IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2021 - 15

Stanford. Eventually, he invited me to
come back to the school and work with
him on a funded project, so I retook the
qualifying exam and passed. " (Wilson
came in second out of 150 students who
took the exam, suggesting that initial
failure should not be a deterrent and
also, according to a friend of hers, " that
perhaps the qualifying exam was not a
perfect predictor of success. " )
Dr. Cioffi was such an inspiring professor and advisor that Wilson says working with him was " a gift. " She estimates
that a quarter or more of his advisees
were women, enabling solidarity among
the group, even though he didn't treat
women and men differently. " He treated
everyone like 'people' and was kind and
encouraging to everyone, " she says.
Before she settled into her own
teaching job post-Ph.D. at Purdue
University in West Lafayette, Indiana,
Wilson was again recruited for an
opportunity after giving a talk on her
research in orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) at a conference in Stockholm. She postponed the
role at Purdue for a semester to work
in Lulea, north of Sweden, and then
joined Purdue as an assistant professor
for three years.
Ultimately, Wilson did not feel at
home at a big research university in
the Midwest so she returned to Sweden,
to the Lulea University of Technology.
" It was really fun living in the north of
Sweden; I was the 'crazy American' to
them, " she recalls, laughing. " We did
some really good work and I think they
might have kept me working there forever. While it was great for two years,
I'm not sure as a Californian I could live
there forever. " She would later return as
a guest researcher at the Royal Institute
of Technology in Stockholm from 2003
to 2004.

The UPWARD U.N.I.T.E.S
Women Program
Back in the United States, Wilson
worked as a communications engineer
for Agilent and ArrayComm until the
telecommunications boom busted, did
the stint back in Stockholm, some consulting, and then had the opportunity

rosy. Sometimes I tell people that
to join Santa Clara University as a prowhen things don't go well, let yourself
fessor of electrical engineering. " The
have a pity party for a couple days and
Santa Clara role suited me quite a bit, "
then move on. It happens to all of us.
she describes. " I could do research but
Acknowledge it, appreciate it, and then
also do a lot of teaching. And I absolutely
move on. "
love the students at Santa Clara. "
That is why there was no hesitation
when Wilson was approached about the
Looking to the Future
UPWARD U.N.I.T.E.S Women program,
Looking ahead, Wilson is concentrating
a partnership among Intel, UPWARD,
on her students, her research, and her
and Santa Clara University that enables
network. " I started working on OFDM
Santa Clara female STEM students to
in the 1990s for my thesis, and back
receive mentoring by Intel employees
then, there weren't a lot of people workand have access to the global network
ing in this area so almost everything
of UPWARD women, which is primarwe did had some impact, " she explains.
ily executives, director level and above.
" What I've been working on the past
Wilson credits Amy Waterman from
few months has been along the lines of
Intel with envisioning the program
old-fashioned beamforming and OFDM,
and Candice Tubera at UPWARD for
but I'm also trying some new areas. I
keeping everything running smoothly,
like having this home base of OFDM
mainly the monthly programand being able to branch out
ming for mentors and
from there, from my commentees. " The events
fort zone to somewhere
She would
are student driven, "
I 'm n o t s o c o m later return as
describes Wilson.
fortable. " For her
a guest researcher
" We meet regure se a rch c ont r ilarly to talk about
butions to OFDM,
at the Royal Institute
programming, but
Wilson was elected
of Technology in
it's the students
an IEEE Fellow in
Stockholm from 2003
who highlight what
2014, and she also
to 2004.
they are interested
received the IEEE's
in learning about and
prestigious Harriet B.
then the rest of us think
Rigas Award in 2018.
about who we know who
One of the newer areas she's
could address those needs. "
explored is sensor networks, which
Topics the students have requested
Wilson got involved with via a friend
range from future technologies to menwho does underwater acoustic commutors' career paths, finding a job in a
nications, whom she met through IEEE.
pandemic, and tackling imposter syn " I've met so many wonderful people
drome. Regarding imposter syndrome,
through IEEE events; the camaraderie
Wilson points out that people often
and exchange of information are really
consider the activities boys do growing
important, " she says.
up to be mechanical or engineering
Furthermore, IEEE has provided her
related (taking things apart, playing
with a way to flex different muscles. " You
with cars or bridges, and so on) but
learn a lot about processes, people, and
shouldn't sell short what girls have
how things work with IEEE, " says Wilbeen conditioned to learn. " Things we
son. " When I was editor-in-chief, it was
were taught to do when I was a young
finding ways to make processes more
girl, such as sewing and cooking, are also
efficient and to understand what was
engineeringconceptsevenifthey'renotappreworking and not working. It exercises a
ciated as such. You have to think about
different part of your brain. " She served
timing or how to piece things together,
as the editor-in-chief of IEEE Communifor example, " she explains.
cations Letters from 2009 to 2011 and
Wilson also counsels students to
be realistic, noting " it is not always
continued on page 26

JUNE 2021

IEEE WOMEN IN ENGINEERING MAGAZINE

IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2021

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