Empowering Women in STEM: Personal Stories and Career Journeys from Around the World
Women in STEM are constantly facing new challenges every day. By sharing their stories and ways in which they have overcome these hurdles, they can help others to find the strength to continue in their field. The mix of authors from varying backgrounds all with the same passion; to encourage more women into STEM have placed their proverbial hearts on their sleeves and documented their journeys to assist readers to either enter or stay within STEM fields.
In today’s society, we have made significant changes towards the acceptance of women in traditionally male dominated roles especially within the STEM fields. However, these changes are not as prevalent as one would expect but there is an entire generation of women who have faced these challenges and triumphed. These women are paving the way forward for the new generation while inspiring those who may be thinking about leaving these industries. This book recounts some of the challenges these women had to overcome and provides readers with some words of wisdom for approaching particular situations.
Women are not in this fight alone, our male allies have continuously supported us in bridging the gaps faced and this book is no different. There are stories in here which speak to overcoming imposter syndrome, ways to support your daughter/s or female co-workers and of course understanding the power of collaboration. Our male authors have very diverse backgrounds but there is one unifying factor, their support of women in these traditionally male dominant fields.
In this book, the term STEM represents Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Recently, this acronym has evolved to STEAM, which now includes Arts. Although this “new letter” has been now been added to the STEM acronym, it has always existed but is now being recognized. Creativity is what defines humanity. Thus, without the arts, we are simply writing a program (as put by one of our contributors). Throughout this book, the terms STEM and STEAM may be interchangeably used.
This book is dedicated to uncovering the personal stories and career journeys of some women in STEM. It helps us in understanding that the pathway forward for most women in STEM may not always be filled with rainbows and butterflies.
Meet the Authors!
Chapter 1: The Application of an Effective Root Cause Analysis to Any STEM Discipline
Principal, Prelical Solutions, LLC
Root Cause Analysis (RCA) can and should be applied to any subject matter which requires an in-depth investigation into finding out the real reasons for the occurrence of a particular situation. In our first chapter, we have the veteran RCA facilitator, Robert J Latino explaining the applications of RCA to everyday issues. While he guides us on the proper execution of an RCA, he also demonstrates how easily the methodology can be applied. He recounts an RCA that his 11 year old daughter performed on Bullying and uses this example to establish the methods used on developing an RCA.
More about Bob
Bob was CEO of his family’s 49-year-old Reliability consulting firm, Reliability Center, Inc. (RCI) until it was acquired in 2019. Bob has been facilitating Root Cause Analyses (RCA) analyses with his clientele around the world for over 35+ years. He is author or co-author of seven (7) books related to RCA, Reliability, and/or Human Error Reduction. He is an internationally recognized author, trainer, software designer, lecturer, and practitioner of best practices in holistic RCA systems (encompassing equipment, process and human reliability).
Chapter 2: Navigating the Path Not Usually Followed
Student, Colorado State University
Our youngest author, Emma Holloway shares some insight into her journey which begun since kindergarten when she was placed in a special group of kids who performed well in the STEM areas. She explains that the only times she didn’t feel that she didn’t belong was in the regular classes, not the special STEM classes. Her path as she navigates high school and enters university is documented here as she talks about various forms of discrimination she faced and ways in which she dealt with it.
More about Emma
She is studying Biomedical and Chemical & Biological Engineering with a minor in Statistics. She is a part of Biomedical Engineering Society, Women in Engineering, and Alpha Sigma Kappa - Women in Technical Studies. In her free time, she tutors peers in chemistry and loves to go on hikes.
Chapter 3: Power to Make a Difference
CEO, SELECT Power Systems LLC
We’ve always been told about the order in which things should happen in life. Heather Eason defies that order and shows us that it doesn’t matter when, where or what path you take in life, you can achieve amazing things. She delves into her own struggles with balancing being a mom, a female in the power engineering field and a female CEO in a male dominated environment. Heather also shares her experiences from the field, the importance of diversity in life and work and securing the world’s power to the grid. Ultimately, she shows us that we have the power to make a difference!
More about Heather
Heather Eason is the founder, president, and chief executive officer of SELECT Power Systems. She has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, a master’s degree in business administration, and is a devoted wife and mother of four children.
With over twenty years of experience in the utilities industry performing a variety of roles, she decided to start SELECT Power Systems in 2017 with a mission to approach things differently. After less than five years, the company has grown to encompass a national footprint, with eyes on global expansion by the end of 2022.
Heather has a passion for supporting women and minorities in engineering and small business ownership. She makes time to mentor and coach the next generation of up and coming female engineers and entrepreneurs especially through LeanedOn.
Outside of the workplace, Heather can be found in her garden where she is able to get away from the stresses of work life. She is also an avid fan of camping, boating, and hiking. She has three toy poodles and a toy Australian shepherd. She believes we all truly have the #powertomakeadifference
Chapter 4: The Importance of Male Advocates for Women and Under- Represented Sects in STEM
Veteran & Licensed Professional Engineer
Commander Walker, a 21 year veteran shares his experience in becoming an advocate for women and minorities in STEM. He gives us some insight into understanding the impact male advocates can make while highlighting a couple of do’s and don’ts. His examples of situations which occurred within the classroom as an engineering instructor and aviation representative allow us to become more aware of these impacts on all involved parties. He even advises our male allies about ways of handling imposter syndrome.
More about Matthew
A Naval Aviator with multiple FAA licenses, he holds a BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering. His career includes: responses to Hurricanes Katrina, Florence and Michael, the 2010 Haitian earthquake, and Deepwater Horizon disaster; teaching Thermodynamics, Aerodynamics, and Advanced Mathematics at a US military academy; and Chief Engineer, directing his service’s airworthiness program. As his federal department’s 2020 Engineer of the Year award winner, he was also a Top 10 Finalist for NSPE’s Federal Engineer of the Year.
Chapter 5: STEM and Cars – A Collision Course
Vehicular accidents are always very unfortunate but there is a lot to be learnt when they occur. For Becky Mueller, she was always interested in the vehicular crash tests and she saw it as a way to help people and engineer a better, safer environment for them. She also gives us some insight into the barricades placed on her by society as becoming a crash test expert was never seen as something which should be aligned with a young girl. Her roadmap to getting her dream job was derailed a few times but this did not stop her from achieving her goals and working in the sector which beckoned her heart.
More about Becky
Becky is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin and Purdue University in Mechanical Engineering with a specialization in biomechanics. She worked as a contractor to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 2009-2010 on projects related to future car safety regulations. She joined the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in 2010 and is currently a Senior Research Engineer. Her projects include identifying road safety issues and developing new crash tests. In her free time, she figure skates, volunteers at nursing homes with her two therapy greyhounds, and travels the world with her husband.
Chapter 6: STEM, Creativity, and the Question of Gender
Founder, Optimain Limited
The question of gender often raises its head in many discussions, it’s no surprise that this question is very prevalent in the field of STEM. Daniel Shorten explores how this question has shaped simple beliefs in society from the old saying of boys are better in math than girls which has proven to be false. He also provides examples of bias within the workplace and even in regular life where machines or drugs were not designed for women but expected to perform their functions accurately. He is making the call for the embrace of genderless demand in STEM and for the differences between the sexes to be recognized and acknowledged.
More about Danny
By day Danny is a lubrication and oil analysis professional and machinery health manager with over 40 years’ experience. At other times he is a husband and a father to an energetic and talented young teenage daughter. In what remains he is a bass guitarist and dedicated provider of the groove! In 2016, Danny formed Optimain Limited, a UK listed company specializing in condition monitoring advisory services. He has developed and delivers training to operators and disparate teams who wish to develop their lubrication skills and become certified practitioners. He is an approved trainer for ISO 18436 pt4 lubricant analysis at Category III, ICML MLE and a certified asset manager within the IAM.
Chapter 7: Scientist, Engineer, Manager…Infertile – A Guide to Navigating Your STEM Career While Struggling with Infertility
Senior Program Manager, Amazon
Job titles depict our status and various roles within an organization but what about our personal life? Priya Santhanam felt that while she was being called an engineer, scientist and manager, there was one status that loomed around her constantly, she was infertile. This was something that came up at family gatherings where her accolades in her career did not shine as brightly. She takes us through her experience of a miscarriage on one of the most important days of her career. This brave soul also take us on her journey through the world of IVF and its implications on her career goals. The skill of planning around treatment dates and balancing it all is covered in this chapter.
More about Priya
She is an engineer by training, scientist at heart, Manager by day and writer at night. She grew up in various parts of India and moved to the US to pursue her MS and PhD in Chemical Engineering. Priya has published over 10 scientific papers, holds 3 patents and has presented at over 20 technical conferences. She is a mom of two young children and is constantly hustling to find that coveted personal life - work life balance! She is a STEM advocate and currently leads an initiative to bring awareness around infertility in the STEM community via her blog.
Chapter 8: STEM Women’s Career Challenges and Possible Solutions
Many women have been forced to choose between their family and their career. The COVID19 pandemic made this choice more prevalent for many women in the workforce. Women bring a new perspective, especially to the STEM field and due to their lack of representation, this could allude to the hindrance of development in this field. The authors have tried to compile their experiences and learnings of their journeys through their early career challenges, the challenges faced while working in the field of STEM and ways in which they can re-join the workforce after a career gap.
More about Shalini
She has done her B.Sc. (H) in Microbiology from Delhi University. She qualified IIT-JAM with all India rank 40 and got admission to IIT Roorkee, scholarship-basis from the Department of Biotechnology. She secured a Ph.D. position at IIT Bombay with the highest score in the entrance exam. She has received various awards such as a travel grant for poster presentation at Paris, merit awards at BSc level, newton Bhabha fellowship, 2020, and many more. She has two patents on infectious diseases projects and multiple publications, including research articles, review articles, and book chapters. She is a reviewer in a peer-reviewed journal, Nature's communication biology. Apart from academics, she is a taekwondo and chess athlete. Also, a proud member of MENSA India since 2010 - an international organization of high IQ people worldwide. Shalini is also the founder and host of Anukarniya: The Role Models.
Policy Analyst, Center for Health Policy, Asian Development Research Institute, India
More about Beauty
Beauty is a motivated development professional with several years of experience working with NGOs across India. She holds an LSE degree in Global Health Policy. She is a staunch supporter of evidence-based policymaking in the pursuit of a just society, and as a result, she formed the AADER foundation, a section-8 company in India, dedicated to reaching the final mile through research and policy advocacy. Her organisation focuses on environmental, health, and education issues. She is proud to have received a Commonwealth Shared Scholarship at LSE and to have received a Gold Medal during her post-graduation at XISS, Ranchi
MSCA Individual Fellow at Aarhus University, Denmark
More about Harihar
Apart from being a researcher, she is also a science communicator finding effective ways of communicating scientific research to the non-technical public. She represents the Marie Curie Alumni Association by being an open science policy advisor. She also mentors young girls and women to help them find a fulfilling STEM career. To help create a positive nurturing environment for researchers, she founded a mental health support initiative for researchers all over the world to help them in their journeys in STEM careers. She can be contacted here.
CEO, Rapid Serviz
More about Subathra
She is an Entrepreneur and Freelance process Engineer. She did her graduation in Chemical Engineering, is a university rank holder and soon after Graduation was appointed as Scientist Engineer in Indian space Research Organization (ISRO), Sriharikota where she was involved in Solid propellant mixing unit for GSLV MK 3 project which forms the first stage fuel for Space Launch Vehicles. Working few years in Sriharikota, she quit ISRO and joined with Non-Renewable (O&G) Energy industry and have experience of 17 yrs. She is very happy to be a woman of force in this male oriented industry and break rules of gaining versatile experience in all aspects of onshore and offshore, petrochemical plants including Engineering design, procurement, commissioning and Operation. Being a woman despite of all social, cultural and gender challenges, she managed to work in different parts of globe in India, South East Asia (Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand), Middle East (Dubai, Sharjah and Oman) Europe (Netherlands, Italy and France), Central Asia (Kazakhstan) and Africa (Congo). During this pandemic, she has strongly emphasized on the importance of environmental conservation and made a startup company working on renewable energy(solar), E-Vehicles Energy storage devices (Li Ion batteries for E-vehicles and Inverters)
Product Owner, Kaplan North America
More about Anand
Anand Swaroop was born in 1993 in Hyderabad, Telangana State. He completed his Masters from IIT Bombay, and during this period, he discovered his love for books. The knowledge he gained from reading great books combined with his own experience of competitive exams led him to become an amateur writer and a mentor. He is now working as a senior manager in a prominent ed-tech organisation. Even in his tight schedule, he makes time to help aspirants of competitive exams to give back to society. His favourite snack is a dairy milk chocolate; usually, he is a generous guy, but one won't find him sharing chocolate unless one forces it out of him.
Department of Physics, Concordia University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
More about Vrinda
Vrinda Nair is an aspiring scientist and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Physics at Concordia University, Montreal, Canada. She has an engineering background in biotechnology. Currently, she also serves as the treasurer in the FGSA at the American Physical Society. She was awarded Young Investigator Award by the AABS for her work in developing bio-colours for bioplastic. Vrinda is a published author-poet. She is also a certified professional life coach, solopreneur, instructional designer, violinist, artist, digital illustrator. She actively supports many causes like women in STEM, supporting sci-artist and has worked with various organizations and offered volunteering services. Check out her academic profile here.
Chapter 9: Collaboration is the Next Generation of Innovation: How Working Together Can Be the Gateway to Creating a More Inclusive, Innovative Tomorrow
Founder, Re.engineer
Collaboration has not been one of the traditional methods employed by most organizations for fear of allowing competitors insight into information which can be used to propel their motives. Shadrach Stephens is challenging this status quo and making it his mission to promote collaboration to ensure a more inclusive and innovative future. Collaboration allows us to progress as a whole while competition forces us to become divided. In essence, collaboration improves culture through diversity of thought and it is a starting point towards Building and Redefining Inclusion through Development, Growth and Empowerment.
More about Shadrach
He is an Award-Winning Engineering Leader, Community Advocate, and Founder of Re.engineer. He is a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana and graduate of Southern University and A&M College where he earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering. Shadrach has progressed from several engineering roles for several Fortune 100 companies to where he is now, a Global Improvement Leader and Reliability Director for Dow Inc. Outside of his corporate engagements, Shadrach started Re.engineer, a community that collaborates to prepare the next generation of STEM professionals. He has been married to his wife Marie Smith-Stephens for 15 years and they both enjoy volunteering and traveling with their son and daughter.
Chapter 10: Five Unconventional Life Lessons for anyone in Engineering
Founder &President of Words with Purpose Inc
Sometimes our environment has more impact on us than we realize. Erin Gutsche grew up around two entrepreneurial parents who owned and operated a water well drilling and servicing company. This guided some of her life choices towards becoming an engineer but what really stuck was being your most authentic self. She carries us on her journey towards self-discovery and learning how to ask for help as a sign of courage, not weakness. While she worked in the field of mechanical engineering for some time, she decided to change career paths and become a technical writer to achieve that family life balance after her children were born. Her openness to new possibilities and understanding the importance of self-care is discussed in this chapter.
More about Erin
She is a professional mechanical engineer in the province of Alberta, Canada, a Certified Maintenance & Reliability Professional (CMRP) with the Society for Maintenance & Reliability Professionals (SMRP), a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, and a member of Editors Canada.
Chapter 11: STEMming across Three Continents
Fortune 100 Operations Leader
Imagine the differences in culture one can experience from living in three different continents! Bralade Koroye-Emenanjo has first-hand insight into these cultures shocks as she moved from Africa to the United Kingdom and eventually to the US. Her one constant was her love for math and its way of resolving itself in every equation. She recounts the ways success was rewarded in her home country as compared to other institutions she had attended. Her strong foundation of no gender disparity in STEM often led to her amazement at some of the challenges which she faced. She has developed a podcast called STEMafrique to champion African women in STEM as she tries to empower more women into STEM.
More about Bralade
She has studied and worked in STEM fields across three continents in a diversity of work and ethnic cultures. She holds degrees from the University of Port Harcourt and Queens University Belfast in Chemical and Process engineering. She is currently a Fortune 100 Operations Leader. A gender, culture and STEM advocate, she led the Society of Women Engineer's African American Affinity Network and is chair of her company's women's employee resource group. She is a podcast host, speaker, author, and coach. Her podcast, STEMafrique is produced by Ebony Podcast Network. "A Line in The Sand", a bestselling short story collection, is her first book.
Chapter 12: The Chemistry behind Applying STEM to Horses and Cage Fighting
Lubrication Development Manager, British Engineering Services Asset Reliability
How can Horses, fighting and STEM be connected? All through one amazing person, Jade Thompson. She is a competitive and passionate horse rider who utilizes STEM to understand the biomechanics of her riding and horse’s movement. She gives us an overview of the role that STEM has played both in her personal and professional life. Her fighting career of 6 years allowed her to employ STEM through eating, technical training and condition monitoring all parts of the process. Her unique journey has helped her to become the person she is today.
More about Jade
She is an approved trainer for the British Institute of Non-Destructive Testing. With a dedication to improving things, Jade's career path naturally went in the direction of the reliability industry. From a science loving school child to a member of senior management she has managed to transfer her skills and knowledge between her work and personal life.
Chapter 13: Finding Your Way
PMO Lead - Business Transformation,
The National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago
Trying to get your voice heard as a fresh graduate in the world of engineering can be quite a task! Liana Roopnarine, a young female engineer carries us on her journey to getting her voice heard and becoming the only professional to survive a retrenchment in an economic downturn. From identifying and embracing her unique abilities to making herself visible and speaking up, she shares her experiences of being expatriated to Spain as part of the business development team and eventually returning to her home-country to fill a brand new role in Supply Chain Management. We also find out how she has now moved on to living her dream by working for an AI, EdTech startup in Abu Dhabi.
More about Liana
Liana will be driving digital and data transformations and other behavioral changes critical to the global energy transition. She has over 13 years of experience in the Oil and Gas industry within major oil companies in Europe and South America. She holds Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and Master of Science in Engineering Asset Management both from the University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago. She is a registered engineer (R.Eng) by profession and is extremely passionate about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion as she voluntarily chairs the D&I section for the local chapter of the Society of Petroleum Engineers in Trinidad and Tobago.
Chapter 14: Branding and Rebranding throughout Your STEM career
Petrochemical M&R Expert
Early on, Alicia Washington realized the power of branding yourself especially as a female in a STEM career. She was called, “The Maintenance Girl” and the name stuck. This name kept her from being promoted or offered other jobs to expand her career. She talks about realigning your “brand” with your purpose and ways in which she successfully rebranded herself to “maintenance boss” and finally “reliability leader”. These brands all evolved based on the career phase she was moving through. She also gives us some more details on dealing with imposter syndrome and navigating uncharted waters in her journey.
More about Alicia
She has spent 18 years working in the petrochemical industry. She holds a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma and an MBA from the University of Phoenix. She currently works as a Mergers & Acquisitions expert on commercial transactions. Previously, Alicia enjoyed a long career in Maintenance and Reliability including people leadership and asset management spanning 4 continents. Outside of work, Alicia is passionate about projects that position young adults to lead productive and successful lives. She is an avid volunteer and member of several organizations but her number 1 passion is being mom to her young son.
Chapter 15: From Portugal to Qatar, Exploring STEM Careers in Different Industries
Technical Support Specialist – Team Services and Rentals at Petroleum Technology Company W.L.L
While Vanda Franco begun her STEM career in Marine Chemistry and the Pharmaceutical industry she transitioned into the Petrochemical industry and now works in the lubrication and reliability field in Qatar. She takes us on her journey of working in her home country of Portugal and the gaps she had to bridge being the youngest person on site who would later gain a management role. Her experiences within the field and the navigation of job hunting in a foreign country helps us to understand some of the challenges faced by women in our industry. She also gives us insight into becoming a mother during COVID and not being able to see her family until the restrictions were lifted.
More about Vanda
She is a Portuguese female working in Qatar since 2017 within the Oil & Gas field. She is a Chemist, with a Master Degree in Biology and Marine Resources and a Post-Graduation in Laboratory Management. She has 17 years of lab experience, and her theoretical training is complemented with the essential practical experience at Industrial and Laboratory level in different areas in STEM including Marine Chemistry, Pharmaceutical, Petrochemical and Oil & Gas industries. Constantly learning keeps her motivated both personally and professionally.
Chapter 16: The Six Stages of Bringing Up Women in Engineering
Senior Principal, West Monroe
Attaining an engineering degree doesn’t necessarily mean that you will become an engineer. Dating back to the late 1800’s, the first woman to achieve a bachelor’s degree in engineering never worked as a professional engineer. Kathy Nelson gives us some insight into the history behind female engineers and the impact of having a female mentor at a time that the word STEM didn’t exist. She guides us on the 6 “ups” that are important for anyone entering a STEM related field. Additionally, she unravels the challenges of trying to fit in with the “boys club” and how it affected her from blossoming into her authentic self until she decided to embrace her unique perspectives and find her voice. Her journey through the boardroom as a power engineer and into the podcast realm is captured in this chapter.
More about Kathy
She is an electrical engineer with 28 years of career experience as a telecommunications engineer specializing in wireless communications. In addition to presenting frequently at various engineering conferences and publishing in trade journals throughout her career, Ms. Nelson created and hosts the podcast “Ordinarily Extraordinary - Conversations with Women in STEM,” where she interviews women in a wide variety of STEM careers about their personal career trajectories, challenges and achievements. In 2017, Ms. Nelson was elected the first chairwoman of Utilities Technology Council (UTC), a 70-year-old global industry trade association representing utilities and their technology and telecommunications needs.
Chapter 17: A Chemical Philosopher – Exploring the “A” in STEAM
President, 5th Order Industry LLC
It’s not often that we hear of the combination of Philosophy and Chemistry mixed in with musical instruments but Michael Holloway is a very unique human! Mike shares his experiences growing up and the decisions he had to make on following his passion and also realizing which avenues were no longer within his interest. He became an R&D Chemist and still has an interest in neuroscience. With his very interesting background, he has gone on to develop the competencies in others through his company and allow them to develop their mind.
More about Michael
He has over 35 years’ experience in industry. Having earned 4 university degrees, over a dozen professional certifications, authoring a dozen books, and holding a patent, he started 5th Order Industry for the purpose of competency development and professional certification preparation. Holloway developed a learning management system based on the neuroscience cognitive pathway development that has been proven to be most effective at developing fast, sustaining competencies. He still drums but mainly to scare his dogs and frustrate his children.
Chapter 18: Surviving Corporate Takeovers While Climbing the Ladder of Success
U.S. Director, Oil Condition Monitoring, SGS
While Frances Christopher may have gotten into the field of STEM in an unusual way, she was able to successfully manoeuver changes in management and culture over the years. She was a part of one of the first commercial laboratories which tested oil samples for all types of components. Although her job included photocopying and sending out the reports initially, she moved on work in the management team and handle some of the largest companies in the world.
More about Frances
She has been in the oil condition monitoring business for over 40 years working with a wide range of companies to optimize their fluid analysis and equipment reliability programs. She has held a variety of positions including oil analysis data diagnostics, customer relations, key account management, sales and marketing, and operational planning and management. Fran holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and Marketing and is a certified Oil Monitoring Analyst through STLE. Fran is currently U.S. Director, Oil Condition Monitoring for SGS, the largest testing, inspection, certification, and verification company in the world.
Chapter 19: Embracing the Unknown, Overcoming the Past
Teacher in the STEM: Engineering program at Technology Exploration Career Center
Agricultural engineering is one of the most interesting areas of engineering! Kari Nathan take us down her journey into this field, some of the challenges she faced and how it eventually lead her to teaching in middle school. She tells us about her use of logic to get more playing time in volleyball to her adventures in getting a job interview in the agricultural field. Find out how her passion for helping others and being part of the making a difference in the lives of others has fuelled her journey.
More about Kari
She has BS in Agricultural Engineering Technology and MSE: Industrial Technology Curriculum and Design along with Secondary School Administration certification. Being a lifelong learner, she has also obtained OSHA Trainer Certification, FAA 107 Drone pilot certification, NASA STEM training for educators, General Contractor for two home builds, and mentors many students of a variety of socioeconomic and diverse backgrounds.
Chapter 20: Five Amazing Women Making a Difference in STEM
President, Navigate Content, Inc
Michelle Segrest gives us the history of ways women have been forging ahead in science and creating pathways for other women to break these glass ceilings. She tells us about the journeys of five women and how they have changed the way we perceive women in STEM. Jayne Beck usually hosts a session at the “Introduce a girl to engineering” program at Siemens and relates how she got into this role as well as ways we can help change the perception of engineering from being only male dominated. Elena Rodriguez is also highlighted in her role as a Water engineering director which takes her across the globe to solve unique challenges. Next, Rendela Wenzel’s maintenance and reliability journey is explored as we follow her thought processes on investigating equipment failures and development of programs for them. Gina Hutto Kittle’s passion for encouraging diversity especially within the reliability sector and her experiences being the only female on job sites or at conferences such as SMRP are shared as well. Lastly Rebekah Macko shares her ability to understand the mechanics of machines and her journey which led here to Gieger where she works with the quality assurance program and spearheaded the company’s achievement of ISO 9001 certification.
More about Michelle
She has been a professional journalist for more than three decades. She has specialized in creating content for the municipal and industrial processing industries since 2008. Check out her 3-volume book series on Modern Manufacturing. Check out her Industry blog and Amazon Author page!
Publishing with CRC Press/Taylor and Francis
If you’ve ever considered writing a book in your area of expertise, this is your chance!
Please contact: Cindy Renee Carelli, Executive Editor, CRC Press – Taylor & Francis Group, LLC