recruitersfocus on science and math and tend toignore the people aspects of the field.

Two WorldsMolly Kistler, a software engineer at WaltDisney Imagineering, says she’s not yourtypical engineer. Whether it is days in thefield testing rides or writing code at herdesk, the position has proven to be bothchallenging and rewarding.

Q: Tell us about yourself. Kistler: I grew up in Bethlehem,

Pennsylvania. In high school I excelled inmath and science and spent a lot of timeplaying with our home computer. I wentto the University of Southern California,in Los Angeles, and earned my bachelor’sdegree in computer science with a minorin neuroscience. I stayed in school for anextra year to earn my master’s in com-puter science, intelligent robotics. Iinterned at Walt Disney Imagineeringduring my master’s program. During mylast semester of school I accepted a posi-tion starting in January 2004 at Disney

Imagineering. I am currently a softwareengineer in the Ride Engineering divi-sion at Walt Disney Imagineering.

Q: What made you decide to become animagineer?

Kistler: I had been to the parks grow-ing up but didn’t really know that “imag-ineers” existed. The night before myinternship interview I was searching theWeb to find out information about thecompany I was about to interview with. Iquickly learned that we don’t haveofficial information aboutimagineering out there onthe Web, but I foundenough information tobe prepared. I enjoyedthe summer intern-ship, and the followingsemester I had to makethe decision betweenimagineering and anothercompeting offer. Job satisfac-tion was important to me whenmaking the decision, and I was excitedabout the idea of producing a productthat my friends and family could enjoy—something that I could point to and say Ihelped create.

Q: What is a typical day for you at work? Kistler: There isn’t a typical day for an

imagineer. Some days I spend at my deskin front of a computer writing systemdocuments or writing and testing code.Other days I meet with review groups,operations and maintenance groups fromthe parks, outside vendors, or with ourproject team. Days in the field are long

days full of ride testing but can actuallybe a lot of fun. When you get back fromthe field you tend to experience a post-field lull, because you are so used to thefast pace and exciting new challengesevery day. As a software engineer for theride system, I am designing the systemand writing the code that controls theride portion of an attraction.

Q: What do you like best about your job?What do you like least or what is most

challenging?Kistler: I love workingwith other talented and

knowledgeable imagi-neers. There are gooddays and bad days atany job, but mycoworkers are whatkeep me coming back

every morning. Andagain, there is something

so neat about being able topoint to a well-known attraction

and say, “I worked on that.” Watchingguests enjoy the first attraction Iinstalled was the most rewarding experi-ence, and it made all of the hard work,long days and sacrifice worth it. Thereisn’t much I don’t enjoy about my job.You have to remember that it is likeevery other job with both its benefits andits hassles. The greatest downside mightbe that my friends always want me totake them to Disneyland! Most computerprogrammers spend their days sitting ata desk in their air-conditioned office—my greatest challenge so far has probablybeen working on a laptop, outside, in the

With MollyKistler there’snever a dullmoment,whether it’smeeting withreview groups,writing code ordays of testingpark rides.

“I was excitedabout the idea of

producing a productthat my friends and

family couldenjoy.”


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heat, with a light drizzle and without asteady work surface while in the field inHong Kong. It certainly wasn’t your typi-cal work environment!


Kistler: It wasn’t until I was at my jobfor a while that I discovered the largenumber of individuals who would love towork at Imagineering. With so muchsupply and a low demand for imagineers,it isn’t that easy to get a position here.For an entry-level engineer I would rec-ommend applying for an internship withour division. Internships give us anopportunity to assess the individual andgive them a chance to see what we arereally all about. Most of our young engi-neering imagineers all came throughthe internship program.

Under the SeaKristin Jones, an electronics engineer atWalt Disney Imagineering, is like mostpeople in that she became acquaintedwith Disney through the theme parks butit was a college design competition thatultimately landed her at the company.

Q: Tell us about yourself.Jones: I grew up near Chicago and

earned a bachelor’s degree in electricalengineering in 2005 from the Universi-ty of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.After graduation I packed up, movedout to Glendale, California, and havebeen an electronics engineer with Walt

Disney Imagineering ever since. I loveChicago-style, deep-dish pizza, dabblingin artistic hobbies like drawing andpainting, and almost always have a lap-top open at home so I can read the lat-est technology news.

Q: What made you decide tobecome an imagineer?

Jones: I went onfamily vacations toWalt Disney World asa kid and thought thatbuilding Disney rideshad to be a pretty cooljob. In college I foundout about Walt DisneyImagineering’s ImagiNationsDesign Competition. The competi-tion invites people from universitiesand organizations with a passion forintegrating creativity and technology topresent projects to imagineers. I sub-mitted my entry for a Finding Nemo-themed underwater safari and wasinvited to present my concept as a final-ist. With a lot of drawing, modelingclay, and a little luck, I ended up with afirst-place trophy and an internship atWalt Disney Imagineering.

Q: What is a typical day for you at work?Jones: I design and implement show

control systems for Disney attractions.The show control system ties together allof the animated figures, special effects,and audio/video that combine to tell aseamless story through Disney magic. As

an engineer I enjoy the opportunity towork through the entire design processfrom conceptualization through produc-tion, installation, and eventually test andadjust. Test and adjust is the fun part,where the designs leap off the paper and

become a real working system.On a typical installation, I

can usually be found withlaptop in hand, hiddensomewhere in theattraction’s scenerytrying to make the bigeffect go “kaboom!”

I recently finishedworking on the Finding

Nemo submarine voyage atDisneyland. Shortly after the

attraction opened to the public, I rodewith a group of guests that erupted intocheers and applause when the subreturned to the dock. I enjoy being a partof the team that gives people wonderfuland memorable experiences.

Q: What do you like best about your job?What do you like least or what is mostchallenging?

Jones: I feel very lucky to have mydream job. Perhaps the most excitingand challenging aspect of the job is try-ing to figure out how to bring some ofthe more radical and creative ideas intoreality. It’s a lot of fun to take an idea foran effect and go to the drawing board tofigure out just how the thing is going towork. Challenges can occur when relat-ing the limitations of a system to an artdirector, for example, who wants the jel-lyfish to go up and down faster than itcan currently go.


Jones: Find something you are pas-sionate about and really immerse your-self in it. With a bit of determination youcan make your dreams into reality. Incollege, broaden your focus by takingclasses outside of your major and take onleadership roles in student organizations.Check out the Walt Disney ImagineeringImagiNations Design Competition andapply for internship opportunities.

Disneyland is all aboutmemorable experiences, andKristin Jones has contributedto a number of them, includingthe Finding Nemo submarinevoyage.

“I enjoybeing a part of

the team that givespeople wonderfuland memorable

experiences.”



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The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly

Engineering FACTS

Karen Panetta

wWe often hear the tales of women tryingto break the barriers in a man’s world.This story tells the tale of the reverse situ-ation, a young man trying to break into aculturally female dominated sport in theUnited States and the resistance he met.

Title IX is a law in the United States thatstates that public schools must offer thesame services to both genders. Specificallyit states that “No person in the UnitedStates shall, on the basis of sex, be excludedfrom participation in, be denied the benefitsof, or be subjected to discrimination underany education program or activity receivingFederal Financial assistance.” Typically,Title IX is most readily seen applied tosports. For example, if a school has a soccerteam for boys, and there are girls that wantto play soccer, then the school must providethe girls with the opportunity to play soc-cer. This means that the school either needsto provide a soccer team for just girls orallow the girls to play on the boys’ team.

Title IX strikes fear in the heart ofadministrators, for like many other laws,it provides schools with a mandate to ful-fill, but no funding to implement it.Funding boys and girls teams for everysport is a major dilemma especiallytoday, when schools have trouble fund-ing teachers. However, as painful as it isto implement, it forces schools to “do theright thing” and attempts to ensure thatgender equity is maintained.

Nate Coolidge is a member of theUnited States men’s field hockey squad, a

sport that in Europe is acceptable formen, but in the United States is consid-ered a sport only for girls. In the UnitedStates, a man playing field hockey hasthe stigma of not being considered mas-culine like other athletes such as Ameri-can football or basketball players.

How any sport, where the players carrysticks and can propel a hard moving objectat you at high speeds, can be considered asport only for the “delicate” remains amystery. How Nate overcame this barrierto reach the level he is at today is a story ofdetermination and persistence.

Nate tried to join the field hockeyteam in his Massachusetts hometownwhen he was in the seventh grade, only tofind out that he was not welcome. Why?Because there was no team for boys, onlya girls team. By the rules of Title IX, inthe absence of any boys’ field hockeyteam, the school had to allow Nate to playon the girls’ team.

Administrators tried to dissuade theyoung man by threatening that hewould have to wear a skirt while play-ing. The young man pursued, wore theskirt, and integrated well with his coachand teammates.

The response from some opposingteam players, parents, and opposing teams’coaches was not as welcoming. Spectatorswho attended the games constantly heck-led Nate. One opposing team’s coach evenyelled for Nate to be removed from thefield, while other coaches refused to have

their teams play Nate’s school team. Oneformer opposing coach reported in theBoston Globe that the issue was that bythe time Nate was a senior in high school,Nate was the biggest and toughest playerout there. So, was Nate’s offense that hegrew up into a muscular man? If he hadremained under 100 pounds, would thishave changed the situation and made itOK for him to play on the team? Would a200-pound, six-foot female be preventedfrom playing on the girls’ team if she werethe biggest, toughest player? Most likely,this would not be an issue.

Women are applauded for breakingbarriers, especially in sports. In Win-throp, Massachusetts, a small coastaltown, a girl named Tracy Vaccaro was thefirst girl to play soccer on the boys’ soc-cer team in the 1980s.

In all sports, it is always recommendedto train with players better than one’s selfto help improve skill levels. Tracy was apetite girl, much smaller than all the boyson the team, but she had an agility thathelped her outmaneuver even the biggestand toughest male opponent. When theschool formed a girls’ team, Tracy was byfar the best player in the girls’ league.

It was also common to have membersof the boys’ team show up to practicewith the girls’ team. The two teams usedto even play against each other for prac-tice. This integrated environment set anexample that boys and girls can work andlearn together and consider each otheras equal teammates.

So, the real issue is not that boys andgirls can’t play and work together. Per-haps the real issue is the people that keeptelling girls and boys that that they can’t.

Thank goodness for people like Nateand Tracy who held steadfast and pur-sued their goals despite the negativecomments. Most of all, thank goodnessfor Nate’s parents for allowing him towear the skirt.

Leveling the Playing FieldNo skirting the fact that Title IX is a two-way street


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From Pet Shop to PilotNASA’S DEBBIE MARTÍNEZ SHOOTS FOR THE MOON

IEEE WOMEN IN ENGINEERING MAGAZINE WINTER 2007/200814 07/$25.00©2007IEEE

BYJULIA C. KELLER

Martínez wasoften the onlywoman in hercollege classes,an experiencethat preparedher for the male-dominatedenvironment atNASA.

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NNASA engineer Debbie Martínez spent most of her childhood in her mother’s pet store inthe Bronx. “I started out thinking, ‘Maybe I’ll be a veterinarian’,” she says, adding that inthe shop, “I had been bitten by all kinds of animals.” Now, Martínez is a computer engi-neer who has cut her teeth on flight simulation technology and is currently on assign-ment in the Space Operations Program Office at NASA’s Langley Research Center (LaRC).

Martínez gained a lot of experience with math and numbers while working with cus-tomers in the pet shop that she helped her mother run. Her mother, a widow, broughtup her daughter in a time when single moms “didn’t really exist,” she says. WhenMartínez was 12, she and her mom moved to Caguas, Puerto Rico, where she learned toread and write Spanish, the language she had heard growing up in her New York home.After graduating from high school, Martínez says she wasn’t sure what her next stepswould be, but “not going to school was never an option,” according to her mother’sphilosophy. “She knew that with education what you could accomplish was the key tosuccess in life,” says Martínez. “My mom always told me that power was in education—no one could ever take your education away.”

Martínez knew she wanted to return to the United States, and she applied to univer-sity programs in marine biology and computer science, two seemingly disparate pas-sions. “It always amazes me when I think what my life would be like if I got myapplication for a marine biologist approved first,” she says. As it turned out, she firstreceived an acceptance letter from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in DaytonaBeach, Florida. Though she has since worked on various types of NASA aircraft and is alicensed private pilot herself, Martínez didn’t originally expect to work with planes. “Ididn’t really know much about airplanes then,” she says. “In college, I wasn’t very inter-ested in airplanes.”

After graduating in 1987, she landed a job as a simulation analyst developingweapon simulator trainers for an army contractor in Orlando, Florida. There she gaineda love of simulation and acquired the experience necessary to work on other simula-tion-to-flight projects when she joined NASA’s LaRC.

She had often been the only woman in her college classes, never mind the only Lati-na woman, an experience she says prepared her for what could have been a cultureshock at NASA. “Coming to work here, there was only one other woman engineer out ofa staff of 25,” she says. “I’m very comfortable with it. It becomes second nature, and youdon’t even see it anymore.” Yet, in 1994, a presidential executive order was established tohelp advance educational and career opportunities for Hispanics. With the resultant


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Hispanic Employee Program, or HEP,Martínez has played an active role in bol-stering the Latino presence within theLaRC and NASA as a whole. “I’d love toattract more Hispanics, but my goal is toencourage girls’ interest in pursuing ascience or technology career with NASA.The more girls I can encourage in scienceand engineering, the better.”

Winging ItFor 15 years, Martínez worked on flightsimulation technology projects as part ofLaRC’s simulation development andanalysis branch. As a simulation systemsengineer, Martínez assisted projects suchas the high speed civil transport, a super-sonic passenger jet developed as part ofNASA’s high-speed research program.She also was involved in the blendedwing body project, which looked at radi-cal changes in plane-body design toincrease fuel efficiency by reducing dragand maximizing lift. “These are advancedaircraft concepts that may not necessari-ly be feasible given the state of technolo-gy at the time,” said Martínez, “but whatthey learned is still applicable to anyhigh-speed aircraft.”

Many of the flight simulation projectswith which Martínez has been involvedattempt to combat issues of flying ininclement weather or poor visibility con-ditions since “weather is a major safetyconcern in aviation,” she says. Shehelped test synthetic vision systems, orSynVis, in single-engine, fixed landinggear Cessna planes. Even in pitch-blackconditions or severe weather, the tech-nology offers the pilot a three dimen-sional picture of the environment. “Sowhen you couldn’t normally see out thewindow, you still can see the terrain andland the aircraft,” said Martínez.

After working for a time as a simula-tion systems engineer, Martínez decidedto actually get into the cockpit of a realplane and earn her wings. “I went to myboss and said, ‘I’m flying these things inthe simulator, and I’m pretty good at it.But it would be kind of cool if I knew how

to fly for real,” she says. “What do youthink of sending me to flight school?”Her supervisor agreed and paid forMartínez to put in her hours of stick timeat Langley Aero Club to earn her privatepilot’s license. The experience was invalu-able, she says. “When the researcherswould come to run their models, I wouldhave already test flown the simulationand we could focus on the details of theirstudy.” Her simulation and real-worldflight experience allowed her to serve as aflight operations engineer in other flightresearch projects as well.

At the time she was earning herpilot’s degree, Martínez was also sixmonths pregnant with her first of threechildren, Alexander. Like his mom,Alexander loves airplanes. “I tell him thatmust be because he was bouncing allover the runway before he was born,” shesays. Though Martínez says she doesn’tpressure her children to follow in herfootsteps, she does want them to dreambig and tries to expose them to educa-tional events to encourage their interest.“You gotta have a goal. Without a goal,you can’t tell what you are aiming for,”she tells her kids, just as she tells the

many young Latina girls looking for amotivated and positive role model. But,she qualifies, “You have to give yourselfsome leeway to change that direction toincrease your options.”

Martínez was featured in a children’sbook geared toward Latina girls called,Ay, Mija! Why Do You Want to Be anEngineer? by Edna Campos Gravenhorst.Of the ten engineers Gravenhorst wroteabout, three were NASA women. WhenMartínez signed copies of the book at theplanetarium at the University of Texas atArlington, “classrooms of children came

out to see us in person and that wascool,” she says. “They got to see real Lati-na engineers and ask us questions.”

She also says that maintaining theWeb sites for Latina Women of NASA,LWON, and HEP@NASA LaRC is key.“The LWON site provides profiles aboutHispanic women working at NASA thatwas never there when I was growing up,”she says. “Any young girl, could look atthis Web site and say ‘Hey, her back-ground is similar to mine—maybe Icould accomplish that too’.”

—Julia C. Keller is a freelance sci-ence writer living in Boston.

Martínez is notjust a master of

flight sims. She’salso earned herprivate pilot’s

license.

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Top CopyNEWSWOMAN’S CAREER FIRMLY ANCHORED IN ENGINEERING


TThe typical television news broadcast has an outline that can be broken down into cate-gories including national, regional, and local news as well as areas of interest includingweather, sports, and entertainment. While many of the personalities that bring us thenews come from a traditional journalism background, Fox News Chicago Reporter andfill-in Anchor Michelle Gielan has taken the road less traveled, with a degree in comput-er engineering, to arrive at her current spot on television.

Gielan was born in New York but her father, a computer consultant, moved his fami-ly to Bethesda, Maryland, before his daughter entered middle school. Once there, sheattended Holton-Arms, an all-girls private school, which she says was “really helpful in

teaching me self-confidence.” After high school, she went offto Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, to study

chemical engineering.However, she soon found that chemistry wasn’t for

her, recalling that she was really “no good at it” andswitched her focus to computers, with which she hadalways felt comfortable. Excited about the transition,

Michelle explains, “Computer engineering combineselectrical engineering—which I love—with program-

ming and computer science classes, which are all reallycreative. So that was a perfect fit for me.”

Gielan has always recognized the value in engineering degrees since they teach onehow to think and problem solve. “I learned a lot of ‘stuff’ like language and code, but Ithink the best thing was that no matter what problem was in front of me, I knew therewas a way to solve it. That helps you in business, in relationships, in everything,”Gielan says.

Following her college graduation, she already knew the possibilities were endlessbut looked for a career that, like her studies, afforded her an opportunity to use com-puters and her creativity. She was hired as a consultant and software developer withIdealab, a “think tank” company that develops Internet-based companies and helpsbuild their Web sites. But, says Gielan, “I ended up doing some contract negotiationswith other companies. Since I’m social and outgoing, that kind of work suited me bet-ter than programming by myself behind a computer.”

Looking for a change, Gielan decided to embrace her dream of wanting to live over-seas. Combining her technology expertise with her love of interacting with people, shethought to try software sales. She moved to London and took a position with a compa-ny that deals in software for traders and banks. “That job was really interesting,” sherecalls, “because it was challenging to sell to clients and I got to use my technologybackground.” At the time, the British government only granted a work visa to peoplewho were considered “highly skilled.” Gielan fell into that category due to her technol-ogy background and was awarded a visa.

BYLESLIE PRIVES

Michelle Gielan’stechnology backgroundoften proves valuablewhen reporting for FoxNews Chicago.

PHOTO COURTESY OFMICHELLE GIELAN


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Jonesing for JournalismAfter a year in London, Gielan felt thatshe still hadn’t found her ideal career.She researched various options andtalked to scores of people (“probably100!” she adds) with different types ofjobs. Her parents, wanting her to be self-sufficient and happy, had advised herearly on that, “‘If you’re going to leaveengineering, make sure you’re going tosomething that you really like becausethere’s a lot of job security and money inengineering.’” But the outgoing and cre-ative Gielan wanted to take a leap andchose to break away from a more tradi-tional technical career.

When she saw an online ad for anopening for an anchor/reporter at Chan-nel One News in Los Angeles—a stationthat creates a short daily broadcast onnational and world news for millions ofstudents across the country—Gielantook the “call for audition tapes” as asign that it was time to make her move.Ever the traveler, she flew off to LosAngeles and signed up for some basicjournalism classes at UCLA. After asemester, she decided to shoot a video ofherself to use as an audition tape.

“I made it in my living room and itwas a minute-and-a-half long,” she says.“I talked about why I would be great forthis job; I had to just show my personalitybecause I didn’t have any work experi-ence. Then I called human resourcesevery week for about three months ask-ing, ‘Have you seen my tape?’ and ‘Do youmind if I call back next week to checkagain?’ Finally, I just called and said, ‘Lis-ten, can I just come in? I have a few ques-tions and would like to meet with you.’The person in charge of H.R. was reallynice, and she said that would be fine.”

The day Gielan went down to the sta-tion, the show was hosting a town hallforum and, planting herself in the studioaudience, she introduced herself to allthe station executives during commer-cial breaks. A week later, she had a call tocome audition and was soon hired as afreelancer for Channel One News.

Reel Appeal Gielan used “the high-quality tape” fromChannel One to put together a reel andgot a full-time job in El Paso, Tex. Hiredas a reporter, she was soon promoted tothe position of morning anchor. Aftertwo years in El Paso, she decided to tryfor a job in a larger market and appliedto jobs in many of the major cities. Whenthe first call, interview, and offer camefrom FOX News Chicago, “I was sold,”declares Gielan. “I love this city.”

Currently, Gielan serves as a reporterand fill-in anchor for FOX News Chicago.Though there is no “typical” day, “In themorning, I either bring my own ideas fora story or I get an assignment. They pairme with a camera man and then we goout to wherever the story is. Once I getall the information—sound and video—Icome back to the station, go through thetape, pick out the pieces that I want toinclude, and then sit down and write thestory. I write everything from the intro-duction by the anchor all the way to theend. Once the script is approved by amanaging editor, I pass it off to an editor.Then I voice the track, and the editorputs it all together. In total, the story isusually about two minutes.”

One of her favorite things about thejob is that every day is different. “One dayI can be at a press conference with themayor, and the next day I’m with a familyof a five-year-old boy who was shot, talk-ing about how they are coping.” She alsocites live shows and breaking news asreally exciting because of the time pres-sure to get as much accurate informa-tion as you can on air as soon as possible.

But how can someone who likes prac-tical problem solving deal with the stressof not knowing what will come to hereach day? According to Gielan, “Engi-neering is very task-oriented and, inessence, so is my job now. When you aredoing a problem set, you have to go fromproblem 1 to problem 10 and workthrough them all. In journalism, youhave to get all the information and put ittogether in a certain way. And the cre-

ativity in journalism is much like thecreativity in programming.”

While creativity plays its part, “It’sgood to have studied something otherthan journalism because I can ask edu-cated questions about certain subjectsand be answered more thoroughly. ThenI’m able to explain those answers betterto everyone else,” she adds. Gielan recallsthe story she covered on Google’s expan-sion in Chicago as a time when herunderstanding of technology provedvaluable. With the worlds of science andtechnology becoming more innovativeeach minute, we can almost be certain tosee something engineering-related in thenews each day. Who would be better toreport on the results of modern sciencethan someone who knows which ques-tions to ask?

Gielan has become an example ofhow an education in engineering canopen all types of doors. “I really believethat with an engineering degree, youcan’t go wrong,” she says encouragingly.“There are so many opportunities, somethat you might not even dream up, buthaving an engineering degree will helpyou with anything you want to do. Ittells people right away that you’re capa-ble and you can think things through.Most people don’t get engineeringdegrees, especially not women, so itshows that you’re a hard worker, up for achallenge, and you have a good educa-tional background.”

With that sort of reputation, it seemsan engineer might never have to settlefor one thing. Even as successful andhappy as she is in Chicago, she continuesto dream big for the future.

“I would like to stick around,” sheexplains, “but it depends on my career.New York is the place to be if you want todo national news. Eventually, I wouldlove to be a part of the team at 60 Min-utes. I have a lot of respect for the workthat they do.”

—Leslie Prives is a freelance writerliving in New York City.


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A Force of NaturePETRYSZYN ENERGIZES FUTURE FEMALE ENGINEERS


TThe most rudimentary science course will tell you that hydrogen is the most abundantelement in the universe and water is a copious compound. Early mathematics teachesthat 2+2=4. The beginning stages of both math and science lay the framework forproblem solving, an art which Mary Petryszyn, vice president of civil security andresponse programs at Raytheon in Waltham, Massachusetts, has become quite adept.

Petryszyn is a model for girls since her childhood love of math and science has ledto a career as a celebrated engineer for a top defense company. “My career choices traceback to my interests in math and science and being able to create solutions from thosebasics,” explains Petryszyn. “That’s what I still do, only from a broader perspective.”

As an executive at Raytheon, Petryszyn leads a business area focused on helpingcompanies develop homeland security systems that join different types of servicestogether. “There is really a need to ensure that we’re protecting our homeland,” she

says, “and services really have to interact with one another.” As cus-tomers reorganize themselves, Petryszyn and her team aid in

security by integrating solutions across all service lines.

Down on the FarmGrowing up on a farm in upstate New York, Petryszynspent time creating solutions in her garden. Fascinatedby how things worked—she would pull Mother Nature’s

elements apart and then put them back together—sherealized she wanted to pursue a future in engineering. She

took a few years off after high school and then returned to studyengineering science at a two-year college.

“This gave me a foundation as well as some flexibility to see which type of engineer-ing I liked best,” she recalls. Choosing electrical engineering as her strong point due toits basis in mathematics, Petryszyn went on to finish a four-year degree at ClarksonUniversity in Potsdam, New York. With her background in engineering science tuckedunder her belt, she was able to enter the school’s co-op program, working and earningmoney toward school while not in class. Petryszyn credits this hands-on experiencewith helping her pick the elective classes that best suited her interests and expertise.

After graduation, Petryszyn began work with Link Flight Simulation focusing onsimulators for various aircraft and helicopters. Her seven-year tenure provided a well-rounded understanding of the completion of all phases of a major engineering projectright through to delivering the product to the customer.

BYLESLIE PRIVES

With her involvement inthe GESET Conference,

Mary Petryszyncontinues to nurture

the next generation ofwomen engineers.

PHOTO COURTESY OF RAYTHEONINTEGRATED DEFENSE SYSTEMS


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“I had a pretty competitive nature,”she describes. “I really focused on get-ting stuff done first and was pretty wellknown as a go-to person.” As a trustedemployee, Petryszyn often interfacedwith the customer and, finding thatshe enjoyed those interactions,switched into program management.As a manager, she would have moreopportunities to use her technicalbackground to help the customerdevelop the best solution.

Petryszyn’s rise as a female engineer-ing powerhouse came soon after. Shereceived the Upward Mobility Awardfrom the Society of Women Engineers,which recognizes women who progressin their careers while keeping a focus onthe technical aspects of engineering (“itshows that women can do this sort ofthing,” clarifies Petryszyn). The ceremo-ny, which she describes as “really hum-bling,” was an eye-opener for Petryszyn.Touched to be included in a group ofwomen who have done really incrediblethings with their careers and lives, shebecame aware of just how important thepeople in her life were who had helpedher to achieve her accomplishments.

“What I needed to do was recognizeand thank the people that had inspiredme and helped me to keep myenergy and focus to do thethings that I’m passion-ate about,” she says.“Those people thatpick you up whenyou’re stressed orthink that there’ssomething youcan’t do.”

Ready, GESET, GoFitting, then, isthat Petryszyn herselfhas become an inspiringmentor to girls interested inengineering. She helps run theGESET (Girls Exploring Science, Engi-neering and Technology) Conference,which holds events to provide girls withhands-on experience about technicalcareers. The last event was held 10 April2007, in Denver, Colorado, where 1,467girls attended. It consisted of 50 work-shops of which participants couldchoose to attend two long sessions orthree short ones. Each workshop provid-

ed an interactive environmentwhere girls learned about dif-ferent fields of science andtechnology. Petryszyn lists “aCSI crime scene workshop toveterinary science to earth andspace science to robotics andcomputer workshops” as areasof interest that girls couldexplore. “They really get soenergized by the end of theirtime there,” she says happily.

Sponsored and run by a coalition ofindustry companies such as Raytheon

and the Society of Women Engi-neers, the entire event is

free to the girls. The GESET Con-

ference representsan important issuefacing female sci-ence fanatics: thefact that engi-neering is stillseen as a “male

field.” Petryszynthinks the trend

stems from studentsbeing unaware of the

unique things they can dowith their math and science skills.

That’s why she brings in industry lead-ers to teach the girls about the variousoptions. She advises, “If you’re passion-ate about something, stick with it. Ithink the real imperative is not so muchkeeping girls interested but gettingteachers and guidance counselors torecognize this. There’s such a variety ofthings you can do (with technicalskills). That’s something we need tofocus on—how to get teachers toengage with the material and bring itinto their classrooms.”

When not inspiring adolescents,receiving awards, or planning the nextGESET Conference (she hasn’t decided ifit will stay in April or move to October ofnext year), Petryszyn still revels in thewonders of her work at Raytheon. “Oneof the most recent things we’ve beenworking on involves nuclear detectors,”she shares. “Because of my backgroundin math and science, I’m able to use myexperiences in a new way with new tech-nology and still understand it pretty easi-ly. It shows that having a foundation forknowledge, you can use skills in all kindsof ways.”

Thankfully, no gardens have beenhurt in the process.

—Leslie Prives is a freelancewriter living in New York City.

“If you’repassionate about

something, stick with it.I think the real imperative

is not so much keepinggirls interested but getting

teachers and guidancecounselors to

recognize this.”

Touched by seeing womenmaking great strides inengineering, Petryszyn(pictured here with WIEProgram Administrator KeyanaTennant) continues to revel inher work at Raytheon.

PHOTO COURTESY OF KEYANA TENNANT



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Extra Sensory PerceptionIN THE LAB OR FIELD APL’S CARR IS MAKING THE COUNTRY SAFER


AAt first glance, Alison Carr appears to have a little bit of Sydney Bristow in her.Both women are bright and have worked for the Central Intelligence Agency(CIA), albeit in a fictional capacity for Bristow in the hit show Alias. But ratherthan beating on the bad guys, Carr’s career has followed more along the linesof the show’s resident techno-guru, Marshall Flinkman—using satellites,sensors, and lasers to produce new technologies.

Her curiosity was cultivated while growing up in northern Virginia,where Carr and her younger brother often stayed by their engineerfather’s side, handing him tools and listening to his explanations aboutthe things he was fixing. “I really liked to take things apart as a kid. Mymom got a little frustrated when she came home and I had taken thephone apart,” Carr laughs. “But I liked to play with my hands. I think I had alot more LEGOs than Barbies.”

Her mother was a strong female role model from the beginning, serving asa nurse in the U.S. Army while Carr’s father worked for the government.

Though Carr admittedly was a “science person” from the time she was veryyoung, it was her mother who talked her into becoming an engineer overa chemist. “My mother is very practical,” says Carr. “She really wanted toinstill in me that women should be able to take care of themselves.”

In the KnowSince engineering is “not about what we know,” as Carr says, “but about

what we can do with what we know,” it seemed to be the right practical careerfor someone who enjoyed learning about how things ticked. Carr chose to attend Vir-ginia Tech to study electrical engineering.

During her junior and senior years she was provided with a great opportunity aspart of a co-op program to work for the CIA. Though work for the CIA is often topsecret, Carr shares that she conducted research and reconnaissance using satellites thatwere up in orbit. “I actually got to go to a rocket launch,” she recalls. “It was pretty coolgetting to see something you worked on go up in a rocket and not explode. My workthere showed me that I wanted to do research and work on cutting-edge develop-ments.” So, she ultimately stayed on at Virginia Tech to earn her master’s degree inelectrical engineering as well.

After seeing representatives at a job fair on campus, Carr accepted a position at theJohns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab (APL). “I think what I loved about the

BYLESLIE PRIVES

Engineeringbegan at a youngage with thedisassembly of a phone,much to the chagrin ofCarr’s mother.

PHOTO COURTESYOF ALISON CARR


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organization,” she says, “is that these arethe people you go to when you have areally tough problem and you don’t knowhow to solve it. It was really appealing tome to have a tough job, where every daywould be different and challenging.”

Working in an optical lab, she per-forms remote sensing research, whichuses ambient light or lasers to deter-mine how various sensors might oper-ate when they are being used. As a field

test specialist, she works on a smallteam of engineers who consult withprograms that build these various sen-sors, helping people gather the informa-tion they need to know so that thesensors will operate correctly. One proj-ect in particular will explain to govern-ment employees how a sensor that isdesigned to protect soldiers against achemical attack might fare when uti-

lized out in the field. “With warfare, thethreat of weapons of mass destruction,and the terrorist scares, what I do isextremely relevant,” Carr says.

Even with such an importantresearch position, no two days are everreally alike. “I get to meet all kinds ofpeople,” she says, “from the army privatewho is in the field with the sensor to theprofessor with a Ph.D. in environmentalscience who is an expert on the physicsof the problem.” She has also spent timein Kuwait taking measurements on theenvironment there and has visited vari-

ous desert locales to do variousresearch tasks “I spend May

through September on theroad,” she explains.

Occasionally, she willeven detonate items justto see what happens.Ultimately, her re-search results help alarger team makecomputer simulationsof what the sensor

should look like andhow it would perform.

Many do not realizethat engineering work often

uses skills beyond math and sci-ence, and Carr’s career at the APL is

a perfect example of this. “You do haveto be good at science, but you also haveto have really strong communicationsand organization skills,” she says. “I do alot of writing, which I love.” She is cur-rently writing a journal article on herresearch findings that will get publishedas new knowledge in the field. “That real-ly validates the work that we’ve done,”she says excitedly.

Not that her work and knowledgehave gone unnoticed. Carr was recentlyasked to sit on a board as an expert con-sultant to the government. “The govern-ment thinks our work went so well thatthey are going to take our project andscale it up about 100-fold,” she explainsmodestly. “They’ve asked me to consultwith the contractor to provide them with

the info they need to reproduce andpotentially improve our results.”

As many engineers learn, the opportu-nities for jobs are endless, and she isaware that she could pretty much packup and move anywhere without thethreat of unemployment. While Carr saysshe gets “an immense amount of satisfac-tion from helping people and making thecountry safer,” she’s also content with thesecurity of knowing that her skills areportable. She could do some more writ-ing or, taking advantage of her locationnear Washington, D.C., she could enterpublic policy. “I would really like to helpthe government help the public get themost out of what technology has to offer,”says Carr. Of course, science person thatshe is, even a field change wouldn’t gether mind off of technology.

Revenge of the NerdsCarr’s focus on her love of science issomething of which she’s proud and

AN ALUMNA REMEMBERSOn 16 April 2007, the Virgina Tech campus in

Blacksburg, Virgina, was rocked when a stu-

dent went on a shooting rampage that left 33

people dead including the gunman.

The Carr family is well acquainted with

Virginia Tech, as both Alison, an electrical

engineer, and her younger brother, a civil

engineer, are alumni of the institution. As with

much of the country, the events of that day

continue to linger with Alison.

“It's really sad and frightening from a

point of view that you go to this college town

in the middle of nowhere and you really think

that nothing bad can happen. And then when

that just changes, I think it really hits you. My

brother had graduated just a year earlier but

had he stayed, he would have been right

there. One of his professors was killed, so

that really hit home. However, the sense of

community at Virginia Tech is so strong, I

don't think that they will let this change the

campus for the worse.”

Working in the CIA’s co-op program by day,student by night. Carr (center) conductedresearch and reconnaissance using satelliteswhile at the agency.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ALISON CARR

(Continued on page 24)


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Chip Off the Old BlockIBM'S LISA SU GETS HER GAME ON


T

BYJULIA C. KELLER

A summer internshipmaking chips for X-ray lithographyspurred Su’s interestin semiconductors.

PHOTO COURTESY OFFREESCALE SEMICONDUCTOR

Take heart all you Tiger Woods-wannabe golf hackers out there; Lisa Su can commiser-ate with you.

“I’m not an expert gamer, but I like to play,” says Su, senior vice president and chieftechnology officer for Freescale Semiconductor and former vice president of the semi-conductor research and development center at IBM. “I play Tiger Woods [PGA Tour],”she adds, qualifying that despite owning two Sony PlayStation3 consoles and beingvideo games’ technology queen, “I can’t compete with these teenagers.”

Of course, the majority of teens do not possess Su’s skills in overseeing the develop-ment of the chip microprocessor technology that brings Tiger and PS3 to gamers. Thejourney from blank-slate idea to full-blown PlayStation action has been one of the most

rewarding of her career. “I’ve seen it through the whole process from when there was nothing on the

piece of paper to when we’re making tens of millions of chips,” says Su. Thoughthe cell microprocessor chip is rewarding from a technological standpoint, Susays teamwork is the most gratifying aspect of the five-year, US$400 millioncollaboration between IBM, Sony Computer Entertainment, and Toshiba.

“We put together a team of three companies that, when we started, eachhad our own hat,” explains Su. “The team really came together and put outsomething that no one company could have done. The sum is better than eachof its parts.”

Synergy skills are just a part of the overall package that makes Su a leaderin microprocessor chip technology. She also has the science skills to back it up.

X-Ray VisionSu’s parents fostered her interest in science and math. Growing up in Queens, NewYork, as the older of two children, Su says her father, a mathematician, encouraged herto ground herself in some “hard skills” in math and science. “When I was a kid, myfather used to quiz me on my multiplication tables,” says Su. Parental influence is keyin developing skills, says Su, “They can’t make you do well, but they can certainlyencourage you to do well.” Her parents’ encouragement and support fostered her as shetook classes at the magnet school, Bronx High School of Science.

From the Bronx, Su left New York for Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “I did-n’t know exactly what I wanted to do, but I knew that if you were going to MIT youshould do something in engineering,” Su says.

But class wasn’t the motivator for Su, who admits she was never a straight-A student.Instead, her hands-on work as a summer intern making chips for X-ray lithography gal-vanized her interest in semiconductors. “I knew nothing about semiconductors,” says Su


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of her freshman research with MIT’sHank Smith. “The lab was unlike booklearning. I enjoyed and excelled at theexperimental and applied part of engi-neering, being in the lab and seeing thecause and effect.”

In Smith’s lab, Su was bitten by thechip bug and went on to complete hermaster’s and doctoral degrees at MIT.Her doctoral work with Dimitri Anto-niadis taught her another valuable lessonabout mentoring and opportunities. Get-ting a doctorate isn’t about job training,says Su. “It’s about gaining confidence inyourself and becoming a world-classresearcher. You start in a field where youknow a whole lot more than what’s writ-ten in books and papers, and you feel likethe world’s expert in the area.”

Sizing Up SOI TechThrough her graduate studies, Subecame an expert in silicon-on-insulator,or SOI, technology—“a technique that,at that time, was very experimental,” Susays. Layering an insulator between thetransistor and the silicon reduces theenergy absorbed and makes a strongersignal between a microchip’s transistors,improving performance by more than30%, according to Su. Boosting thechip’s signal using essentially the samedensity of transistors extended Moore’sLaw. “As you make these devices smallerand smaller, it’s hard to make them gofaster,” she says, and the SOI techniqueallowed for more possibilities.

In 1994, leaving MIT as a world-classSOI researcher, and a woman, was evenmore unique. Coming from an under-graduate class that was one-third female,the lack of women engineering grads wasnoticeable, Su says. “There’s no questionthat there’s fewer women than men. Theonly thing that’s important is that youfeel like you’re treated the same,” says Su,adding that her mentors like Antoniadisand Smith treated her equally despite hergender. As a grad student, she adds, “Youget the same treatment good and bad andthe same opportunities, good and bad.”

Though Su had a short stint workingwith semiconductors at Texas Instru-ments, Inc., the East Coast called herhome to New York and IBM. At first, IBMdidn’t seem like quite the right fit, Su says.“IBM was such a large company, I waswondering how I could make a difference,”she says. “After considering it fora while, I decided I wasgoing to get over it.” Thisapproach was the sameSu took to tackleIBM’s gender divideas well. “When Icame to IBM, I wasthe only woman engi-neer in a room of 20men who were muchmore senior and experi-enced,” Su says. “It wasintimidating.” To “get over it,” sheput her nose to the grindstone and beganchurning out ideas of which the engineer-ing veterans hadn’t thought. “I wasn’t justthis young whipper-snapper,” says Su. “Iwas proving that I could contribute.”

Su’s initial project was getting the firstcopper microprocessor chip into produc-tion. Until the late 1990s, engineers usedaluminum semiconductors, but theindustry goal was switching to quickercopper connections. Su put her knowl-edge and her team-building skills to thetest. “It was new for me, seeing things in areal industrial environment; the scale wascompletely different,” she says. Comingfrom the grad school world “you’re usedto five or six people and now you’re in agroup of 50 people.”

In her five years in research and devel-opment, Su rose to the challenge and herpeople skills excelled. “I got to interact alot with the product folks, I could seehow the work I was doing was going toend up in something that my mom wouldbuy,” Su says, adding that at the time, hergroup was working on microprocessorsfor Apple computers. “You could just goto the store and buy one of those. You felta real sense of connection between theproduct and the people.”

Business acumen and next-genThough getting products to people inter-ested Su, she says she knew the businessaspect was as important. By luck, Su says,she was given the opportunity to workwith Lou Gerstner, IBM’s then chairmanand CEO. Her nine-month assignment

with IBM’s top dog allowed Ger-stner to learn more about

the technology’s leadingedge. In return, Gerst-

ner gave Su an “eye-opening” view of“how my little chipland fit into thebigger IBM world,”

she says. “Now the300,000-person com-

pany looked a lot moremanageable to me.”

Motivated by the synergybetween Big Blue’s business and her techsavvy, Su formed IBM’s emerging productsgroup. “It was like running a start-up with-in a big company,” says Su. “They wantednew ideas for how to grow our semicon-ductor products.” Su’s new idea was get-ting IBM into gaming. “The way the gameswere getting more and more sophisticated,you could tell that the processing powerthat you needed in games was faster thanwhat you found in computers at the time.”

Su helped broker the marriagebetween IBM, Sony, and Toshiba to pro-duce a proposal for the next-generationgaming machines. The group’s micro-processor design came from a “cleansheet of paper,” says Su. “Not many timesin engineering do you have that opportu-nity—you have some kind of technicallegacy that you’re trying to take care of.”Su broke down technical barriers andbuilt up a unique business model.

In all of this, Su was IBM’s go-to galfor negotiations. Su says others mayhave wondered what this lab coatresearcher was doing in a business suit.“Why would they let her do that? Shedoesn’t know anything about thosethings.” Opportunities like that, Su says,have been integral to her success. “What

Su helpedbroker the

marriage betweenIBM, Sony, and Toshibato produce a proposal

for the next-generation gaming

machines.


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has really helped me in my career is thatI’ve had many experiences that havegiven me confidence in myself,” says Su.“I think that’s what women in engineer-ing need. They have unique talents butneed the confidence and opportunity touse them.” As a result, Su is applyingher talents not only to the next genera-tion of chip design but also to the nextgeneration of chip designers.

“My philosophy is taking chances onpeople, really trying to give people oppor-tunities that stretch and grow them,” saysSu, adding that she’s felt added responsi-bility to give those chances to women,specifically Asian women. “My role now ismore of an enabler and advisor. I’ve beengiven the chance to grow, and now it’s myresponsibility to grow the next generationof engineers.”

—Julia C. Keller is a freelance sci-ence writer in Boston.

encourages other girls to adopt, if thatlove is there. “Don’t be afraid to try any-thing at least once,” she advises. “I thinkgirls have this mentality that they’ll belabeled as the math or science nerd andthat that’s what you’ll be forever. Butdon’t be afraid to pursue what you reallyenjoy. You’re the one who has to get upand go to that job every day.”

Despite her busy schedule, Carr is sureto make time for outside interests. “Hav-ing a professional career is no excuse toget boring!” she declares. She and her hus-band absolutely love to cook and are self-described “big food people.” Growing up,she danced ballet for ten years and playedthe piano so “I joined a local theater groupin college. I also got into music and I hadfriends that were DJs, so I’ve tried to keep

going on with those things.” Living in Bal-timore, the opportunities for concerts,museums, and other enjoyable activitiesabound, which only adds to Carr’sprospects for her future. “I don’t think myfamily ever spent three years in any oneplace, so the fact that I’ve now been [inBaltimore] for four and we just bought ahouse is amazing to me,” she marvels.

While she loves being an engineer,one needs only to look at her accomplish-ments with writing and communicationsto see what she means when she says thata career doesn’t have to define a person.“Doing what you’re good at doesn’t meanyou can’t be good at other things too. It’sjust one aspect of who you are.”

—Leslie Prives is a freelance writerliving in New York City.

Extra Sensory Perception

(continued from page 21)

University of Illinois at Chicago

The ECE Department at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position. Candidates with outstanding credentials will be considered in all areas of elec-trical and computer engineering, with particular interest in the areas of computer networks, communications, signal processing, medical imaging, power electronics, and nanotechnology. Exceptionally dis-tinguished candidates may be considered for a tenured position. A Ph.D. in Computer Engineering/Electrical Engineering or a closely related field is required.

UIC is a Carnegie Foundation Research-I university and the largest institution of higher education in the Chicago area with an annual operating budget in excess of $1 billion. It ranks in the top 50 of all research universities in the US in federal research funding received, with $335M received in the last year. The ECE Department has about 28 faculty members, among them 13 are IEEE Fellows, and offers B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees to approximately 450 undergraduate and 200 graduate students.

Applicants should send a resume with the names and addresses of at least three references to:

Chair, Faculty Search Committee ECE Department (M/C 154) University of Illinois at Chicago 851 South Morgan St. Chicago, IL 60607-7053

For fullest consideration, applications must be received no later than December 31, 2007. However, applications will be considered until all positions are filled.

UIC is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer.



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Looking at the Big PictureJOAN “JPEG” MITCHELL BATTLES THE GENDER DIVIDE

I“I think I know the trigger why women leave math and science. Do you want to knowwhat it is?”

When such an intriguing offer is presented by Dr. Joan Mitchell, an IBM fellow,inventor with more than 70 patents, and an algorithm master engineer, who is perhapsbest known as the “mother” of JPEG technology, one tends to lend an ear.

“Think of a movie you’ve seen recently,” says Mitchell, speaking from her office atIBM’s Printing Systems Division in Boulder, Colorado. “Movies aren’t the first thing I con-nect to retention of women in science, but nevertheless the movie Babel starring BradPitt and Cate Blanchett rushes into my head. Now, speed it up in your mind. Images flashby of desolate Middle Eastern deserts, bustling downtown Tokyo, and a Mexican wedding’sred and white decorations. Do you see images? Can you hear dialogue?”

Many people don’t realize they are picturing a silent movie until Mitchell asks. “See? You’re thinking in high bandwidth,” she says. “You’re looking at the

big picture.”Mitchell believes women tend to think and learn in “big picture” ways.

“It’s not gender specific, just gender biased,” says Mitchell. She adds thatmost teachers lose sight of the big picture and as a result, science andmath lose women.

“What is the way most math and science teachers teach? They teach dull,boring facts,” says Mitchell. “You’ve been sailing along, you love math and sci-

ence and you hit this teacher that won’t give you the big picture. First you getbored, then you can’t learn it and then you think you have no talent for learning it andthat’s the end of you for math and science.”

Similarly, Mitchell explains that she wasn’t an A+ student until she reached sixth gradewhen she changed her approach to learning. “I can vividly remember the day,” she says.She was sitting in math class studying fractions, trying to puzzle out how least commondenominators worked. Nothing seemed to make sense until she realized that a betterteacher—her grandmother—already had taught her about least common denominators.

Mitchell’s grandmother had been tutoring a college student who couldn’t pass hismath exams. Every night for two weeks, Mitchell listened in on the lessons. “I hadkinda big ears,” she says. After her grandmother’s visit, she forgot about denominatorsuntil the late-night lessons came flooding back to her in a rush. “In the middle of class Ithought, ‘That’s what grandmother taught me!’ From that point on, I was looking forprinciples behind my math, looking for the foundation to understand it, rather thantrying to memorize,” she says.

BYJULIA C. KELLER

Mitchell’s unplannedattendance at a lectureon data compressionwas a precursor to herwork on JPEGstandards.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BENKOPHOTOGRAPHICS

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Spurred By SputnikMitchell was fortunate to have a wealthof other valuable family mentors. As thesecond of five children growing up inModesto, California, Mitchell might havebeen overlooked when it came to school-ing. Not so with Mitchell’s family, whohad a long tradition of collegians, maleand female. Mitchell says her parents“assumed you were going away to col-lege.” In addition to a loving and sup-portive family, Mitchell’s success wasdue, in part, to timing.

Mitchell, born in 1947, went to schoolat a time when any child, boy or girl, wasencouraged to go into math and science.She calls herself a “Sputnik baby” becauseafter the Russians launched the first spacesatellite in 1957, the United States was ina frenzy to churn out scientists to win thespace race. “After Sputnik, we were goingto save the world from the Russians,” saysMitchell. “It was OK for girls to be smart.”The window of scientific opportunityslammed shut for her younger siblings,who went through the school system afterthe Apollo missions and successful land-ing on the moon, and weren’t as encour-aged to go into the sciences.

In 1969, Mitchellgraduated from Stan-ford University in PaloAlto, California, herfather’s alma mater,with an honors degreein physics. She wenton to earn her master’sand doctoral degrees fromthe University of Illinois atUrbana-Champaign in 1971 and1974. With her Ph.D. in hand, Mitchellbegan interviewing for jobs and foundher way to IBM, but not before she hadbumped her head against the glass ceil-ing. Mitchell interviewed at a nationalresearch lab at the same time as a malecolleague. “I couldn’t get them to listento me all day, even though they didn’tknow the first thing about what I did inmy research,” Mitchell recalls of herinterviewers, who hung on every wordher colleague said.

The environment at IBM was distinct-ly different. “I was absolutely aware thateverybody shook my hand,” she said.Though women were in short supply in1974 at IBM, it wasn’t the gender dividethat gave Mitchell pause. During her

interview she met withten people, none ofwho had been at IBMless than 15 years.“This set off alarmbells in my mind. I

didn’t see new peoplethere,” she said. “I was

not ready to get hiredinto my life’s work.”

Mitchell need not have wor-ried. In more than 30 years with IBM,she has moved around often. Her firstjob with the Exploratory Printing Tech-nologies group was to “invent ways toleave marks on paper.” Though Mitchellenjoyed the challenge of thinking aboutnew printing concepts and design, shethought no one else in IBM or the out-side world was working in her specificarea. As a result, she said she felt isolatedby the tasks in which her managerswanted her to work.

Image Immortality After a year, Mitchell’s unplanned atten-dance at a lecture on data compressioncatapulted her creativity and career. Con-cerns the lecturer raised about data com-pression gnawed at Mitchell for monthsafterward. She got up the courage to askher manager if she could work on theproblem of compressing images. Like hermoment of clarity in sixth-grade math,Mitchell’s change in her approach to theproblem had set her free. “I had made adecision to dance in the halls if I wantedto,” said Mitchell. “I did things like bringin a beach towel and lie under the trees ifI wanted to.”

Mitchell soon put her initial researchforays into data compression to use.Another IBM group was putting the fin-ishing touches on the standards forimage compression in black and whitefor fax technology. Not long thereafter,the United Nations’ International Tele-phone and Telegraph Consultative Com-mittee (CCITT), which helped developinternational telecommunication stan-dards, wanted to outline the standards

A COOL COMPRESS“JPEG” stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group, the name of the committee that created the stan-

dard for how an image can be compressed into numerical representation, or bytes, and decompressed

back into an image. We now use the word “jpeg” to refer to the compressed image itself. Image quality is

lost depending on the algorithmic strength used to compress the image; the higher this “lossy” compres-

sion ratio, the sharper the image.

Images are broken into blocks of pixels that are then described by an algorithm called a forward dis-

crete cosine transform matrix. Each number in this matrix describes a pixel, which is then divided by a

constant and rounded to the nearest integer. This quantization process takes large amounts of informa-

tion and reduces the numbers to zero, or small positive or negative numbers, allowing a large image to

be stored in fewer bits. This ratio is the main “lossy” step in the compression process. To get the image

back (with some loss in quality), the original discrete cosine transform matrix is multiplied by the quanti-

zation matrix.

Fortunately, the human eye isn't great at distinguishing the brightness of an image in detail, which

allows computer engineers to design algorithms to compress images without a noticeable loss in overall

quality. Our eyes can't tell the difference between an initial image and one compressed ten times.

The JPEG group—a joint committee of Joan Mitchell's IBM group, the International Standards Organi-

zation, and the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (formerly, CCITT)—was organized in 1986

and issued the standard in 1992, which was approved in 1994.

“AfterSputnik, we weregoing to save theworld from the

Russians. It was OKfor girls to be

smart.”


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for grayscale and color data compressionas well. From 1987–1994, Mitchellworked with the Joint PhotographicExperts Group, or JPEG, to standardizethe color-image, data compression algo-rithm. These images that every gamer,blogger, and Web surfer know, are adirect result of IBM’s marriage withCCITT and the International StandardsOrganization.

After the JPEG standard was secured,Mitchell took a two-year leave of absencefrom IBM during which she was a visit-ing professor at her graduate alma mater,the University of Illinois, for six months.Once again, the ugly specter of genderdiscrimination made her rethink all theaward-winning work she had done. Anacquaintance at the university suggestedIBM had only hired her in the 1970s aspart of affirmative action and the femi-

nist movement. “I was horrified,”Mitchell says, “though it was probablytrue. There was a hiring freeze on andthat year IBM only hired ten people, not100 people.”

The Magic’s in the MentoringThe antidote to discrimination, in part, ismentoring, says Mitchell. In one capacityor another, Mitchell has always spent asignificant part of her time mentoringothers—meaning hands-on work for herstudents and hands-off work for Mitchell,who since 2001 has been one of eightwomen IBM has bestowed the distinctionof “Fellow.” Now Mitchell acts as a men-tor for about 20 different projects at atime. “They’re in charge, they have to dothe write-ups—all the work’s on theirside,” she says. “If they do nothing, noth-ing happens and that’s OK.” But when

her advisees buckle down and work,Mitchell says, “they shine and they knowthat they deserve the credit. I’m alwaysamazed. I just sit there and cheer.”

Recently, Mitchell has published anew book that is the culmination ofmany e-mail ruminations with herfather. Dr. Joan’s Mentoring Book ischock-full of her accumulated wisdom asa diligent worker, an inspirationalwoman engineer, and a “high-band-width” thinker.

Mitchell says that in writing the bookand continuing her mentoring of others,“I consciously said I want to be the gianton whose shoulders you’ve stood. I’vemade a difference to people—maybe nota lot—but a few people, and that’s verysatisfying.”

—Julia C. Keller is a freelance sci-ence writer living in Boston.

Notice of Upcoming Call for ProposalsReal-World Engineering Projects: Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering,

and Computer Science Curricula Development for First-Year Undergraduate Students

Discovery-Based Projects in IEEE Fields of Interest

The IEEE is continuing with a second year of funding for a program to develop curricula in the IEEE fields ofinterest for use with first-year students studying electrical engineering, computer engineering, and comput-er science. The program seeks high quality, hands-on, team-based projects that focus on real-world prob-lems whose solutions benefit society. The projects are expected to make electrical engineering, computerengineering and computer science more relevant to first-year students and to illustrate how the work ofengineers and computer scientists directly impacts society. The ideal project will allow students to discoverthe importance of a contemporary problem and excite their interest in creative solutions. It will demonstratehow and why technical methods work, rather than simply providing a recipe for a solution. It will allow thestudents to discover underlying complex engineering and science principles and provide motivation for fur-ther study and engagement.

Completed projects will be disseminated by the IEEE for use by faculty in the development of first-yearcourses. Projects should be stand-alone modules requiring a combined 10–30 hours of lecture and labo-ratory instruction, and should be easily replicated at institutions worldwide with reasonable cost and effort.Authors of completed projects will receive an honorarium from the IEEE. Please watch for the full call forproposals in the Spring of 2008; information will also be posted at: http://www.ieee.org/web/education/university/RealWorldEngineering


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Career Advisor

Experiences from the Real World

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f

Practical Tips from a Mega-Mentor

Johnson & Johnson’s Sorensen makes an investment in people

For many people, the end of the work-week is trumpeted by a popular themefor Friday. There are casual Fridays, theever-popular pizza Fridays, and Fridaysummer hours. For Karan Sorensen, CIOand vice president of information man-agement, Johnson & Johnson (J&J) Phar-maceutical Research & Development,LLC, in Raritan, New Jersey, Fridays arealso about enhancing employees’ morale,sans the Ragu and mozzarella but with apinch of mentoring.

A newly minted CIO who also is pur-suing her Ph.D. in technology manage-ment and has a second job as a singlemother of three teenagers, Sorensen stillfinds time—or “makes time” as she putsit—to mentor 35 people. Every Friday,for the entire day, Sorensen mentors J&Jemployees. While some are technical likeshe, others are in business functionssuch as finance, sales or marketing.Going far beyond what most J&J men-tors take on, Sorensen also mentorsadditional employees informally as wellas in group mentoring sessions. Shesays, “It’s a great way to kick off theweekend!”

J&J’s commitment to employee devel-opment supports Sorensen’s mentoringactivities. She explains that, “Employee

development is a pervasive part of theJ&J culture, part of the DNA here. Ourphilosophy is to invest in people and suc-cess will follow. Through our successionplanning process, we identify, coach, anddevelop high potential employees, to bethe best that they can be, fully engaged.As a result, employee retention is excep-tionally high. I’ve been here for fouryears, but I’m still the ‘new kid on theblock’ because there are so many peoplewho have been here for 20 or 30 years.”

Grooming the Next GenerationWhy does she do it? “I feel that mentor-ing is the most important thing I can dofor the company,” Sorensen explains.“I’m developing the next generation ofleaders. As a mentor, it is more reward-ing for you than you would ever expect.And it’s amazing how fast the organiza-tion will recognize the value.”

What’s more, mentoring yieldsresults. We’ve all heard that most suc-cessful leaders have a series of mentorsthroughout their professional lives.Sorensen sees evidence of this everyday.“Mentoring empowers people to givebreakthrough performance, to achievewhat they would not have before. Peoplesometimes need someone to believe inthem before they believe in themselves.”

“Or they just need a kick in the pants.I have seen so many people just blossom,from good to great to ‘next practices.’They become leaders among leaders.”

More concretely, she has seen salespeople significantly increase their sales

and other employees receive awards,recognition, and monetary benefits sub-sequent to being mentored by her.Sorensen attributes their success—atleast in part—to mentoring.

Mentors Versus ManagersWhat do people talk about with theirmentors, that they can’t talk to theirmanagers about? Actually, Sorensen doesmentor her direct reports, meeting witheach of them weekly to talk explicitlyabout them, not about their projects. Inthis way she ensures that she spendsquality time with her staff.

However, some employees seekconfidential assistance with thingsthat they just can’t talk about withtheir managers. Sorensen explains,“We have an understanding that men-toring conversations are confidential.It’s a safe harbor, non-judgmental, andwe can talk about anything. The onlyexception is if I hear about anythingillegal or unethical, which is rare.Then I point the person to the appro-priate support structures in the com-pany for follow-up.”

Mentoring conversations can covermany different subjects. According toSorensen, “You never know whereyou’re going to go in these conversa-tions. You’ll talk about their hopes anddreams and how to get there, their yel-low brick road.”

Employees regularly seek mentoringfrom her in the following areas:

◗ reviewing performance self-appraisals before they are submitted

◗ preparing for performance review,promotion, and raise conversationswith their managers

◗ discovering answers to questionssuch as “What am I doing thatmakes me be seen as a managerand not a director? What are theylooking for?”

◗ dealing with staff performanceproblems

Involvement and interactionare essential for growthListen up and don’t be afraid to join in



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bWINTER 2007/2008 IEEE WOMEN IN ENGINEERING MAGAZINE 29

◗ becoming a kinder, more empa-thetic manager without being seenas weak

◗ developing executive presence andconfidence.

Choosing a MentorGiven that Sorensen is an experiencedand dedicated mentor, I asked her foradvice on how to develop successfulmentoring relationships. She offers theten tips below.

TIP 1. “Never force an employee to bementored—it’s just a waste oftime!” Talk to the employee abouthis or her career goals and develop-ment needs to see if mentoring isappropriate and welcome. If theemployee would like to have amentor, work together to find agood match in terms of develop-ment needs and personality.

TIP 2. Employees should look formentors who are two levels abovethem in the organization, someonenot too far away but not in theirdirect management chain.

TIP 3. Ask the employee to observe afew mentor candidates. “Whomakes you feel comfortable withtheir approach? Who are youdrawn to and why? You want torespect and trust them, but not feelafraid of them or idolize them.Look for someone you want to belike, not someone you want to be.There needs to be good chemistry,because you want to feel comfort-able talking with your mentorabout difficult subjects.”

The First MeetingTIP 4. Once an interested and appro-

priate mentor is identified, thementor and the employee meet tosee if it is a good match. Sorensensuggests focusing on getting toknow each other, possibly not eventalking about work during thismeeting. “I’ll spend 60-90 minutesin the first meeting. I ask thought-provoking questions, such as“‘What’s fun for you?’ or ‘If thiswasn’t your job, what would you

choose to do?’ It gets them think-ing away from work and aboutthemselves—not what they’vedone, but who they are.”

TIP 5. “Don’t waste time mentoringsomeone who is trying to use youpolitically. Sometimes they justwant to find out how to get theirnext promotion and are looking forhelp and influence in doing that.Make your expectations clear.Mentoring does not mean goingout and promoting them to others.These conversations are for theirdevelopment. Being a mentormeans a long-term investment inthem, a true commitment.”

Making It All WorthwhileTIP 6. Don’t set up regularly sched-

uled mentoring meetings. Soren-sen encourages employees to askfor what they need when theyneed it, so that when they requesta meeting she knows that thetime will be focused and wellspent. She also knows that theneed may be urgent, so she makesan extra effort to make herselfavailable, even outside of workhours if necessary.

TIP 7. Encourage the people youmentor to become mentors them-selves. “They’ll gain a better under-standing of how to make the mostof our meetings, and they’ll seethemselves differently.” They maymentor employees from other busi-ness disciplines, for additionallearning.

TIP 8. Here’s an exercise for helpingemployees develop executive pres-ence and confidence: “I go throughemployees’ resumes with them,and ask about the meaning,impact, and significance that theyhave usually omitted from thework descriptions. Based on ourdiscussions, I create my own ver-sion to share with them. This helpsemployees gain a whole differentlevel of appreciation and respect forwhat they’ve done. Then the execu-tive presence starts to show up butit’s all based on their accomplish-

ments, not inflated ego. They startseeing themselves at the level theyaspire to.”

TIP 9. Know when to end the men-toring relationship. “It’s the men-tor’s responsibility to be cognizantof what the employee needs and toprovide a graceful way to exit therelationship when it’s no longeradding value. You need to knowwhen to pass the baton. When Ifeel I can no longer be of use to anemployee, I may say ‘I don’t knowthat there is anything I can giveyou besides support. You’ve grownbeyond me.’ Then I point them toanother mentor for what theyneed next.”

TIP 10. Ask for feedback on how youare doing as a mentor, so that youare constantly improving. Soren-sen notes that mentors need toreally welcome and be receptive tofeedback, not just go through themotions. She jokes, “Just don’t tellme I’m dumb, fat, or ugly. You’llhurt my feelings. Other than that,I’m open to it.”

Just Do ItFor managers and engineers who arenew to mentoring, Sorensen offers thesefinal words of advice: “If you’ve nevermentored or had a mentor, try it out. Behonest and say that you’re new to it. Therewards are so much greater than theanxiety of not knowing what it’s about.”

—Sue Dorward ([email protected]) is a tech management coach spe-cializing in coaching high-potentialemployees. She is based in New Jersey.

Fellow the Leader

IEEE Fellows land among the elite

“Becoming an IEEE Fellow increased myvisibility within the community and pro-vided me with leadership opportunities Iprobably would not have had otherwise.It certainly opens more doors,” saysSarah A. Rajala, who in 2001 became aFellow. Rajala holds the James Worth

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Bagley Endowed Chair in the Depart-ment of Electrical and Computer Engi-neering at Mississippi State University, inStarkville, and is the department head.She believes more women who havemade significant contributions shouldbecome IEEE Fellows.

Currently, Regions 1–6 (UnitedStates) boast the highest number offemale Fellows with 116, compared with4,135 male Fellows. Region 10 (Asia) hasten female Fellows and 757 male Fellows;Region 8 (Europe) has 15 female Fellowsand 710 male Fellows; Region 7 (Canada)has five female Fellows and 234 male Fel-lows; and Region 9 (South America) hasno female Fellows and 29 male Fellows.The total number of male Fellows is5,865, compared with 146 female Fel-lows. In 2007, 268 members became Fel-lows, 18 of which were female. The toptwo Societies with female Fellows are theIEEE Computer Society and the IEEECommunication Society.

But to boost the number of femaleFellows, first they have to get nominated.

The Nominees PleaseRosann Marosy, senior administrator ofFellow activities, and Bruce McClung,Fellow chair, explain the nominationprocess.

First and most important, self-nomi-nations are not accepted. If you want tobecome a Fellow, focus on doing yourwork to the best of your ability. Getinvolved in IEEE activities, becomeactive in one or more technical societies,volunteer for local conferences, developprofessional contacts, network withpeers, write and present technical papers,or author a book on some special field ofelectrotechnology.

Ideally, your nominator should knowyou well enough to be able to determineif you’re qualified to become a Fellow.They must be able to list your accom-plishments, your IEEE activities, awards,and society and committee member-ships. Nominators should only nominateindividuals if they have contributed sig-nificantly to the advancement or applica-tion of electrotechnology.

McClung and Marosy say the biggestmistake nominators make on the appli-

cation is using superfluous words orphrases like “gigantic,” “extremely,”“immeasurable,” “the only one to everachieve,” or “the world would be a differ-ent place without the work of the [nomi-nee],” to describe the technicalaccomplishments of the nominee.Lengthy attachments to the applicationare also discouraged.

If you find out you’ve been nominat-ed, do not contact the IEEE Fellowcommittee members or staff directly forinformation regarding your applicationstatus. Your nominator should be theonly liaison you have into the Fellowprocess. If you’re a Senior Member, it’sbest to get involved in IEEE activitiesto get recognized by coworkers orpeers, who can then nominate you forFellow status.

For She’s a Jolly Good FellowRajala says she was nominated for Fellowstatus by a colleague while teaching atNorth Carolina State University, inRaleigh. During her 27 years there, shewas a full-time professor, a director ofthe Center for Advanced Computing andCommunication, a university cooperativeresearch center, and an associate deanfor both academic affairs and researchand graduate programs.

So how did Rajala get nominated?“My contributions to engineering edu-

cation got me recognized and nominated.Especially my efforts to improve the qual-ity of the educational experience forundergraduate students, especially forwomen and minorities in engineering.”

Rajala led an initiative to develop andimplement a new team-based activelearning introduction to engineeringcourses at North Carolina State for overa thousand incoming freshmen, whichhelped students work in teams andimproved their communication skills. AtNorth Carolina State’s College of Engi-neering, she established the Women inEngineering program, which supportswomen students in engineering and theK–12 Outreach program, which aims toeducate students and teachers in ele-mentary, middle, and high schools aboutengineering. She also formed an engi-neering faculty development program

designed to help faculty succeed inteaching and research. In addition toher educational contributions, Rajala isan active researcher with technical con-tributions in the areas of image andvideo processing.

Prathima Agrawal, who in 1989became the first female from Asia tobecome a Fellow, is chairperson of theIEEE committee that selects Fellowsfrom every IEEE Society and Council.She is currently the Samuel Ginn Distin-guished Professor and director of theWireless Engineering Research and Edu-cation Center, which is a new undergrad-uate program for students earning abachelor’s degree in Wireless Engineer-ing at Auburn University, in Alabama.

Agrawal says to become a Fellow youshould gain exposure in the engineeringfield. For example, publish your work inIEEE publications, develop patents orpublicly available software or hardwaresystems. Agrawal says she got her nameout there by getting a few papers pub-lished in IEEE transactions and confer-ence proceedings.

“I came up with new ideas thatadvanced the state of the art in VLSIdesign,” Agrawal explains. “These ideaswere adopted in the company I workedfor, AT&T Bell Labs, in designing largeVLSI circuits with greater accuracy andefficiency than before. They were cap-tured in several publications andpatents.”

Agrawal says she also gave many talkson her ideas in major universities suchas Massachusetts Institute of Technology,in Cambridge, Stanford University, inPalo Alto, California, and the Universityof Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, amongothers. She took part in several majorconferences such as the IEEE/ACMDesign Automation Conference and theInternational Conference on ComputerAided Design. She advises those wishingto become Fellows to take part in com-mittee representations, editorial boards,conferences, and seminars.

According to Agrawal, if you work inacademia or industry, especially industri-al research organizations, becoming aFellow will enhance your career. “Evenin corporations that are more linked to


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technological development, becoming anIEEE Fellow will place you among theelite group of employees and will con-tribute to further recognition in the cor-poration—higher position, better pay,more autonomy and independence,” shesays. “I would encourage other women toaspire to be IEEE fellows.”

For more information on how tobecome a Fellow, visit www.ieee.org/fel-lows or email [email protected].

—Julia C. Keller

Building Your Own CommunityIEEE president advises strengtheningtechnical and professional skills

“It’s incredibly important to increase thenumber and success of women in engi-neering. It’s a great career and I wouldlike young women to feel it’s a welcom-ing career for them,” says LeahJamieson, 2007 president of the IEEE.

As the second woman to be electedIEEE president, Jamieson, an IEEE Fel-low, is the Ransburg Distinguished Pro-fessor of Electrical and ComputerEngineering and the John A. EdwardsonDean of Engineering for undergraduateeducation at Purdue University, in WestLafayette, Indiana, where she has been afaculty member since 1976. She was the2005 vice president of IEEE PublicationServices and Products Board and waschair of the IEEE Technical ActivitiesBoard Periodicals Committee as well asthe 2003 vice president of TechnicalActivities.

But how do we increase the numberof women in engineering? One way,Jamieson says, is to educate the publicabout engineering.

“There lacks a deep public under-standing of engineering for both girlsand everyone in general. Many girls don’tconsider engineering because of this andalso partly because girls don’t haveenough engineering role models or men-tors,” says Jamieson. “There are a lot ofmisconceptions about what engineeringis and what engineers do. This works

against encouraging women to pursueengineering. We need to change this.”

But how can we do that?IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE) is

one way. With increased networking,mentoring, public outreach programs,and career advancement opportunities,women engineers can reach out into thepublic arena to shed light on career pos-sibilities in the engineering field.

As a student, Jamieson says she didnot have any mentors who were femaleengineers. She didn’t even decide rightaway that engineering would be hermajor. She earned her bachelor’s degreein mathematics from the MassachusettsInstitute of Technology in Cambridge,and master’s and doctoral degrees in elec-trical engineering and computer sciencefrom Princeton University in New Jersey.

“Initially, math was my undergradu-ate major, then I switched to computerscience, then I went on to engineering.So it was a slow evolution. I was lookingfor something more tangible so I decidedon engineering,” she says. “Although Ididn’t have women engineers who werementors, I believe we all need role mod-els and people to help us.”

Before finding a mentor, Jamiesontells students to take time to choose theright career path.

“It’s critical to step back and makesure you’re doing something you’re pas-sionate about. Ask yourself, ‘do I lovewhat I’m doing and if not, what can I doto change that?’”

Jamieson knows a lot about the feel-ing of fulfillment that comes with doingsomething for which you are passionate.At Purdue, Jamieson cofounded and is adirector of the Engineering Projects inCommunity Service (EPICS) undergrad-uate engineering design program, whichwas initiated at Purdue and adopted by17 universities. EPICS matches teams ofengineering students with local commu-nity-service programs to design, build,test, and support projects that improvethe community. For Jamieson’s workwith EPICS, she was the corecipient ofthe 2005 Bernard M. Gordon Prize givenby the U.S. National Academy of Engi-neering to recognize innovation in engi-neering technology education.

So how does Jamieson have time toserve as president at the IEEE? As anengineer, an educator, a mother, a wife,and president of a huge organization,Jamieson has a lot on her plate. But shesays timing was on her side.

“I have a husband who is an engineerand an 18-year-old daughter in college,which made it easier for me to pursuemy career. But there’s always a challenge

to have balance. I consid-er myself lucky thatthings worked outthe way they did.”

Aside from work/life balance, Jamieson

says the biggest chal-lenge throughout her

life was feeling a sense of isolation.“Being one of few women in my field,

I would listen to conversations aroundme and think, ‘I don’t want to talk aboutthese things!’ I would ask myself, ‘Whyam I here?’ I had those thoughts as a stu-dent, and they continued with methroughout my career, although they areless now. Now I tell myself, ‘I’m still dif-ferent, but that’s ok.’ It gets betterbecause with experience comes confi-dence,” says Jamieson.

Jamieson agrees that almost everywoman in engineering has experi-enced a time when someone has madeher feel like she doesn’t belong. Tocombat this feeling, Jamieson sug-gests building a community of friends,colleagues and family. Most impor-tantly, she says, pay attention to nur-turing relationships.

“Volunteering helped me build astrong community. Take life into yourown hands. Build your own community.That’s how you stay feeling connected.”

What if you’ve been out of the loopfor months or maybe years? Maybe youtook time to start a family and want tojump back into your career—how do youmake a smooth transition?

“It’s never easy to leave and comeback,” says Jamieson. And that’s becausewith engineering, technology changesquickly, she explains. But there are keythings to make the transition easier.

Leah Jamieson

(Continued on page 42)

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Packaging Girlhood

Beyond sugar and spice and everything nice

Ever wonder why girls love pink and gos-siping about boys? Maybe the media areto blame. Sharon Lamb and Lyn MikelBrown explore how “girl power” has beenpackaged to express a girl’s right to sexyclothing in their new book, PackagingGirlhood: Rescuing Our Daughters fromMarketers’ Schemes (St. Martin’s 2006).

“We wanted to show how the mediaand marketers bombard girls with harm-ful stereotypes about what it means to bea girl,” says Lamb, a practicing clinicalpsychologist and professor of psychologyat Saint Michael’s College in Vermont. Tothat end, Lamb and Brown conductedinterviews with over 600 girls to see whatthey love and why they love it. Theresults? Disturbing. It seems the mediaperpetuates stereotypes about boy-crazy,shopping-obsessed, diva princesses byportraying these characteristics and fewothers. More information can be found atwww.packaginggirlhood.com.

One of the most harrowing effectsof this media trend is that girls aretaught to be more aggressive towardone another. According to Brown’sresearch, “Girls learn so much abouthow and why to compete, and fight,with other girls through the media.It’s rare to see a magazine, chick litnovel, PG or PG-13 movie that doesn’t

have a girlfight or mean girls as a keysubplot these days.”

And these “girl-power” images areoften misleading. “Those paths that areabout being girly or sexy give short-livedattention and a very limited power togirls,” Lamb explains.

So what are we girls to do? Girls areencouraged to pursue their passions, aslong as they are doing it for the rightreasons. Lamb and Brown advise girls totake themselves seriously as people whoare intelligent, creative, and capable. Par-ents can help.

“We suggest that parents open up dif-ferent avenues and create lots of optionsfor expressing power and creativity, thatthey introduce their daughters to ideas,activities, relationships, and realitiesthat counter the hype and give girls theunderstanding that they can follow theirreal interests,” says Brown, professor ofeducation and human development atColby College in Maine and founder ofHardy Girls Healthy Women, a nonprofitorganization that supports the healthydevelopment of girls.

Of course, Lamb and Brown maintainthat girls can still enjoy their favoritemedia as long as they recognize the imagesthat are being portrayed and acknowledgethat girls do not have to agree with them.

So go ahead girls, feel free to wearpink and have a crush on the boy nextdoor, as long as you do so because youwant to, and not as the result of any out-side pressure.

—Leslie Prives

It Takes a Village To Inspire an Engineer

How Techbridge is introducing girls to engineering

If you ask most girls to describe an engi-neer you might hear words like “nerdy,”“super smart,” “boring,” or “boys.” Askthe girls in Techbridge, a program ofChabot Space & Science Center in Oak-land, California, and you’ll hear a differ-ent story. After working on designprojects and meeting role models, theTechbridge girls know that anyone who iscreative and interested in helping peopleand the environment can be an engineer.

Traditionally, girls have not beenencouraged to pursue engineering.Unlike their brothers, most girls haven’tbeen encouraged to tinker with tools orbuild with blocks. They haven’t experi-enced the rewards of repairing a toy orappliance and may not understand how acareer in engineering can be rewarding.In addition, we hear from girls that theywant to make the world a better placebut most don’t see the connectionbetween their people- and society-orient-ed values and careers in engineering.

Imagine that there was a programdesigned just for girls. We did and devel-oped the Techbridge program to intro-duce girls to engineering, technology,and science. We talked to girls to findout what kinds of projects appealed tothem. They had lots of ideas: addressingproblems at school and in the neighbor-hood, working with tools, taking fieldtrips, and meeting role models. Theywere also very enthusiastic about a pro-gram just for girls.

All “Hands-On” DeckWith support from the National ScienceFoundation, Techbridge was launched in2000 to help increase and diversify the

Building a strongfoundation for the futureMonkeys, machines, and museums all playing a part in education

Pipelining

Attractive Programs for Women

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pipeline in technology, science, andengineering. Techbridge has direct-ly served over 1,500 girls in prima-rily underserved communities inits after-school and summer pro-grams. The program is hosted inelementary, middle, and highschools in Oakland, California, andsurrounding communities. Tech-bridge not only introduces hands-on activities to make technology,science, and engineering engaging forgirls but also provides role models andfield trips that expose girls to manymore career options to help them seehow careers in these fields can be com-patible with their life goals and personalvalues. Techbridge offers professionaldevelopment and training for teachersand role models and resources for fami-lies to help them support and makeinformed choices for girls.

Through hands-on projects, studentslearn skills that go beyond the tradition-al math and science curriculum taughtin school. Girls get a chance to workwith tools, read schematics, and followdirections, troubleshoot, and tinker.Projects include studying renewableenergy by building solar-powered LEGOcars, practicing the engineering designprocess through a toy design challenge,and learning about electronics and cir-cuitry by building telephones and sol-dering kits.

Projects frequently include a service-learning component, teaching girls thevalue of giving back to the communityand protecting our environment. Career-exploration activities such as writingresumes, conducting Internet research,and creating career calendars give stu-dents the tools they need to makeinformed—and inspired—decisionsregarding academic and career options.

Engaging ResultsTechbridge has a seven-year record ofsuccess in engaging girls in scientificand technical fields. The program hasincreased girls’ technical skills, confi-dence, and interest in engineering,technology, and science and has alsopositively increased their interest incareers in these fields. Evaluation

results show that girls have a betterunderstanding of what engineers, scien-tists, and people who work in technolo-gy do and have been encouraged topursue careers in science, technology,and engineering.

These gains translate into positiveimpacts on girls’ career aspirations. In theevaluation of the 2005–2006 after-schoolTechbridge programs, 88% of the girlsreported that they were more interestedin careers in engineering, technology, andscience. Among the students interviewedto date in our longitudinal study, 75%indicated interest in pursuing engineer-ing, technology, or science in college.

Up Close and PersonalWomen comprise just 11% of today’sengineering workforce. Techbridge isworking to change this statistic. Tech-bridge hosts a summer academy with anengineering focus. “Kites and Design”introduced girls to the physics of flightand the engineering design process.With “Cars and Engines,” Techbridgegirls got the chance to learn how four-stroke engines work by taking apartlawn mowers and putting them backtogether again. They learned how toperform basic car maintenance and cre-ated animation clips that demon-strated their understanding ofmoving parts in a car, such asmanual car windows and wind-shield wiper systems.

Role models and field tripscomplement the activities andallow the girls to see rewardingcareers in engineering. For manyof the girls, it’s their first timemeeting engineers and learningabout the different fields. Thecurriculum developed in the

Techbridge summer academy is intro-duced during the school year to hun-dreds of students (from fifth gradersthrough 12th graders) in our after-school programs.

We are encouraged how our curricu-lum, along with role models, inspiresgirls to find their passion in engineering.We’ve also rolled out new curriculum—the Green Design Project—that has beenparticularly successful in inspiring girlsto enter the engineering pipeline.

Seeking Greener PasturesThe Green Design Project helps Tech-bridge girls discover that engineeringcan be compatible with their desire tomake the world a better place. In this

project, the girls had the chance towork in teams to design and construct atwo-story dollhouse that incorporatedgreen design. They learned a new soft-ware program that allowed them todraw their floor plans, which trans-formed their ideas into three-dimen-sional models. The project wasconsiderable fun but also quite chal-lenging in scope: creating a floor plan,

Techbridge’ssummeracademy forgirlsintroducessubjectsincluding“Cars andEngines” and“Kites andDesign.”

Girls have the opportunity to work inteams, go on field trips, and learnabout career options.

Role models often help shape girls’ careervision and goals.


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constructing the house, wiring lights,designing the landscape, and decoratingwhile keeping the green theme in mind.The girls learned about project manage-ment and put their time managementand teamwork skills into practice.

The dollhouses needed to meet greenstandards. The girls learned thatmaterials such as bamboo,cork, recycled plastic,and rubber could beused to make floors,walls, and furniture.They discovered thatbuilding choicessuch as solar panelsand low-flow faucetsare ways to use re-sources efficiently. Theythoughtfully incorporatedenvironmentally friendly fea-tures into their designs, using bambooand resource-efficient cork flooring, lowVOC paint, clothes lines, sunflower seedcabinets, blue jean insulation, recycledcarpet, and energy-efficient appliances.

In conjunction with building theirgreen dollhouses, the girls had theopportunity to see green design and con-struction in practice. The girls visited theconstruction site of the San FranciscoFederal Building and saw first hand howa green building is built. They learnedhow windows could be configured toreduce the need for heating and air con-ditioning and how the use of naturallighting can greatly reduce energy costs.

On a visit to the Gordon and BettyMoore Foundation, the girls wereimpressed with the way that the workenvironment reflects the mission of theFoundation—environmental conserva-tion. The girls saw cabinets made of sun-flower seeds, chairs made of corrugatedcardboard, and a conference table madefrom a felled tree. They saw how givingnew life to old things could have beauti-ful results.

The Green Design Project, whichincorporates hands-on learning withenvironmental awareness, allows girlsto be creative and work on a project thatthey truly can take pride in. It also givesgirls the opportunity to think abouthow they can make the world a better

place and to meet people whose careersallow them to do just that.

Reversing the Field“Can I really take it apart? Is it all right tobreak it?” One of the middle school girlsin Techbridge wanted the reassurance

before she took apart a hairdryer. Her mother hadn’t

been too pleased whenthe student previously

tried to figure outwhat made a curlingiron work by takingit apart at home.Tavy Wade and Lyn

Gomes with CarolloEngineers in Walnut

Creek, California, usedthis hands-on activity as a

way to introduce the girls toengineering. The girls learned about thedifferent kinds of engineers who helpdesign and build hair dryers. They alsodiscovered the joy of reverse engineeringto figure out how things work. By the endof the afternoon the girls learned thathousehold appliances, like a hair dryer,aren’t as complicated as they imaginedand that engineering can be a veryrewarding career.

The role models and field trips thatare part of the Techbridge experience arekey to the success of our career explo-ration. They introduce girls to newcareer options and inspire them to wantto study engineering. We are especiallypleased to find that role model visits andfield trips have a long-term impact. Sev-eral girls have told us how role modelsfrom past years have changed their goals.

For example, one of our high schoolstudents wants to be a product designengineer. How many girls know whatproduct design entails let alone have it asa career goal? This student attributes hercareer aspiration to a visit to design firmIDEO three years ago. In her evaluation,she reflected, “I walked in and I knewthat’s where I wanted to work.”

Role models can combat stereotypedimages and communicate informationabout their work and the steps needed toprepare for a career in engineering. Rolemodels are an example that engineers

are problem solvers who use creativity towork on projects that benefit people andthe environment.

Take ActionWe hope you’re inspired to work withgirls in your community. Make a promiseto get involved. Here are some ideas tohelp get you started:

◗ Look for a local Girl Scout groupand volunteer an afternoon of yourtime to share your personal storyand lead a hands-on activity:http://www.girlscouts.org/.

◗ Offer to organize a job shadow dur-ing National Engineers Week sothat girls can visit your office andmeet and see engineers in action:http://www.eweek.org/.

◗ If there is a local Expanding YourHorizons program, volunteer to bea role model and lead a workshopfor middle schools students:http://www.expandingyourhori-zons.org/.

◗ Organize a group of coworkers andadopt a local high school. DuringNational Engineers Week, organizea panel discussion about women inengineering making a difference.

◗ Sponsor internships for highschool and college students. Get-ting the chance to “test the waters”can help girls see that there is aplace for them in engineering.

◗ Buy a set of biographies of womenengineers and scientists for thelibrary at your local public school.The Women’s Adventures in Sci-ence series are a great read:http://www.nap.edu/catalog/was/.

You can have a significant and lastingimpact on girls—inspiring their interestin engineering. By sharing your passionfor your work you can help the next gen-eration of engineers become morediverse, reflecting the talents and prom-ise that girls can contribute.

—Linda Kekelis ([email protected]) is director of Techbridge, aprogram of Chabot Space & ScienceCenter.

December Martin ([email protected]) is a program coordinator forTechbridge.

Inconjunction

with building theirgreen dollhouses, the

girls had theopportunity to seegreen design andconstruction in

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Rebecca Wepsic Ancheta ([email protected]) conducts qual-itative evaluation research for theTechbridge Program.

I, Robot

Battlecry competition strengthensbonds among BUA robotics team

This is the last time that Diya, Laurel,Amy, Sarah, and Maddie will competetogether. It is the end of their season,with Sarah and Maddie off to college inthe fall. In fact, their college choiceswere influenced by their experiences onthe team. No, they are not the startingfive on a basketball team but members ofthe Boston University Academy (BUA)robotics team.

The cold June day began at 5 a.m. inthe basement of the College of Engi-neering at Boston University, as theyloaded their robot and several bins fullof power tools and materials into a mini-van. A group of 12 boys and girls thenventured on a 45-minute trip to com-pete at Worcester Polytechnic Institutefor the Battlecry competition. Forty-eight teams competed with the samerobots from the F.I.R.S.T (For Inspira-tion and Recognition of Science andTechnology) robotics competition.

For the girls, this was not just a dayto drive, score points, get their handsdirty in the pit fixing the robot, and tocheer on their team. This was a day offinality, the end of a mentoring experi-ence between seniors and younger girls.

Laurel fondly remembers, “Sarah andMaddie had such great determinationand love for the team…They showed methat I could also make good contribu-tions and be a leader in the field of engi-neering in the future.”

This was a farewell as Sarah wasgoing on to pursue aeronautical engi-neering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Insti-tute and Maddie was focusing onmechanical engineering at the Massa-chusetts Institute of Technology.

The BUA Robotics Team competes inseveral contests, including the F.I.R.S.T.robotics competition. Each year, highschool students are presented with anew game and only six weeks to designand build a robot from scratch. They aregiven a kit of parts with a uniform set ofmotors, electronics, and batteries, butbeyond that, the design and manufac-turing is up to the students (within cer-tain weight, size, and safety guidelines).Professional engineers and college stu-dents mentor and guide the students inthe engineering process. Local compa-nies sponsor the team, similar to manylocal sports teams, except the budget for

a team can rangefrom US$10,000 toUS$50,000. The BUAteam is sponsoredby the Boston Uni-versity College ofEngineering, RadioShack, and Quantia.

Ladies F.I.R.S.T.In September, Laureland Diya joined theteam, not quiteknowing what to

expect. Laurel recalls, “I previously hadlittle to no exposure to hands-on engi-neering projects, so I never reallythought about engineering as a bigoption for me. This year, the team hasshown me a new passion for inventingand then building, and surprised me thatI could really be part of making somecomplicated and awesome creations.”

In the fall, they learned how tosafely use power tools, the lathe, andthe milling machine. Their daily lan-guage consisted of words such as gearratios, idlers, bearings, couplings, key-way, and set screws. The girls werenever intimidated.

“I never had any sort of defeatist atti-tude with regard to my gender when itcame to tools and fabrication,” Sarahsaid. “I honestly think the boys weremore surprised than I was, especiallywhen I destroyed our playing field with areciprocating saw. Girls ‘aren’t supposedto do that,’ which I think is absolutenonsense.”

They learned about wire gauges,relays, motors, circuit breakers, quickdisconnects, and crimping. Years beforethey will get a driver’s license, they droverobots around an obstacle course andused the robot to pick up balls. The fallsemester culminated with designing andbuilding a bread box-sized robot for theBotBowl competition at M.I.T. The teamdesigned a robot to line track, then useda pneumatic piston to “bowl” tennis ballsat plastic soda bottle “10 pins.” Laureland Diya, who are also on the school’scheerleading squad, realized that it isjust as much fun to dress up and cheerfor their robot as it is for a sports team,only the robot is one which they built.

The ladies ofBoston UniversityAcademy’srobotics team takea moment to relaxduring theBattlecrycompetition. Fromleft: LaurelDesrosier, DiyaKazmi, AmyKatuska, MadelineHickman, andSarah Esterquest.

The Team246 Robot(RoboRhett)picks up atorroid at theBattlecryCompetition.

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The fall was not limited to learning,building, and driving robots. They spenttime walking door to door on Common-wealth Avenue asking local vendors tosponsor the team. With ambitions ofraising enough money to attend theF.I.R.S.T. championship competition inAtlanta, Georgia, they needed to raiseUS$50,000. They also needed to designthe banners, T-shirts, and stickers thatwould recognize those sponsors.

A large part of the F.I.R.S.T. experi-ence is doing outreach to spread theengineering message to students not onthe team. They went to the local middleschool once a week to mentor a LEGOLeague Robotics team. Once a week theyproduced a podcast with engineering“Tips and Tricks for a Successful Robot-ics Season,” which was posted on iTunes.Sarah cowrote and delivered two profes-sional development workshops for teach-ers from local Boston Schools. All of thispaled in comparison to the time commit-ment preceding the six-week winter“build season.”

The build season kicked off the firstSaturday in January. Over 1,000 teamsfrom around the world watched the livebroadcast of the announcement of thisyear’s game in Manchester, New Hamp-shire, via NASA television. This year, thegame consisted of picking up inflatableswimming pool tires and placing themon a tree-like PVC pipe structure. In the120-second competition rounds, analliance of three randomly selectedrobots would compete against an oppos-ing triumvirate. Lifting your alliancepartner’s robots at least 12 inches intothe air at the end of the round couldscore additional points.

For six weeks, the girls gathered everyday to accomplish this task. They began

by debating a gamestrategy and cameup with severaldesigns and proto-types. They decid-ed to build a robotthat would lift thetires with an armcontrolled by amotor and a clawcontrolled by apneumatic piston.They ambitiouslydecided to build asix-foot-long lifting platform with fourlarge pneumatic pistons in the corners.The 100-pound weight restriction causeda change of material for the platform anda change in design.

The last weekend, several local Bostonhigh schools set up camp at B.U. to gethelp finishing their robots. Amy recallsshe was “trusted to show newer membershow to use tools and was able to helpthem learn how to brainstorm, design,and then build a final product.” The girlsgleamed with confidence as they realizedhow much they actually knew.

At the end of the build season, theypresented their robots to the public in ajoint press conference featuring severalBoston teams. Several of the girls werefeatured on local television and radio sta-tions. After that, the robot was placedinto a crate and a delivery truck took theit to the competition.

Inspiring PerformanceAt the end of March, the team arrived atthe Boston Regional Competition. Mas-cots, pep bands, engineers, CEOs, andthe governor showed up to cheer on theteams. The announcer for the BostonRed Sox introduced the competitors.

Rock music shook theauditorium as the girlswatched the robots com-pete and listened to theplay-by-play announce-ments of the rounds.

The true adrenalinerush was in the mainte-nance pits. During thefirst day, the robotsunderwent a rigorous set

of safety inspections and were measuredfor weight and size restrictions. The pre-vious year, the robot was almost 30pounds overweight, so they did not wanta repeat experience. The robot competedin about a dozen rounds in the threedays. Maddie was the copilot this year,controlling the robot’s arms and lifter.Coordinating the game play with twoother robots takes strategy and an abilityto quickly respond. But repairing therobot after each round of play was almostas much fun.

Although their robot did not make itinto the final rounds based on game play,the team received an award just as grati-fying. For all their outreach work duringthe preceding months, the podcasts,workshops, and mentoring of new teams,they earned the Engineering InspirationAward, the second highest award one canearn in a F.I.R.S.T. competition, whichqualified them to move on to compete inthe national competition.

In April, the girls boarded a plane forAtlanta where more than 400 teamsgathered at the Georgia Dome. The ener-gy was astonishing. The best teams inthe world gathered and showed off theirengineering prowess. After five days ofbonding on the road, the girls returnedto their studies in Boston. Many of thestudents prepared to spend the summerworking in science and engineering labo-ratories. Diya was off to Harvard to studygenetics. Sarah designed satellites at B.U.In their spare time, they made the finalrepairs to prepare the robot for Battlecry.

The day in Worcester provided greatclosure for an intense year. Maddie final-ly got to drive in the semifinal round of a

MadelineHickman andSam Roberts

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MichelaMeister usesa drill press

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competition and the younger girls had achance to say their fond farewells toSarah and Maddie.

Diya remembers, “My opinion aboutengineering was affected when I sawSarah and Maddie working for the team.They are both so independent, and suchan inspiration when one sees what a vitalpart of the team they are. They have real-ly shown me what a large role womencan and do play in science.”

If you are interested in sponsoring ormentoring a local F.I.R.S.T team, visitwww.usfirst.org. To sponsor or work withthe Boston University Academy team,visit www.burobotics.org.

—Gary Garber

A Place for Us

Museum exhibits bring women’sachievements to life

In downtown Attleboro, Massachusetts, abus full of tourists makes a stop in frontof an old mill building. As touristsbrowse through the quaint shops andview the beautiful brick buildings andstone bridges, they are surprised to findthat the old mill building in front ofthem is the home to the Women at WorkMuseum, a place dedicated to honoringthe achievements of women throughouthistory and around the world.

Since opening on 18 October 2003,with the support of hundreds of collabo-rators, the museum has launched sixmajor exhibits and presented more than40 free programs open to the public.Exhibits showcase national and interna-tional programs that support achieve-ment.

Full participation in most endeavorsin the 21st century requires at least abasic knowledge of science, technology,engineering, and mathematics (STEM).For businesses today, being able to com-pete in the global economy is increasing-ly driven by innovation and invention,which is often made possible by advancesin technology. The museum fosters theattitudes and behaviors necessary to sup-port STEM literacy education and raises

the awareness of families, educators,businesses, and public policy makersabout the significant role STEM skillsplay in expanding career opportunitiesfor individuals and sustaining a robustnational economy.

History Beyond the BooksPaintings, paper illustrations, quilts,photographs, and other creative endeav-ors reinforce the themes of each exhibit.Living history presentations and per-forming artists bring to life the womenhonored in the museum and interactiveactivities engage visitors of all ages inexploring issues of interest. Girls andboys, as well as women and men, partici-pate and produce a variety of innovativeand creative representations of what theylearn at the museum including stories,self-portraits, designs for dream muse-ums, mathematical origami, and plansfor future travel in space.

While the women featured in themuseum may not be listed in historybooks, this in no way diminishes theirreal role in history, their commitment tointellectual challenges, and their contri-butions to the community in which theylived and worked.

For instance, the “Women Who Fly”exhibit, on display from November 2005to October 2006, featured pilots, astro-nauts, artists, dancers, and ath-letes such as Marla Runyan.Legally blind in both eyes,U.S. Olympian Runyan isa middle distance run-ner and often speaks toyouth encouragingthem to “Believe inyourself, and show otherswhat you can do. Only youcan find your potential.” Atthe 2000 Summer Olympics inSydney, Australia, she proved to be theeighth-fastest 1,500-meter female runnerin the world. Along with other women inthe exhibit, Runyan illustrated the powerof determination and courage andinspired people of all ages who visited theMuseum.

Events are held monthly anddesigned to appeal to a variety of inter-ests. For example, on 13 June 2006, in

conjunction with area schools and theAmerican Legion, the Reach for the Starsprogram was presented and featuredGrace Corrigan, Challenger crew mem-ber Christa McAuliffe’s mother; LucyYoung, naval jet pilot; and Dr. KarenPanetta, IEEE Women in Engineeringcommittee chair. In April, the Clara Bar-ton Tea was a great success with thosewho enjoy history and meeting Civil Warenactors.`

Changes in Time and SpaceOther successful endeavors include the“Defining Decades” exhibit, launched on4 November 2006, a series of discussionsabout defining moments in history andhow decades and eras are defined by theactions of individuals, organizations, andnations.

In 2007, programs such as “BlackHoles and Exploding Stars” involvedyouth and adults in exploring the impor-tance of space science and using comput-ers to link to telescopes in space.Presented by the Smithsonian Astrophys-ical Observatory and the MIT Kavli Insti-tute for Astrophysics and SpaceResearch, the program is an example ofthe level of collaboration that has madeoutstanding programming possible atthe museum.

Collaboration is the cornerstone ofthe museum’s success. Work-

ing among organizationswith mutual goals such as

the Women’s MemorialFoundation and IEEE,the museum developsexciting and engagingprograms that inform,

entertain, and inspirewhile maximizing its limit-

ed resources.November 2007 saw the open-

ing of the exhibit “Initiating and Sustain-ing Change,” which presents a historicaland futuristic perspective of individualsand organizations that have, and will,initiate and sustain change. Internationaland national issues are explored and con-nected to local and state initiatives.

Along with chambers of commerce,schools, government officials, and cul-tural organizations, I look forward to the


Since 1993,the museum has

launched sixmajor exhibits and

40 freeprograms.


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opportunity to work with IEEE to show-case members and IEEE programs aspart of displays including InnovativeEnvironments, the STEM Pipeline,Emerging Technology, Philanthropy, andEnvision 2020.

Let the Record ShowCirca 1990, a question sparked my jour-ney of discovery that continues today.The question was simply, “Why is it thatmany girls who do well in math and sci-ence in elementary and middle schooldo not go on to further studies orcareers in those areas?” Having taughtscience for seven years in middleschool, I was surprised by the question,and in my quest for answers I found amyriad of factors including nature, nur-ture, setting expectations, socialization,rewards, and role models. Over theyears, I created children’s books, devel-oped educational programs, and organ-ized the Women at Work PhotographyExhibit to encourage girls to pursuestudies and careers in math and science.

Along with teaching science, I alsotaught history for ten years. Many of thewomen I uncovered in my researchwere never mentioned in my classroombecause their stories were buried inarchives or not fully recorded. My con-tribution to the success of the muse-um’s development is linked to skills inmarketing, organizational and programdevelopment, technology, and fosteringcollaborative relationships. These skillshave been developed over the past 40years in my work as a classroomteacher, business owner, and a commu-nity activist.

As the director of the Women atWork Museum, I continue to work toensure that women have their histori-ans. The museum’s history is rich andis supported by an extensive base ofcollaborators and a cadre of profession-als providing in-kind services. We areready to move this incredible institu-tion to a worldwide arena with the helpof IEEE members.

Pacing and developing a communityvision are significant challenges. Wespent the first three years developing arich history of programming. There is a

great deal of enthusiastic support and Ihave to carefully consider each neweffort and ensure we have the resourcesto respond in a professional and timelymanner. Each success builds credibilityand maintains ongoing support.

We are now entering a new phase inthe museum’s development and areworking with collaborators and VernerJohnson & Associates to develop a com-munity vision for the museum. Thevision will be reflected in a master plan,which will describe how space will beused in the museum’s permanent loca-tion. The challenge lies in the fact thatthe museum’s community is local,national, and international. Input fromthe community is essential if we aregoing to develop a museum that mattersto the immediate community and servesthe interests of visitors from across theUnited States and around the world.

A Vision of the FutureSome design principles include exploringa green building, creating a model forthe use of alternative energy sources, andsupporting pre-K–12 and higher educa-tion goals, in particular increasing thenumber of students who participate inprograms that support careers in STEM.Along with exhibit areas, key compo-nents include:

◗ Library & Archives—repository ofinformation and artifacts onwomen at work throughout history.

◗ Permanent Exhibit—“People atWork—Women at Work” exhibitswould interest tourists from theUnited States and around theworld, incorporate advanced tech-nology, art and music, offer STEMand financial literacy activities, andfeature women and men workingthroughout history.

◗ Design Technology Center—devel-op planning skills, promote careerawareness, exploration and devel-opment, and illustrate how skills inSTEM expand career opportunities.

Be a Prime MoverIf you have the time to share yourthoughts, you could make a significantcontribution to the museum’s develop-

ment. Individuals, families, and organi-zations that support the museum duringthe Foundation Campaign (2005–2010)will be noted as prime movers on sig-nage that will be a permanent part ofthe museum.

You can also help by develop a displayfor the “Initiating and SustainingChange” exhibit, joining the Master PlanDevelopment Committee or by simplybecoming a member.

I look forward to collaborating withIEEE members to build the foundationfor the museum, an educational centerthat improves the technological litera-cy of society from childhood throughadulthood.

For more information, contactKatherine Honey, director, at +1 508 2224430 or at [email protected].

—Katherine Honey

Engineers STEM from Women of TI FundNumber of female engineers is at a “national crisis” level

There’s a concerted effort nationwideto see more Ashleys and Olivias sittingalongside the Michaels and Williams inhigh school and college physics class-es, as well as other advanced mathe-matics and technology courses. Oneeffort to encourage girls to pursueclasses in science, technology, engi-neering, and mathematics (STEM) isbeginning to take shape, thanks inpart to a group of forward-thinkingwomen at Texas Instruments.

“The low number of women in engi-neering is a national crisis and we decid-ed as a group to be proactive and to dosomething about it,” says Tegwin Pulley,TI vice president, Workforce Diversityand WorkLife Strategies.

In 2002, TI women ranging fromofficers and engineers to the wife of aTI founder, each contributed US$5,000or more of their own money to formthe Women of TI Fund (WTIF), adonor-advised fund through the DallasWomen’s Foundation. As membership



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has grown to more than 60, the WTIFcharter remains the same as it wasthat first day—to expand STEM educa-tion for girls. Their goal is to increasethe number of women eligible to entera university-level, STEM-relateddegree program upon graduation fromhigh school.

To date, the fund has raised morethan US$350,000, with a goal ofUS$500,000. As the effort has gainedmomentum, TI men also have joinedthe fund and contributed.

In 2003, the Texas Instruments Foun-dation was made aware of the gender gapin high school physics and began fund-ing programs championed by theWomen of TI Fund.

“For the United States to prosperand compete in the global economy,we must enlarge the pipeline of stu-dents, and in particular girls, who aremotivated and prepared to pursuecareers in the STEM fields,” says Pul-ley. “Our aim is to offer programs andassistance to help fill the projectedshortage of engineers by targetingwomen, an underrepresented popula-tion in this profession.”

That underrepresentation is evidentsince:

◗ Over the past eight years, the num-ber of engineering degrees awardedto women in the United States hasremained stagnant.

◗ In 2006, only 9% of SAT takersindicated an interest in pursuingan engineering degree in college.Of that, only 16% were women.

◗ Today in the United States, onlyone in four engineering students isa woman. Law and medicineschools have achieved gender equi-ty, but not engineering.

“When you look at the statistics, itdoesn’t take an engineer to figure outchanges must be made, not only for girlsbut for the overall future competitive-ness of our nation,” says Pulley.

Three-Tier ApproachThe Women of TI Fund focuses itsefforts on three major audiences: stu-dents, high school counselors, and highschool teachers.

For students, the WTIF reviewedAdvanced Placement (AP) test informa-tion on boys and girls with similarPSAT scores in 2002. “The percent ofboys who passed the AP high schoolphysics exam was 30 percentage pointshigher than the pass rate of girls. That’san alarming gap,” says Melendy Lovett,TI senior vice president and president,Education Technology, a division of TI.Lovett is a founder of WTIF.

As a result of these findings, fouryears ago the group began funding atwo-week summer camp to prepareDallas Independent School District(DISD) girls for physics class. Thecamp is offered toall girls in tenDISD schools whoare part of the APprogram. Theonly requirementis that they havesigned up to takephysics duringthe upcoming

school year and meet the prerequisitesfor the course.

“Not only do the girls get hands-ontraining, they also receive career coun-seling,” says Lovett. “Many of these girlsask what they can do with physics—theywant to know what career options areavailable to them.The girls also get a lotof positive reinforcement at camp. “Manyadolescent girls go through changes thatcan negatively affect their self-confi-dence,” Lovett says. “As a result, theyoften refrain from either asking ques-tions or sharing answers. Low self-confi-dence can also deter girls from enrollingin higher level STEM courses.”

The Women of TI Fundhas fostered a number

of programs toencourage girls in the

Dallas IndependentSchool District to

pursue STEM classes,including a summer

camp for physics prepand the High Heel,

High Tech workshop.

LACK OF GENDER EQUITY IS AN EYE OPENER Daniel Brown, 11th grade physics teacher at Hillcrest High School in Dallas, remembers feeling a little

insulted when he got received an invitation to participate in a DISD gender equity in-service workshop

two years ago.

“I made a conscious effort to always treat everyone in my classroom equally…or so I thought,” he

says. Brown reluctantly signed up and was immediately treated to two slides comparing AP physics

passing score results between girls and boys with equal math aptitude abilities.

“Boys were passing at a rate of about 30 percentage points more,” he recalls. “The scientist in me

knew something was driving the data, and the answer was in the classroom. It was definitely an eye-

opening moment for me. ”Now Brown understands the classroom gender issues very well and is con-

ducting classes on gender equity for other DISD teachers.

“Of course we all want to be equal, but in reality it's subtle things that make a difference,” he says. “I

tell workshop attendees that sex is what you're born with and gender is what you learn. When girls learn

at an early age that engineering and science are not for them, they don't go into those fields…it's the

messages we send our students that make the difference.”

He points to his own examples. “I learned through videotapes of my classroom that I asked follow-up

questions more to the guys. I even called on boys more often,” which until he saw on video, he didn't

think he did. “When a boy would interrupt a girl in class, I allowed it. This sends a message to girls that

their thoughts aren't as important as their male counterparts.”

Brown says his job is to teach and build confidence in all students. “Students with potential need to

know it and be encouraged. They may need an extra boost—whatever it takes to keep them going. It

doesn't take any extra work or preparation.”

He now sees a difference in his own classroom. “Girls participate more, they speak up and support

each other. In 2006, the state of Texas graduated 2,800 engineers—400 were female. I think we can

double that number in four years just by mentoring four girls each semester. We're making real inroads.”

—Alesia Ritenour



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Lovett saw this to some degree withher own daughter, now a high schoolsenior. “Beginning in middle school, Isaw her self-confidence affect her opin-ion of how well she could do in math,”says Lovett. “Without my encourage-ment, I think it would have been easy forher to take courses requiring less criticalthinking skills. Girls and others whomay not have as much self-confidenceoftentimes opt out of math and science.I think by doing so, they’re missing outon some exciting and fast-growingcareer opportunities.”

For counselors and teachers, theWTIF initiated a High Heels, High Techworkshop in 2004. High Heels, HighTech is a two-day program for DISDcounselors and select math and scienceteachers. Its purpose is to build aware-ness and coach attendees on STEMcareers and what courses students needin order to prepare for those careers.

That same year, the group commis-sioned national gender equity expert JoSanders to develop and lead gender equi-ty training sessions for 18 DISD AP mathand science teachers. The programexpanded this year when the WTIF Fundpartnered with the College of Educationat The University of Texas at Arlington(UTA) to launch a STEM Gender EquityInstitute. The plan is to move existinggender equity programs from the incuba-tion stage to a mature university programfor growth and development, integratingboth teacher education and in-servicetraining with the goal of systematicchange. Dr. Jeanne Gerlach, UTA’s Collegeof Education dean, oversees the program.

“The ultimate goal is to get teachersand administrators working hand inhand to drive culture changes in theirschools,” says Gerlach. “The teachers in

the program meet monthly to learn newteaching strategies. They also carry outsignificant and original school-basedgender research. The program works bycreating leadership teams of classroomteachers and administrators at DISD,training in-service teachers, influencingcurriculums and ultimately increasingthe number of girls going into STEMcareer paths.”

“It’s sometimes as simple as sprin-kling in examples of famous women sci-entists,” adds Lovett. “In some of ourfirst workshops, many science teacherscouldn’t name an accomplished womanscientist. Just like boys, girls need men-tors and role models to follow.”

Early ResultsWhile the group considers their work tobe in the early stages, they are seeingpositive results within the Dallas schooldistrict. Here are a few metrics and earlyfindings:

◗ In 2000, the AP physics pass rate wasmore than 30 percentage pointsbelow boys (11% versus 46%). In2006, girls whose teachers participat-ed in the gender equity training andattended the physics summer campspassed at the same rate as boys.

◗ The number of girls taking APphysics exams has increased over100% (57 in 2000 versus 117 in2006).

Pulley says the group is confident inits work thus far and will continue tofocus efforts on existing programs. “Wecontinue to monitor and measureresults such as AP enrollments andexam scores,” she says. “Ultimately, we’dlike to develop proven programs thatcan be reproduced across the country.And of course, we’d love to have some of

the women who were inspired andencouraged by their early involvementin our programs show interest inbecoming engineers for TI.”

—Alesia Ritenour is a freelancewriter based in Dallas.

Monkey See,Monkey DoInterdisciplinary projects capture students’ imagination

Engineers get to work on some prettyinteresting science- and technology-related tasks but how many people real-ize that being an engineer equips one tomake a six-legged love connection, racecars, and train monkeys?

Electrical engineers Matthew Hellerand Richard Colombo have worked onthese types of projects. As mentors andproject instructors to Tufts Universitystudents in Medford, Massachusetts, thetwo innovators bring interdisciplinaryproject opportunities to engineeringundergraduates. The students, mostlyseniors completing projects required tograduate, partner with Heller andColombo to work on various assign-ments. With their guidance, the studentsare able to find creative solutions tosome pretty interesting problems.

In one instance, the university’s biolo-gy department was conducting a study onfireflies and was looking to mimic themale firefly’s “blinking” pattern. The solu-tion? “I helped some students design adevice that imitated a male’s flash pat-terns, and all the female fireflies came overand tried to mate with it,” explains Heller.

Another project had Heller, Colombo,and some students convert the entireThatcher Island (off the coast of Rock-port, Massachusetts) to solar power aftera pesky cable kept breaking.

“We took a really dynamic group ofstudents out to the island over the sum-mer,” recalls Colombo. “We put down 18solar panels and two inverters that pro-vide power to the houses out there.”

Valery Thompson, a senior when sheworked on the project, was responsible

MORE INFORMATION ON WOMEN’S FUNDING The Dallas Women’s Foundation (DWF), created in 1985, has contributed more than US$7.5 million in

grants to nearly 700 programs serving women and girls in Dallas, Denton and Collin counties. For more

information, visit www.dallaswomensfoundation.org.

DWF is part of the Women’s Funding Network (WFN), which has 120 member funds worldwide. Last

year, the WFN collectively invested more than US$50 million in grants to advance women and girls.

If you’re interested in information about other women’s funds that offer similar programs, contact the

WFN at www.wfnet.org.



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for the maximum power pointtracker.

“This component ensuredthat the system would receive theright amount of power from thesolar panels at all times of theday,” she explains. “It eliminatedthe dependency of the system onthe intensity of sunlight at agiven time of day.” She receiveddirection to complete this por-tion of the project from her malementors, saying that, “Theywould stay for hours workingwith us one-on-one to help ussolve issues that we encountered.”

Heller and Colombo are again work-ing with solar power to engineer andbuild their own car, which Colombo says,“we are going to eventually race in theAmerican Solar Challenge.”

Curious JillThey have also applied inventive engi-neering techniques to help the physicallychallenged in their partnership withHelping Hands: Monkey Helpers for theDisabled. The organization, a nonprofitstarted in 1979 and based in Boston, part-ners trained capuchin monkeys withpatients who have severe physical disabil-ities, encouraging the monkeys to pro-vide assistance with everyday tasks. WhenJill Siebeking, occupational therapist andplacement specialist for the group,reached out to local colleges for help withan unforeseen problem, Heller andColombo saw an opportunity to put theirskills to use.

The monkeys, who areappreciated servants andcompanions to their patients,were feeling a bit cooped up.Since most monkey recipi-ents have severe physical lim-itations that hinder themfrom manipulating the cagelocks, letting the monkeys inand out of their cages becamea heavy source of frustration.Siebeking needed a creativeand effective course of action.

Thompson was interestedin working on the project aswell, recognizing that the

issues with the cage doors affected thesuccess of the entire operation. “A trainerwas often needed to intervene, whichdefies the purpose of owning a monkey inthe first place,” Thompson shares. “Theyare there to help the individual do thingswithout the help of a caretaker.”

Heller and Colombo noticed that mostpatients had laptops and Internet access,so, with a group of students, they createda voice recognition Web site system,enabling technology to open and closethe cage doors on the command of thepatient. “I think the prototype we createdcan better the lives of monkey ownersaround the nation,” affirms Thompson.

“I’ve seen the prototype and it workswell,” says Siebeking. “I was veryimpressed.” Next up, Siebeking has anidea to reward the monkeys through theuse of a peanut butter treat dispenser, aproject Heller and Colombo intend to geta group of students working on as well.

The monkeys certainly dodeserve their peanut butter. “Wesaw a demonstration where a mon-key put water in a mug, put themug in the microwave, andwarmed up the beverage for thepatient,” says Heller. “Another oneflipped magazine pages.” Bred in aclosed colony so as to avoid contactwith potentially diseased animals,the monkeys are specifically edu-cated to become service providers.

Helping Hands has placedapproximately 122 monkeysthroughout the country. Monkeys

are only placed with debilitated patientsafter an informative application andinterview process, necessary to deter-mine that a particular monkey is a goodmatch for a patient.

“We take a lot of things into consider-ation,” details Siebeking. “The monkeysvary in intelligence, demeanor, and per-sonality, so we have to find the right‘monkey match’ for each potential recipi-ent.” With the receipt of over 100 appli-cations a year, and an extensiveplacement process, it is no wonder thatthe organization calls on volunteers likeHeller and Colombo.

Meeting of the MindsHeller, an alumnus of Tufts, began volun-teering to work with students on theirprojects because he felt it would “be ben-eficial to students to have someone with-in the industry helping them.” A residentof Peabody, Massachusetts, Heller works

Matthew Hellerguided Valery

Thompsonthrough a

number ofprojects during

her academiccareer at Tufts

University,including

convertingMassachusetts’Thatcher Islandto solar power.

MatthewHeller (right)and Richard

Colombo(second fromright) providethe studentswith hands-

on, real-world designexperiences.


PHOTO COURTESY OF TUFTS UNIVERSITY

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full-time for Aastra Technologies design-ing and creating Internet telephonyproducts. He and Colombo met whileworking together at Nortel in 1999.

“It was my first job out of college, andRick was very good to me,” recalls Heller.“He took the time to show me the ropes.So I wanted to get him involved in work-ing with the students.”

“When Matthew asked me to help, Ithought it would be a great idea,” con-firms Colombo. A graduate of the Univer-sity of Massachusetts, Colombo lives inGardner, Massachusetts, and works indefense technology at Impact Scienceand Technology.

Both men cite the ability to work withthe students as the reward for participat-

ing with Tufts. “I like working with peo-ple, and it’s rewarding when you see thatlook on their faces that things are start-ing to make sense,” explains Colombo.

“I learn from the students as much asthey learn from me,” adds Heller. “Andthe projects are fun. I get a budget towork on things that I wouldn’t normallyget to do through my work.”

Having helped approximately 150participants over the last five years,Heller and Colombo have honed thementoring process. While studentsoften have difficulty originating proj-ect ideas, Heller and Colombo cancome up with the mission and struc-ture in such a way that the studentscan then do the work.

“We don’t actually teach classes, butwe do spend small-group time with eachstudent going over how the project isprogressing,” clarifies Heller. “We’ll givesuggestions for an alternative course ofaction or guidance on how to proceed.”

Thompson maintains that she “can-not say enough” about the value of hav-ing instructors who hold jobs outside ofthe classroom. “The learning is differentwith tutoring by professionals likeMatthew and Rick,” she describes. “Theywork with you to make you understandwhat the theoretical aspects you learn ina classroom really mean, and how youcan apply those lessons to produce solu-tions like a solar energy system or amonkey door. It would have been hard toaccomplish what we did without them.”

A 2007 graduate of Tufts with adegree in electrical and biomedical engi-neering, Thompson is now a systemsengineer with Raytheon. She looks backfondly on her experiences with Hellerand Colombo, citing her interaction andwork with them as the highlight of hercollege experience at Tufts.

Worthy of note is the fact that about80% of the students who work withHeller and Colombo have been women.Observes Heller: “The women have allkinds of varied interests and back-grounds. They tend to work best ingroups, whereas the male students seemto prefer working individually.”

However a student chooses to work, itall comes down to the opportunity to dosomething innovative and tangible.

“All of these projects are to get the stu-dents involved with design,” says Colombo.“It is just a lot of hands-on work, so the stu-dent will be able to go out in the real worldand say ‘I’ve actually touched this stuff’.”

Siebeking agrees, confirming that,“this is an awesome opportunity for thestudents. It’s something for which theycan really see results.”

With all of the creative projects beingdreamed up by Heller and Colombo, whoknows what these students will get theirhands on next?

—Karen Panetta is the editor-in-chief of IEEE Women in EngineeringMagazine.


In conjunction withthe nonprofit

organization HelpingHands: Monkey

Helpers, studentshelped to create avoice recognition

Web site system thatallows patients to

free professionallytrained monkeys so

that they may receiveassistance with their

daily tasks.

“Build technical and professionalstrengths. Professionally, continue tobuild relationships, collaborate with oth-ers in the field and network,” she says.“On the technical side, keep reading, stayabreast of new technologies, and stayengaged in the field. Stay connected.Connection is key,” she says.

Jamieson herself will be goingthrough a career transition when herterm ends in December. What will shetake on next?

“I will stay deeply engaged with theIEEE. I will continue to work on strate-gic planning initiatives—the perceptionof disability among the public and howto improve this perception is one initia-

tive I am working on. I will continue towork on issues related to IEEE WIE aswell as explore the future of engineer-ing careers.”

Most importantly, Jamieson says sheplans on looking at how the IEEE canplay a larger role in society and aroundthe world.

“Many problems locally and glob-ally can be solved by engineering,”she says. “Engineers can make a dif-ference in the quality of life for peo-ple around the world. We will findmore ways for the IEEE to help makethis difference.”

—Nancy Salim

Career Advisor

(continued from page 31)

PHOTO COURTESY OF TUFTS UNIVERSITY


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WIE from Around the World

07/$25.00©2007IEEE WINTER 2007/2008 IEEE WOMEN IN ENGINEERING MAGAZINE 43

iAmong the Stars

Kalpana Chawla’s memory serves as a beacon for girls in India

It was 8:53 a.m. on 1 February 2003 at theKennedy Space Center in Florida, but a lit-tle after seven in the evening inIndia when I tuned in to anews channel providingregular updates on thespace shuttle Columbia’sreturn journey to earth.The shuttle was reen-tering the atmosphereafter a 16-day scientificmission and NASA lostradio contact only min-utes before the expectedlanding. Video recordingsshowed the spacecraftbreaking up in flamesover Texas at an altitudeof approximately 63 kmand a speed of 5.6 km/s.

Photographs in newspapers aroundthe world displayed the shiny shards ofColumbia streaking across a clear bluesky. All crewmembers had perished onreentry. In the months following thetragedy, NASA scientists determined thata hole was punctured in the leading edgeon one of Columbia’s wings, made of car-bon-carbon composite. The hole hadformed due to a piece of insulation foamfrom the external fuel tank that peeled

off during the launch. Hot gases pene-trated the interior of the wing, destroy-ing the support structure and causingthe rest of the shuttle to break apart dur-ing the intense heat of reentry.

Kalpana Chawla was an Indian-bornAmerican astronaut and one of the sevencrewmembers aboard the space shuttle.

Chawla’s story has been inspiringto youth like myself. She has

strengthened my commit-ment to achieve mydreams, to live and diebeing what one reallywants to be.

Chawla excelled ina field where India had

no markers. AlthoughIndia has a strong tradi-tion of science teachingand learning, there arehardly any women whohave made it to the topin our scientific estab-lishments. Those whohave made it can speak

of the struggle to balance home and fam-ily commitments with the strongdemands on time required by science.

Her life was like an absolute fairy tale.It’s the story of a small town girl whodreamed big and held the self-confidenceand perseverance to chase the dream.She followed it halfway across the globeand lived it. But fairy tales are not sup-posed to have a tragic end; they alwayshave a happy finale.

Taking FlightChawla was born on 1 July 1961 in Kar-nal, Haryana, in India. Her fatherBanarsi Das had to flee Pakistan duringthe partition and built a thriving tirebusiness from scratch, from which hetaught his daughter, “You could not loseby working hard.”

She completed her schooling fromTagore Bal Niketan School, Karnal, in1976 and earned a bachelor of sciencedegree in aeronautical engineeringfrom Punjab Engineering College in1982. She soon added her master ofscience degree in aerospace engineer-ing in 1984 from the University ofTexas and moved on to Colorado Uni-versity to work on her doctorate of phi-losophy in aerospace engineering,which she completed in 1988. She thenjoined the NASA Ames Research Cen-ter, working in the area of powered liftcomputational fluid dynamics.

In 1993, Chawla joined Overset Meth-ods Inc., Los Altos, California, as vice-president and research scientist, to forma team specializing in the simulation ofmoving multiple body problems. She wasresponsible for development and imple-mentation of efficient techniques to per-form aerodynamic optimization.

The following year she was selectedby NASA, and in March 1995, she joinedthe NASA astronaut corps as a candidatein the 15th group of astronauts. Aftercompleting a year of training and evalua-tion she was assigned as a crew represen-tative to work on technical issues for the

Modern day role modelsGirls need not look far for inspiration

Chawla became the firstIndian-born woman and the

second person of Indian originto fly in space following

cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma in 1984.

HONORABLE LEGACYKalpana Chawla has been posthumously

awarded

◗ Congressional Space Medal of Honor

◗ NASA Space Flight Medal

◗ NASA Distinguished Service Medal

◗ Defense Distinguished Service Medal

(DDSM)

PHOTO COURTESY OF NASA


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astronaut office EVA/Robotics and com-puter branches. Her assignments includ-ed work on development of RoboticSituational Awareness Displays and test-ing space shuttle control software in theShuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory.

It was in November 1996 thatChawla was assigned as mission special-ist and prime robotic arm operator onSTS-87. She was the first Indian-bornwoman and the second person of Indianorigin to fly in space following cosmo-naut Rakesh Sharma in 1984. STS-87focused on experiments designed tostudy how the weightless environmentof space affects various physical process-es and to observe the sun’s outer atmos-pheric layers. She logged more than 375hours in space and approximately 252orbits of the earth.

In 1998, she was assigned as crewrepresentative for shuttle and stationflight crew equipment. Subsequentlyshe was assigned as the lead for theastronaut office’s crew systems and hab-itability section until, in 2000, she wasselected for her second flight as part of

the crew of STS-107. On16 January 2003 she wentinto space as a missionspecialist aboard Columbiaon the ill-fated STS-107.

The Journey MattersThroughout Chawla’s deter-mination to achieve herdreams, her indomitablespirit stands out. Whilegrowing up in India sheoften slept in the courtyardand gazed at the stars. Herstrong will to reach for thosestars convinced her parentsto let her go to the United

States for higher studies.Today, girls have more choices than

Chawla’s generation and yet the pressurefrom family and society to conformremains. The moment you beginapproaching the age where you mustchoose subjects in college there is pres-sure. “Do home science and learn to be agood wife” or “Do commerce and jointhe family business” or “Do medicine andjoin the family business.”

Parents try to coax their children tomake a so-called “safe” career choice or,if you have supportive parents, your con-servative relatives try to dictate your life’sdecisions. They would rather see youmarried and settled down. In such fami-lies, only the gutsy manage to stick tothe course they have chosen for them-selves. The majority of young adults qui-etly fall in line.

This is the reason why Chawla’s storyhas inspired many young girls, not justthose who have chosen a similar field ofstudy, but those who never aspired to bean astronaut or fly a plane. Through herexample she has succeeded in igniting

an extraordinary desire andconfidence in many youngwomen, most of whom shehad never met, to fulfill theirdreams. For a multitude ofIndians fed on a diet ofanorexic beauty queens whomouth well-worn platitudes,we are starved for a rolemodel. We are thirsty for peo-ple we can aspire to be like.

Chawla was not one of the dollar-obsessed techies of this age. In one of herinterviews, when asked for a message forIndian children she said, “Material inter-ests are not the only guiding light. It issomething you’d enjoy doing in the longrun. Take time to figure out how to getthere. The quickest way may not neces-sarily be the best. The journey matters asmuch as the goal.”

Quoting philosopher Seneca, Chawlaalways said, “I was not born for one cor-ner; the whole world is my native land.”We may have lost her to the stars but sheleaves behind her a legacy that most cer-tainly will motivate others like her to fol-low their dreams.

As they say “A candle that burns twiceas bright, burns half as long.”

—Chaitri Aroskar

WIE Make a Difference

Support and advice for the next generation

Getting to the crux of what’s real intoday’s society is more than a littletricky. MTV annually rolls out The RealWorld, a show where the cast is carefullyhandpicked to create conflict. In sports,boxing’s Evander “The Real Deal” Holy-field is 20 years past his prime and regu-larly defeated. As for the real truth, it’s aninconvenient one if you’re Al Gore andthere’s variations of it for Dick Cheney.

Panetta passing on her real world experiencesFortunately, IEEE WIE Committee ChairKaren Panetta’s version of “keeping it real”is more effective. It’s all abouttaking her real worldexperience and passingit on to other engi-neers and students.

Panetta serves asthe associate professorof electrical and com-puter engineering anddirector of the Simulation Research Lab-oratory at Tufts University in Medford,

During hertime at NASA,Chawlaworked on thedevelopmentof RoboticSituationalAwarenessDisplays andtested spaceshuttle controlsoftware.

Chawlawasamongthe crewmembersthatperishedon the ill-fatedspaceshuttleColumbia.


Karen Panetta

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Massachusetts. She is also the cofounderof BA Logix Inc., where she works as thecompany’s chief research scientist.Panetta believes that real world experi-ence is critical for engineering educa-tion, which is why she maintainsconsulting positions in the industry andbrings her experiences back to the class-room. She is a design consultant for Tycoelectronics, M/A-Com Inc., and consultsfor the Massachusetts school systemsand science museums across the UnitedStates to inspire engineering and tech-nology education.

After earning her bachelor’s degree incomputer engineering from Boston Uni-versity, she joined Digital EquipmentCorporation after graduation and begandesigning computers. Panetta completedboth and her master’s degree and Ph.D.from Northeastern University whileworking full time.

“As I spent more years in industry, Isaw more of my female colleagues leavingthe profession and saw even less womenin my graduate classes,” Panetta recalls.“I became a professor purely by my desireto teach and encourage young studentsto become engineers. My years as an edu-cator and professional consultant in sev-eral diverse industries showed me howinterdisciplinary and valuable my skillswere. This opened many new excitingengineering opportunities for me. Theseare the things I wish to convey to stu-dents early in their education so that theyunderstand the value of engineering andwhat engineers do for society.”

As a product of her dedication to pro-moting women in engineering, Panettacreated the “Nerd Girls” program, whereundergraduate engineers researchrenewable energy topics and serve as rolemodels for younger students. The pro-gram is aimed at breaking down the bar-riers that prevent women from enteringthe engineering disciplines and bridgingthe gap between attracting girls intoengineering and sustaining themthrough their engineering curriculum. Itstrives to help undergraduate studentsbuild confidence in their skills, whilepreparing them for professional careers.

The Nerd Girl program has success-fully promoted engineering to students,

educators, and government officials.Panetta’s team has presented its work toover 8,000 Massachusetts school chil-dren and educators and she is proud tobe able to “interact and reach so manypeople and hear firsthand the concernsthat parents, educators and young chil-dren have about engineering.

Reaching out to children is impor-tant since Panetta recognizes that herstrongest engineering asset was fosteredas a child—her imagination. It wasimportant to be able to support herselfand to make her parents proud of theirinvestment in her education, she says.Her parents noted that their daughterhad no trouble with math and sciencein school and encouraged Panetta topursue engineering despite the fact thatshe “had no idea what engineers did,”she adds.

In many cases, people rise and fallwith self-confidence and it’s important tohave faith in yourself, Panetta says.

“When someone tells you that you arenot good enough or will never be able toaccomplish your goals, you can have oneof two reactions. One reaction is tobelieve them and give up. The otherreaction is to realize that no one knowsyou better than yourself and that you willfind such joy in proving them wrong. Iam proud to say I always take the latterapproach.”

Bell Chimes In on Benefits of Design Teams and Student GroupsAmy Bell is the 2007 Engineering Activ-ities Board liaison to WIE. She receivedher Ph.D. in electrical engineering fromthe University of Michigan in 1997. Cur-rently, she is an associate professor inthe Electrical and Computer Engineer-ing Department at Virginia Tech anddirector of the Digital Signal Processingand Communications Lab. Bell con-ducts research in sensor array algo-rithms, cellular imaging analysis,wavelet image compression, and engi-neering education.

Bell says that in high school, she did-n’t know anything about engineering, butshe knew what she liked and was good at:math, physics, reading, writing, music,and the outdoors. She learned that math

and science were a good fit with a careerin engineering after listening to a visitingcounselor from a nearby university.

During her first year at college, shelearned more about the various engi-neering areas; talking with other stu-dents and attending meetings of theengineering student groups were two ofher best sources of information. At thatpoint, Bell realized that engineering wasa good choice since it allowed her tocombine her interests and strengths witha career that provided financial stability.

Bell advocates engineering as acareer choice to young adults becauseengineering is very important to peopleand society.

“Engineers are responsible for peo-ple’s safety, health, and happiness bydesigning safer cars that are also envi-ronment friendly, more accurate medicaldiagnostic equipment, and search-and-rescue robots that locate trapped victimsin confined spaces after a building col-lapse,” she says. Most people do not asso-ciate these advances with engineering.

She encourages young adults to getinvolved with student groups and designteams, to find an interesting summerinternship with a company, and to doindependent research with an engineer-ing professor to help experience the fullexcitement of engineering.

Bell is the recipient of two awards forteaching excellence and the 2005–2006IEEE Outstanding Student BranchCounselor Award. She is married to San-jay Raman, who is also an electrical engi-neering professor. They live inBlacksburg, Virginia, with their twoyoung sons.

Patel Advises Young Adults to Learn from SetbacksNita Patel, an IEEE Senior Member, isthe 2006–2007 Region 5 WIE Coordina-tor. She graduated from SouthernMethodist University with aB.S. in mathematicsand a B.S.E.E. inelectrical engineer-ing in 1995 and thencompleted an M.S. incomputer engineeringin 1998. Nita Patel



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Patel currently works for RS Informa-tion Systems as a chief engineer. AtRSIS, Patel supervises engineering teammembers to design and integrate signalprocessing and receiver upgrades for theNational Weather Service’s NEXRADWSR-88D Doppler Radar Network.

Previously, Patel worked for InsightTechnology in Manchester, New Hamp-shire, as an electrical engineer. Nitadesigned, wrote and integrated embed-ded C software for fused infrared sys-tems, I2 goggles, laser aiming devices,grenade launchers, and laser rangefind-ers. Patel started her career at TIDefense Systems in McKinney, Texas,designing C and LabWindows/CVI soft-ware for automated acceptance, environ-mental, and diagnostics test systems formilitary infrared tracking and fire con-trol systems.

Patel became an engineer because shewas always fascinated by how mechanical

and electronic devices worked, she says.She enjoys the challenge of encounter-ing a problem and then finding a solu-tion with whatever tools and knowledgeshe can gather.

Patel advises young adults to “tryeverything and anything that you findinteresting, fascinating, and/or exciting.”

Engineering requires countless calcu-lated risks, experiments and tests, someof which might result in an unexpectedresponse or failure. Patel encourageseveryone to embrace each unsuccessfulattempt and learn from it. She advises,“Don’t think in terms of failure OR suc-cess; think failure AND success. They arenot exclusive of each other and a slightchange in perspective might change afailure into an unexpected success.”

Ng Immersed in MentoringJennifer Ng, an IEEE Senior Member, isthe 2007 Chair of the WIE New Hamp-

shire (NH) Affinity Group. In 2006, shewas the recipient of the Young EngineerAward for the NH Section and spear-headed the formation of the NH WIEAffinity Group.

Ng obtained her bachelor of electri-cal engineering degree from McGill Uni-versity, Montréal, Canada. She alsocompleted her management certificatefrom the Boston University CorporateCenter in 2004.

She is currently employed at VisageImaging, Inc, a subsidiary of MercuryComputer Systems, Inc. in Chelms-ford, Massachusetts, where she is thequality systems manager and interimquality management representative.Currently, her responsibilities includeensuring compliance for ISO standards(ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 13485:2003)as well as CDMCAS (Canadian MedicalDevices Conformity Assessment Sys-tem) and MDD (Medical Device Direc-tive) for the CIV Quality ManagementSystems and products.

She started her career as a softwareengineer at Curtiss-Wright EmbeddedComputing Controls (formerly Dy4 Sys-tems Inc., Ottawa, Canada) where shedeveloped VxWorks/Tornado board sup-port packages for single board comput-ers) and wrote firmware diagnostics.

She is very involved in mentoringstudents through the McGill Mentor Pro-gram as well as IEEE members withMentorNet and is active in the start-up ofthe section’s TISP (Teacher-In-Service-Program). Ng current resides in Merri-mack, New Hampshire, with herhusband, who is also an electrical engi-neer, and their two sons.

Chung Follows Her InstinctsPau-Choo (Julia) Chung is the 2007liaison from the IEEE Circuits and Sys-tems (CAS) Society to WIE. Chungreceived her B.S. and M.S. degrees inelectrical engineering from NationalCheng Kung University, Taiwan, Repub-lic of China, in 1981 and 1983, respec-tively. She received her Ph.D. degree inelectrical engineering from Texas TechUniversity in 1991.

Chung was appointed full professor inthe Department of Electrical Engineer-

Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), with the support of swissUp, establishes an Professorship in Engineering

to promotewomen’s leadership

in engineering.

EPFL seeks to hire an outstanding woman as a tenure-track assistant professor in any field of engineering or computer sciences. With this professorship, we aim to enhance the engineering contributions and increase the participation of women in engineering. EPFL is one of the leading Institutes of Technology in Europe and of-fers internationally competitive salaries, research infrastructure, benefits, and start-up packages. The position is partially funded by swissUp, a foundation promoting higher education in Switzerland (www.swissup.ch). Applications will be actively considered from September 1st, 2007 with a final deadline of December 31st, 2007.

For further information, please contact Prof. Karen Scrivener ([email protected]).

Call for applications will start soon at http://swissup.epfl.ch

Additional information about EPFL and its programs is available at http://www.epfl.ch, http://sti.epfl.ch and http://ic.epfl.


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ing, National Cheng Kung University in1996. She was the vice director in 2001and currently serves as the director ofthe Center for Research of E-life Digi-tal Technology, National Cheng KungUniversity. She was selected as a distin-guished professor of National ChengKung University in 2005. She is alsocurrently serving as the director ofelectrical laboratory, National ChengKung University.

At National Cheng Kung University,Chung works with the university’s med-ical school and hospital by applying herdoctoral work in neural network model-ing to medical image analysis. Recently,she has been working on applying imageanalysis techniques and neural networkmodels to medical image analysis. She isconducting research in applications ofvideo analysis for home care.

Chung hesitated about whether sheshould attend a teacher’s college or anengineering college. “My instinct told methat I am a person who loves to think, doanalysis, and discover things, so I pur-sued engineering,” she says.

Engineering gave her an area whereshe could come up with new ideas, there-by bringing variation and excitement toher life. Chung has one son and onedaughter, with whom she loves to playlogic games and puzzles. She advisesyoung girls considering engineering,math or science fields to “always giveyourself a chance to explore and do notunderestimate your abilities.”

Cotorogea:Engineering Shapes the WorldMaria Cotorogea, an IEEE Senior Mem-ber, is the 2007 IEEE Power ElectronicsSociety (PELS) liaison to WIE. Shereceived the Dipl.-Ing. degree in electri-cal engineering from the Technical Uni-versity of Dresden, Germany, in 1990 andher Ph.D. in electrical engineering fromthe Technical University of Berlin, Ger-many, in 1993.

Cotorogea has been with the NationalCenter of Research and TechnologicalDevelopment (CENIDET) in Cuernavaca,Mexico, where she has been an associateprofessor in the Electronics Departmentsince 1996. Currently, Cotorogea is on

her sabbatical stay at Infineon Technolo-gies in Munich, Germany. She has pub-lished more than 40 papers ininternational journals and prestigiousconferences. Her research interestsinclude modeling and simulation ofpower systems, physical modeling, simu-lation and characterization of powersemiconductor devices, as well as powerquality and power converters for windenergy conversion systems.

Although, Cotorogea says that shehad no special interest in technicalissues, she felt it was natural to pursueengineering since her father, uncle, andcousins were engineers. She decided topursue the same field as her father,electrical engineering, and became fas-cinated in semiconductor manufactur-ing and devices.

Cotorogea encourages young adultsto pursue engineering because no otherprofession has impacted or shaped theworld in which we live as much as theengineering profession. She says that tounderstand how much engineeringimpacts the world, you have to experi-ence it first hand.

Cotorogea is proud to be a woman inthe field of engineering and to have beena part of the technical revolution thathas affected the world around us. Sheencourages girls to pursue engineeringto contribute to the diversity and plurali-ty necessary for evolution and progressin all fields.

“Being a woman in engineering isdifferent from being a man in engineer-ing,” she says. “Not better, not worse,just different. For this reason, womenhave very much to contribute to engi-neering, their under-representationmeans a huge potential that has to beexploited in the future.”

Hirt Helps Women ContributeEvelyn Hirt, an IEEE Senior Member, isthe 2007 Region 6 WIE Coordinator. Eve-lyn received a bachelor of electrical engi-neering degree, cum laude, from theUniversity of Detroit and a master’s inengineering management from Washing-ton State University (WSU) in Pullman,Washington. She was awarded a certificatein project management from WSU and

has completed the Pacific NorthwestNational Laboratory (PNNL) three-yearmanagement skills development program.

Hirt is currently the principal pro-fessional and engineer at Pacific North-west National Laboratory, which isoperated by Battelle for the U.S. Depart-ment of Energy in Richland, Washing-ton. She has published works in theapplication of laser ablation, test pro-gram requirements management, fault-tree-generation methodology, and timedissemination using the global position-ing system (GPS). Although her careerin engineering has been multidiscipli-nary, bridging the technical, govern-ment and academic communities, herinterests center on systems and controlsand engineering management.

Even though Hirt was interested inmath, science, and creating things, sheinitially planned to go into a skilled tradesince her family did not have a traditionof attending college. However, with theencouragement of her secondary schoolcounselors, her mother and a wonderfuluniversity advisor, Dr. Wayne Panyan,she became the first family member toobtain a university degree. At that time,she was one of only ten women to gradu-ate from the University of Detroit with anengineering degree in the university’snearly 100-year history.

Hirt encourages all young adults,with an inquisitive mind to pursue engi-neering even if they may not completelyunderstand it. She strongly recom-mends that everyone seek out a mentorto help better understand differentaspects of engineering and to act as aguide through the education process.

Jessop Leads Through IEEE MembershipJennifer Jessop is the 2007 Region 7WIE Coordinator and an engineer atManitoba Hydro. In October 2006, Jes-sop joined the Project Support Section,in Manitoba Hydro’s Power Supply Busi-ness Unit, where she is responsible forproject management services related tonew hydroelectric development. Jessopsays that, “the support of her company,and the IEEE, continue to encourage meto develop to my full potential.”


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Jessop encourages everyone to get a mentor and mentor oth-ers. Jessop mentored Michelle Carriere, a graduate of the “Build-ing the Circle” Aboriginal Girls Summer Camp, a pilot projectsponsored by Manitoba Hydro. This camp was designed to pro-mote Engineering, Technology & Trades to female aboriginal girls.

According to Jessop, “Mentoring is a leading benefit of IEEEmembership.”

Jones Shows Internships Are KeyLauren Jones is currently pursuing a master’s degree in engi-neering at the University of California, Berkeley, focusing on

integrated circuit design. Jones has worked withthe Center for Educational Engineering Out-

reach teaching elementary and middleschool students engineering through in-school and after-school programs. She has

also served on the Nerd Girls research teamas the Electrical Engineering team lead onthe design of a Solar Vehicle.

Jones previously completed a summerinternship at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control in Dal-las, Texas, working with the Software Test team on High Mobili-ty Artillery Rocket Systems in 2005. She then transitioned toMicrosoft in Seattle, Washington, as a Software DevelopmentEngineer in Test Intern on the Hardware Team in 2006. AtMicrosoft she developed a software tool to emulate MicrosoftHardware products, allowing the test cycle to begin before hard-ware prototypes were available. Jones recently completed a thirdinternship at NVIDIA in Santa Clara, California, working on theGPU products team.

As a 2007 graduate of Tufts University with a degree in com-puter engineering, Jones knows the academic challenges facinggirls at all academic levels.

“I vividly remember attending a computer science camp inearly elementary school, where we were being taught to pro-gram a turtle to navigate its way through a maze,” she recalls.“I remembered my shock as I walked into to the room, only tobe surrounded by boys. I enjoyed the class, and wondered whyso few girls were involved.”

Jones entered college as an engineer and soon migratedinto electrical engineering and computer science after takingmandatory engineering electives. “I realized that in my life-time, the advancements made in digital computing are notonly aggressive, but have profoundly impacted our lives,” shesays. “I can’t explain why I have always been drawn to com-puting, but I have stayed to contribute to an exciting and everchanging industry, to face challenging problems, and toalways evoke shock and awe when I reveal that my area ofexpertise is engineering.”

To those girls looking to get into engineering, Jones’ advice issuccinct. “Surround yourself with intelligent people, and youwill always be learning. Surround yourself with people who sup-port and encourage you, so you never forget your potential.”

Lauren Jones

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