We Made a Difference. We Made it Together. WEMADEIT.

engHEROES

Superheros are not just cartoons, they’re real people too! From rocket scientist to entrepreneur, our team interviewed some of the most incredible female engineers out there. Check out these engHEROES’ stories for some serious inspiration.

Isabel Deslauriers

by

Q&A WITH engHERO: Isabel Deslauriers

Isabel Deslauriers is the national coordinator of Let’s Talk Science which organizes cool science activities for younger kids with the help of volunteers across the nation, with hopes of informing children about careers in science and engineering.Isabel Deslauriers in Italy

Q: What’s one thing you wish you knew about engineering back when you were in high school?

I received a lot of information about engineering from my parents. I think that one thing that is good to know is that in engineering you pick what you want to do; there are many jobs available with the same degree, so you can choose the single thing that is best for you to do as a job.

Q: What’s your proudest accomplishment as an engineer?

I think that my job, as a whole, impacts all the volunteers and kids who are involved with different projects. One of the most satisfying aspects is to able to help others discover engineering and their interests in it.

Q: Tell me about a time in your career when your work has been about discovery or curiosity?

There are two examples that I can think of. One is regarding me and using science to solve problems; I was working on cryptography and trying to discover the best code using different ways, and I really enjoyed the application of these skills and methods. The second one is when working with kids and seeing how they are amazed when discovering how to do something.

Q: What are you doing these days?

I’m a national coordinator of outreach at Let’s Talk Science which is a non-profit organization that plans and does hands-on science activities with kids in order to make them interested in science. In terms of education, I have a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. I was always interested in science and I attended a science camp during high school that made me interested in engineering, teaching and research. I also volunteered with Let’s Talk Science, because it brought together my interests.

Q: Do you feel your work contributes to society? How so?

I think that my work is helping to move our society towards making a better world. Especially because I’m part of a non-profit organization, I can really feel good about helping others make the most of their abilities.

Q: Why do we need more female engineers?

I think the question is that why aren’t there naturally more female engineers? I think we should give a chance to any girls to know she can to in engineering. Boys and girls are equally interested in science up to grade 5, and girls tend to be less interested afterwards, which is still unclear why, but it could be caused by stereotypes and their surroundings.

Q: You have done some work related to beekeeping and RC airplanes. Could you tell me about them and what made you interested in them?

As a child, I was always interested in science, like playing with ants and experimenting with their lifestyle and what influences it. I was also interested in artistic and mechanical things. RC airplanes are one of my hobbies that bring my interests together.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Check out Let’s Talk Science

Laura Paul

by

Q&A WITH EngHERO: Laura Paul

Laura Paul is a field engineer, and sustainability analyst working forLaura Paul Morrison Hershfield. Every day, Laura helps minimize the negative impacts buildings have on the environment and optimize the positive ones.

Q: What’s one thing you wish you knew about engineering back when you were in high school?

There are so many related fields you can work it rather than just typical design streams. There are lots of social sides to Engineering as well, rather than just purely technical work.

Q: What’s your proudest accomplishment as an engineer?

One of my proudest moments as an Engineer was getting my iron ring presented to me by my Grandfather, Malcolm Paul, who also was a Civil Engineer. The iron ring is worn by Engineers as a reminder of the ethical obligations associated with our work.

Q: Tell me about a time in your career when your work has been about discovery or curiosity?

When I first go out on a construction site as field engineer it was a time when everything was new, and I was learning a huge amount. I was able to take the theory I learned in school and put it into practice. I learned a lot about materials, and constructability, and how each individual component worked with others in a system. I would highly suggest for all Engineers to have experience in the field on a construction site.

Q: What are you doing these days?

Sustainability Analyst, Morrison Hershfield, I work doing LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) consultancy and assessments, which includes helping designers reducing energy and water, choose less impactful materials, and improve the indoor environment for occupants (such as access to daylight and views).

I got here through experience on LEED projects, obtaining LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP) accreditation with specialties in: Building Design and Construction, Existing Building Operations and Maintenance, and Neighbourhood Design

I didn’t really know where I was going when I started, but I was hired by a General Contractor, so if I hadn’t learned more about sustainability I likely would have been headed towards general Project Management on Building projects.

Q: Do you feel your work contributes to society? How so?

Absolutely. I think that the buildings we live and work in affect us immensely – from the way we feel, to how healthy we are, to how they impact nature and the environment. Working as a Sustainable Building Specialist allows me to minimize the negative impacts buildings have and optimize the positive ones.

Q: Why do we need more female engineers?

I think the perspective of women is unique from the perspective of men (not better or worse, just different) – and encouraging many different perspectives always enhances decision making.

Q: What does a typical day on the job look like?

A typical day on the job involves working and coordinating with a team.

Erica Lee Garcia

by

Q&A WITH EngHERO: Erica Lee Garcia

Engbeaut Erica Lee Garcia

Erica Lee is a professional engineer who not only provides professional consultation to engineering companies, but also uses her experience and abilities to help young engineering students/graduate get started in their career and also raises awareness about engineering alongside Engineers Without Borders.

Q: What’s one thing you wish you knew about engineering back when you were in high school?

I think that one thing would be that engineering is really different from math or science. Of course they are related and needed, but engineering itself is nothing like the educational experience. Engineering is fun! It’s about problem-solving, improvising, and teamwork. Also engineering helps people’s lives, make it safe, cost-effective.

Q: What’s your proudest accomplishment as an engineer?

I used to work in a mining company. I travelled to Africa and South America where there were a lot of mines and I was a speaker for workers of the company. I talked about a method similar to 6-sigma (later explained) and problem solving. Even though there were a lot of mines in some places, after all that can be drained is taken from the mine, there is no more work available and many lose their jobs. For me, it’s a proud accomplishment, because I got to visit them and train some people, and give them some skills that not only helped them save money at the present time, but also could be used for the rest of their lives, allowing them to solve problems.

Q: Tell me about a time in your career when your work has been about discovery or curiosity?

I used to work for a company called Magna which produces all sorts of car parts. When working in the factory, we had a problem where some of the parts did not fit together properly. Now each part was worth about $17, so if they were thrown out, that would be thousands of dollars per day. So I was put in charge of a group to try and solve this problem. In this group we used a 6-sigma method, where there are specific steps to follow; mainly we need to identify what the problem is, why does it matter, what are its causes, and finally find a solution. When we came up with a possible solution, we had to test them and collect data, like “how many bad ones now?” Finally, we realized that the problem came from the supplier of a specific part, where all of the parts were not identical, so we solved the problem by allowing a tighter window to our supplier. It was one of my first projects, and the problem we were working on was very subtle, so it felt good when we were able to solve it; and then I got started on a next project.

Engbeaut Erica Lee Garcia
Q: What are you doing these days?

My work is a combination of entrepreneurship and engineering. I am the president of my own company, Erica Lee Consulting, where we give our client companies advise on how to get better results while wasting less. I am also a coach/mentor for young engineering students or young engineers who have just graduated; it is really difficult when you have just graduated to know what the next step is, so we try and help them become more clear and confident with what they are going to do. And finally, I also work with Engineers Without Borders, where I talk to younger kids to help them understand their capabilities to make a difference in the world and make it better. I also help organizers of events for children to come up with different activities, where we’re talking to children in their own language, not ours.

Q: Do you feel your work contributes to society? How so?

For sure, in terms of my mentoring, I help young engineers gain clarity and confident and be happy with what they have chosen to do; it’s very important to enjoy what you do and be happy with your work. With the work I do in Engineers Without Borders, we can see the next generation as growing up with much greater understanding, empathy, and tolerance for complexity. They will care about sustainability when thinking of solutions and those kids are going to be 21st century problem solvers. Talking to children is something that other engineers can also volunteer to do, and it is coming that will have a great impact in the long run.

Q: Why do we need more female engineers?

I believe that engineering field needs to be as diverse as the population it serves. Because engineering and what it develops has a ripple effect, influence many other things around the world. Whenever you make something new, you need to consider the opinion of the stockholders and its sustainablitity, because it you don’t it won’t last long. Traditionally, we have had a lot of men in the field, and we have to fix a lot of problems; this doesn’t mean that men are to blame for these problems that we yet have to solve, but our resources are much better now and men have a specific type of intelligence. To have a balanced viewpoint, we need to have women who are commonly good at characteristics like empathy, creativity and caring. It’s easy to reach a decision when all people share the same opinions and are on the same page, but having one person who questions that decision is a must even though it can be tricky.
Also, it’s not just that we need a balance between men and women in engineering; engineering needs to have all different types of diversity, from background ethics to physical characteristics.

Q: Why did you choose to go into engineering?

I don’t really know how I chose engineering; there isn’t anyone in my family in engineering either. I know that I wanted to impact the physical world. Even as a kid, I was always looking for ways to optimize and do things better (for example, when it rained, I would go in the driveway and dig channels into the dirt to make the water flow better out of the driveway). For me, it was between going into engineering or music. I did not want to be a scientist, because I did not want to work with theories. But because I was good at math and science, school counsellors suggested and I chose to go into engineering. I believe that I made the right decision, because now I know that through engineering I am making a tangible impact, and from the beginning that was very important to me.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

View Erica’s Profile at EWB

Ayah Bdeir

by

Q&A WITH EngHERO: Ayah Bdeir

Ayah Bdeir is an artist, engineer, and entrepreneur who founded littleBits, a library of tiny interactive circuit-boards which can be easily snapped together to perform specific functions.

Q: What’s one thing you wish you knew about engineering back when you were in high school?

That when you combine engineering with creativity and design you can create the most magical experiences.

Q: What’s your proudest accomplishment as an engineer?

Creating my company, littleBits! littleBits put the power of electronics in the hands of everyone and are changing the way people interact with and understand technology.

Q: Tell me about a time in your career when your work has been about discovery or curiosity?

I started littleBits as a prototype when I was a fellow at the Art and Technology Lab in New York, called Eyebeam, and made some prototypes and put them on my desk and put them on my website. There was only me at the time, so I continued, and I obsessed about the problem. I obsessed about this idea of how to make electronics accessible and how to make them modular. Three and a half years later, I had a product, and that’s when I decided to start a company.

Q: What are you doing these days?

I am the Founder & CEO of littleBits. littleBits are electronic modules that snap together with magnets for prototyping, learning and play.

I have a background in engineering. I did my undergrad as a computer engineer. In my 3rd year of undergrad we were required to do an internship and I got one at MIT as part of LIDS (Lab for Information and Decision Systems). It was a very dry and technical internship so I frequently went looking for something artistic. One day I stumbled upon a talk by the founder of IDEO at the MIT Media Lab and decided that was where I wanted to do my masters.

When I started engineering, I kept trying to find ways to bring more creative practices into engineering. When I went to the Media Lab it started my mission that I’ve been on for the past many years on how to make electronics accessible, and how to make electronics a creative medium.

Q: Do you feel your work contributes to society? How so?

Electronics are everywhere. We now produce, consume and throw out more electronic gadgets and technology enhanced products than ever before.

Over the past years, technology has moved from being an integral part of our lives, to helping define who we are. Yet, engineering is mystified, electronic objects are black-boxed and creativity is limited by the tools and materials available to each discipline.

I believe creativity with electronics (light, sound, sensors, etc.) will explode when they can be used as, and combined with other traditional materials such as paper, cardboard and screws. Materials are intuitive, accessible, self-contained, expressive, and most of all, can be integrated early in the creative process. Why not be able to combine felt with wood and light? Or Popsicle sticks with sound and motion sensitivity? Electronics are too pervasive and the technology too widespread for it to remain sequestered in its own space.

Q: Why do we need more female engineers?

I was lucky to be raised in a household where we were never led to believe that women were different than men, or ever thought that there was anything we couldn’t do. That upbringing has informed my view in how to contribute to the betterment of women in the workplace. I just try to do the best possible work I can every single day and be proud of it, and hopefully make others proud and inspired too. But what I do actually take a lot of care in, is making a gender-neutral product. This helps us achieve part of our mission to get more girls interested in science and engineering, and has been working very well. It is important to me that men and women are evenly represented at my own company and in the larger field of engineering.

Q: Is there a person who influenced your decision to become an engineer?

Yes, see above. I actually tried to quit multiple times during my undergrad but my parents encouraged me to at least complete my degree and then I could try something else. By the time I graduated, I was convinced of all the creative and powerful things I could do as an engineer.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Check out: Little Bits

Abigail Hutty

by

Q&A WITH EngHERO: Abigail Hutty

Abbie Hutty is a Spacecraft Structures Engineer at Airbus Defense and Space. She helped create the ExoMars rover , which is the Mars Rover prototype, and her job involves making technical decisions about the design development on the rover structure. She is an artist and an engineer and she won the IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year 2013.

Q: What’s one thing you wish you knew about engineering back when you were in high school?

That engineering is part of pretty much everything in our daily lives, and how high tech and cutting edge technology is always developed by a team of engineers! When I was at high school I shared the common misconception that “Engineers” were the people that came out to fix your home appliances in their overalls- I didn’t realize it included the design and development side too.

Q: What’s your proudest accomplishment as an engineer?

There are satellites in orbit with bits on them designed by me! That’s a pretty great feeling. You can see satellites sometimes with the naked eye, when the sun has set on Earth but is still shining on thing up in orbit- as they flash in the light from the sun they look like shooting stars. It’s great to go out and look up and know that something on that “shooting star” was once just an idea in your mind, that you developed and perfected, had made, and is now functioning all that way away!

Q: Tell me about a time in your career when your work has been about discovery or curiosity?

A lot of Airbus’ Science focused space missions are all about curiosity and discovery- exploring new worlds, imaging other planets, learning about our solar system, our galaxy, our universe. On a personal level though, the challenge of having to design such missions is so great that I am constantly having to learn about new things- for example today it was how the dust environment on Mars abrades the Materials we are designing our rover out of. You have to stay curious, and love learning new things and finding out about stuff like that.

Q: What are you doing these days?

I am a Spacecraft Structures Engineer at Airbus Defence and Space. My project is the ExoMars Rover- which means I am responsible for making sure the design is strong enough to withstand the launch, entry, descent and landing, and driving around on the surface, whilst also fulfilling all the secondary requirements that the structure fulfils- like thermal insulation, bio-containment, electrical grounding, and so on.

Q: Do you feel your work contributes to society? How so?

My work is helping to further mankind’s understanding of the Universe- so at the highest level, the findings from our missions contribute to society. On a more tangible level, though, discoveries and developments made in the Space industry to meet the unusual requirements up there, often then our found to have uses down on earth- like Teflon, which is now used on non-stick pans- that was developed as a Space material. You never know how something that you develop will one day be used.

Q: Why do we need more female engineers?

We need more engineers in general- a lot of the world’s biggest problems need engineers to fix them- power production, a growing population, an ageing population. Engineers, solve problems, and improve things. We don’t have enough engineers qualifying now to meet the future demand- so we need to increase the numbers entering the profession. If we aren’t targeting females as well as males we are missing out on half our potential recruits!

Q: What initially intrigued you to go into engineering?

I was first inspired to consider engineering when I saw a European Mars mission on the news, and saw that British engineers were working on parts of it. Knowing that such exciting projects were going on in the UK was a real light bulb moment for me- I had no idea. We always hear that high tech industries in the US or China are making these big leaps forward- but is going on all over the world, just some nations are less good at publicising their successes. Now I work on a Mars Mission- the very thing that inspired me to consider engineering in the first place!

Q: How did your project concerning the ExoMars Rover come about? What initiated this project? What new information do engineers and scientists plan to gain from this project?

ExoMars is a European Space agency mission- and its primary goal is to search for signs of life, past or present, on Mars. We have a large drill on board that can drill down up to 2m below the Martian surface, to where there is both protection from the harsh radiation environment at the surface, and where there are still water ice deposits. If life still exists on Mars, that’s where we expect to find it! No rover mission has ever had the capability before to take anything other than surface samples- so this is a really exciting part of the mission. We could be answering the question of whether we are alone in the Universe, or whether there is life right here in our own solar system- that would be a huge discovery.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Check out Abigail on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81J40tcMDX4

Melissa Griffin

by

Q&A WITH EngHERO: Melissa Griffin

Melissa Griffin is a Human Factors Analyst, whose work focuses on improving safety by improving the systems that people live and work in. Instead of trying to change how people should act, Melissa and her colleges advocate for changing the system so it’s more natural for people to interact normally.

Q: What did you wish you knew about engineering back when you were in high school?

That engineering is actually really fun! The very first day of frosh week I realized that there was a wonderful community of students who actually liked science and math, and that a lot of them were really fun. I also wish I knew that you can do a lot with an engineering degree, and it doesn’t have to mean you’ll end up behind a desk crunching numbers 24/7. In my current role, I have the chance to get out into the field and spend time with a range of other disciplines and specialists including other engineers, psychologists, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, policy makers, regulatory bodies, researchers and administrators.

Q: What’s your proudest accomplishment as an engineer?

At this point, probably getting my P.Eng. Another proud moment was when I got my first job.

Q: Tell me about a time in your career when your work has been about discovery or curiosity?

The role that I’m in now has a lot to do with curiosity and discovery. I am working in health care research as a Human Factors Engineer and as part of that we get to ask and answer research questions. I also have a lot of freedom in my work to explore areas that interest me. For example, right now I do quite a bit of work with different hospitals and cancer centres, helping them to make their technologies, processes and environments safer for patients and staff. I look at workflows, how people tend to interact with technologies, and how different polices and regulations affect the healthcare system. When we see something out in the field that is of interest, often, if we can find supporters and funding, we are able to further explore these areas to improve patient safety.

Q: What’s your job now (title, company, description)? How did you get there (education, internships, mentors, other experiences)? Where did you think you were going when you started out?

Human Factors Analyst/Engineer at University Health Network (UHN) as part of the research team HumanEra. I am part of a multi-disciplinary team that tries to improve patient safety by improving the systems that people work and live within. We know that people have certain strengths and weaknesses and instead of trying to change how people should act, we advocate for changing the system so it’s naturally easier for people to interact correctly. I had no idea I’d end up where I am now. I started in Mech Eng at Queen’s University, and ended up working in the automotive industry for 2 years, first as a Project Engineer and then as an Account Manager.

After a couple of years there I realized I wanted to do something that had more of a positive impact on other people. I came across the Masters of Clinical Engineering program at U of T, which appealed to me because it included several internships. Through this program I completed a thesis about applying human factors to home care environments, and did an internship at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in the Clinical Engineering department, at the Toronto Rehab Institute in the Dysphagia Lab, and at the Centre for Global eHealth Innovation, where I currently work.

My thesis supervisor was a great influence on me and is now my boss. When I started out, I had no idea this kind of job even existed and didn’t know much about human factors. Having my undergrad Mechanical Engineering degree opened the door for me to get into the Master’s program that led to where I’m working today.

Q: Do you feel your work contributes to society? How so?

I definitely think the work I do contributes to society. Our teams’ mandate is to improve the safety of patients and health care workers by making the systems they work and live in safer. We get to be activists for patients and front line staff and highlight ways in which things could be improved. We also do a fair bit of education for front line staff to help them identify areas of risk, so they can make their own practices safer and more robust.

Q: Why do we need more female engineers?

I think women are able to provide a unique perspective for many engineering problems. In the work I do, I am often interacting with nurses, who predominantly tend to be women so I think it makes it a bit more comfortable and easier for them to open up about what they do and the challenges they face in their day to day jobs. Also, many of the female engineers I know are great mentors. We need more female engineers because we can be creative problem solvers, empathetic, and approach problems from a slightly different perspective than our male counterparts.

Q: Do you have any hobbies/passions that give you a unique perspective in engineering?

I love to travel and so seeing how other countries approach design and technology has always been interesting to me. There are often several possible solutions to a problem or challenge, especially when it comes to systems and design, and so seeing how different cultures take on these challenges can be inspiring and useful in helping you think about your own engineering challenges.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –Check out where Melissa works! http://ehealthinnovation.org/