IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2021 - 2

Letter From the Editor

The Beauty of
Indirect Trajectories

There is a predominant myth that the
path to success is the shortest line
between two points. Although mathematically this is true, it doesn't mean
it is true for our lives. Unfortunately,
myths and fiction have longer lifelines
than facts. Every successful woman
we have ever profiled in IEEE Women
in Engineering Magazine has never
followed any direct trajectory. Everyone's career path is as diverse as our
interests, life experiences, and personal goals.
I used to envy my friends who knew
exactly what career they would pursue,
the specific goals they wanted to accomplish, and the plans of action they would
put into play to achieve those aspirations. For many of us, our experiences and challenges shape our goals and
send us off zigzagging to try new things.
These actions force us to take new risks
that ultimately make us stronger and
more confident and provide us with the
ability to leave a more impactful footprint on the world. The undulations
introduced throughout our careers are
critical factors that distinguish us from
everyone else; they help us present new
perspectives and solve problems once
considered unsolvable.
There is no better example of this
than what we have been experiencing

Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MWIE.2021.3062894
Date of current version: 5 May 2021

IEEE WOMEN IN ENGINEERING MAGAZINE

found changes in diversity and inclusion
in the science and engineering fields.
Dr. Katie Wilson, whom I call a
diversity and inclusion ninja, has gone
above and beyond individual mentoring and taken her best practices to
the masses. She is one of the founding members of Uniting Professional
Women Advancing Relationships and
Development (UPWARD) Universities
Networking with Intel for Tomorrow's
Engineering and Sciences (U.N.I.T.E.S.)
during the COVID-19 pandemic, which
Women, a mentorship program for
has caused an unanticipated deviation,
female science, technology, engineerforcing everyone to pivot and re-evaluate
everything from education, health,
ing, and mathematics students
career choices, and social intercreated by Intel, UPWARD,
actions. Despite all the chaland Santa Clara University. One of this program's
lenges the pandemic has
celebrated participants
brought upon us, IEEE
is Julia Lieberman, a
Women in Engineering
student at Santa Clara
(WIE) members have not
University. No one exemstood on the sidelines, waiting idly. Instead, they are at
plifies that one's life is not
the forefront of making the
a straight line connected
Karen Panetta
by two points more than
profound changes and adapLieberman, who shares the twists and
tations needed to help us move forward,
turns of her life's adventures, which
not just through the pandemic but
have helped shape this exemplar y
beyond to build stronger, more socially
" woman to watch. "
resilient communities.
In this issue of IEEE Women in EngiOne such role model is Dr. Gilda
neering Magazine, we celebrate trail
Barabino. As a woman of color, her
blazers like Dr. Giovanna Oriti. Oriti is
career path has come with many chalbringing attention to the contributions
lenges, which have resulted in her
of women like herself who are becomresolve to lead others not just to succeed
ing the giants of power electronics, a
but to empower society to value the diffield that has traditionally been devoid
ferences and perspectives of every perof women. She credits her success to
son's contributions and voice.
strong mentorship from a male adviAlso taking these challenges head on
sor, a common theme for many women.
are scientists and designers Catherine
Accordingly, in this issue, we also celD'Ignazio and Lauren Klein. In their
ebrate the male mentors who have demnew book, Data Feminism, they inspire
onstrated a lifelong commitment to
all students to integrate these concepts
building diversity and inclusion through
into their own research and show us
their mentoring. Prof. José David Cely
how to do it. Considering and integratfrom Bogotá, Colombia, has made suping these nontraditional, unspoken
porting female engineers such a reguissues into our research is a fundamenlar part of his daily work that he barely
tal shift that will inevitably lead to pro-

JUNE 2021

IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2021

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