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Woman Engineer Magazine, launched in 1979, is a career-guidance and recruitment magazine offered at no charge to qualified women engineering, computer science and information technology students & professionals seeking employment and advancement opportunities in their careers.

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 JOBS IN MILITARY & GOVERNMENT BECKON: UNCLE SAM NEEDS YOU!

Barbara Woodworth
 
 
THE GOVERNMENT AND MILITARY OFFER GREAT OPPORTUNITIES AND REWARDS FOR WOMAN ENGINEERS, AS NOTED BY LIEUTENANT COLONEL SUSAN RIORDAN-SMITH, LIEUTENANT JEANNETTE GREENE, CAROLYNNE REYNOLDS, AND KATHLEEN PRATHER. BOTH RIORDAN-SMITH, A CIVIL ENGINEER WITH THE AIR FORCE, AND GREENE, AN EXECUTIVE OFFICER FOR THE COAST GUARD ABOARD A SEAGOING TENDER—AND A NEW MOM— EMBRACE THE ADVENTURE AND EXCITEMENT THEY EXPERIENCE WITHIN THEIR RESPECTIVE CAREERS. REYNOLDS, A PART OF THE NAVAL SEA SYSTEMS COMMAND, AND PRATHER, WHO WORKS FOR THE NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION, FIND THEIR JOBS BOTH UNIQUE AND FULFILLING.
 
THE JOB FUNCTIONS OF THESE FOUR WOMEN VARY, AS DO THEIR PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT. HOWEVER, ALL AGREE THAT A CAREER IN THE MILITARY AND GOVERNMENT IS WORTH A SERIOUS LOOK BY WOMEN ENGINEERS ENTERING THE WORKFORCE.
 
MAKING A BIG IMPACT AT THE UNITED STATES COAST GUARD
As a new cadet at the United States Coast Guard Academy, Lieutenant Jeannette Greene recalls watching a classroom of older cadets designing basic concrete beams — then crushing them. “Not only did it look like fun, it was the start of my engineering career. Though it can sometimes be dirty, nuts and bolts work, I love it,” she says.
 
Commenting that the missions of the Coast Guard, headquartered in Washington, D.C. – and its 43,000 active duty members, 8,000 reservists, 8,800 civilians and 30,000 volunteer auxiliarists – appeals to her, Greene has driven a 3,500 ton icebreaker through six feet of ice, sailed with the Japanese Coast Guard, boarded New England fishing boats, and responded to facility casualties from Michigan to New Jersey. “Such events consistently keep me engaged. Thrown into that mix, I additionally received a great education and the opportunity to become an engineer,” says Greene, who graduated with a BS in civil engineering from the Coast Guard Academy in 2005, followed by a master's in ocean engineering from the University of Rhode Island in 2011. This year she passed her professional engineer exam as well.
 
Currently the executive officer aboard a 225-foot seagoing buoy tender, the Coast Guard Cutter Maple, Greene explains that the ship services aids to navigation (buoys and lights) in Southeast Alaska and assists in fisheries law enforcement. “This ship also has the ability to break up ice and skim oil,” says Greene, whose last position was at the Coast Guard Civil Engineering Unit in Cleveland. When she completes her sea duty in two years, she hopes to be assigned to a facility engineer’s job at a Coast Guard base. “Coast Guard engineers currently have a big task ahead of them, as this branch of the U.S. military is working on accounting for all of its shore facilities, developing standards for design and maintenance of its assets, and securing funding to meet future needs. It is important to spread the word that the Coast Guard offers a great career regardless of gender. Coast Guard engineers make a big impact on our operational units who are underway every day saving lives,” she relates.
 
According to Greene, “Being in the Coast Guard never gets old.” Between her civil engineering job and being aboard ships, she has moved every two to three years since joining in 2001. “There’s always a new challenge and I’ve become comfortable being uncomfortable. It takes a great deal to stress me out,” says this new mom. As part of a group of women in the Coast Guard who have children and continue to pursue afloat careers, Greene very much relies on her husband, Dr. Eric Greene, a mechanical engineer, to maintain the home base while she is on ship.
 
With its people believed to be the best recruitment strategy, Greene spreads the word that there are many female engineers serving in command roles within the Coast Guard’s civil engineering community. “Not only do these women maintain multi-million dollar facilities throughout the U.S., many instruct cadets at the Coast Guard Academy, gain their professional engineering licenses, and raise families — all at the same time,” says Greene. Recalling the words of a former academic advisor that women tend to underestimate their abilities, Greene states, “These words continue to motivate me to push myself and ignore my doubts.”
 
THE UNITED STATES NAVY PROVIDES UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES
Now in her seventh year with the 60,000-employee Naval Sea Systems Command headquartered in Washington, DC, Carolynne Reynolds manages the technical baseline of the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), Independence Variant. “As a modular naval ship, the LCS operates in shallow coastal areas (littorals) and also has the capability of being reconfigured to support various missions,” explains Reynolds, an electrical engineer and deputy technical director. Convinced that engineering is a fascinating career, she remarks, “Being on the cutting-edge of inventing, developing, and utilizing new technologies is exciting. It is also comforting to know there will always be a demand for engineers to make lives easier and safer and products more effective.”
 
The government, Reynolds believes, offers a wide breath of careers of interest to women — among them the military, oceanography, transportation, and infrastructure. Her employment with the Navy spans 23 years and encompasses a wide variety of engineering functions, including research and development, design and development, test and evaluation, new construction, and in-service ship support. “All provided me with the necessary skills to develop and maintain a technical baseline that meets Navy performance requirements,” acknowledges Reynolds, a graduate of Widener University with a BSEE.
 
Reflecting on her early interest in science, Reynolds scored well on a seventh-grade occupational test that demonstrated her aptitude for science and engineering. “From then on I was determined to seek a career that combined my interests and proficiencies,” she says. That interest took further shape during her senior year in college when she worked on a project for the Naval Sea Systems Engineering Station (NAVSSES). “Although I did not pursue a position with NAVSSES, I took that experience and moved to Washington, D.C. where I accepted a job as a contractor in the commercial sector that supported Navy programs,” she says. Reynolds eventually became a government employee.
 
A variety of skills are key to managing a project successfully, notes Reynolds, such as the importance of finishing what you start, exercising excellent communication skills, utilizing logic, and drawing upon prior engineering training to develop technical solutions. She also cites organizational and management skills as critical. “Set a goal, carry it out and develop the ability to explain issues to non-engineers,” she asserts.
 
What’s best about what the Navy offers, says Reynolds “is having the unique opportunity to spend part of my time behind a desk and the rest at the shipyard where ships are built or out to sea on ship trials. It is exciting to see the results of the work our team and our shipbuilder accomplish. Of the many who watch the clock while at work and wish the day away I, on the other hand, thoroughly enjoy what I do.”
 
IT’S MISSION CRITICAL AT NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION
Engaged in a 26-year career with the Albany-headquartered New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), Kathleen Prather, PE, is an environmental engineer 2 who holds dual degrees in chemistry and chemical engineering from SUNY College at Plattsburgh and the University of Rochester.
 
“As a teen I found math and science to my liking. Expressing an interest in an environmental career I was encouraged to consider engineering versus the scientific side of chemistry as a way to advance my career and put ideas into practice,” she explains. “Attending a week-long NYSDEC education camp further awakened my interest in caring for the environment, especially as Love Canal entered the national spotlight.”
 
Following graduation, Prather interviewed with private and public sector employers. “At the time, New York State offered the best salary and opportunity, and the interviewers at DEC appeared to sincerely enjoy their jobs. When one interviewer with the DEC’s Superfund program referred to the job as a ‘mission,’ I was hooked,” she recalls. Starting at the NYSDEC Superfund program, she transferred to the Division of Materials Management 15-years ago.
 
“This department, among other things, handles the regulation of recycling in New York State,” says Prather, who reviews wastes to determine if they are legitimate substitutes for conventional feedstock or construction materials. She also is charged with ensuring that no excessive chemical or other constituents are present in the materials that could harm people or the environment. “Beneficial use of waste determinations can help companies cut costs, reduce energy, and conserve landfill space,” she acknowledges.
 
Not having worked in the private sector, her comments regarding engineering as a career now and in the future focus only on the public work environment. She mentions the recent trend of engineers working more as equals with professionals in other disciplines. “When I first started, project managers were exclusively engineers with scientists in support roles; now many project managers are scientists, with engineers always providing their unique and vital expertise,” she explains.
 
The mission aspect of government service tends to attract women, Prather believes. “It presents an opportunity to do something about the problems we read about in the news. Practically, too, governmental job benefits, including health insurance, retirement, and leave, appeal to many females with families, even if the salary may, in some instances, be lower,” she contends.
 
Prather points to written and spoken communications skills as vital for government engineers, “as regulatory work is all about making good decisions and seeking necessary input from others.”
 
She stresses the importance of building good relations with other staff members and acknowledging their continued help and contributions. What she enjoys most about her work is helping people. “The gratitude individuals express, even during a phone call about basic information, leaves a glow that can last for days,” Prather remarks. Conversely, she acknowledges the difficulty of imparting negative news about an unfavorable report and her decision not to approve particular waste materials for beneficial use. “I do, however, appreciate being allowed to make decisions and work independently — as well as having management back me when there is a public or legal controversy about any of the projects I am involved with,” she says.
 
The strategy Prather cites as most helpful for advancing her career focuses on delivering wellresearched reviews, position papers, or briefs willingly and on time. Also critical is the ability to coordinate multiple people working on a single project. “These qualities are remembered when I ask for help,” says Prather who speaks at career nights for high school and college students and presents continuing education sessions for agency professional engineers. On the home front, she and her engineer husband currently foster four children, all of who are encouraged to take an interest in science and math.
 
A COMMITMENT TO SERVE FLOURISHES AT UNITED STATES AIR FORCE
For Susan Riordan-Smith, Lieutenant Colonel, United States Air Force, engineering has been a less-than typical career. Assigned to the USAF, Air Force Civil Engineer Center (AFCEC), San Antonio, TX, Riordan-Smith has been an active duty officer for 20 years. After earning a BS in mechanical engineering from Villanova University through a USAF Reserve Officer training Corps (ROTC) scholarship, she began serving in the Air Force in 1994.
 
While she credits her high school civil engineer/ gymnastic coach for recognizing her interest in math and science and introducing her to the field of engineering, it’s her dad—a retired U.S. Marine—who had the greater influence. “To this day it is my father’s untiring encouragement of both engineering and military service that motivates me,” says Riordan-Smith, now deployed to Kabul, Afghanistan to the International Security Assistance Force Joint Command (UC), where she serves as Air Force Central Command’s (AFCENT) liaison to the Combined Joint Engineer cell and the 9th Air Expeditionary Task Force Afghanistan (9AETF-A) staff engineer.
 
Riordan-Smith oversees Air Force engineering concerns and interests with respect to U.S. and coalition base transitions to the Afghanistan government, and is involved in USAF requirements currently under construction in support of the standup of the Afghanistan Air Force and the validation and development of requirements for Air Force engineers within that country. “The systems and platforms requiring the support of military engineers point to engineering becoming more complex as it paves the way for modern society,” says Reynolds. “Engineering is an incredibly broad field that involves the use of mathematical and scientific concepts, and military engineers will continue to be called upon to create useful and practical solutions — a challenge that consistently keeps me interested in both engineering and the military.”
 
Stressing the difference between military engineering and the private engineering sector, Riordan- Smith explains: “Considerable responsibility is given to young military engineer officers as well as the latitude to turn that opportunity into a wealth of experience. My career has been a worldwide adventure. Despite the many demands that come with military service, I have experienced significant freedom to lead Airmen, solve problems, and serve our country. These attributes are what I hope will encourage young people to consider the military as a career.”
 
Because engineering is about finding practical solutions to problems, Riordan-Smith identifies problem solving, flexibility, and collaboration as necessary skills. “Especially in military engineering, the problem sets are diverse and often require quick creative responses. I’m often amazed by the ingenuity of military engineers as they solve problems presented under all kinds of limitations,” she remarks. Citing flexibility and creativity as essential for generating and carrying out successful missions, she sees willingness to learn as the most successful strategy for growing one’s career. “I have learned something from someone in every role I was placed in,” says Riordan-Smith, who has been involved in the Society of Military Engineers for her entire career. She’s held several positions including membership chair and post president, serves as voluntary science fair judge at district and regional levels, and as mentor to a Florida high school Junior ROTC program — additional evidence of Riordan-Smith’s commitment to serve.
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