WHY STEM IS VERY CRUCIAL FOR GIRLS AND WOMEN?

• • WHAT I DO

    I am a PhD student in the remote sensing, earth and space sciences group in the Aerospace Engineering Sciences department of University of Colorado Boulder. I'll be working on applications of GNSS in remote sensing. Previously, I was a Radio Frequency Systems Engineer/Electrical Engineer at Apple working on Radio Frequency front-end receiver systems for Global Positional System (GPS) at Apple. I was doing system level integration and design.

    
    

    WHY ENGINEERING?
    

    I have always liked science and maths and I have always been awed by their immense applications. Engineering has made me confident that we can build anything we dream. Humans have always been curious and engineering has made it possible for us to satiate our quest for answers by building things that enable us to travel into the unknown. We dreamt of flying like birds, so we built planes. We dreamt of going underwater, so we built submarines. We dreamt of reaching for the stars and so we built space shuttles.  

  • SCHOOL DAYS

    I pursued my Masters degree in Electrical Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder.  Prior to that, I went to the National Institute of Technology, Nagpur India for my undergraduate degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering. I completed my middle school and high school education in India.

  • MY DAY AT WORK

    While working for Apple, I worked all day in the lab with equipment. I looked at PCB layouts, recommended changes, and tested the boards. Currently, I study satellites, their orbital mechanics, and various parameters that can affect our GPS reception.

  • BEST PART

    Immense happiness when you design and build something and see that it is being implemented. As an engineer, I have an opportunity to make a difference and create an impact to humanity with technology.

  • PROUD MOMENTS

    One of the achievements I am proud of is from my time At CU Boulder. I was on the team that won Nasa's CubeQuest challenge to build cubesats and put them in deep space orbit. The Cube Quest Challenge offers a total of $5 million, NASA's largest-ever competition prize purse, to teams that meet the challenge objectives of designing, building and delivering flight-qualified, small satellites capable of advanced operations near and beyond the moon.

  • CHALLENGES

    A lot of people had tried to convince me against taking Radio frequency as a career choice due to fewer engineering jobs and opportunities. But I did not let these demotivating words deter me and I pursued my passion nevertheless. It was tough initially but my efforts paid off. I am very thankful for how everything worked out towards my decision to not give up.

    I also had a hard time adjusting to an entirely new culture in the US during the first year of my Masters degree. However, I soon overcame those difficulties and built up my confidence to succeed.  I am grateful for the opportunity to pursue this higher education.

    Another challenge I faced is managing time. But I have since started making schedules for various activities I plan and it is helping me a lot.

  • MY FAMILY

    My parents have always been academically inclined and have always motivated me to follow my dreams.

  • DREAMS AND GOALS

    Short term goal: be technically proficient in my field. Long term goal: being able to help develop the space industry and be a researcher.

  • INSPIRATION

    My mother has been one of the greatest inspiration for me. She believes that learning never ceases and has started pursuing a phD degree at the age of 52.

  • WANT TO BE AN ENGINEER?

    Marie Curie once said these golden words 'One never notices what has been done; one can only see what remains to be done'. Being an engineer gives you the wings to build anything, and you can make things that never existed before. My advice to all aspiring women engineers out there: Be bold and you will be unstoppable. You can shake the world!

  • HOBBIES

    My interests include star gazing, reading, writing poems, ice skating, yoga, hiking, skiing, and dancing. I am always up for trying new adventures.

  • ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS

    I actively volunteer in other organizations.

    I have been a webmaster for Mount Tamalpias Astronomy Program. https://www.mttamastronomy.org/about-us                                                                                                                                           
    Recently, I have obtained the role of Assistant Technical Director of Wonderfest. https://wonderfest.org/#essentials                                                                                                                                     
    I have also given a podcast interview which is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Youtube. Youtube link for the Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjKTTrG3SGQ&t=384s