When looking to improve, a good starting point is studies on workplace satisfaction and effective measures. For example, a recent study in Germany found that equality action measures in companies (such as women’s empowerment, childcare and special offers for parental leave) significantly decrease the pay gap. Looking specifically at women working in the tech industry, an empirical international study determined that women generally look for more work-life balance and fair recognition at their workplace. Feelings of imposter syndrome, invisible and overlooked barriers and the so-called maternal wall are significant disadvantages for women working in tech due to having to balance work and family duties alongside each other. These aspects can be addressed by training the management to become aware of the struggles women face and ensuring that women receive equal payment and opportunities. Lastly, women also reported that they miss peer parity, which can be simply resolved by hiring more women. In this sense, ModuleWorks is actively working towards employee’s work-life-balance by providing flexibility of working hours by location and time, discouragement of extra hours, sabbatical policies, and parenthood support.

ModuleWorks is part of a regional and a national network of family-friendly employers. In a more general commitment to diversity, including gender, but not limited to it, ModuleWorks signed the Charta of Diversity. This Charta is an initiative of employers to appreciate and foster diversity in their companies. is an initiative of employers to appreciate and foster diversity in their companies.

Flexibility, parental support, inclusion

Apart from considering the well-being of women in technology, and more specifically in ModuleWorks, in the big picture, it is important to listen to what women in this company have to say. This is why women from different departments were invited to share their perspectives and their personal experiences at the company. Starting on the topic of childcare, Eva, a member of the research team, stated she appreciated most the “flexibility, like working remotely and having flexibility regarding working hours. Having children, it is great to have this flexibility.” Employees will soon also benefit from a childcare room, which is currently under construction. This room will allow parents to bring in their children to work when necessary.

However, ModuleWorks is aware that flexibility is not only important to caregivers. Another recent multinational study found that the free choice of workspace, either remote or office work, is important not only to caregivers but also for lesbian, gay, trans, queer, intersexual, or asexual (LGBTQIA+) people, who need to be considered in conjunction with feminist concerns. Employing more women and diverse people is one of the aims that the company has been striving for already for years.

Currently, the company is also supporting women through FemWorks, a working group created by employees to increase female visibility in the company and the recruitment of women outside of the company.

Speaking about her first days at ModuleWorks, Kristin, an algorithmic developer in the 5-axis SWARF and geodesic team, said, “Christine was really happy about the fact that we are now three women in our team and added me quickly to the FemWorks group”.

With the task force, Miriam, a software developer in the industry team, feels that “FemWorks shows that the company supports women.”

At the same time, FemWorks is actively trying to attract more women into the company. Roxana, QA department head in Bucharest, stated, “As a Team Leader, I never was stopped to bring more women in my team (actually, I can say that in my team, about 40% are women).”

Personal experiences — story time

Cristina, a product manager in Bucharest, has wanted a technical career ever since she was little. She described it this way: “Studying engineering was always a passion of mine since I was a small child. I would have picked changing a tire or fixing up a computer with my dad anytime. I did my studies in Robotics and CAM and always pursued the mechanical side of life. ModuleWorks gave me the chance to have a career and to gather a lot of experience with the industry.”

El-Marie, senior team leader in the Bucharest office, shared her experience after joining the company: “Everything was correct and fair all the time. I never felt any difference between me and the boys. I was always part of the team, and the responsibilities, opportunities or the expectations were the same as for everybody else.”

Similarly, from the research team, Eva mentioned, “It happens quite often, that I am the only woman in a meeting, but the male colleagues and project partners are very polite and do not make a difference here.”

Christine, senior team leader of the 5-axis SWARF and geodesic team, said, “I have a voice, and people are listening to me (even our CEO is interested in everyone’s opinion). When encountering a problem, people are always willing to find a good solution. There is no competitive thinking. People are trying to help.”

Being a woman in STEM

The support for women in a field dominated by males is not restricted to ModuleWorks as 5-axis and additive developer Eva said: “I was often the only or one of few women during my studies (especially computer science), but I never had the feeling that it mattered.”

This is also true after university when working in a tech company such as ModuleWorks, as Christine stated, “I was able to become a team leader. The team counts now 13 people. The team spirit and the products we are providing are strong.”

Yet, having this passion or interest does not mean freedom from doubts, as Kristin showed: “The focus of my master’s and my Ph.D. was very theoretic, and thus I doubted that I had skills that are helpful for a ‘real’ job. Before working at ModuleWorks, I only programmed in my free time and a little bit at university, but this was far away from doing this professionally.”

Also, Kaya, a student worker of the integration team, explained: “Overcoming those doubts is not easy, but I try to imagine that everybody has once gained their first professional experience and gender shouldn’t be important at all.”

What helped Kristin in the process was the encouragement from fellow ModuleWorkers, specifically her team. “I think the thing I enjoy the most at ModuleWorks is the team spirit. From the beginning, I feel as part of the team and not like the new one. When I was new at ModuleWorks, I knew that I could always ask my colleagues for help without feeling uncomfortable.”

Liliana, product manager in Bucharest, shared a similar experience: “The icing on the cake for me is the little things: the words of appreciation when a job is well done, an inside joke that reminds me that I’ve been here for a long time, a sigh of frustration when an application crashes and a colleague finds the right words to create a sense of belonging, taking a sick day when I can’t focus and can’t get any work done, finding activities to do outside of work with others, and the list can go on.”

Hence, women are welcomed by the same warm family-like environment, as Roxana added: “I appreciate the fact that ModuleWorks is open to good ideas and encourages people to be involved and work to implement their ideas (no matter if we are women or men).”

All in all, having been in ModuleWorks almost since its foundation, El-Marie rounded up: “In general, I had a great experience as a woman in STEM. Especially in the old days, women were only a handful in this domain, so we were treated as ‘very special’ … That was 20 years ago. Now the industry is slightly different, women are more present, which I appreciate, as it is refreshing to have also girls around in the office and to be able to chat some ‘girl talk’ from time to time.”

Cristina from Bucharest added: “A lot of women have been more interested in engineering and science lately, which is very important. We are slowly breaking the ideology that women can’t have a career in science and engineering which is absolutely amazing.”

Conclusion: A better future

ModuleWorks has been at the forefront of providing employees with good work-life balance and career opportunities — not just females, as the Great Place to Work Awards of the past 10 years show. An important aspect of working to be a great employer is considering the individual needs, for example, for migrants, which is an aspect in which the company has been active and received an award. So, considering women, it is an equally logical and necessary step toward becoming an even better place to work; and ModuleWorks is excited to continue this journey of improvement and shaping a better future for everyone.

The post Listening to women’s voices at ModuleWorks appeared first on Engineering.com.

In an increasingly complex and fast-paced world, engineers and manufacturers are beginning to recognize the value of neurodiversity in the workplace. This shift comes at a critical time, as many organizations are experiencing fatigue and even backlash after years of expanding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. However, a new perspective is emerging: one that moves beyond simple accommodation to truly embracing cognitive diversity as a key to unlocking team performance and innovation.

Understanding neurodiversity

Neurodiversity encompasses individuals — roughly 15% of the world’s population — with neurological differences such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and other cognitive variations. These differences are not deficits but unique ways of thinking and processing information that can bring valuable perspectives to a team. As neurodiversity expert Dr. Nicole Radziwill, Co-founder and Chief Data/AI Officer at Qzuku Data and AI Quality Institute explained, “Even a neurodivergent majority company is not diverse enough to achieve the true levels of success that we all can achieve together.”

Neurodiversity creates “spiky profiles” of strengths and weaknesses, in contrast to the assumed “flat profiles” of neurotypical individuals. This variation can lead to misunderstandings and challenges in the workplace, but it also offers significant potential for innovation and problem-solving.

Personal journeys: Discovering

Radziwill’s own journey of self-discovery illustrates the complex nature of neurodiversity. Despite her academic and professional success, including earning a college scholarship at 16 and later becoming a university professor, she didn’t recognize her neurodivergence until in her late 30s.

“After multiple counselors suggested I might be on the autism spectrum, I initially rejected the idea,” Radziwill recalled. “I stood up and said, ‘You know what’s wrong with me? You think it’s that I’m autistic? Well, clearly, you haven’t learned all you need to learn in your profession…and I walked out.”

Years later, she came to embrace her neurodivergent identity. “I went through that for about a year,” she explained, “And then gradually realized, my God, this explains absolutely everything.”

This experience informs Radziwill’s perspective on workplace inclusion. Rather than focusing narrowly on accommodating specific conditions, she advocates for creating environments where all employees can understand and leverage their unique cognitive profiles.

In his blog on Foothold (The Institution of Engineering and Technology Benevolent Fund), Principal Geotechnical Engineers and Neurodiversity Advocate Martin Griffin writes about his experience living with multiple neurodivergent conditions: “As someone with dyslexia, dyspraxia, autism, and visual impairment, I’ve learned that my neurodiversity varies from day to day. Some days, I’m hyper-focused and can accomplish tasks with incredible efficiency. Other days, I struggle with basic organization. This ‘spiky profile’ is a reality for many neurodivergent individuals.”

Evolution of workplace diversity

The conversation around diversity in the workplace has expanded beyond traditional categories to include neurodiversity. Shirley Knowles, Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer at Progress, an AI-powered infrastructure software provider, said, “We’re at a time where people are more and more willing to be open and talk about it.” This openness is crucial for creating an environment where neurodiverse individuals feel comfortable disclosing their needs and leveraging their strengths.

Knowles shared an anecdote about a former colleague who made mistakes on documents that became a frequent occurrence. Finally, after a significant error to an item her former CEO needed, the co-worker confided in Knowles that they had dyslexia. 

“It was as though a new door had opened — all of that time where I was feeling upset at the mistakes finally made sense and we were able to come up with solutions from there. It wasn’t that they weren’t focusing on the details, there was a real issue, something they’d been navigating through since childhood that was the root cause.” Although the disclosure was likely tough for Knowles’ colleague to share, it was what was needed to strengthen the working relationship.

However, as Radziwill discovered while at Ultranauts, a company with more than 75% of employees identifying as autistic, even a neurodiverse majority workforce faces challenges. “You cannot expect a whole organization to function perfectly well for everybody.”

Challenging traditional norms

Like many others, the tech and engineering industries have long operated under certain assumptions about what constitutes “professional” behavior and appearance. However, a new generation of workers is challenging these norms, asserting that their abilities matter more than adhering to traditional dress codes or communication styles.

Knowles reflects on her own experience with traditional gender roles in the workplace: “I get it…you wore high heels when you went to work. You have these professional clothes that were pressed all the time when you went to work. I get that.” 

But that is changing. This shift in perspective is particularly relevant when considering neurodiverse individuals who may have different sensory needs or communication styles that don’t align with traditional corporate expectations.

Understanding neurodivergent traits

Neurodivergent individuals may:

• Develop skills at a different pace or order than expected. Example: Excel in some areas while struggling in others.
• Communicate in unique ways. Example: Prefer direct communication or struggle with small talk.
• Find eye contact uncomfortable or unnecessary Example: Look away while listening to focus better on words.
• Have difficulty modulating voice or speech patterns. Example: Speak with consistent volume regardless of setting.
• Use less conventional body language or facial expressions. Example: Not smile when happy or use fewer gestures while speaking.
• Experience empathy differently. Example: Feel deeply for others but struggle to express it conventionally.
• Find it challenging to interpret others’ nonverbal cues. Example: Miss subtle hints or social cues in conversations.
• Interpret language literally. Example: Struggle with figures of speech or sarcasm.
• Prefer to focus deeply on one task at a time. Example: Find it difficult to switch between activities quickly.
• Work best independently or in specific collaborative settings. Example: Prefer structured interactions in group work.
• Experience sensory input intensely. Example: Feel overwhelmed by sounds, lights, or textures others might not notice.

Remember: These traits vary widely among neurodivergent individuals. Many people may experience some of these traits without being neurodivergent, and not all neurodivergent people will experience all of these traits. (Adapted from Verywellhealth.com.)

Moving beyond accommodation

The key to successfully integrating neurodiversity in engineering is to move beyond simple accommodation. Instead of asking, “How do we accommodate this different group of people?” the question becomes, “How can neuroinclusion help any group of diverse individuals relate to each other more effectively?”

This approach recognizes that diversity extends far beyond visible demographics or diagnostic labels. Even within seemingly homogenous groups, individuals bring varied thinking styles, communication preferences, and work approaches.

“We want to steer it towards using neurodiversity and neuroinclusion as the basis that we use to understand each other better — whether we are neurodivergent or not. And then, with that new information, let’s see how we can amplify the performance of our team,” Radziwill said.

Empowering teams through neuroinclusion

Radziwill advocates for giving work groups tools to create positive team dynamics themselves rather than imposing one-size-fits-all solutions from above. One such tool is Ultranaut’s “Biodex” — a guide employees create to explain their work preferences and interaction styles. By sharing these insights, team members can better collaborate and support each other’s success.

“The Biodex has been a game-changer for our teams,” said Radziwill. “It allows individuals to communicate their needs and preferences in a structured way, reducing misunderstandings and fostering a more inclusive environment.”

Business case for neurodiversity

Beyond the moral imperative for inclusion, there’s a strong business case for embracing neurodiversity in engineering. Neurodiverse individuals often possess unique skills and perspectives that can drive innovation and problem-solving. And in the talent-shortage field of STEM, employing neurodiverse technical staff can not only improve fill rates for hard-to-fill positions for companies but also offer a competitive advantage.

“You have that insider knowledge through experience of someone that is dyslexic, ADHD, bipolar, dyspraxia, whatever it is… And so now we can use that thinking and create products and offer services that target these people. They exist,” said Knowles.

She cited an example of a Google Pixel phone camera designed to capture a range of skin tones better, likely due to having a diverse team involved in product development. This kind of inclusive design serves a broader customer base and can lead to increased market share and customer loyalty.

“Neurodivergent individuals often excel in pattern recognition, attention to detail, and out-of-the-box thinking. These are precisely the skills needed to drive innovation in engineering and technology,” added Radziwill.

In the talent-shortage field of STEM, it doesn’t take a math genius to make the connection between the 15-20% of the world’s population who exhibit some form of neurodivergence — many of whom are underemployed or unemployed — and the potential.

Overcoming challenges

Once hired, integrating neurodiverse individuals into the workplace is not without challenges. Managers may need to adapt their communication styles and expectations. However, the benefits far outweigh the initial adjustments.

Knowles underscored the importance of empathetic leadership in this process. Managers who recognize and appreciate different ways of thinking are better equipped to harness the unique talents of their team members.

Radziwill emphasized that the goal isn’t eliminating all friction or creating perfectly harmonious teams. In fact, she argued that some creative tension is essential for innovation. 

“You don’t want teamwork to be effortless,” she said. “You want that creative tension. You want somebody to say, ‘Having a pizza with M&Ms and an entire rotisserie chicken on it is stupid, and here’s why no one will eat it.’ And then you want somebody else to say, ‘Let’s go do a survey and show them pictures of pizza and see who would eat it.’ And then you get data, and then you’re done. But you need that creative tension.”

The challenge is channeling that tension productively while avoiding toxic dynamics. This requires moving beyond simplistic notions of eliminating bias or achieving perfect inclusivity.

“We’re never going to be able to remove bias,” Radziwill said. “Everyone has biases because they’re based on your past experiences of the world.” Instead, she advocates for greater self-awareness and intentionality in navigating workplace relationships.

Supporting neurodiversity throughout the employee lifecycle

To truly embrace neurodiversity, organizations need to consider it at every stage of the employee lifecycle:

1. Attraction: Create inclusive job descriptions and highlight neurodiversity-friendly policies.
2. Selection: Adapt interview processes to accommodate different communication styles.
3. Initialization: Provide clear onboarding processes and consider mentorship programs.
4. Retention: Offer flexible work arrangements and create a supportive environment.
5. Promotion: Ensure fair evaluation processes that recognize diverse strengths.
6. Cessation: Provide support during transitions and maintain positive relationships.

Griffin writes, “In my experience, the selection and initialization phases are particularly crucial. Many neurodivergent individuals struggle with traditional interview formats, which often don’t accurately reflect their abilities. And starting a new job can be overwhelming due to sensory issues or difficulties with change. Companies that provide clear, structured onboarding processes and allow for gradual adjustment periods can make a world of difference.”

Role of disclosure and support

One of the ongoing challenges in creating a neurodiverse-friendly workplace is the issue of disclosure. Many individuals may hesitate to disclose their neurodiversity due to fear of stigma or discrimination. Knowles stresses the importance of creating a supportive environment where people feel safe to be their authentic selves.

She also highlights the role of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) in providing support not just for neurodiverse individuals but also for their families and colleagues. These groups can serve as valuable resources for education, advocacy, and community-building within organizations.

Radziwill added, “Disclosure should always be a personal choice. What’s important is creating an environment where people feel they can disclose if they want to, without fear of negative consequences. It’s about fostering a culture of understanding and support.”

Looking to the future

As engineering evolves, embracing neurodiversity will likely become increasingly important for companies looking to innovate and stay competitive. Radziwill envisions a future where diverse minds collaborate to create products and services that cater to a wide range of human experiences and needs.

“If there’s going to be a sea change, it’s going to be manager by manager,” she says, emphasizing the importance of individual leaders in driving this transformation.

 “The future of engineering lies in our ability to harness the full spectrum of human cognition. By embracing neurodiversity, we’re not just creating more inclusive workplaces — we’re unlocking new realms of innovation and problem-solving,” added Knowles.

The journey towards the true inclusion of neurodiverse individuals in engineering is ongoing, but the potential benefits are clear. By fostering an environment that values different ways of thinking and working, companies can tap into a wealth of talent and creativity that has long been overlooked.

“The problems that we have to work through today in our jobs in society are so complex and moving so quickly that we can no longer assume that any one of us has the answer,” Radziwill said. “Literally, the answer is going to be in between the space of those of us who come to solve it.”

As we move forward, it’s clear that neurodiversity isn’t just about accommodation or compliance — it’s about recognizing and leveraging the unique strengths that come from diverse ways of thinking. In the world of engineering, where innovation is paramount, embracing neurodiversity may well be the key to unlocking the next generation of groundbreaking solutions.

References

TeamX, https://ultranauts.co/team-x/
Biodex, https://biodex.info/
Foothold, https://www.myfoothold.org/your-foothold-is-here/foothold-and-the-iet/
Neurodiversity @ Work Employer Roundtable, https://disabilityin.org/what-we-do/committees/neurodiversity-at-work-roundtable/
Neurodiversity Career Connector, https://ndcc.simplifyhire.com/
AutismCRC at INSAR 2024 podcast, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOFnzka5-D4
Verywell Health, Verywellhealth.com

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Kassie Fell
Regional Distribution Manager
Mitsubishi Electric Automation
Bachelor of Science – Electrical Engineering • University of Wisconsin — Milwaukee

What is your background?

Most of my career has been dedicated to technical sales, where I’ve specialized in navigating customer applications to deeply understand their challenges and goals. My focus has always been on providing tailored solutions that effectively address these challenges and help customers achieve their objectives. Additionally, I spent a period in product marketing, bringing my sales-driven perspective to the marketing team, which enriched my understanding of the product lifecycle and enhanced cross-functional collaboration.

Talk about the culture at your company.

One of the aspects I deeply value about our organization and leadership team is their unwavering commitment to diversity and inclusion, which they have made a top priority. Our CEO consistently emphasizes the importance of fostering a more inclusive environment and actively encourages each of us to contribute to this goal. We have a variety of internal initiatives dedicated to this cause, including efforts to increase the representation of women in our industry, create opportunities for individuals with disabilities, and engage meaningfully with our communities. This dedication not only strengthens our organization but also ensures that we are contributing positively to society.

Our recruiting team is exceptional in their commitment to broadening our talent pool by actively seeking out and engaging with underrepresented groups. They understand that a diverse workforce drives innovation and success, and they go above and beyond to ensure we have access to the most qualified and diverse candidates when filling open positions. Their proactive approach not only helps us meet our organizational goals but also reinforces our dedication to building a more inclusive and equitable workplace. By prioritizing diversity in our recruitment efforts, we can attract top talent from a wide range of backgrounds, ensuring that our team is as dynamic and innovative as the challenges we tackle.

Describe a recent company project that went particularly well.

This past year, I had the privilege of being part of an exciting annual project within our organization. We bring together individuals from various departments—marketing, sales, manufacturing, and more—and from different regions across North America to collaborate. As the saying goes, ‘two heads are better than one,’ and in this case, we combine diverse perspectives to generate innovative, out-of-the-box ideas aimed at making a real impact for our customers.

 We form teams to brainstorm, then go through a selection process to refine those ideas. At the end, each team presents their best idea, and a final vote determines which one will be pursued and brought to market. The key to our success is a shared commitment to making things better and easier for our customers. With that goal in mind, we can come up with truly unique solutions. By working together, we challenge each other’s ideas, identify potential pitfalls, weigh the pros and cons, and ultimately reach a consensus on what will best serve our customers.

What first drew you to engineering?

As an engineer, the most satisfying aspect of my work is the fulfillment of my innate curiosity. I find immense satisfaction in understanding and mastering the intricate processes behind everyday products. For example, there’s something profoundly rewarding about seeing a bottle of water on a store shelf and knowing the detailed journey it undertook—from raw material sourcing to production, packaging, and logistics. This comprehensive understanding of the process not only quenches my thirst for knowledge but also reinforces the impact of engineering on our daily lives. It’s the ability to unravel these complex systems and contribute to their optimization that fuels my passion for the field.

Describe your biggest career challenge.

While it may not have been my biggest challenge to date, this experience was pivotal in building the confidence that has since helped me tackle even greater obstacles. During my college engineering co-op at a local manufacturing facility, I found myself unexpectedly in charge when my manager went on vacation. That day, he received a call from a sister plant where the glue line was down, and he instructed me to go fix the problem. I was just a college student studying electrical engineering, with limited experience in programming and manufacturing lines. But when your boss gives you a task, you rise to the occasion.

Feeling overwhelmed, I arrived at the plant, where boxes were passing through the glue station without any glue being dispensed. I plugged in my laptop, took a deep breath, and began analyzing the code, grateful for the comments left by the programmer. As I reviewed the logic rung by rung, I found an issue— the rung that was supposed to activate the glue dispenser wouldn’t trigger due to a logical error. I fixed the code, redownloaded the program, and handed control back to the operator. In what felt like slow motion, I watched as the first box passed through the gluing station and emerged perfectly glued. I couldn’t believe it—I had just fixed my first manufacturing line.

Leaving the plant that day, I had a huge smile on my face and my head held high. That moment marked a turning point for me, as I realized that with determination and problem-solving skills, I could overcome any challenge thrown my way.

What career advice would you give to your younger self?

My father has always been my greatest inspiration. Despite facing significant challenges, including having to drop out of college to work full-time and support himself, he never gave up on his dreams. He began working at a young age, starting with a paper route, and as an adult, he found his job opportunities limited without a degree. Yet, when my siblings and I were young, he made the courageous decision to return to college while still working full-time. This determination and sacrifice left a lasting impact on me. From a young age, I remember him telling me to find something I love, so it would become more than just a job—it would be a fulfilling career. His relentless perseverance and the sacrifices he made for our family have shaped my values and drive. While I haven’t had the official title of mentor, I’ve been fortunate to assist high school students with their PLTW year-end projects and coach sports through our local park district. Through these experiences, I hope to inspire the next generation, just as my father inspired me.

What are other observations you have on engineering diversity?

Diverse teams bring a wealth of strengths to engineering and design projects, significantly elevating both the quality and innovation of the outcomes. By bringing together individuals from varied cultural, educational, and professional backgrounds, these teams benefit from a rich array of perspectives. This diversity of thought leads to a broader spectrum of ideas, approaches, and solutions, ultimately resulting in more innovative and effective designs. When tackling complex challenges, diverse teams are better equipped to approach problems from multiple angles, often identifying issues and opportunities that might be overlooked by more homogeneous groups. The fusion of different experiences and viewpoints naturally fosters creativity, encouraging experimentation with unconventional ideas and ‘outside-the-box’ thinking, which are crucial for driving innovation in engineering and design. Moreover, because these projects often aim to serve a wide range of users, a diverse team is more likely to understand and address the varied needs and preferences of a broad user base, leading to more inclusive and widely applicable products and solutions.

Diverse educational backgrounds can profoundly advance the field of engineering in numerous impactful ways. Engineers who bring knowledge and techniques from different fields foster cross-disciplinary innovation, leading to breakthroughs that might not emerge within a single discipline. For instance, merging insights from computer science, biology, and traditional engineering can drive groundbreaking advancements in areas like bioengineering, robotics, or artificial intelligence. Varied educational experiences also equip engineers with distinct problem-solving approaches. An engineer trained in physics may focus on fundamental principles, while someone with a business background might prioritize cost-efficiency and market impact. This diversity in problem-solving perspectives results in more robust and well-rounded solutions. Additionally, engineers with diverse educational backgrounds offer a broader perspective on the application of engineering solutions. For example, those with a background in environmental science might design products that are not only functional but also sustainable, taking long-term ecological impacts into account. Furthermore, educational diversity introduces varied thought processes and creative methodologies. An engineer with a background in the arts, for example, might emphasize aesthetics and user experience, leading to designs that are both highly functional and visually appealing, enhancing overall user satisfaction.

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NW MN Chapter of Women in Electronics
DigiKey

In 2018, DigiKey founded the NW MN chapter of Women in Electronics (WE), a community of women in the electronics industry committed to working collaboratively with their male counterparts to advance opportunities for women in electronics and related industries. Since then, membership and participation have continued to grow within DigiKey, bringing increased networking and learning opportunities.

Team members at DigiKey’s headquarters face the unique hurdle of being tucked away in the northwest corner of Minnesota. Being far removed from other tech hubs makes it harder for the team to attend industry networking events and speaker sessions and participate in cross-business mentorship programs, which is why the WE chapter has been such an important initiative.

The Thief River Falls chapter of WE is a dynamic group that supports its members in various ways. The chapter offers monthly training, which has helped many feel more confident in their communications and empowered to express their ideas.

The mentorship program has also been an invaluable resource for many. It connects women in different roles and stages in their careers and promotes collaboration, support, and career development opportunities. It’s become a place for many to feel safe and discuss challenges with someone with an outside perspective. Furthermore, it has opened doors previously unavailable to many. Some employees, once mentees, are now looking to become mentors and help encourage the next generation of women in tech.

Talk about the culture at your company. What makes it supportive of diversity?

The responsibility of being a major local employer is not lost on leadership, and this WE investment is an initiative paying dividends for the broader community. Women in Electronics provides access to learning and development resources that we can utilize on-site and share with anyone in our local community who desires access to experts, tools and support to empower and develop women leaders in the workplace.

The DigiKey culture wholeheartedly believes that diverse teams are critical to a business’s success because they broaden perspectives on any initiative or idea. There are many research-proven reasons why diverse teams lead to better business results.

Beyond stronger financial returns, diverse teams increase access to better talent, more effective problem-solving, superior innovation, stronger retention and more relevant solutions for end customers.

Our industry is very forward-looking and thinking, but it’s also a very mature industry, especially at the leadership level. In the next decade, there will be a high turnover rate in the industry due to aging leadership. We need to build that bench for the future of the industry so that we can continue to grow and transform. With the ongoing competition for talent, addressing this talent reservoir is critical for our ongoing sustainability. Our partnership with Women in Electronics provides a platform to talk about those challenges and promote the need for change within the industry.

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Dareen Awwad
Regional Support Engineer
Beckhoff Automation LLC

What drew you to engineering?

My journey in engineering began well before my formal education in Applied Physics and Mathematics. It was rooted in my childhood in Palestine, inspired by my father’s hands-on approach to problem-solving. He was not just a self-taught engineer but also a practical teacher. He often involved me in fixing household electronics and crafting battery-powered toy cars for our family races.

In school, when my peers had store-bought robotic cars, my family couldn’t afford one. Instead, my father crafted a wooden car body, equipped it with batteries, and we built our own remote-controlled car from scratch. This early experience ignited my passion for engineering. I continued to learn by watching my brothers repair laptops and old consoles, delving into home electronics with my father and exploring experimental physics through my dad’s library.

My fascination with mathematics was nurtured by my mother, a mathematics competition winner, who would create equations for me to solve – for fun! This early love for problem-solving and technology led me to become the president of my college’s physics club, where I taught 3D design and printing using AutoCAD and maintained 3D printers.

Professionally, I joined Beckhoff Automation, where I found a perfect blend of my interests and continued to expand my knowledge in automation. Working closely with customers to troubleshoot their applications, I discovered a deep satisfaction in solving complex problems. My career has been a fulfilling journey that merges early inspirations with professional growth in the engineering field.

What is the most satisfying aspect of being an engineer?

The most satisfying part of being an engineer is the endless learning and the thrill of solving real problems for customers. Engineering is always changing, which means there’s always something new to discover and master. But what really drives me is the chance to tackle challenges head-on and come up with solutions that make a difference in people’s lives. It’s incredibly rewarding to see the impact of your work and know you’ve made someone’s day a little easier.

Have you benefitted from mentoring or mentorship?

When I first started working with Beckhoff technologies, the entire support department acted as my mentor, and that experience was incredibly valuable. What I love about working at Beckhoff is the collaborative spirit; everyone is eager to help each other out. It’s a culture where mentorship and support are woven into the fabric of our daily work.

I’ve also had the pleasure of helping others and answering interns’ questions about career growth and my experiences at Beckhoff. It’s been equally rewarding to share my knowledge and support their development. Giving back and continuing the cycle of support and encouragement that I received early in my career is truly fulfilling.

How does the culture at your company make it inclusive or supportive of diversity?

At Beckhoff, we really focus on creating an inclusive and supportive environment for everyone. The company is committed to encouraging diversity, especially in engineering fields, through programs like the Talent Development Program, career fairs and internships. We’re always looking to bring in fresh perspectives and support individuals from all kinds of backgrounds, including women. It’s great to be part of a company that genuinely values diversity and works to make engineering and automation more accessible to everyone.

Describe your involvement in a project that went well.

One of the standout technologies I was involved in was the support of TwinCAT 3.1 Build 4026. As a core team member, I played a key role in helping both internal teams and customers with the transition to this new version. My work focused on troubleshooting and guiding the migration process, ensuring a smooth shift to TwinCAT 4026. It was incredibly rewarding to see the successful adoption of this technology, knowing that my contributions helped streamline the transition and improve overall user experience.

Any career or engineering challenges along the way?

My biggest career challenge so far has been navigating the vast array of products we work with at Beckhoff. With so many different technologies and solutions, it’s impossible to know everything. I learned early on that it’s crucial to recognize when you need help and to know who to turn to for guidance. By leveraging the expertise of my colleagues and building a strong network within the company, I was able to effectively overcome this challenge. The key lesson I’ve learned is that collaboration and knowing how to seek support are essential for tackling complex problems and achieving success in a dynamic field like engineering.

What strengths do you think diverse teams bring to engineering or design projects?

As a Middle Eastern woman in the engineering field, I’ve seen firsthand the strengths that diverse teams bring to the table. Our varied backgrounds and perspectives foster creativity and drive innovation in ways that homogeneous teams might not. When people from different experiences come together, we’re able to tackle problems from multiple angles and uncover solutions that might not be immediately obvious. This diversity also helps us better understand and meet the needs of a wider range of users. For me, being part of such a diverse team not only enriches the problem-solving process but also highlights the value of different viewpoints in creating more effective and inclusive solutions.

How do diverse educational backgrounds advance the field of engineering?

Diverse educational backgrounds significantly advance the field of engineering by bringing a range of perspectives and problem-solving approaches. For instance, someone with a background in arts and humanities might offer unique insights into user experience and design, while those from a more traditional engineering background provide technical expertise. This blend of skills and viewpoints can lead to innovative solutions and more holistic approaches to complex problems. By integrating diverse knowledge and methodologies, we can tackle engineering challenges in new and more effective ways.

I particularly admire robotics specialists. Their ability to integrate complex technologies and create cutting-edge solutions is truly inspiring. Their work pushes the boundaries of what’s possible and drives significant advancements in the field.

If you had unlimited time to apply your engineering background, what global challenges would you tackle?

Every day, I am profoundly inspired by the extraordinary resourcefulness of children living in conflict zones. Despite enduring the harsh realities of war, young innovators demonstrate a remarkable ability to turn basic materials into life-improving solutions. They ingeniously generate electricity, filter water, charge their phones, create cooking stoves and even build games from seemingly nothing. Their creativity and resilience reveal the transformative power of engineering, especially in the face of adversity. If I had unlimited time to dedicate to my engineering background, I would focus on tackling global challenges with a special emphasis on improving the lives of civilians, particularly children, affected by conflict. My vision would be to develop innovative and sustainable solutions that provide safe living conditions and essential support in these dire situations. I would also strive to create ingenious engineering solutions from limited resources to enhance the quality of life. The opportunity to make a profound impact through such meaningful work is incredibly motivating and drives my passion for engineering.

The post Diversity profile: Dareen Awwad of Beckhoff appeared first on Engineering.com.

Eunice K. Esguerra
Manufacturing Product Engineering Section Manager
Allegro MicroSystems
Bachelor of Science in Electronics Engineering • Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan

What is your background?

In 2009, my career in the semiconductor industry started as a new college graduate (NCG) trained in product engineering, circuit design and applications where I grew from a line-sustaining engineer of a range of high-precision amplifiers and converters to high-speed RF products and eventually transitioned to a pioneering team of product applications engineers developing full turn-key applications from ideation to circuit design, PCB layout and the evaluation hardware and software.

I then spent eight years in another company as an automotive product engineer supporting safe launch, yield sustaining and yield improvement projects, especially on ultrasonic park assist devices. My key contributions were record-breaking safe launch releases as well as cycle time. Joining Allegro Microsystems in 2023, the newest challenge in my career is my current position as a section manager, with 32 highly competent, talented and enthusiastic engineers in the Manufacturing Product Engineering team where I strive to develop not only the technical competence of my team but also to mentor and foster personal development, sharing my advocacies on project management, lean manufacturing, 5S and financial education.

Talk about the culture at your company.

Being a new mom and a woman in a male-dominated industry, I had concerns that my current situation might be perceived negatively. But even from the beginning, during my interviews with Allegro, my apprehensions subsided when I realized the value they place on family and even how supportive they were of me in my plan to have a second child. With a little over a year at Allegro, I have seen several women and leaders in engineering and executive positions who started with the company as operators or technicians and moved through the ranks. I believe this is a true testament to the inclusive culture at Allegro, not only regarding gender but also to Allegro’s diverse backgrounds as well.

From programs celebrating Women in Allegro to events recognizing diversity, it feels great to be a part of a company that not only supports but also nurtures DEI.

Describe a recent company project (in which you were involved) that went particularly well.

One of the KPIs of the manufacturing product engineering team is “holding lots performance” – the team needs to review and provide timely and quality disposition for any lot that goes on hold. When I joined the team, the holds KPI was crimson red. The team dissected the root causes – from the responsible group to the underlying nature of the reasons it went on hold and streamlined the process by identifying hold codes, reasonable cycle times for each and corresponding delegations for the actions needed.

The support of all the teams involved as well as regular reviews and follow-ups to the compliance of the improved business process led to the success of the project. The holds KPI is now neon green and sustained. But on top of achieving the performance metric, is being able to synergize with multifunctional teams to a common goal and serve as a catalyst of positive change.

What first drew you to engineering?

My earliest influence in engineering was my father. He is a civil engineer and as early as I can remember, I would always be amazed at how he fixed and built things. He also introduced me to technology at an early age via a home computer as well as inkjet printers. I remember enjoying the typing test application and eventually, loving Excel and how it makes data and computing so elegant.

My friends and relatives would always go to me whenever they needed to create documents, spreadsheets, or even print stuff and I would happily oblige. It was a joy to be able to help “engineer” things that would make life easier or better. Even now in my current role, whatever work I need to do, I engineer ways to make life (for my internal and external customers) easier and better.

Describe your biggest career challenge. How did you solve it?

My biggest career challenge would be the one that I have today – how to be a good manager (of engineers). With 14 years as an engineer, I have always managed issues (or my boss), but not other people (especially not engineers). I know how to improve KPIs, but it’s a different ball game to improve a team. I think I could never say that I’ve solved this challenge, but one of the most important lessons I have learned so far (or I’m applying right now), is to be the leader I always wanted to have and emphasize the importance of not just working as a manager but also serving as a mentor and life coach.

What career advice would you give to your younger self?

Excellent metrics are good for a year. But kind words or gestures can last a lifetime. It’s always better to be kind than right. But if you insist on giving your two cents, the right tone makes all the difference.

The post Diversity profile: Eunice K. Esguerra of Allegro MicroSystems appeared first on Engineering.com.

Alicia Lomas has a long history of giving back, starting early in her career as an intern for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), cleaning up diesel and gas contamination in the Bering Sea. Two years later, Lomas was working as a process engineer at Daisy Brand, installing equipment and programming PLCs and HMIs on the cottage cheese line. Since then, she has worn many different control engineering hats at a variety of food and beverage manufacturers, including Continental Mills, Oberto Sausage Company, and Chobani. Today, Lomas is the senior chemical process controls engineer for Terraform Industries, a startup that strives to solve climate change using technology that can create natural gas out of thin air — literally.

And through all of these cutting-edge career moves, Lomas has remained steadfast on her own personal mission to build and mentor diverse teams. “Culture was what Alicia created in the controls group,” said one of her former colleagues.

Diversity can be a competitive advantage for companies, as it introduces new ideas and perspectives. For her part, Lomas has shaped engineering practices, scaled operations, and cultivated innovation, autonomy, and continuous improvement within every team and project she leads. In this interview with engineering.com, Lomas provides a glimpse into some of the people and projects that have shaped her journey.

Can you provide a quick summary of your career up to your current role? 

I studied chemical engineering and was fortunate enough to be hired as a process engineer at Daisy Brand. I was trusted to serve as lead designer and programmer for the cottage cheese process, which was a new product for Daisy. Over the past 20 years, I’ve worked extensively in manufacturing, primarily in the food and beverage sector. More recently, I’ve delved into the startup world with renewable energy and battery material recycling and manufacturing. Along the way, I’ve had the privilege of building some incredible teams that embody qualities I truly value — resilience, professionalism, innovation, integrity, and collaboration.

What first drew you to engineering?

I wish my origin story was a little more exciting. I was good at math and science, and I had a chemistry teacher who told me I should pursue chemical engineering because I’d make more than a chemist. I proceeded with my degree but didn’t feel connected to it until I started working in the real world. The first time I got to program a valve to open and close, I knew I was where I belonged. Programming equipment to manufacture products that my family and friends eat daily is extremely rewarding.

Were there any influential engineers who helped shape your decision to become an engineer?

I really didn’t know what I was going to do when I graduated, but I lucked out and had two engineers see potential in me and teach me a solid foundation, which secured my passion for controls engineering. Tom Lambert and Tom Lorkowski taught me everything about how to be a successful process and controls engineer, giving me autonomy, while making sure I didn’t fail while still learning important lessons along the way.

Describe your involvement in a product launch or design project that went well.

During my time at Redwood Materials, with the incredible support of my team, we successfully designed, programmed, and commissioned four 24/7 manufacturing plants dedicated to lithium-ion battery recycling and battery material manufacturing. We took the initiative to set new standards with our controls and electrical systems and developed standardized templates and function blocks to ensure consistency across the campus.

Our design approach evolved from plant to plant, driven by a commitment to continuous improvement in availability, common spare parts, user experience, and visibility for the executive team. The range of challenges we faced, the exceptionally tight timelines, and the diversity of technology not only tested us but also fostered significant growth in both our technical and soft skills. Today, there’s no PLC platform or new piece of hardware that intimidates our team.

Describe your biggest engineering challenge to date. How did you conquer or resolve it?

There was a cartoning machine that was meant to run over 20 configurations of products, including a base powder pouch and a smaller topping pouch of various sizes and shapes. This project was going to double the capacity of this production line, and many of the products could only be ran on this line. The vendor made a commitment to deliver the technology and they were struggling. I ended up spending much of my time at the vendor site and serving as the onsite project manager to gauge their progress, ask the technical questions, and push for solutions. Once the equipment was delivered and commissioned, there were still substantial barriers to overcome to get to the promised overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) and to be able to deliver to customers. I put in a poor man’s data collection, utilizing the PLC, HMI, and communication software, which allowed us to understand and tackle the top issues. A combination of reprogramming, mechanical changes, and setpoint standardization helped us meet the ramp-up curve and deliver to our customers, with just a minor delay to the overall project.

In your opinion, what more can be done to increase participation of young people in under-represented communities in engineering today?

There needs to be more exposure — as early as elementary school — of what engineers do, including demonstrations and videos of how things are made. Engineering needs to be shown to students as something that is reachable, relatable, and rewarding. I loved food and beverage because the end products I was programming equipment for were things my friends and family knew well. In my experience, the people in my life have not really understood what being a controls engineer means. But when I took them to my factory and showed them how cottage cheese was made and I programmed it, they were impacted!

You have said you thrive on building and mentoring diverse teams. What unique perspective do you think diverse teams bring to engineering or design projects?

It’s the diversity of experience and perspectives that leads to innovative problem-solving. By bringing together these varied viewpoints, everyone benefits — whether it’s learning a new communication strategy or discovering a more efficient way to address a long-standing issue. In controls engineering, where we constantly encounter new hardware, software, and technologies, it’s impossible to know everything. Having team members with different perspectives can significantly enhance our problem-solving process. Sometimes, a fresh set of eyes or a simple question like, “Have you checked this setting?” can dramatically improve our chances of resolving issues quickly and effectively.

How do you motivate these diverse teams?

The best motivation I’ve found is transparency, honesty, and integrity. These two things lead to trust, and that is further harnessed by being in the trenches when it matters most, as well as granting your team autonomy and responsibility with clear expectations. Sharing the “why” is extremely important, as that will naturally motivate engineers, as well as give them all of the context to provide the most appropriate and beneficial solution for the business. Even sharing the not-so-good news that your engineer didn’t meet your expectations fosters motivation, as that is the only way people will know what they need to work on to grow.

How can those new to engineering develop confidence in the workplace?

New engineers should be given value-added tasks with appropriate guardrails. I’ve entrusted many interns, even those with no prior programming experience, with projects that led to significant downtime reductions or cost savings. The key is to walk them through an overview of the task, provide examples and resources, and remain available for questions and review of their work along the way. Timely, constructive feedback helps them learn and grow. When they are ready to deploy their solutions, having myself or an experienced engineer as a safety net, while still allowing the new engineer to take the lead, is crucial for their development.

I learned this approach from Tom and the team at Daisy. They had me migrate PLC code. Though I was initially nervous, this method gave me the confidence to advance my skills and eventually design an entire cottage cheese process.

What safeguards would you recommend to minorities who are aiming to minimize mistakes? 

It’s important to slow down, check your work, and get a sanity check. In the world of controls, I would recommend that newer engineers avoid trying to automate their code writing and instead go line by line. I’ve caught many typos and broader global issues in my code by doing what can be perceived as the tedious way. Being thorough and detail-oriented will catch 98% of issues. Then, when you get to commissioning, you can focus on the process and equipment challenges, not fixing coding issues. And remember, no question is stupid — seasoned engineers love sharing their knowledge and mistakes to prevent you from making the same ones. And if a mistake is made, which is natural, make sure you do not make the same one again by introducing countermeasures for yourself and that you own it. Integrity is everything.

Any comments on learning from mistakes yourself?

I’ll never forget the first time I faulted a PLC and brought the sour cream process down due to a negative timer preset. I made sure that I never made that mistake again and shared that little nugget of caution with my peers and future engineers. I also made some mistakes early on as a leader, where I tried to assume all controls engineers have the same specialties and skill sets. I was then missing out on utilizing the talent I had for the appropriate focuses while making them feel as though they weren’t meeting my expectations. I course-corrected this situation and saw the positive impact the change had on my previously impacted employees.

Any additional general comments or advice about DEI in engineering based on your own experience?

I want to encourage everyone to seek a mentor and to not give up. Being a female in manufacturing and controls engineering is challenging, but with amazing allies, mentors, and leaders, it has been worth the discomfort and the battles I’ve had to endure. The more diversity we bring into these fields, the better off the manufacturing plants, the startups, and the businesses will be.

The post Engineering is reachable, relatable, and rewarding appeared first on Engineering.com.

Fiona Miller is a legend in the world of electronics engineering. After selling her last company a few years ago, she pivoted to run a venture fund that invests in biotech companies focused on age reversal.

Miller’s first introduction to engineering was in high school in 1978. Computers existed but were uncommon, and nobody knew what they were. “One nice teacher brought a very primitive little computer into our math class; the computer read paper tape and had a single-line LCD that could display seven characters. This teacher let us earn class credit by playing with this fascinating computer instead of doing math, and it pulled me right in,” she says.

Miller went to Columbia University’s Barnard College to major in philosophy yet took one computer-science course as a standalone elective. The passion for computers came back, and she found she could play for hours programming the primitive computers.

“In fact, programming is a lot of fun and relatively captivating,” she says. “But I began wanting to know more about the electronics behind these magical capabilities — commands and programmed responses to make people laugh and so on. So, I transferred to the engineering school at Columbia to study electrical engineering. Coming from a liberal arts school, I wasn’t really prepared for engineering coursework … but curiosity drove me.”

Recently, Design World caught up with Fiona Miller about her experiences at college, her work at automated test-equipment supplier Teradyne after school, and what drove her to her various successes after that. Here’s what she had to say.

Was your university a supportive environment?

At school, there were only two of us women in our graduating engineering class of about 300 engineers. So, we felt a little odd … but the other woman became valedictorian of our class. So, it was clear we could engineer. We just got used to being in classes full of guys, and nobody was particularly encouraging or discouraging — we were simply treated as adults. However, in my last year, I wanted a hands-on project to fully grasp the abstract things that weren’t quite sinking in for me. So, one of my professors let me pursue that as my coursework for the last semester. Well, the guy who ran the electronics lab was a nice old guy and very supportive. Because everything was very primitive at that time, I had to etch my own circuit board and expose it in a darkroom. He got me all the supplies and showed me how to do it all. We ended up building a little autonomous vehicle and had a ton of fun.

In fact, while in school, I also worked on programming to be used on Wall Street. At the time, no computerized systems were used to run the stock market. It’s very strange to think about now. A Columbia graduate working on a brokerage project bought a PDP 11 computer and put up a help-wanted advertisement looking for programmers. So, I applied and got a part-time job working for him for two or three years. I vividly remember the first project was to write a program to analyze option yields for options trading. My boss ran around with this printout that I’d produced saying, “Now we can do this report every night instead of intermittently doing it by hand.” We were part of the stock market’s initial early use of automation and computers.

But software was too easy for me, and I really wanted to do hardware. In 1983, when I got recruited by Teradyne, I moved to Boston … and that’s where I still am.

After a year and a half at Teradyne, I joined a startup called Chipcom (now 3com) as the seventh employee. Working late nights with founders, I was there to see the initial company setup and laboratory buildout with new equipment.

What did you learn at this small operation?

Ethernet is all integrated into computers now, but back then, Ethernet hardware consisted of cables and external boxes … and was mainly for local area networks and cable TV. We were building systems to carry 10 Mbps — a big step up from telephone-line modems capable of something like 128,000 baud and bits per second. At the time, I thought why would anyone need so much data speed? But I really liked being in a small company where I was very close to creating something new — and not just working on projects that were a small piece of a big system.

I always had the bug to start my own company. Some engineers enjoy working on the bench because getting things to work is kind of like play — but for pay. In fact, I know a lot of engineers who liked that. But to me, it was always important to do something that matters … my logic was that if I don’t make a lot of money building whatever I’m building, then I’m not doing anything that matters. If I get if people to pay me a lot of money for what I do, that means I’m doing something important and valuable. At larger companies, I did whatever marketing thought we needed to build, and it was always marketing people acting as decision-makers who decided what I would work on. But sometimes, a project I was putting my heart and soul into would get cancelled, and it was clear the project didn’t matter … and all those late nights working didn’t matter, either.

So, it finally dawned on me: The only way I’m going to work on something that matters is if I decide what it is. Little did I know that even if I myself decide what to develop, it may or may not be a thing that people want to buy. Over time it became clear: Choosing one’s own project means if a project commercially fails, you have no one else to blame but yourself.

After Chipcom and another job, you established StarTek to supply network and cable analyzers. Eventually, local area network supplier 3com (acquiring Boston-area companies) bought StarTek, but you were spun out with a new company as VP of engineering. What happened next?

Because there was no CEO at the time, I basically ran Scope Communications. In 1998, that company sold to Hewlett Packard, which at the time had a test-equipment business.

HP was very supportive of women, and the so-called HP Way imparted business agility while supporting engineering innovation. In 1999, however, Hewlett Packard and Agilent split, and my division became part of Agilent.

There were a lot of changes and not for the better. In contrast with HP, where people had a lot of freedom and engineers were encouraged to take initiatives within their own small self-managed divisions, Agilent embraced a more conventional and centralized organizational model. It just wasn’t the same. Then, in the 2000 tech bubble burst, there were huge layoffs. I decided to volunteer to take a severance package offering eight months of pay. In that way, I had eight months of freedom to create a business plan and get venture funding for my second startup — Azimuth Systems — sold to Anritsu in 2016. Next, with my own money (and no venture capital) I started octoScope essentially in my basement as a consultancy. That sold to Spirent in 2021.

Of which of your businesses or technologies are you most proud?

I’m most proud of octoScope because it was all mine and, therefore the most challenging … and yet I was already a mature professional. I’d worked at startups. I’d managed engineering groups. I’d raised venture capital and knew I didn’t want to go that route with this business. I had to build a team, and we were a good team; octoScope was a tremendous experience. At first, it helped that I was already well known in the computer-networking space. Soon, I had more business than I could handle. So, I got two super-smart engineers to join me as cofounders.

Together, the three of us got the consulting business to a million dollars. Then in a move away from the consulting work, we developed a product. Of course, then we had to figure out how to put this product into production and sell it. We also had to build our team because sales were quickly growing. So, I pretty much went to business school right there — a hands-on school that forced me to read a lot of business books and figure out ways to scale the business up to $20M. Then we sold to Spirent … and then I didn’t have to work anymore.

Why did you choose to work in the field of WiFi?

Well, WiFi is related to Ethernet and LANs with which I was already involved. WiFi was billed by IEEE as wireless Ethernet before it was recognized it would need to evolve away from Ethernet to work in a medium that’s much more challenging than cable. All the cellular networks in different markets were subject to different standard bodies … though ultimately, they did end up converging. WiMAX once served as the main intermediate between WiFi and cellular communications; then came LTE, 4G, and 5G. A lot of the technology for WiFi and cellular is now quite similar, and Ethernet makes many systems about as seamless as it gets. But back when I went into WiFi, it was not seamless; WiFi was managed by different standards bodies, and it was a sea of acronyms and technologies. Military was always 10 years behind everything else, and that’s a market unto itself. So, yes — I mostly stuck with WiFi until the networks started converging; then, I started drifting to more work in cellular networks to eventually come to do a little bit of everything.

What was most challenging — the actual engineering, managing a team, or raising capital?

Everything about raising capital for my second startup, Azimuth, was challenging. I worked with a couple of venture funds here in Boston. We had to gather information for them and learn to size up the market, competition, and customer base — all that. Even creating a business plan was a new challenge because, as an engineer, I’d never done this before. So, it was an exciting learning experience. After I raised the money, a CEO was put in place, and I lost a lot of control. Even so, I stuck it out for five years. When I left, I formed a consulting business because I felt like I needed my own space and to determine my own course. Such freedom just went away after venture funding.

In contrast, early on at octoScope, we faced a serious technical challenge. We created a small test system in which we emulated real-life environments for residential and other wireless communications. People used to run around their houses and test their WiFi at different points. Well, our job was to test WiFi setups in a small enclosure … and get that enclosure to behave like a big house. The multi-factor physics of a house involves places where there are walls and other reflection points (such as those from furniture) and varied travel distances based on how big the house is. We couldn’t just test WiFi devices in clean test-enclosure environments and expect to catch all potential issues. No, we had to recreate real environments with multipath motion interference, traffic loads, and other challenges while monitoring how a given device responds to all these impairments.

To put a finer point on it: Wireless devices and their related software are complex and must be adaptive to various phenomena in open air, such as interference and sudden traffic. Testing these technologies required a control system to replicate real-world challenges and record device responses. This was a multi-dimensional challenge involving very serious RF multipath issues — issues having PhD-level complexity due to the physics from multipath as well as motion emulation and software automation to create different scenarios for testing and recording device behavior.

We ultimately succeeded, and our system became the de facto standard for the whole industry — used by wireless operators, including AT&T, Verizon, France Telecom, and others worldwide. In the process of this massive adoption and serving customers around the globe, I flew enough to get AAdvantage 3-Million Miler status with American Airlines. It was a powerful system, and I wasn’t alone; my cofounders brought in some very smart people. I had to learn how to sell and market it, and that was a new challenge. Then, every year, there seemed to be a different challenge; we became so big that we had to learn how to best grow the team and manage production to maintain the highest quality … things like that. Many very different things must be confronted as a company grows, and we needed to learn something new every year.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Gosh, it always felt like a very anxious and stressful time; I never knew how things were going to end up. So, I would ask myself to chill out a little bit; know that everything’s going to work out one way or another; and understand that getting stressed out never helps. I’d also say just take it easy; think with a clear head; and work as a team member. In fact, that last item might be most important: Nobody can carry the whole load … I’d tell myself that you don’t have to carry the whole load or boil the ocean on your own. There are others, and there needs to be a team.

If you had unlimited time, what global challenges would you be interested in tackling?

I think right now we’re in the age of AI, biotech, and synthetic biology. Networking is done; we did it. Networking technologies are going to keep evolving and getting faster, but their main era of innovation is done. My son just finished college a year ago, and he wasn’t interested in computing. Unlike when I was young (and computers were just coming online and cool), computers now are old news. I tried to get him to do some programming, and he wanted to play with genes and create engineered organisms. So, he went into synthetic biology. This is the age, right?

But there’s a lot of technology in biotech — including computing, automation, AI, and machine learning. We’re kind of still doing engineering and programming, but now we’re working with genomes. People who used to be in engineering, a lot of them are going into biology, and now they’re flipping genes and creating different organisms or trying to fix imperfections in the design of humans because God knows we’ve got a lot of issues we could fix so we could be healthy. On the longer ride, that’s kind of the next wave.

To learn about Miller’s current projects, visit mlinarsky.com.

The post The woman who creates engineering companies appeared first on Engineering.com.

Christine King has had quite a life journey — from being a single mom with no money or degree and living in a trailer with an 18-month-old son (while on welfare) to becoming the world’s first CEO of a semiconductor company.

In contrast with those on more typical journeys, King had none of the resources or connections that can springboard a career. She is adamant that success in business is not dictated by a person’s demographic or early life challenges.

Her work in engineering began in the 1970s. Knowing that education was a path to a better future and wanting to impress someone, she decided to attend a local community college and take engineering classes as her electives. So, it was pure happenstance that she entered the field of engineering at all.

“I saw the books and thought, ‘Oh my gosh — I didn’t take very much math or science in high school. How am I going to do this?’ Yet I got a 4.0 GPA. Then with only one semester under my belt, I was offered a job by AT&T. They had a discrimination lawsuit against them, and they were looking for any technical females. It was then I realized one can make money at this. So, I decided to continue with the electrical engineering degree.”

After graduating, King held various positions at IBM before her job was eliminated. “Then I decided I’d figure out how to sell IBM semiconductors to the outside world. In those days, IBM was a captive supplier.” She started the IBM application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC) business, and quite quickly, that business grew to over a billion dollars … becoming the number-one ASIC supplier in the world.

“When it got big enough to need an executive to lead the business, the team picked somebody else — someone in the good old boy network who didn’t know anything about the business — rather than picking me, who had started the business and nurtured it from zero to a billion dollars. That was a huge setback for me and extremely difficult,” admits King.

“I cried for a couple of days and then decided: If I can’t go through, I’ll go around. My logic at the time was that if I built a business of this massive size and the management structure still didn’t let me be a lead executive, then it was never going to happen. So, I decided to change course and go into sales and build a field-engineering team, which had a different management chain.”

Now King underscores that adversity is the mother of all things great. If you’re knocking your head against the wall and you can’t go through, she says you’d better figure out a way to go around — whether at your current company or somewhere else with more opportunity.

When asked about other challenges she’s faced, King had this to say: “I excelled at digital engineering, so microprocessors were my focus. In 1975, when microprocessors were new, I built a computer … so I was always good in the digital realm. Then I was tasked with managing about 100 people doing analog design … a domain in which things are not so clear. I first had to learn how to count on my people and their technical savvy — and get good at discerning who knew what, who was really great at their job, and who I could trust to deliver good technical solutions. That was my biggest challenge — going into a technical arena that wasn’t my area of expertise.

“Since then, I’ve had to switch arenas a lot … everything involves engineering and technology, but nobody can be an expert at the detail level in everything. So, you must learn how to pick the right people and trust them.”

King’s message to young people considering a career in engineering is straightforward: “This field is the basis of all today’s great technologies … and it’s fascinating how some of these designs actually work. In addition, one can make a lot of money in engineering, and the doors are wide open to various opportunities to have a hugely successful career and take care of family, whatever kind of family that may be.”

She admits there are industries that are more welcoming to female engineers than others. “I think the semiconductor industry is tough, although we’re moving the needle there. In contrast, fields related to biology are more welcoming to women. My current healthcare software company is very welcoming and employs a lot of women, though it’s still very challenging to get to the top.”

Regarding diversity in engineering, King appreciates it in forms — including gender, cultural, and socioeconomic diversity. “My teams most benefit from diverse thinking and diverse capabilities. For example, it’s helpful to have entrepreneurs who freewheel with potentially great ideas. It’s also helpful to have more diligent folks who are perhaps less aggressive but more task-oriented to execute specific details. Having diverse points of view and personalities makes for the strongest teams.”

In her recent book, Breaking Through the Silicon Ceiling, King aims to illustrate that one doesn’t need an Ivy League education or parents with connections to succeed in engineering. “You can be a welfare mom, and if you work hard and smart, you can succeed in a very technical career. I think we just need to do more outreach, share more stories, and assist more underserved communities.”

For those new to engineering, King cites several ways to develop confidence in the workplace. “Obviously, having the right level of education is important, but I believe we learn most by doing — and have the best opportunities to become leaders where fields have ‘white space’ — in other words, where new technology areas are just emerging.” For King, this so-called white space was in microprocessors. “Nobody knew about microprocessors, so I learned about them … and that put me on a level playing field with engineers 20 years in. Today, I think AI offers a lot of career opportunities to young engineers.” King also points out that if nobody else wants to do something, new engineers can step in and do it … and that’s the type of thing that can help young engineers accelerate their careers.

King also agrees that alternative degree paths in engineering are valuable, but don’t necessarily need to be the end goal. “I started my journey in engineering at a community college, and that was a great jumping off place for me — so maybe it’s no wonder I totally support community educational programs. I’ve had PhDs from MIT and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and you name it working for me — and I’m on a board alongside of the President of Stanford University. So indeed, my community college start really took me a long way. So, whatever education is available to us, we ought to take it. That said, I’d warn young students: Don’t let where you first go to school limit your aspirations and achievements.”

Along the same lines, King asserts that education should never really stop (especially for those who work in engineering fields) because technology is always moving so fast. “I think something that always benefitted and differentiated me was my belief that I can assume any task and get it done. More important than my initial degree is all I’ve learned in the workplace.”

When asked about current global challenges she’d be interested in tackling, King’s response was modest.

“I’m big at tackling whatever problems are in front of me. I would love to say that I’m doing something to save the planet or humanity. Honestly, though, I love anything that presents a challenge … whether it’s the most minor thing or incredibly monumental. For example, I’d never worked in healthcare and then assumed the CEO position at a healthcare software company and love it. So, I don’t necessarily think that big, but love tackling whatever is thrown at me. That said, I’m currently on a mission to help people achieve success in their careers and life — and I appreciate the opportunity.”

To learn about King’s current projects, visit christineking.com. Her book, Breaking Through the Silicon Ceiling, is available on Amazon.

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Alicia Gilpin — known on her popular podcast Automation Ladies and LinkedIn as Ali G — is the CEO of Process and Controls Engineering LLC. More than that, Gilpin is a champion for a more approachable and egalitarian culture in engineering.

It wasn’t an influential engineer or family member in the field who encouraged Gilpin to pursue a degree and career in the field; rather, it was the specific coursework that drew her. “Neither of my parents or close family members were engineers. In fact, there was no one; an engineering career is just what I thought I wanted. English is my second language, so I was drawn to the certainty that math could provide.”

In college, Gilpin studied chemical engineering and always assumed she wanted to spend her whole career in that subspecialty. But just a few years into her work, her position was downsized … and Gilpin was forced to find other employment.

When asked how she chose to pursue systems engineering when her chemical engineering position was eliminated, Gilpin is pretty frank: “I didn’t have any other options. The place where I lived — Phoenix — was dominated by the semiconductor industry, from which I was rejected because my college GPA was not high enough.”

After a lot of job hunting, Gilpin took work with a systems-integration firm that was hiring engineers like her as well as others without such degrees — or, in some cases, with technical training gained during U.S. military service — to educate them into industrial- automation and control-system specialist positions. In some cases, the control-systems and connectivity work produced by these employees was just like that produced by professional engineers … except it lacked the P.E. stamp.

This experience informs Gilpin’s views today. On the topic of ways to make engineering more accessible to workers sorely needed in the industry, Gilpin has decidedly proletariat leanings: “Please God, help the people see that associates will save us from ourselves. In the engineering industry, we have a strange stigma [against those with these degrees], and I’m sick of it. If a person gets an associate’s degree, I accept them. I’m not going to worry about the rest of the world when it comes to this topic.”

When asked how industry might maintain quality work should it slowly come to employ workers with a greater variety of degree types (such as associate’s degrees), Gilpin had this to say: “Our industry is massive. That’s why I created the OT SCADA CON event — to expose people to automation knowledge they don’t yet have and would probably love.”

After her control-systems position, Gilpin pursued field-engineering work, initially traveling the country to design and initiate control systems for coffee roasters. Assuming responsibility for system startups gave Gilpin insights into how design and field engineering need to be connected. In 2018, after yet more work, including a stint that had her essentially running a control-panel shop, Gilpin founded her process and machine controls-integration business. However, it was a few more years before she quit her job to dedicate herself to her fledgling business full time. Within months, word of her new availability had spread through Gilpin’s professional network, and she had her first large purchase order. Hurdles in the form of insurance, documentation, quoting, bookkeeping, and contract requirements cleared one by one, and the business took off.

Gilpin cites her comfort with the possibility of failure — always looming in the earliest days — as a core component of her success. Today, her business continues to grow and evolve.

Making engineering more practical

Gilpin is passionate about increasing participation in engineering by young people from underrepresented communities. “There are wonderful people out there pushing a fabulous agenda — including the founder of the New American Manufacturing Renaissance, Andrew Crowe. Likewise, my engineer co-host Nikki Gonzales and I built our Automation Ladies podcast to help show various representations.”

In yet another effort to support her contacts in the industry, years ago, Gilpin began curating and sharing on social media interesting and educational animations and other YouTube videos on how automation components, processes, and systems work. In fact, those efforts are in part the reason why her professional network is so large today.

Gilpin has also founded a 501(c)(3) nonprofit called Kids PLC Kits that procures donations of real industrial-grade components such as PLCs and HMIs from component suppliers and sends them in packages to young people.

Some goals of Kids PLC Kits are to familiarize young people with real industrial and automation control design (just like European students in formal programs); remove the stigma of industrial-related technician and trades-type work involving programming and wiring; impart marketable skills at an early age; and spread more awareness about careers in automation and industrial controls.

Of course, young folks new to the field must gain confidence in engineering over time. “First, one must understand that an engineer’s job is actually to serve people first and then processes. My confidence rose after years of predicting what engineering problem was coming next.”

Gilpin also recommends certain safeguards to anyone aiming to minimize mistakes: “Humans are mistake machines. Skilled engineers just have lower mistake rates because they analyze their own data.”

“In engineering, the best approach is to maintain really solid communications practices. So, say a project is going to go bad. Well, the sooner someone brings that up, the better the outcome will be for the whole group,” adds Gilpin. “If people are afraid to show management slips, when it comes down to crunch time, the whole team will suffer.”

To connect with Gilpin, visit AutomationLadies.io.

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