IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2009 - 6

Photos courtesy of Paulette january

During the past 20 years, January's experiences have included
the development of complex avionics, radar, flight training,
unmanned aerial vehicles, and air combat simulations
equipment for the military.

the development of complex avionics,
radar, flight training, unmanned aerial
vehicles, and mainly air combat simulations equipment for our commercial and
military customers. The primary focus
of software quality is to perform lifecycle support of the entire system from
beginning to end-from requirements to
design, through system development and
control to testing, then system deployment including gathering of customer
feedback-to ensure that the system is
working correctly. This includes ensuring that internal processes and procedures are complied with as required
through audits, inspections, and tests.
After leaving New York, my career
continued with Allied-Signal Bendix,

IEEE womEn In EngInEErIng magazInE

Integrated Network Corporation, Boeing, and Teledyne at locations in New
Jersey and Alabama. Having roots in
South Alabama made me continue to
migrate south during my career to be
close to home. Joining DRS at its Fort
Walton Beach, Florida, facility put me
right at home almost 14 years ago.
Looking back over the years, I fondly
recall how working at DRS has afforded me the opportunity to come full
circle in my career and commitment
to industry service. Supporting DRS's
various product lines requires working on a wide range of products and
expanding my knowledge of various
technical disciplines, while working
with a highly talented team. Also, voljune 2009

unteering as the newsletter editor for
WIE, an opportunity that I contribute
to the encouragement of DRS, is a welcomed chance for me to support industry service. Working for DRS and being
a WIE volunteer is like having the best
of both worlds-an engineering career
and industry service.
Having the dream since the age of
12 to work on computers, I encourage others to think that there is no
obstacle so great to stand in the way of
their dreams. Individuals interested in
pursuing the engineering field should
know that this is an open field that
offers a wide range of opportunities
to anyone. There are many facets of
engineering disciplines that are still
unchartered, which will be tapped into
by future generations. Know that your
talents, skills, and intellect are needed
and your interest in engineering as a
career field of choice is appreciated and
welcomed.
-Paulette January

Boston Biomed
Miniaturizing assays
for diagnostic applications
in global health

As a mother of twins, a professor, and an
engineer who is developing life-changing
technology, Catherine Klapperich certainly has enough work to keep her on
her toes most hours of the day. Klapperich, assistant professor of biomedical
engineering at Boston University, has
been developing a remarkable credit cardsized plastic chip that uses microfluidic
action to extract nucleic acids from saliva, blood, and other bodily fluids so that
eventually people won't have to travel to
a hospital for a diagnosis of the flu and
other diseases. With the help of a US$2.9
million Translational Partnership Award
from the Coulter Foundation, the chip
can identify a range of human health
ailments. Klapperich's chip would also
give epidemiologists a clear picture of
how a certain disease is spreading.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2009