Category: Engineer

Engineer, STEM Careers

9/11 Reflections

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Disclaimer: This article is based on my own thoughts and memories from September 11, 2001. The featured image of the flag was found on http://www.almanac.com.

Where were you on September 11, 2001?

I was in my high school homeroom and I remember that our principal came over the intercom system to announce that a plane had hit the World Trade Center Building in New York City. She asked us to offer prayers to all the victims.

I remember wondering – what is the World Trade Center Building and also how would a plane have hit the building in such a large city?

I continued to my first bell class – English Literature. The TV was on and we were all watching just completely stunned by the tremendous amount of black smoke pouring out of the building that had just been struck by a commercial airplane. I saw several emergency vehicles arriving to the scene and people waving outside the broken windows for help.

The second plane hitting the second tower. Image from Businessinsider.com .

Then I remember seeing a flying object coming towards the second tower – Was it an emergency aircraft? Was it a large bird? As it struck the second tower, I saw the aircraft wings and realized it was another commercial airplane. My heart sank into my chest. Whenever I think back on that moment, I still feel my heart sink into my chest. It was clear to me in that moment that these incidents were not an accident. I was in complete shock.

I remember seeing people running from the towers scared, more emergency crews arriving at the scene to try to save people and the worst by far for me were the images of innocent people jumping from the windows out of desperation and plummeting to their death. I couldn’t watch anymore. I put my head on my desk and started to cry and pray. I prayed for the victims and their families, the first responders, our countries leaders and I prayed for God to save our country from whoever was trying to attack and kill innocent Americans.

Those images and feelings from that day will never leave me. The emotions I felt are still so fresh and raw in my heart and mind just like it is for many of us that were alive on that day.

One thing that my engineering education helped me with (which I hope to pass on to my children), was knowing how to move forward through tragedy by problem solving. STEM education trained me to look at failures (or tragedies) from a technical and data driven perspective in order to prevent them from reoccurring. This training, I feel, has helped me think more clearly in emergency / survival mode situations.

As a country, we’ve learned and changed a lot since 9/11/2001. Someday, I will be able to share my experience from that day with my children and also help them understand how our country changed after that. I also want them to know and understand that many STEM professionals over the course of several years helped analyze what happened (i.e. building structural failures, emergency response plans, medical analysis and healthcare for survivors, etc.) to ensure that this same type of failure would never occur again.

I want my kids to know that good problem solvers and their knowledge in their STEM professions – engineers, scientists, architects, doctors, etc. – are extremely important and that in their lifetime they may witness an event similar to this one that requires several problem solvers to come together and work in teams to find answers and solve a large problem.

The National Construction Safety Team Act (NCST Act) was signed October 1, 2002 by President George W. Bush to mandate the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to determine the likely cause or causes of the three building failures that occurred at the World Trade Center buildings in New York City on that day. The final report was issued in September 2005. I recently realized that there are some groups that disagree and are requesting the investigation be reopened by the NIST, including Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth.

My heart, prayers and thoughts go out to all the victims, victims families, the remaining survivors and the first responders from that day. I know that the memories from that day are still fresh in their minds.

Please share your memories with me from September 11, 2001. I would love to hear them.

May we never forget. God bless America.

Engineer, Great Lakes Science Center, Museums, STEM Careers, STEM Resources

The Vroom Exhibit at the Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland Ohio is Tire-iffic!!!

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The Great Lakes Science Center did it again – they created another outstanding, fun and educational exhibit for kids and adults alike to explain how automobiles are designed, manufactured and serviced. VROOM! A Car Adventure is excellent!

The entrance to Vroom! At the Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland Ohio.

Our Favorites:

As we entered the ginormous space, my kids first ran towards the tall multi-track called Physics Playground. Children (and adults – yes, of course I had to try it out too) can race cars down several tracks with loops, turns and jumps! It’s very exciting and fast paced fun and entertainment like I’ve never seen before.

The Physics Playground

The second place my kids explored and LOVED was the Automotive Care Center where they could work on ‘Mom and Dad’s Car’. My daughter was wearing a long dress, but that didn’t stop her from diving in to work on the tires, muffler or re-fill the fluids. My youngest explored the fun tire holes surrounding this exhibit.

Other fun areas included Tots Garage and the Aerodynamics wall. There are two areas for designing and racing your own vehicle – one designed for toddlers called Tots Garage and another area with wooden pieces and tires for bigger kids and adults. At the aerodynamics wall, my children could visually see how air flows around various shaped objects. My oldest found it interesting that vehicle designers evaluate the aerodynamics of vehicles for fuel efficiency (so they don’t need as much gas).

You can also test your skills and speed against an arm robot, named Lenny, which is a duplicate used in the automotive factories. My children laughed so hard at the celebratory dance after each time the robot won!

The area that I personally enjoyed the most was The Future of Car Tech section. This area had an example of airless tires and the LiDar sensor that is used to help self-driving cars navigate.

LiDar Sensor Technology screen inside the new exhibit.

My Thoughts:

This exhibit helps visualize many aspects of car design and servicing. We easily spent 3 hours exploring this space and we could have spent even more time. It is designed for all ages of children and adults. There is so much more to this exhibit that I didn’t add to this post.

We left the exhibit with plenty of knowledge on vehicle design, technology and functionality. I wished that there would have been more on vehicle manufacturing. There’s scores of science and engineering at vehicle manufacturing and assembly plants – i.e. the science behind paint color and appearance alone is a whole science in itself. However, this exhibit did not disappoint us at all and we will recommend it to everyone that we know!

The most impressive part for me about this exhibit was that it was built in house by the Great Lakes Science Center – it is truly one of a kind. We loved it.

Vroom over to the Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland Ohio and go check it out for yourself!!!

momgineeringthefuture@gmail.com
Engineer, STEM Careers, STEM Resources

STEM Careers: Chemical and Materials Engineer Gabi

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This is a photo of Gabi at one of the Paint Shops!

Have you ever wondered what an engineer is or what they do?

Meet my friend and former co-worker, Gabi Patrick.  She is a Chemical and Materials Engineer and works as a New Material Technology Project Manager at Toyota Motor North America.  

I recently interviewed her for my blog. Here’s a glimpse into her engineering profession in the automotive industry.

Q: When and how did you become interested in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)? Do you have a specific memory or event that happened in your life that helped you choose your career path?

A: I have this vivid memory of me asking my Mom about empty space (air). I kept asking my Mom: “Mom, what is this?” <while making circular motions with my hands in the bathroom>. She couldn’t understand what I meant. I think of that question often… and how far it has gotten me. 

Q: Growing up, what were your favorite subject(s)? 

A: I loved math, physics and chemistry. Math to me was like a puzzle to be solved. Physics was more like a hands on game, and chemistry was magic!

Q: In your own words, how would you describe engineering to a child?

A: Engineering is like a big puzzle with nuts, bolts, legos, rubber bands, and a pinch of pixie dust!

Q: What did you study in college and how / why did you choose it/them? 

A: Chemical Engineering & Materials Engineering

When I was in elementary school, my aunt who worked in the polymers industry brought me a bag of plastic pellets. I was fascinated by them, so I decided to follow chemicals the rest of my middle school and high school years. Finally, when it was time to decide a major, I decided on Chemical Engineering. Once I was deep in my college years, I took a class on materials (metals, ceramics and plastics) and decided to focus on materials for my graduate degree, specifically ceramic coatings.

Q: Are your college studies helpful to you in your career now?  How or why?

A: Absolutely. College studies are the backbone to my career and the understanding of my daily responsibilities.  Some days are more technical than others, some days we think about costs, other days we really think about efficiency, or productivity, but without understanding the science behind it, it would be really difficult to get my job done. 

Q: What roles / job titles have you had in the engineering profession and how would you describe them?

A: Storm water engineer: I analyzed how much rain we got and decided the best ways to avoid flooding around the city. Paint Process Engineer: I managed a very long process that coated a vehicle with a rust proof paint. Materials Engineer: I tested new paints to make sure they were the same color by changing how they were applied.  New Materials Technology Project Manager: I collaborate with designers, production engineers and suppliers on the material development before it goes on the vehicle. 

Q: In your opinion, what are some of the most important attributes or characteristics that an engineer must have to be successful?

A: Patience, haha… Focus, be a good listener, learn something new every single day, take constructive criticism, and have fun!

Q: What is the most rewarding part of your job?

A: I get to work with people who have one goal: make the best cars in the world. My job has taught me patience, perseverance, humility, and respect. 

Q: What has been the most challenging part of your career?

A: Learning to accept mistakes and acknowledging failures.  

Q: What is one of your most fun, exciting or even embarrassing memories in your career?

A: My most embarrassing moment, and funny, has been the day I broke a stress toy at work. I had just had a difficult conversation with a superior and became really upset. My coworker handed me a very special stress toy donkey and I broke it in half. Sorry Larry! I’ll buy you a new one. 

Q: What would your advice be to parents and educators to help their children build confidence and interest in the STEM?  

A: Make it fun. Expose kids to different sciences (biology, chemistry, physics, math, etc.). Use daily, living examples, because in the end, we engineers work on daily living problems. Teach them how to think and solve, instead of ‘copy and repeat’. Focus on project-based learning, ask them to research, go look and understand. 

Q: In conclusion, what else would you like to add for parents reading this?

A: Don’t force a child into liking something specific. Expose them at a young age to all subjects but teach them how to think and solve problems. This is essential for any career, life problem, and eventually success… and please, have fun at it!

If you would like to connect with Gabi, you can find her on LinkedIn under her full name, Gabriela Patrick.

Did you enjoy this interview? Did it give you a better understanding of engineering? Does it help you with teaching your child? Would you like to see more like it?

Let me know at momgineeringthefuture@gmail.com or commenting on my social media sites.

Engineer, STEM Resources

It’s time to celebrate National Engineer’s Week or E-Week!

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If you aren’t an engineer, you probably wouldn’t know that the 3rd week in February every year is known as “E-Week” or National Engineers Week. The celebration of E-Week began in 1951 by the National Society of Professional Engineers. The purpose is to raise awareness to the contributions to society that engineers make.

FUN FACT: Did you know that George Washington was considered the countries first engineer for his survey work? His birthday is February 22 and E-Week is also that same week.

The National Engineers Week Foundation formed DiscoverE in 1990 to engage engineering volunteers to participate in K-12 programs and partly as a response to a government survey that showed a future shortage of engineering talent. They provide various educational resources to the community for engineering outreach. You can check them out at www.discovere.org.

So, what is an engineer? Many people have trouble defining engineering because it is such a diverse career field! Engineers design, problem solve, improve, fix, research, inspect, etc. to make the world better (think of words like efficiency & optimization).

Most don’t sit at work solving math problems all day. They often work in teams to make the world that we live in better. Engineers are needed in almost every industry. Engineers must have excellent problem solving and critical thinking skills because they use their knowledge, skills and experiences to solve complex problems.

To get some ideas as to what an engineer does, I decided to share my experiences in engineering. I have worked in both automotive and medical industries.

In automotive, I was a Material Quality Engineer and Corrosion Field Quality Engineer.

In my Material Quality Engineer role, I ensured that the raw materials (like paint, adhesives, sealers and raw plastic pellets used to make things like bumpers or instrument panels) supplied to the automotive facilities met design and quality requirements from suppliers. I audited suppliers manufacturing facilities and quality systems, I issued quality standards, developed quality test methods, tested and evaluated test results in a lab and performed analysis with highly technical equipment to determine why a material failed.

Simply, I made sure materials from our suppliers worked in manufacturing and met customer requirements.

As a Corrosion Field Quality Engineer, I evaluated customer complaints and the corrosion on vehicles in the field using data analysis and performing surveys on customer vehicles at dealerships. I worked on teams to solve very complex design and manufacturing flaws to prevent early corrosion on vehicles.

Simply, I looked for rusty parts on cars to determine if they got rusty too early.

When I worked in the medical field, I was a Supplier Quality Engineer. In that role, I ensured that the parts supplied met design requirements. I audited suppliers quality systems and also evaluated parts that did not meet design requirements to determine if they could be remade to meet the requirements. I also was audited by other agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), on my work to create a safe and quality product for public use.

Simply, I made sure that parts from suppliers were safe to use in our final medical device.

In all of those roles, I often times worked in teams, I wrote reports and I had to think creatively, quickly and methodically. My complex experiences in math and science (notice I said complex experiences not necessarily that I was good at all math and all science) helped give me the confidence and ability to think creatively when solving various problems that needed to be solved.

I plan to introduce more engineers and also share additional resources that may help you understand engineering and how to introduce it to your child(ren).

If you know an engineer, take the time this week to talk to them about what they do. Ask them about how they became interested in their chosen field and what they enjoy about their job. Also, tell them thank you for their contributions to our society. And most importantly, encourage your child to learn more about engineering with you. Tell your child’s school about National Engineers Week and ask if they have plans to celebrate it with your child’s class and how. Encourage them to check out the DiscoverE website above.

To all of my fellow engineering family and friends, thank you so much for all that you do.

And to my Dad who is an engineer and helped me find my path to engineering, thank you for encouraging me and always believing in me.

Happy National Engineers Week!

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The featured image above was provided by the DiscoverE Organization.