Engineers Week: Zubin Patel
In this interview, engineer Zubin Patel talks about building safety culture and studying the science of the slopes.
Engineers Week is about celebrating engineers and engineering, as well as encouraging young people to take an interest in engineering. What initially interested you in the field? What was your first engineering experience, and how did it lead you to the FAA?
My interest in engineering began early in my childhood, well before I could even say full sentences, where I’d spend hours building things with Legos and Lincoln logs. That desire to build and create never dissipated. It eventually evolved into a degree in mechanical engineering at Cornell University when I decided to make a living out of doing what I loved as a kid — building and creating.
I also minored in Business, and the main thing that attracted me to working at the FAA was that it provided a unique environment where technical design skills intersected with business analyses.
What do you love most about your job?
What I love about my job as an engineer is that we aren’t just problem solvers, but we’re first and foremost problem FINDERS. We’re constantly looking for things that don’t make sense and things that could be better.
Our job is to find how to improve the national airspace without compromising safety. It’s fun to dissect something and re-evaluate what works, and that starts with someone identifying a problem and the need for a program to solve that problem.
The FAA is known for having a culture of safety. How can engineers incorporate those shared values, actions, and behaviors of safety culture into their work to improve safety in the NAS?
There’s a ceremony done by graduating engineers from Canadian Institutions called the Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer. Engineers are given Iron Rings representing the moral commitment of an engineer and the promise they make to uphold the highest professional standards. The ceremony was created in response to the Quebec Bridge Disaster, where 75 workmen died due to faulty engineering calculations and miscommunication. I like this tradition because having the understanding of the impact of your work goes a long way and will influence your values, actions, and behaviors to be purposeful and thorough.
What is your proudest achievement professionally?
I’ve only been working out of college for two years so I’d say my proudest professional achievement has yet to happen. I have a patent pending for a device to assist elderly with Parkinson’s when using precision objects like pencils, paint brushes, and eating utensils. I’m proud of that.
What are some of the future career avenues at the FAA you foresee for individuals with engineering degrees?
Computer science and software engineering will be huge components of emerging fields in commercial flight, such as unmanned aircrafts, urban aviation, and commercial space travel. In addition, there will always be a need to make commercial aviation more sustainable. So, I’d say software engineering and renewable energy will be exciting and necessary avenues in the FAA’s future.
When away from work, do you put your engineering background to use in a hobby, activity or involving students interested in STEM?
I’m really into playing sports, and part of the fun is geeking out over the science behind them. For example, I spend a lot of time skiing in the winter. There’s a thrill that comes from speeding down the mountain, but I also find enjoyment as an engineer to understand the physics behind the sport. I like asking questions like: which type of skis are good for which terrain, how camber, rocker, stiffness and shape of skis affect performance, how to use momentum and weight distribution to do tricks, etc.
Is there anything else you would like to say about being an engineer or your experience as an engineer at the FAA?
There’s a tangible passion that my fellow engineers bring to the FAA that I haven’t experienced at the jobs I’ve had before landing here. My peers want to do their best and it’s contagious.
