On Sunday, March 8th we at AEye will join the rest of the world in celebrating International Women’s Day, a day lauding the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.
While there is much to celebrate, we want to use the day as an opportunity to shine light on a topic near and dear to us — the sparsity of women pursuing degrees and careers in STEM, particularly engineering. According to the National Science Foundation’s Science & Engineering Indicators, 2018 and the National Girls Collaborative Project, in 2015, women received only 20% of bachelor’s degrees awarded in engineering. And although women make up half of the total U.S. college-educated workforce, they only comprise 13% of engineering roles. The good news, though, is that these numbers are on the rise. More women are now pursuing a degree in STEM than in recent years, giving way to an increase in women in engineering roles. In fact, between 2011–2016, there saw a 54% increase in bachelor’s degrees awarded to women in engineering and computer science.
To help encourage the next generation of female innovators and leaders, we asked a few of our female engineers one simple, yet complex question: Why engineering?
From what sparked their interest in engineering growing up to why they (still) love engineering today, read on to learn these tenacious women’s stories and what they have to say about their passion for engineering.
Amy Ishiguro — NPI Engineer
Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Mechanical Engineering
“As a child, my favorite subjects were math, science, and art. In high school when I was considering “what I want to be,” I considered architecture and engineering as vocations that would combine my favorite subjects. In the end, I chose engineering because engineers get to solve really interesting problems in a variety of different fields. I specifically chose mechanical engineering because I was fascinated by how things work and wanted to build cool contraptions that help people. I’m getting to do just that at AEye!”
Elaine Wu — Software Systems Engineer
Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Environmental Engineering, Energy Systems & Modeling; Master of Science (M.S.), Mechanical Engineering, Vehicle Systems & Robotics
“I always enjoyed art and crafts that involve DIY and building from scratch. However, in elementary school, we had a simple electronics seminar, where I connected copper bell wires and 9V battery to light up a miniature light bulb. As a unknowing kid, that sparked my initial curiosity. Once I entered high school, my favorite subjects were mathematics and physics, which ultimately pushed my foot through the door to pursue engineering — the rest was history.
Since I enjoy being challenged and exercising my creative mindset, I feel that engineering is a happy medium for me. In particular, the AV space where it requires a creative technical background to tackle self-driving technology.”
Anshu Pahadia — Software QA Manager
Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering; Master of Science (M.S.), Geomatics Engineering
“Engineering is about solving problems, creating solutions, and developing technology that helps out the users of your technology. It facilitates teamwork to innovate and create new products. I chose engineering as my field because I enjoy developing new things, making things better, and improving existing features.
With my role here at AEye as SWQA Manager, I get to achieve these goals working with a transformational technology that enables autonomous driving to become a reality. In addition, I get to work with an exceptionally amazing and hardworking team. AEye provides me a platform to work closely with my peers to create and improve software, thus providing an opportunity to interact, discuss, and learn from others’ experiences.”
Ashika Schroll — Director of Business Development
Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Electrical Engineering; Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.)
“My mother was a math and physics teacher and inspired me to learn about science from a young age. We would spend hours working on math problems and science puzzles in newspapers. Growing up with two brothers, I watched them tinker with electronics and computers, and loved to compete with them in card and video games which helped build my logical thinking and problem solving skills. Later, I chose to major in Electrical Engineering because it resonated with me naturally. Since college, I have worked in various companies and functions solving complex engineering problems. Now with my MBA, I have transitioned into a business career. However, I use the fundamental skills that I learned as an engineer everyday to help solve the complex and dynamic problems of bringing autonomous vehicles to market. My engineering education has prepared me to take on anything and I love it!”
We’re proud of the women in our company, who, in 2019 launched the grassroots organization, Women in Autonomy (WIA). The group was created to educate, equip and empower women in the automotive and autotech space, and regularly hosts female-led panels and professional development workshops to equip women with the skills needed to elevate their career and, in turn, be better heard and represented.
Are you an engineer? Tell us about your passion for engineering in the comments section, below — and don’t forget to sign up for the Women in Autonomy newsletter to learn how you can get involved in the initiative.
AEye is the premier provider of high-performance, AI-driven LiDAR systems for vehicle autonomy, advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), and robotic vision applications. AEye’s smart, software-configurable iDAR™ (Intelligent Detection and Ranging) platform combines solid-state, active LiDAR, an optionally fused low-light HD camera, and integrated deterministic artificial intelligence to capture more intelligent information with less data, enabling faster, more accurate, and more reliable perception. The company is backed by world-renowned investors including Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Taiwania Capital, GM Ventures, Intel Capital, Continental AG, Hella Ventures, LG Electronics, Aisin, Airbus Ventures, SK hynix, Subaru-SBI, and Tyche Partners.
Learn more at www.aeye.ai
