What I Do I work in Research and Development with fellow engineers to design and develop a rapid clinical diagnostic automated platform and consumables to help treat patients. My work is hands on, challenging and I get to solve problems and learn something new every day. I also love my team.
Why Engineering? I wanted to do or make something hands on that would help people around the world but I didn't want to be a doctor. I liked biology and research projects too. I also thought designing a solution to a problem no matter how small seemed fun. I first got interested through a Girl Scouts program called Design and Discovery in my home state of Oregon. Then I did LEGO Robotics and loved that too. EngineerGirl is a website sponsored by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). I once attended a NAE conference in college and got a bumper sticker that said "Because Dreams Need Doing". That simple quote is at the heart of why I do engineering - because I have dreams that need doing! =) That quote also reminds me to keep persevering whenever I feel sad.
School Days B.S. and M.S. degrees in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Southern California
My Day At Work - I'm following some aspect of the engineering design process every day. - Brainstorming/sketching/designing: Sitting at a computer doing CAD modeling - Conducting tests: Being in the lab watching a prototype I modeled or our company's design partner modeled and manufactured come to life. Observing the experiment as it runs and looking out for any failures - seeing if fluid control is working as expected. - Presenting results and making decisions: Participating in collaborative meetings with different teams - Assay integration (scientists), instrument/hardware engineers, third party consultants, manufacturing engineers, and trying to make decisions about the best path forward or next steps to take after we review data - Iterating through this process: smaller follow-up meetings, etc.
Best Part Knowing that what I do has purpose - I am helping people and making the world a better place. Also, being able to share my knowledge with YOU is another thing that keeps me motivated to continue as an engineer.
Proud Moments Solving a particularly challenging problem and seeing that my theoretical analysis matched the experimental results we got.
Inspiration Marian Croak inspires me because she developed Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology which makes Zoom and virtual calls and remote work possible! Such cool technology and she persevered in the R&D space despite racial or gender bias that I'm sure she must have encountered.
Want to be an Engineer? Just know that there's really no such thing as a "typical" engineer, no matter what you read or hear. If you can work hard, like solving problems, and feel good when you overcome a challenge, you will make a great engineer! You don't need to be good at a specific skill, you just have to be willing to learn and work on your skills.
Hobbies I love all forms of dance and I'm a trained classical dancer. I'm also a writer and have written opinion pieces and blogs in digital college publications. I enjoy hiking, exploring the city, spending time with friends, volunteering and watching TV on the weekends.