By Meaghan Kelly | Executive Assistant
March is Expanding Girls’ Horizons in Science and Engineering Month which encourages and promotes young women to have the confidence in themselves and their abilities to pursue a career in the STEM field. I took the opportunity to virtually sit down with three of our female engineers, Allison Cline, Jessica Szczurowski, and Kristi Watson, to discuss their experiences in the STEM field as well as their hopes for the future of girls in science and engineering.
Question: What made you want to pursue science and engineering as a career?
Watson first fell in love with science as her father taught her the inner workings of a car. He was a mechanic and a father of all girls. “He didn’t want us to depend on a male or someone to have to do things for us. So, he tried to teach us as much as he could or as much as we wanted to absorb,” Watson recounted. “I feel like that’s the basis of probably why my interest was more toward science or engineering.”
Szczurowski was drawn to the scientific field through TV shows like Forensic Files and American Justice and books by Dr. Bill Bass and Dr. Kathy Reichs. With the influence of her beloved chemistry teacher, she pursued two degrees in chemistry which greatly support her current role in systems analysis. “At the end of the day,” Szczurowski reflected, “it occurred to me the idea of forensic science was not the actual draw for me; it was the opportunity and the ability to solve really difficult problems.”
Question: What was your experience entering into the field? Did you have to deal with any naysayers?
“The thing that really bugged me, was that whenever I told people I was studying math, they always asked if I was going to be a teacher,” Cline said. She clarified that she has enormous respect for teachers, but that was not the direction she wanted to apply her skills. The frustration came when there was no encouragement to consider the various ways she could utilize her strengths in math.
Watson touched on the challenges of her experience performing safety audits over manufacturing sites. While she did not feel expressly opposed, she learned quickly that she would need to develop her own style of communication to relate to and address older, more established men in the safety industry. It was necessary to mix respect with confidence to show she was competent and knowledgeable. “As a woman, it’s all about communication and how you come across,” she said.
Question: What is something you wish was more commonly talked about regarding women in this industry? What conversations should we be having?
Cline wishes that people thought of science in broader terms. She stressed that there is more to engineering than hard science. Communication, creativity, and leadership all come into play, and there needs to be a conversation about all the avenues a person can pursue to be involved in STEM. She believes these narrow perspectives discourage both men and women from joining the field because they perceive the jobs to be restricted to only one niche.
Watson hopes more compassion and grace is extended to women with varying family responsibilities. When her sons were small, she was not able to put in overtime in the office and received unsupportive comments, specifically from female colleagues. She recognizes that those attitudes were often borne out of competition but said, “I’ve never been threatened by another female. I think everybody’s worthy of your position if you work for it.”
Question: Do you feel that you still face challenges in this field due to your gender? If so, what are they?
Szczurowski believes that a form of discrimination will touch every person’s career at some point. She notes that having an outgoing personality instead of a stereotypical nerdy persona put her at a disadvantage, however she chooses to see challenges as motivation and as opportunities to surprise her colleagues. “In the end,” she said, “technical excellence and superiority trump any adversarial situation.”
“The challenge is that no matter what you’re going to do, people are going to remember you,” Cline said with enthusiasm. Sticking out equals more opportunities. There is of course a negative; people will remember the mistakes. However, she welcomes the chance to step up and make a lasting impact.
Question: What do you hope the future holds for girls in science and engineering?
“As time has passed, women have increasingly realized that science is their world if they are willing to work hard and compete just like everyone else,” Szczurowski said. She believes mentorship from both men and women is crucial as it builds confidence which motivates women to join the field.
Cline hopes the industry is reframed to focus more on problem solving and critical thinking. She said, “when you talk to girls or women about problem solving, they’re like yeah, I can solve problems. It’s just not so off putting.”
Watson said, “I wish some girls would be pushed and motivated more. They can do it. You don’t have to depend on someone to make your living or your future.”
All three women believe the future for girls in science and engineering is bright. They want girls to believe in themselves, rise beyond imposed limitations, and achieve their goals. If science and engineering make sense, they hope girls embrace that understanding and enjoy all the facets of the STEM experience.
Allison Cline has both a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Science in Mathematics and has worked on a variety of national security technologies for twenty-one years. She currently supports the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) in the office of Strategy and Special Concepts Integration under the MDA Chief Architect where her primary tasks are system integration engineering and communication of technical topics to decision makers.
Jessica Szczurowski has been in the professional industry for nearly twenty-three years. After her initial degree in Paralegal Studies and working as a Paralegal in a law firm for six years, she went back to school and earned her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry. She worked as a chemist in a pharmaceutical lab for a several years and then worked for eight years at NASA’s MSFC Analytical and Environmental Laboratory, supporting several space programs, to include the investigation of the Columbia Space Shuttle explosion. In 2012, Jessica earned her Master of Science in Organic Chemistry and transitioned over to supporting the Department of Defense, working on sensors and developing and testing leading edge technologies that support priority warfighter requirements for the last eight years.
Kristi Watson has a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Safety and Health and worked as a contractor for NASA doing System Safety work for ten years. Over the last twelve years, she has supported the defense industry and currently manages a team of ten engineers both on Systems Engineering and Test Exercise and War Game.