Laura Pashley

Laura Pashley ~ 

As a mother of two daughters in engineering, I was surprised to see women still underrepresented in some of the engineering fields. This blog highlights trailblazers and role models, showcasing these women's incredible careers and perseverance. These stories demonstrate what your daughters can achieve.

Join me in celebrating these inspiring women and their journeys!

Can you tell us a bit about your background and what you do now?

My background has primarily been in space systems engineering with Northrop Grumman. Right now, I am actually on a short-term rotation doing a hybrid of systems and manufacturing engineering. It has been really eye-opening to be able to apply my systems experience to improve manufacturing, and hopefully apply my manufacturing experience I will have gained at the end of this rotation to improve systems engineering. They are very different, but complement each other very well in a way that I don’t think is truly appreciated.

What do you most enjoy about your current position?

In my current position, I am most enjoying physically being on the floor with the hardware, the engineers, and the technicians. Their feedback and lessons learned have truly opened my eyes to how important communication and documentation are. Being able to expand my network with a variety of professionals from all across the lifetime of a project has been so valuable, and I am looking forward to incorporating their advice into my career.

Did you have a favorite mentor and how did they inspire you? 

As an early-career professional, I have a lot of mentors that I look up to. If I had to pick a favorite, I would choose JL Calouro from my very first internship with Northrop Grumman in high school. Being a high school student working in a Northrop Grumman facility was very intimidating, but both him and the team i was on were extremely welcoming and supportive. Anyone who knows me knows that I ask a lot of questions, and JL and the team really encouraged me to get comfortable outside my comfort zone. Ultimately, that experience really solidified my confidence in my future of being an aerospace engineer.

Can you tell us a bit about your background and what you do now?

My name is Michaela and I'm currently a materials science PhD candidate studying ductile fracture mechanisms in additively manufactured metals at Penn State. I received my Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. My experience on a FIRST Robotics team in high school lead me to my mechanical engineering degree, and my experience on Illini Solar Car in college encouraged my interest in fracture mechanics and grad school. I eventually want to combine my materials science and mechanical engineering skills to design mechanical components that are resistant to failure.

What do you most enjoy about your current position?

While I definitely consider myself more of an engineer than a scientist, I like that I have a new way of approaching problems. When I was on my solar car team, I had problems I had to solve quickly, so I wanted to get a good enough solution that worked as soon as possible. In my PhD as a scientist, I'm no longer looking for just a solution, but actually understanding the fundamentals of the whole problem. I now have a bigger toolbox in which I can solve engineering problems in the future.

Can you tell us a bit about your background and what you do now?

I went to school at Iowa State to study computer science. In high school I was involved in FIRST robotics, and from that I was pretty sure that I wanted to go into stem, but had a really tough time figuring out exactly what I wanted to do. I ended up choosing computer science because it's such a broad field and there are needs in just about every field, whether it's academic or corporate, big or small, and I liked that it's also developing so fast with new technologies and new jobs all the time. I've been working full time as a software engineer for two years now, and absolutely love it!

What do you most enjoy about your current position?

One of my favorite things is the trial and error that we do every day, and the way that even the mistakes then the fixes keep building on each other until it eventually turns out. The great thing about software is how accessible it is - you don't need a huge workshop to try it out, and you don't have to get everything right on the first try. Way before anyone gets to see or use the code that I write, we go through plenty of tests, and rewrites, and often many versions that don't work at all, but it's part of the process and it's a great way to learn every day.

Can you tell us a bit about your background and what you do now?

I studied industrial and systems engineering at the University of Florida. I am interested in process optimizations, emerging technologies, and I enjoy working with people from different backgrounds. I am currently pursuing my masters degree in systems engineering from Cornell University. I am an industrial engineer in the Aerospace Industry.

Can you tell us a bit about your background and what you do now?

Growing up in Florida, I had a unique opportunity to grow my interest in space at a young age. I visited the Kennedy Space Center multiple times through school field trips and have been fortunate enough to watch a couple rocket launches. My passion for STEM really took off in high school when I joined a FIRST FRC robotics team, Botcats Team 3653, where I eventually became the project manager and CAD lead in my senior year. This experience solidified my love for engineering and led me to pursue a dual degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering at the University of Florida (UF), Go Gators! 

Can you tell us a bit about your background and what you do now?

I went to the University of Alabama at Birmingham, majoring in Biomedical Engineering with a minor in neuroengineering. With this, I got my first job after graduation at Epic Systems, a healthcare software company based in Verona, Wisconsin. I currently work in a healthcare IT role where I support multiple hospital organisations in optimising their instances of Epic's software on the Clinical Documentation application.

Can you tell us a bit about your background and what you do now?

Can you tell us a bit about your background and what you do now?

I joined engineering later in life - ten years after graduating with other degrees, after getting married, after having my daughter. My first job was testing rocket engines and now I am testing USAF'S new trainer jet.

Testing. I love seeing problems and working through to solutions. 

Can you tell us a bit about your background and what you do now?

Can you tell us a bit about your background and what you do now?

The short version: I'm from a small town in Michigan! I graduated the first time around with a B.S. in Aviation. I started my career in the Aviation industry working for a cargo airliner and learning to fly planes. When the Commercial Space Industry started to ramp up, I opted to go back to school for a second B.S. in space Flight Operations & Human Factors. I was accepted into the Brooke Ownes Fellowship during this time and held an internship working on the Stratolanch aircraft.

Can you tell us a bit about your background and what you do now? 

I got my undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from the University of New Mexico, and now I'm working as a research assistant and graduate student at Purdue University. I have just finished my first year of graduate school and I'm working on a project testing refrigerant flammability. Additionally, I work as a virtual intern for a national laboratory helping with research and development efforts!

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I am a first generation graduate that studied Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. I am currently an Aeronautical and Astronautical Structures Engineer.  

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I am a first generation graduate that studied Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. I am currently an Aeronautical and Astronautical Structures Engineer. 

Can you tell us a bit about your background and what you do now? 

My bachelor's is in Chemical Engineering with minors in computer science and managerial economics. I interned at an air quality district during college and after graduation, I got hired by an environmental consulting company. And I'm still there 15+ years later. I have mostly worked with air quality and compliance and my career niche turned into working with environmental management systems and data that is used for compliance reporting.

Can you tell us a bit about your background and what you do now?

I am Masters student in Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University studying propulsion. I am currently at Zucrow Labs researching Rotating Detonation Rocket Engines.

How did you become interested in STEM?

My mom got me interested in the STEM field at a young age through coding and art camps!

What is one piece of advice you wish you had received when you were just starting out?

Follow your gut feeling and find people in your life that encourage you to keep going and try new things.

Can you tell us a bit about your background and what you do now? 

I am an Optical Engineer working in the aerospace industry.

How did you become interested in STEM?

Funny enough, through art. My mom is an artist (and very talented author) who encouraged me to think creatively. I think that tied in really well to the kind of problem-solving required in engineering. When I got to high school, I joined the FIRST Robotics Club and got to speak with and shadow real engineers.