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07.08
IEEE WIE Supports
Showcasing Diverse Engineering Role Models
By Karen Panetta
IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE)
[www.ieee.org/portal/pages/committee/women]
is at the forefront of diversity issues.
Although the primary goal of WIE is to build a
community of women and men supporting the
advancement of women at all stages of their
careers, WIE has become the diversity arm of
IEEE. Women share many of the same experiences
as other diversity populations. Many of us have
had to cross the same “sticky floors” that have
deterred and slowed career advancement.
The best way to show the value
of diversity is to show the community examples
of the impact it has had on society and business
practices. Consider how automotive companies
have caught on that women engineers have evolved
the minivan to incorporate the features that are
important to families, namely safety. Another
car manufacturer introduced an intruder
detection device so that the vehicle owner will
know if someone is inside their car before they
enter the vehicle. Ideas like these were all
initiated by women engineers who were in tune
with the needs of their customers.
Role models in the workplace
also have a profound effect on encouraging young
engineers. Sharing life experiences, both good
and bad, helps others learn the best practices
and avoid the pitfalls that the role models may
have already encountered.
The number of students pursuing
engineering disciplines is historically low.
This decline, coupled with the fact that only
students who are told that they are good at math
and science are steered towards engineering,
adds another filter (a barrier, really) for an
already small pool of candidates. This
translates into even lower numbers for the pool
of diversity candidates.
Despite living in a digital
world of iPods, video games, online communities
and wireless cell phones, youth today have very
little connection to the engineering and science
that makes all these technologies possible.
Students from every socio-economic community
need to know what engineering is, how it can
have a positive effect on lives in their
communities, the environment and the world.
Role models in the media are
just as important as role models in the
workplace. Television and the Internet have the
constant attention of our young people. With
television now showing glamorous forensic
scientists, more students are becoming
interested in science, yet engineering is still
waiting for its Hollywood debut.
See the article,
“Women of Color
Ace Electrical Engineering,” republished in this
issue with permission from the April/May 2008
issue of
Diversity/Careers in Engineering & Information
Technology. It is nice to see that
diversity role models are being showcased on the
Internet, and that Web sites are dedicated to
promoting these wonderful individuals. These
shining examples can be the source of
encouragement that inspires young students to
run through the finish line to a successful
engineering career.
Karen Panetta is the IEEE
Women in Engineering Committee Chair and Editor
in Chief of the IEEE Women in Engineering
Magazine. She is an associate professor of
electrical and computer engineering and director
of the Simulation Research Laboratory at Tufts
University. She is also the co-founder of BA
Logix Inc. and serves as the company’s chief
research scientist. Dr. Panetta received her
B.S. in computer engineering from Boston
University, and her M.S. and Ph.D. in electrical
engineering from Northeastern University. Dr.
Panetta is dedicated to promoting women in
engineering and has created the nationally
acclaimed “Nerd Girls” program, where
undergraduate engineers research renewable
energy topics and serve as role models for
younger students.
Comments may
be submitted to todaysengineer@ieee.org.
Opinions expressed are the
author's.
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