Director of energy services/mechanical engineer, Ross & Baruzzini
January 1, 2019
When did you fall in love with engineering? I remember taking my first HVAC class in college and learned about building loads and thermal comfort, thinking, yes, this is it. I want to do this. I was intrigued by how a building used energy to heat and cool the space, and how the systems you put into that building affected the energy performance.
When did you fall in love with engineering? I decided to become an engineer during my second year of college. At that time I did not know what an engineer truly was but soon realized the match with my natural skills of science and math, and, frankly, I was also attracted to the published earning potential. I remembered taking an aptitude test in the fourth grade and being told that engineering was an ideal career for me.
When did you fall in love with engineering? My dad was a mechanical engineer and is one of the people I admire the most. I think I always wanted to be an engineer, so I could be just like him. Math and science came easy to me in school, and my father encouraged me to go into engineering from a very young age.
Building performance analyst, senior associate, DLR Group
January 1, 2019
When did you fall in love with engineering? It all started when I was growing up in Dublin. My dad is an engineer and always had great answers to my questions about the world we live in. I had so many questions. I even recall my math teacher telling me I asked too many questions.
P.E. Kentucky, mechanical engineer, and LEED Accredited Professional
January 1, 2019
When did you fall in love with engineering? I fell in love with problem solving at a very early age. One of my favorite childhood activities was putting together puzzles, and I often had to be torn away from the puzzle table until it was completed. I believe this passion was the foundation for enjoying math and physics problems.
Professor of architectural engineering and construction science, Kansas State University, and 2018-2019 ASHRAE vice president
January 1, 2019
When did you fall in love with engineering? I cannot remember a time in my life when I was not fascinated by buildings. I was talented in art and math and spent my spare time enjoying the challenge of puzzle style games. Reflecting on my childhood passions, it's clear that my choice to pursue a career in building systems was a perfect fit. As an engineer of HVAC systems, my daily challenges include solving multi-variable puzzles.
When did you fall in love with engineering? I fell in love with engineering when I started working on the Parkwood Technology Centre in Cape Town, South Africa. I worked together with a few other Stanford women engineers, Parkwood Primary School, and Bottomup (a local education nonprofit) to design and build the Net Positive community center over three years.
Senior engineer, National Renewable Energy Laboratory; 2018-2019 president, ASHRAE
January 1, 2019
When did you fall in love with engineering? When my dad would help me with my elementary school math homework, he said it was important to learn math, so I would be ready to take thermodynamics when I was in college. For many years, I believed him and worked hard in my math classes all the way through high school knowing that someday I would need to be ready for my college thermodynamics class. It wasn't until I was thinking about what I would study in college that I learned only engineers take thermodynamics.
When did you fall in love with engineering? I fell in love with engineering through an internship at a pulp mill after my junior year in college. I climbed inside a 10-story boiler during shut-down, watched contractors weld and install stainless steel piping in a caustic heating system I designed, and solved a pumping problem that had been shutting down the plant repeatedly. It was cool stuff that mattered.
Vice president and general manager, ducted systems, Johnson Controls Inc.
January 1, 2019
When did you fall in love with engineering? I've always had an interest in science and math, even as a young girl. I wanted to know how things worked and wanted to fix things when they were broken. I've also always been up to the challenge of solving problems. In the end, that is really what engineering is – finding solutions to problems.