IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2020 - 2

Letter From the Editor

Pathways
to Innovation

I have many friends who knew what
careers they wanted to pursue from
as early as age seven. Unfortunately, I
was not endowed with any such realistic foresight for my own ambitions.
Thus, I watched from the sidelines as
my friends strategized the scenarios and
opportunities they needed to get themselves one step closer to achieving their
dream job. I am proud to know such
motivated individuals. Growing up, they
were great peer role models for me, and,
even though I didn't share their career
passions, I learned so much from them.
One recruited me to help build a solar
collector. I had no idea what a solar collector was, and at that time in history,
neither did most of the world's population.
Building the solar collector was fun, and
it came out beautifully. When we were
almost done constructing it, I noticed
the doors and windows in the basement
workshop where we were working were
very small compared to the behemoth
architecture we constructed. I asked my
friend, "How do you plan on getting this
thing out of the basement?"
My friend totally overlooked any such
consideration of the transportation and
installation logistics of the device and
was devastated that his masterpiece had
to be chopped up or would never leave
the basement.

Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MWIE.2020.2977482
Date of current version: 5 May 2020

IEEE WOMEN IN ENGINEERING MAGAZINE

out knowing it, I was committing to
becoming a mentor.
Today, we all know that role models
and mentors are important to encourage youth to pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
(STEM) fields, but what no one tells
us is that there are infinite pathways
to get there. The road to our futures
is as diverse as we are. No two people
are alike, and we must teach youth and
educators to value those differences. We
Little did I know that I just discovered
need our future STEM leaders to know
my niche for making observations of how
that it's okay to use a "Frankenstein"
things could fail-observations others
approach to build their own
routinely missed. I thought these
insights were obvious to everycareer pathways by capturone and simply required
ing elements of the positive
characteristics of our role
using one's old-fashioned
models, while weaving in
common sense. I learned
our own individual talents
quickly that very few of my
and interests. For me, I
peers, even the most acacaptured the magic my ficdemically brilliant ones,
had this ability. It took years
tional role models possessed
of honing my craft before I
by learning engineering,
Karen Panetta
and I built a career using it
could appreciate the value of
to make the impossible possible.
my ability to predict scenarios of how sysIn this issue of IEEE Women in Engitems can fail.
neering Magazine, you will be introI had no female role models, except
duced to others who have used their
the fictional ones on TV portraying
own blend of magic to create novel
witches and genies who used magic to
pathways to innovation. Ashley Wilmake the impossible happen. This was
liams, an engineer at NASA, has custom
the career I have wanted since I was
designed her pathway. which led her to
four years old, namely, having magical
work on projects for space exploration.
powers to make the impossible posMeanwhile, Tiffany A. Sargent is a chief
sible. Alas, magic powers do not exist,
Internet of Things (IoT) architect who
and I was ridiculed and subjected to
has crafted an entirely new career field
physical violence at the hands of older
called influence sales, which combines
girls for voicing my aspirations. From
her vast knowledge of the IoT with her
that experience, I promised myself that
industrial design background.
some day when I was older, I would
In this issue, we also profile other
help protect other young girls with
IEEE Women in Engineering role modcreative minds to remain strong and
els who inspire us through their actions
reach their full potential. I would teach
and commitment to do good for others.
them how to use magic and use it to do
They are living superheroes. One of these
good things. I would advise them on
is Ashley Bell. Ashley is an actress who
how to use it to prevent nasty people
told the courageous story of elephant
from committing evil deeds. With-

JUNE 2020

IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2020

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