What I Do I am actually a control systems engineer. I started working as a co-op engineer at NIST while still in college. I learned to program robots there. I later coached FLL and FRC robotics teams for over 20 years.
Why Engineering? I originally wanted to be an astronomer. But then I found out there were 10 people for each job opening (and it hasn't changed). So I decided to try out engineering. I fell in love with the classes.
School Days I graduated from the University of Maryland with a BSEE. I then attending MIT and earned a Masters in Electrical Engineering. While an undergraduate I spent 3 years working as an engineering co-op at NIST gaining extensive work experience (and it was a lot of fun.). I was a member of Eta Kappa Nu, the Electrical Engineering Honor Society. I was President of Tau Beta Pi, the National Engineering Honor Society and the President of the Engineering School Student Council my senior year. I also was a senior engineering fellow and completed a senior thesis, which was fun. I was simulating how the ear processed speech sounds, but my program was so long that I had to run it late at night because it took up all the main computer's CPU time (and it had to finish by 7am.)
My Day At Work For the last 20 years I worked as the head robotics coach for both First Lego League and First Robotics Competition teams. I enjoyed working with students, teaching them both engineering skills and life skills. I always enjoyed that I always had several girls on my teams, most of whom became engineers or went into the sciences. During the summer I used to teach an Intro to Engineering course for high school students. I always had kids from all over!
Best Part I love programing and watching a robot do what we expect it to do. I love trouble shooting when something goes wrong. I also love that no matter how much you know, you are always learning something new! When I started teaching the summer engineering class I had to learn more about mechanical engineering. I was so excited a few seasons later, when I realized the reason the trebuchet on the robot was not working was because of something called 'structural loop' which I learned while teaching the mechanical engineering part of the summer class!
Proud Moments My proudest moments are watching students 'get it!' Especially when they are trying to solve a problem. I had one student who started as a freshman, then took the summer course. By the end of his high school career he could teach CAD and did so in college. I also had a young lady who was a dancer. She was interested in robotics so joined the team. The first season she couldn't attend robotics competitions because of her dance recitals. By senior year she told me she would continue to dance but she wanted to design the robot. She is now an engineer and continues to dance!
Challenges My biggest challenge was to understand that just because people say they understand doesn't really mean they do. I often felt stupid because I didn't always 'get it' or understand everything while I was in college. One day when I was a senior I discovered that other people didn't get it either, they just felt confident that they could figure it out. That was a major insight for me!
My Family Engineering is in my blood. I have records of a great great grandfather who was an engineer. My father was an electrical engineer. I am married to a mechanical engineer, so we don't argue. I have three kids, all engineers. The oldest and youngest are mechanical engineers like their dad and my middle child is a computer engineer, so I got at least one. I now have 4 grandchildren including 2 grand daughters and they are learning about engineering and design from their grandmother and grandfather.
Dreams and Goals I am retired. I want to spend time with my family. I also want to be a better astrophotographer and knitter. I also still advise students thinking about college.
Inspiration My father was a big inspiration- he was always very proud of having a daughter that was good at math and science (in my generation there were fathers who told their daughters 'girls are not suppose to be good at math.'). Sally Ride was a big inspiration as well, I watched her take off as the first US female astronaut. She was also a PhD in physics.
Want to be an Engineer? Do not let anyone hold you back. Work hard but also find time to play. I took 6 years to graduate with my BS in Electrical Engineering because I took time to work as an engineering co-op which was a lot of fun. I also make sure I have time to knit (I have been knitting since high school - it's very engineering oriented.)
Hobbies I am an avid knitter, quilt maker and amateur astronomer. I have spent the last two years learning how to be a good astro-photographer. I also love to cosplay and travel. I also love to hike and bike.