Chemical Engineer at NASA JPL
What is it like working at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory?
It is an extremely rewarding job. Sending a project to space is very exciting. It is inspiring to be around so many ambitious and intelligent scientists and engineers. The work culture is thrilling in the sense that we are continuously innovating and brainstorming ways to improve technology.
Why did you decide to pursue chemical engineering?
I always enjoyed chemistry in high school. From that point, I decided that I wanted my career to relate to chemistry in some way. Choosing chemical engineering gave me the option of applying chemistry to solve problems and advancing technology.
What was the most challenging engineering project you've worked on, and how did you overcome the difficulties it presented?
The most challenging project I've ever worked on was an instrument for the Mars 2020 rover, called Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment, or MOXIE. This instrument aims to produce oxygen autonomously on Mars. Sending hardware to Mars presents many challenges and takes careful consideration. It took plenty of collaboration and teamwork to overcome the difficulties of making the project successful and delivering it to the rover to meet launch. I made sure to work with my mentors and get expert advice. I also had to establish my time management and organization skills in order to complete my tasks.
Do you have any advice for young girls who want to pursue a career in chemical engineering?
Chemical engineering is the least common among the engineering disciplines, but it is very broad. It is important to develop any skills related to all aspects of engineering. There are jobs out there that chemical engineers are qualified for, even though the job listing might not explicitly ask for a chemical engineer. It would be ideal to understand what specific field you would like to work in early on, so that you can sufficiently advertise your skills and land that first internship!