SWE - Winter 2008 - (Page 57)

succeed in their missions. As an advisor and consultant on a gamut of materials, I was sought out to solve problems, from the sublime to the “ridiculous” and all from womb to tomb. In the 1980s, high-temperature polyimide prepreg was needed for commercial aircraft engine applications. I accepted the challenge. I assisted in its development for production, and then developed the first successful fabrication process for composite commercial GE jet engines. This high-temperature composite was later reapplied to B-2 aircraft structures, F-15 engine housings, and the Mars Rover heat shield. Go Rover! My baby, the Delta II rocket, was affected by excessive aero vibration during launch, threatening the viability of the vehicle. I developed a damping foil application to reduce this vibration, and led a team to install it on the Delta II at the Cape, to provide an on-time launch. This idea became the standard manufacturing practice for all subsequent Delta II metallic fairings. On another project, the Delta solid rocket thrusters had a 40 percent failure rate due to leakages. After experiencing a flat tire on the freeway, I came up with an idea to use a $2/per can commercial flat-tire leak-stop material. We sprayed it into the orifice, which plugged the leak. This increased the success rate to 99 percent, saving $45,000 per launch. Ausgezeichnet –— this means excellent! Finally one of the guys In 1983 — not 1893 — I was the only woman engineer ever hired at a certain facility in its 57 years of existence. Nine months later, they hired another 13 of us. On my first day, the main topic for discussion was the plant-wide lecture for all the engineers. When the speaker was discussed, I had piped up that I had sat next to him at the last professional society dinner just a few weeks ago. That, of course, in their eyes, made us bosom buddies. No, it really just meant that I hadn’t poured my soup down the front of him at the last dinner, so we were still on speaking terms. As it turned out, on my second day, I was assigned to introduce the speaker to the entire engineering staff, most of whom had heard a woman engineer had been hired. They just hadn’t met me yet. It could be assumed that this staff was not psychologically prepared to have a woman as one of their number. I asked for a map and they drew it on a napkin. So, armed with my napkin I awaited the speaker in the only place I knew –— the lobby. When he arrived I gave him the napkin-map and told him to navigate. Meanwhile, I took out another napkin, writing furiously and asked him when he was born and when he died? He informed me he hadn’t died yet. I replied when he walked in those doors he was dead meat; so when was he born and when had he died? The lecturer and I entered the auditorium and everyone suddenly stood up. They had practiced so they could do it in unison, so it sounded like whoosh. I looked around and was suddenly unsure as to whom they were standing for, as in Europe the students stand for the lecturer, but the audience looked like “red -blooded Americans” to me. Wait a minute. They are standing because I am a woman, the only woman in the room. I motioned the lecturer to his place and sort of tiptoed across the void of the room toward the sea of old men, to take the only seat left, front row center, and everyone sat down — which sounded like whamp. Soon, I stood to introduce the speaker, whoosh, walked over to the lectern and motioned they could be seated, whamp. I finished introducing the speaker and took just one step from the lectern and they all stood up — whoosh. When I sat down again — whamp. Whenever I stood up or sat down, everyone stood up or sat down. It felt like being in a church. Even when the lecture was over there was no easy escape; everyone waited and waited and waited. I was the only woman in the room and no one would budge until I did. So, I stood up, and everyone stood up with one last whoosh!. Then, I had to walk baby steps as the 70-plus year-old attendee was shuffling over, as fast as he could toddle, to open the door for me. Six weeks later, a gentleman asked, “You want to play baseball?”At last, I was one of the “guys,” an accepted member of the engineering staff. Engineers are slow to change, but eventually they adjust. Volunteering to work with children in the world of science and math helps me to repay both “Uncle Wernher” and “Uncle Albert,” in some small way, for all their time and effort with me. Reaping rewards and giving back For 26 years, I have led the revolution in using composite materials. No one would ever hire me as a designer, as all their metal parts would become composites. I started out small, or as small as it gets for a rocket, to improve the payload capacity of the rocket, by applying the use of composites on the Delta rockets. It has grown from 1 percent to 70 percent of the structural weight, allowing for an additional 30 to 100 pounds of payload per launch. Persistently pushing forward reaps some interesting rewards, such as working for Aerospace Corporation as a senior engineering specialist Pamela Kay Strong delighted the audience with her humor and enthusiastic, storytelling style. SWE WINTER 2008 57

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of SWE - Winter 2008

SWE - Winter 2008 Heritage Club President’s Note View from the Executive Suite Editor’s Page Readers’ Forum EWeek 2008 New Faces of Engineering The Leaky Science and Engineering Pipeline Why Do Women Leave the Engineering Work Force? A Greener America = New Growth Fields for Engineers The Off-On Ramp Revolution Recognizing the Historic Contributions of African-Americans Membership Information & Calendar A&B Women in Tune with Technology: SWE 2007 Conference Overview Keynote Address Achievement Award Region, Section, and Collegiate Awards SME Bowl and SWE Anniversaries Engineering World: Point of View: Why I Blog Career Toolbox Book Review SWE Smiles Opportunity Index SWE Scrapbook

SWE - Winter 2008

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