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Nearly three-fourths of Americans agree government investment in science and technology offers a beneficial long-term return on investment, according to a Pew Research Center survey last year. Another 61 percent believe government investment is essential to technical progress.

Good news since the U.S. government has long been investing in technology. After all, its directives sent humans into space. Other projects have built critical infrastructure that supplies water to communities or supports transportation corridors that move massive loads of goods and people. And that’s only a tiny sampling of federally supported technical endeavors.

Oftentimes, federal and state organizations partner with private or commercial corporations to push technological boundaries even farther. But working in the public sector differs from being an employee in the private sector. And having government agencies as customers differs from conducting business with other private organizations.

That said, these collaborations produce state-of-the-art technology, and state-of-the-art technical careers. Just ask the five woman engineers profiled here who are rising to the top in the government and military sector.

“The things we work on were science fiction until recently,” remarks Diana Weinstein. “Science fiction is a guilty pleasure of mine, and I like the idea of turning it into reality.”

Weinstein is a senior embedded software engineer at Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corporation, based Boulder, CO. The company has helped pioneer many space accomplishments, including constructing a cryogenically cooled telescope on the Infrared Astronomical Satellite, creating star trackers for the Space Shuttle program, and developing instrument packages for the Hubble Telescope.

Because Weinstein’s been living in the Boulder region, Weinstein was well-acquainted with the corporation’s high-caliber projects and community presence: “I knew it had a strong reputation for treating its employees well and contributing to groundbreaking aerospace projects.”

However, that’s not what ultimately motivated her to join the staff. What really enticed her was the chance to focus on software. While with her previous employer, the engineer discovered her inclination for programming.

“I had a variety of roles and found that to be really valuable because it was an opportunity to learn different aspects of the company,” says Weinstein, who earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering. “I learned that what I enjoyed had little to do with mechanical engineering . What I liked was the programming side of automation. I knew I wanted to look for a career that would take me in that direction.”

With that goal in mind, Weinstein began her job search. But she admits to being hesitant about how potential employers would view her experience and whether it was conducive to programming.

“I thought it would disqualify me from working in software. But it turns out my background was an asset,” she shares.

At least that’s what Ball Aerospace management believed when they offered her a position three years ago. Although she’s spent much of the past three years writing applications to automate testing and analyzing data, Weinstein often employs her mechanical engineering skills.

“It gives me a better understanding of the hardware we’re testing, and I can use that knowledge to better write code,” she explains.

Weinstein also has learned how to adopt a mindset for projects commissioned by government entities, such as NASA and the U.S. military. Previously, she worked for a private company in the food manufacturing industry, where her assignments focused more on internal objectives.

“At Ball, [the] projects are external or customer-driven,” she notes. “You have to understand more about regulations when working in aerospace and defense than in the private sector. But that’s important given the fact that we’re sending things into space.”

And truth be told, having a hand in turning science fiction into reality keeps Weinstein excited: “The company has a broad portfolio and you’re guaranteed an interesting career.”

Go to ball.com/aerospace/about-ball-aerospace/careers to find Ball Aerospace career opportunities. Connect on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

With more than 60 years as a leader in the aerospace industry, Boulder, CO-based Ball Aerospace, a subsidiary of Broomfield, CO-based Ball Corporation, has developed expertise in a wide range of markets to lend vital support to programs of national significance, while pioneering new avenues and opportunities across commercial and civil space. Markets include defense and intelligence, commercial, space, data services and engineering.

Connie Buynacek started her career with a global automobile manufacturer, but after a few corporate maneuvers, she found herself working in a midsize organization that was more domestically focused.

Although the engineering work still intrigued her, Buynacek missed the global aspect and interacting with colleagues and customers in varying cultures and countries.

So when a corporate recruiter contacted her about making a career move to Moog Inc., she was curious. The fact that this transpired during the Great Recession when the auto industry was thrown into financial turmoil helped convince her the time to change employers had come.

Moog, located in Elma, NY, began as a designer and supplier of aircraft and missile components in the 1950s. It’s expanded to provide motion control technology across multiple industries, including power-generation turbines, medical infusion systems, and even racecars. Of course, aircraft remains a primary market for the company with flight control systems, navigation aids and engine controls for both civil and military projects.

“From our point of view, the process we utilize is very much the same [for private-sector clients and military clients],” says Buynacek, the Aircraft Group director of manufacturing. “Performance expectations are the same, although the private sector may have more rigorous sets of project delivery dates based on implementation of more mature technologies. Whereas, many military applications are interested in new, emerging technology developments and are often able to bear a longer development cycle to achieve that technology and even pay for the related intellectual property.”

Although changing her work focus from automotive to aerospace interested Buynacek, and returning to the global work environment was certainly enticing, she was most impressed with the corporate culture at Moog.

“The thing that attracted me, even before my on-site interview, was its brochure. Specifically, I thought two things were important. The first was the wording that it was a company of engineers run by engineers. Second that it made products customers don’t have to test. To me, that meant high integrity,” says Buynacek.

“Then I got to the site and talked to the people. They are genuine [and] caring, and not just about the work. The work is important to each of us, but they also care about overall work-life balance. The culture of the company sets it apart from most aerospace companies or companies working with the government,” she adds.

Her experience since making the career change also has reinvigorated Buynacek’s enthusiasm about the manufacturing environment. And she hopes young engineers become equally captivated with the possibilities within the new age of manufacturing.

“Manufacturing pairs people and machines, and with increased conductivity through the Internet of Things, we’re able to get solid processes in place and see the data clearly. We need people with automation and controls experience to pair with mechanical engineers to design and create machines and systems that make our products,” she comments. “For job seekers, don’t disregard manufacturing. It’s exciting.”

Elma, NY-based Moog Inc. is a worldwide designer, manufacturer and integrator of precision motion control products and systems. Moog’s high-performance systems control military and commercial aircraft, satellites and space vehicles, launch vehicles, missiles, industrial machinery, wind energy, marine applications and medical equipment.

As if delivering water to an estimated 25 million Californians and irrigating approximately 750,000 acres of farmland wasn’t enough of an engineering challenge, an aging infrastructure and years of drought have added a whole other layer of technical challenges to the California State Water Project (SWP), managed by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), headquartered in Sacramento.

The state agency is charged with maintaining the SWP’s 34 storage facilities, reservoirs and lakes, 20 pumping plants, four pumping-generating plants, five hydroelectric power plants, and miles of canals and pipelines. As division chief of the division of engineering, Jeanne Kuttel, PE, oversees many of these responsibilities, as well as approximately 300 engineers and support staff.

“My role is making sure we’re continuing to produce good deliverables, studies, evaluations and construction contractors. I’m also assisting the executive management with broadening the department’s tools and options for different delivery methods to improve existing processes and procedures [for] contracting [and creating] better ways to minimize seismic risk,” she says.

Kuttel is the first female to hold the chief role, and Teresa Engstrom, PE, is the first female to become the assistant division chief for the division of engineering.

“I’m also a principal engineer,” says Engstrom. “I work with subject matter experts in the architecture and engineering unit. I also administer contracts, and I manage a group in the public safety office.”

Both engineers have spent their entire careers with the department, starting out as students and transitioning into full-time employees. Each has also been assigned to some major projects through the years.

For example, Kuttel has spearheaded a dam remediation project, starting with an assessment study that concluded the foundation was vulnerable to earthquake damage. Next, she helped develop a project plan.

“It’s a technically challenging project, and we’ve had a lot of local and state challenges,” she says. “We worked five years developing the environmental impact report and mitigation responsibility, and overseeing the design.”

Now she’s able to watch as the remediation nears completion. It’s in its second year of a three-year construction phase.

“I very much worked in the trenches of that project, and I’m proud we’ve gotten as far as we have,” notes Kuttel. “It should be completed in the next 18 months.”

One of Engstrom’s recent assignments has centered on designing and implementing a pre-qualification program for contractors, intended to streamline projects.

“We were the first state agency to follow the regulations that allowed us to pre-qualify contractors. It took me two years researching how to manage the safety of contractors,” she explains. “If they do not meet qualifications, then they cannot bid.”

Both women agree the department has supported their careers, as well as presented them with opportunities that led to advancement.

“I think the department is supportive of everyone,” adds Engstrom. “I never had an issue being a woman engineer here. I just kept doing what I needed to do. [Jeanne and I] continued with our careers, promoting and performing, and eventually we got here.”

Since 1956 the California Dept. of Water Resources (DWR) has been protecting, conserving, developing and managing much of California's water supply, including the State Water Project and the California Aqueduct, which provides water for 25 million residents, farms, and businesses. It manages the state’s water resources in cooperation with other agencies to benefit the public and to protect, restore and enhance the natural and human environments.

After 26 years as an engineer, astronaut and executive with NASA, contributing to illustrious programs such as the Space Shuttle and International Space Station, one might conclude any other professional activities would be anticlimactic.

However, that’s not the case for Jan Davis, Ph.D., PE. After her long stint with the national space agency, she joined Jacobs Engineering and was appointed to lead a private contract with NASA.

“I support the Marshal Space Flight Center as deputy general manager, and I handle the day-to-day operations. We do everything to keep the contract running, from business functions to interfacing with customers and employees,” she says.

Headquartered in Pasadena, CA, Jacobs aids in several NASA missions, including its Space Launch System, intended to carry large payloads of cargo and personnel. It’s also where Davis and her team devote the majority of their efforts.

“Eighty percent of what we’re working on is a new rocket, writing flight software, testing, analyzing, and software and hardware modeling,” she explains. “The facility we run tests avionic boxes and simulates flights. The hardware is coming together, and we’re working on systems engineering and integration now. We’re doing whatever we need to do to get the rocket flying in 2018.”

From a technical perspective, much of the work remains the same for Davis as when she functioned as a civil service employee. From a business point of view, operating as a contractor presents a new set of challenges.

“When I worked for NASA as an executive, I was working on budgets, policy and strategy, all the way up to the headquarters level. As a contractor I don’t have that influence. As a contractor you execute what the government requires,” she notes.

“I thought I knew a lot about running contracts from the government side. Contractors work on whatever the contract has in it, and the government evaluates and grades that performance. On the business side you have to know how cost components are calculated and overhead is managed. Those are some of the things I didn’t understand,” she shares.

“I have a good friend who ran a business that contracted with the government, and he told me managing a budget is different than managing a business. I really remembered those words, and now understand what he meant.”

Still, it’s been a lesson Davis has enjoyed learning: “Because I worked for NASA for 26 years, I’ve done a lot of things you can’t do as a contractor. And likewise, as a contractor, I can do things you can’t working for the government. But the part that’s the same is the people. That’s the best part of both jobs.”

Pasadena, CA-based Jacobs is one of the world’s largest and most diverse providers of technical, professional and construction services, including all aspects of architecture, engineering and construction, operations and maintenance, as well as scientific and specialty consulting. It serves a broad range of companies and organizations, including industrial, commercial, and government clients across multiple markets and geographies.

Engineers generally accept the philosophy that each experience is a learning experience, whether or not it produces a positive outcome. Kursten O’Neill applied this philosophy to her career early. While in college, the mechanical engineering student landed a co-op opportunity with Anheuser-Busch, where she concentrated on optimizing the beer production process.

“While it was definitely interesting, I realized I wanted to target my remaining co-ops in aeronautics/aerospace,” she recalls.

And that’s what she did. Her next two student positions were with Boeing and Moog Inc., during which she reaffirmed her passion for the discipline. These experiences also exposed her to the relationship between contractor and government, and that set the foundation for her professional career.

Directly out of school O’Neill accepted a job at Boeing that returned her to a previous project as a space vehicle engineer. From there she moved onto submarines. But three years ago she gave up the deep seas for deep space, and accepted a certification engineering position with Hawthorne, CA-based SpaceX. Founded in 2002, the company looks to advance space technology and planetary travel capabilities. In a more day-to-day perspective, O’Neill was impressed with the corporation’s investment in technical professionals.

“SpaceX is the kind of company that pushes your educational limits in order to drive innovation and creative solutions,” she comments.

In her current role as lead vehicle systems engineer, O’Neill spends a large portion of her time interacting with government representatives to further its collaboration with SpaceX, a certified government launch partner.

“I work closely with the U.S. Air Force, NASA, National Reconnaissance Office and associated government contractors to ensure each is given the level of insight required to review, certify and launch on Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets,” she elaborates.

In her earlier experiences, O’Neill primarily engaged in technical engineering functions. Now that her career has advanced more into leadership duties, she’s learning some of the softer skills required to collaborate with government entities.

“There’s definitely a difference, and it really depends on the government contract, too. Now I do a lot more negotiating and technical project management relative to my previous government contract work,” O’Neill outlines.

“I help manage our certification schedule and timeline of events,” she adds. “This includes coordination across multiple engineering disciplines to successfully complete USAF Engineering Review Boards, as well as the NASA Design Certification Reviews, supplemented by a multitude of joint technical interchange meetings, technical presentations and data deliveries.”

From her co-op experiences to her current role, O’Neill has seen how varied and complex government-related projects can be, but how influential they are toward progressing technology, too.

“Reflecting on all of my experiences, I think the most significant misconception would be that there’s a limit to the types of programs and technologies being developed by companies in conjunction with the government. If you have a particular technology interest, then I can guarantee there’s a program out there using or developing it,” she concludes.