IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2008 - 13

PHOTO COURTESY OF iROBOT

Whether bitbanging registers
or boarding
autonomous boats,
Andrea Okerholm's
days at iRobot are
diverse.

the software group at iRobot, I still
work very closely with the hardware and
being able to speak the same language
as the electrical engineering team has
been invaluable.

PHOTO COURTESY OF iROBOT

Q: What advice would you give to other
young women pursuing a similar career
path? Should they focus on anything in
college or high school?
A: I would recommend taking some
courses in each of the computer science, electrical engineering, and
mechanical engineering departments.
Robotics is such an interdisciplinary
field that while most engineers specialize in one discipline, knowing a little
about the others is essential.
Try your hand at building a robot on
your own, starting from a kit if neces-

sary. Enter a competition. Have something interesting to talk about at your
interview and you'll really stand out.

ety of topics I get to work on. It
is also cool to know that so
many people are using a robot
that I worked on!
The most challenging part is
designing under budget. In
consumer products, we have to
watch our costs, and that often
means some creative alternative sensors.

Q: What do you hope to accomplish in your professional and/or
personal life in the near future?
A: I'd like to bring consumergrade robotics into new domains.
As an industry, we've gotten pretty good at flat surface navigation,
but there are a whole lot of dull, dirty, and
dangerous tasks to conquer that are not
confined to one's floor!

Q: Is it important for women to be part of
professional societies like IEEE Women
in Engineering that foster career
advancement and provide mentoring?
Did you have mentors along the way, if
so, who, and how did they influence you?
A: I have had many wonderful mentors throughout my career. I was never
involved in a formal mentoring program,
but instead ask for specific guidance
from colleagues and professors that I
look up to.
I am involved in iRobot's educational
outreach program and do some volunteerQ: What's the best part of your job now?
ing on my own with middle school girls. I
How about the most challenging part?
have always been the kind of person who
A: The best part of my job is the varipursues her interests
regardless of demographics, but too many
girls give up on science
early because it's not
"cool." It is important to
Andrea Okerholm be a role model for them.
(in the purple life
When I was a middle
vest) tests an
autonomous boat schooler, my computer
on the
teacher went out of his
Youghiogheny
way to encourage me as
river near
I learned the basics of
Pittsburgh.
programming. He was
probably the most influential teacher I had in all
of grade school.
Q: Have you faced any challenges in college or at your job being a woman in this
chosen career?
A: I have been fortunate to have
never experienced any discrimination in
my career. A couple of years ago, I was
working on a rather large robot, which
had some parts so heavy that I could not
move them. I enlisted the help of
stronger colleagues when necessary, but
I wish it had been designed a little
lighter!

SUMMER 2008

IEEE WOMEN IN ENGINEERING MAGAZINE

13



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2008

IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2008 - Cover1
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2008 - Cover2
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2008 - 1
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2008 - 2
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