Engineering – Page 5 – STEMedia.org

Become Enthusiastic About Life & STEM

February 12, 2018June 12, 2018
by Tayler Furlow

When Maira Garcia was younger, she used to go cloud watching with her dad. Laying back on the cool grass watching the clouds would eventually lead her to the path of her truest success. Whenever she would see a plane the excited that filled her was noticeable and instantons prompting her father to ask the obvious. “Do you like planes?” Who would have thought such a common question would lead to a career path? It wasn’t until high school that she first heard of engineering and put together that she could combine her interest of airplanes and math through aerospace engineering. She graduated from the University of Arizona with a bachelor’s degree in the subject and now works at Honeywell as a systems engineer on a turbofan engine.

Maira’s enthusiasm also extends into community service and involvement. She is the president of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers Phoenix (SHPE) section, a board member of Collectivo, a group created to fill the gap of networking events among Latino marketing and communication professionals in Phoenix, the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Phoenix and Honeywell liaison to the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University SWE section, SHPE Phoenix and Honeywell liaison to the Arizona State University SHPE section, member of American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), and an adviser to STEM outreach programs for Arizona State University and Peoria Unified School District. She also holds a variety of volunteer positions within Honeywell, including Industry Partnership Council (IPC) SHPE Coordination Lead for Honeywell. Maira also is involved in Big Sisters and Big Brothers, mentoring and encouraging an eleven-year-old girl future lawyer.

Maira is very passionate about the work, volunteering, and her overall life. While in college, she started a bucket list; goals to achieve before she graduated. Her bucket list has grown over the years to include travel, adventures, work, eating, volunteering and all the good things in life. A friend encouraged Maira to start blogging about her passion for life and Enthusiastic About Life “Enthusiastic About Life” was born.

Below is Part 1 of my interview on Maira’s career and life— her enthusiasm about both is contagious! Check it out and see!

Part 1

Suzie: Describe to me, and the readers, what you do as an engineer.

Maira: I currently work as a control-systems engineer to support development and testing of the HTF7000 engine (Honeywell turbofan engine). My duties include providing control system support as necessary for all engine and flight testing, improving the quality and reliability of the engine control system and its components, and [reviewing] software logic design to determine testing necessary for development and certification.

Suzie: What do you like best about engineering?

Maira: My favorite thing about engineering is the fact that it is all about critical thinking. You are given a problem, and it is up to you as an engineer to determine a solution with the info (which may be limiting) you are given. I love that engineers make such a difference to the world. We work on incredible systems that help people every single day: from cell phones that allow us to communicate with each other, airplanes that allow us to travel and see the world, and medical devices that save lives. I definitely brag about my job, without actually meaning to. It’s just sometimes difficult to be passionate and not brag… One thing that I always mention when talking to students about how cool my job is, is the fact that I go on flight tests for work. I have spent days as a passenger in a regional jet where the aircraft is doing intense maneuvers to ensure that the software we put on the plane is safe. I also get the opportunity to work with such intelligent people every single day. I get to work alongside engineers who have more than 30 years of experience my field, who are experts, and who are still so passionate as the day they started. Talking and working with these people gets me excited and makes me excited to go to work every day.

Suize: What is the hardest part of your engineering job?

Maira: The hardest part of my job, but also the most exciting, is the fact that engine controls and flight controls are complex systems. The hardest part is that sometimes the complexity is way above my head, and I have to sit down and really think about my next steps. The hardest part is finding solutions to problems, but that also makes it the most exciting thing because when I don’t have the answer to something, I am able to set up a meeting with someone who is an expert and learn something new, every day. For a little while, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go the technical or business track at work, but then I talked to an Engineering Fellow [from Honeywell] about how fun it is to find a solution to a problem. Engineering is what I love, so I’m going to pursue the technical track and pursue my master’s degree in engineering. If my job was not a challenge, then I might end up too comfortable or bored. I enjoy the challenge and finding a solution to a problem; there’s always a solution.

To learn more about Maira, please come back tomorrow for part 2! Interested in more STEM All Stars? Click here to read Suzie’s interview of Mindy Wilson!

This piece comes to us from one of our amazing community members and content volunteers, Suzie Olsen. Her bio is below, be sure to check out her awesome website and if you would like to work with us you can email us here!

Suzie Olsen is a Staff Systems Engineer in Phoenix, AZ. When she is not busy building and maintaining the search and rescue system for the US Coast Guard, she is performing science experiments and engineering design projects with K-12 students. To encourage all students in science, technology, engineering and math,she has written the book “Annie Aardvark, Mathematician.” You can learn more about Suzie here!

Engineering

How To Find An Engineering Internship 16 | The…

February 12, 2018June 12, 2018
by Tayler Furlow

We are back with episode sixteen of the 1% Engineer Show on how to find an engineering internship by working with a job recruiter. Check it out below and check back on Fridays for new videos. Don’t forget to look into The 1% Engineer website for more interesting posts!

How do I find my first engineering job? This is such a common question I see all over Reddit, YouTube, Quora, etc. There are a couple tactics that most people never explore, like using a job recruiter for help. This leaves the truly ambitious people some additional opportunities to landing that job, to get connected to a potential employer that can change their life forever.

Job recruiters are in the business of connecting companies to prospective employees, and that is you! First, you have to get over any apprehensions you may have. Most young professionals will quickly say “Oh well I’m under qualified for everything, so they don’t want to talk to me.”

Wrong.

In the history of successful people, everyone has started with zero experience. Everyone has gone for an opportunity where, on paper, they weren’t the best candidate. But you never know. So keep an open mind. Once you do this, the process of networking with job recruiters is much easier. This video provides some of the benefits to working with a recruiter, like interview feedback and access to unlisted positions. Additionally, there are some tips as to how you may find these engineering job recruiters. Enjoy!

Engineering

Become Enthusiastic About Life & STEM

February 12, 2018June 12, 2018
by Tayler Furlow

In Part 1 of my interview with Maira Garcia, we learned that Maira was a control-systems engineer at Honeywell working on turbofan engines and that she is passionate about engineering. In Part 2 of the interview, Maira shares her passion and enthusiasm about life in general and what advice she’d give to her younger self.

Suzie: What hobbies or activities do you do outside of your engineering job?

Maira: Anyone that knows me, knows that I have so many hobbies. And the biggest one is blogging– it encompasses all my other hobbies. Outside of work, I run a food, travel and adventure bucket list blog, Enthusiastic About Life, that focuses on all my hobbies: eating new food; traveling to new places and discovering new cultures; going on adventures, like hiking, running, exercising (yoga!); and crossing off random bucket list items like officiating weddings. I also really enjoy spending time with my family and friends and bringing them on my adventures. I also really enjoy reading and listening to technical lectures in my free time. It’s amazing to see what people are accomplishing.

Suzie: Tell me more about Enthusiastic About Life.

Maira: Enthusiastic About Life is my passion project; it’s all about inspiring and empowering others to live their best enthusiastic life and to go after what they want. It’s a personal blog, so of course I talk about my [engineering] job on there and the mentoring that I do. In my blog, I mention how rewarding it is to go out and help others. I talk about the opportunities I am given with my job, and I talk about lessons learned from my job. I take the same work ethic I have for engineering, and I apply it to Enthusiastic About Life. I also am always mentioning how grateful I am to have a job that I love and how it’s a complete gift. I’m hoping that when people read about how much I enjoy my job, they are inspired to pursue a career that makes them happy.

Suzie: If a student heard you talk about Enthusiastic About Life, what is something you’d want him/her to take away?

Maira: I would want the student to see how passionate and enthusiastic about life I am. I want them to see that you should have passions in your life, and that your job can be one of those. The biggest piece of advice I would give to students in school is the same advice I was given as a freshman: ‘Think of the end goal’. Anything is difficult if you want to do an excellent job at it.

Every major has its difficult parts– those impossible classes, the tests that make us have all-nighters, the projects that last forever– and the important thing is to always think of the end goal. Think of what you want to accomplish after you graduate; think of what you want to work on. I always had my eyes on working on the coolest aircraft and that is what got me through Fluid Mechanics and Numerical Analysis. It’s okay to have a few stumbles on the way to your degree; the important thing is that you walk out with working knowledge. Your grades are just a tiny part of it. You’re never going to get there if you’re walking without direction.

In terms of career, I would say, find a role model/mentor in every step of your career and actually talk to them. Befriend them and find out how they got to [each step in] their path and see yourself in their [path]. Surround yourself with people who will make you better, and those role models/mentors will do just that. Most people are just waiting to share their careers and advice with you, especially when they are so passionate about their careers.

Suzie: Last take away—what one thing do you know now that you wish you knew when you started out in engineering?

Maira: I wish I had known how easy it is to get over the intimidation of reaching out to a Senior/Principle/Chief Engineer, a Director or Program Manager, or an Engineering Fellow and ask for career advice. I wish I had known how willing people are to help in this industry. I was so shy when I started, and everyone above my rank was so intimidating. But those people are willing to talk to you, especially if their passionate about what they do. I’m hoping that by me sharing this, students and professionals will have the push they need to make those connections.

Thank you Maira for bringing your enthusiasm to this interview and for your insight on engineering! To learn more about Maira and Enthusiastic About Life, please follow her on Instagram , Facebook or Twitter. Make sure to use the hash tag #EnthusiasticAboutLife!

Suzie Olsen is a Staff Systems Engineer in Phoenix, AZ. When she is not busy building and maintaining the search and rescue system for the US Coast Guard, she is performing science experiments and engineering design projects with K-12 students. To encourage all students in science, technology, engineering and math,she has written the book “Annie Aardvark, Mathematician.” You can learn more about Suzie here!