IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2020 - 6

Scire-Scappuzzo in her capacity as a mentor for young professionals and start-ups
at MassChallenge, a nonprofit accelerator.

secure job for an exciting but uncer-
to her community and students. "I
tain future," she shares. "Well, as you
always loved teaching and sharing my
might have guessed by now, all that
passion for engineering, space, and
did not stop me from relocating to
new discoveries, focusing my energy
fulfill my next dream. I have now been
on doing something that motivates
living in the Boston area with my hus-
students and brings value to society,"
band for the last 20 years, raising our
she explains. Though tenured, after
two children (now teenagers) in a won-
seven years, she was feeling a desire
derful community."
to see her research become more ap -
plied; she hoped to engage in more
Scire-Scappuzzo spent more than
hardware development work in anten-
10 years in small business as a princi-
na and microelectronics besides her
pal investigator and program manager,
research in active and passive micro-
all while publishing papers, author-
wave remote sensing.
ing seven patents, building
Recalling her experi-
prototypes, and transi-
It's
ence at MIT and deep
tioning technologies
important
to defense contrac-
love of Boston, Scire-
for engineers in
tors. "I just loved
Scappuzzo decided
particular to gain
the intensity of
to move to the Unit-
the work and the
ed States to work
skills beyond technical
in small busi-
expertise, such as emotional e x c it e m e nt t o
see my research
nesses, develop-
intelligence and strategic
develop into hard-
ing new antenna
insight, to be considered
ware applications
systems, devices,
for leadership
deployed in mul-
and new materials
tiple systems and
for advanced elec-
positions.
platforms," she says.
tronics for the defense
However, she felt the pull
and aerospace industry.
of the "hub of innovation" that
"Again, everyone back home dis-
couraged me from making this radical
is Boston and cofounded a start-up
decision, saying that I did not have the
based on two of her patents: one cover-
right background, that as a woman I
ing a low-multipath wideband Global
would have a hard time in high tech
Navigation Satellite System antenna
in the United States, and that I was
for high-accuracy GPS positioning and
again taking too much risk, leaving a
the second covering a high-perfor-

6

IEEE WOMEN IN ENGINEERING MAGAZINE

JUNE 2020	

mance compact volumetric antenna
with applications to 5G communica-
tion and directed energy.
Leaving the start-up world to join
BAE Systems, Scire-Scappuzzo came
in as a chief scientist before moving
to her current role but credits the
time as a cofounder, professor, inven-
tor, and researcher with teaching her
many of the skills she leverages now.
"As an entrepreneur, you live in con-
stant uncertainty and every important
decision you make can cause irrepara-
ble failure or great success. You have
to build up a thick skin and learn how
to move on," she advises. "Also, you
need to choose cofounders and a team
who share your same vision and pas-
sion, who are complementary to you
and to each other, who you can trust
at times of crisis, and who will stick
with you in good or bad fortune. I did
not know it at that time, but all these
experiences are among the most criti-
cal that I am leveraging today in my
present job."
Although she did not know what
type of experiences she would collect
when she first set out to get an engi-
neering degree, the notion that there's
no one set path is very much in line
with her belief system. "Often, your
dreams and aspirations evolve with you
as you grow and develop as a person,"
she explains. "You always need to be
true to yourself, but the way you use
your talents and your role in society
can and should change with you as
you learn more about the world and
about yourself. I believe that this is how
you grow into a better person, make
an impact on your community, and
become more fulfilled in your life, never
feeling that you have finally arrived."
As for those who take inspiration
from Scire-Scappuzzo's career path and
accomplishments, she has a lot of advice
to share. First and foremost, "Never let
anyone tell you that you are not good at
something or that your idea is too crazy.
Find your passion and try your best at
following your dreams. Failing is better
than not trying."
She also notes the power of hard
work, emphasizing that excellence in
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2020

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