IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2016 - 2

Letter from the Editor

Magical Mentors

What exactly is a mentor? Is it someone
who provides guidance, nurturing, or
career advice? Can it be someone who
may not even know you, but somehow
has done something so extraordinary
that it has had a profound impact on
your life? The answer is, "Yes, to all of
the above!"
Mentors tend to be called "role models" because they are individuals who
set strong examples for others to follow.
Sometimes role models are called "pioneers" because they may be the first
to overcome a challenge, where others have failed. I tend to refer to these
individuals as "warriors" rather than
pioneers because most challenges do
not involve just overcoming technical
issues. Challenges come packaged with
social and political barriers as well.
In this issue of IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine, we celebrate mentors and all those individuals who have
dedicated their lives to sharing their
experiences with others. Their efforts
have helped change mind sets and open
doors for generations of young people
who have come after them.
Dr. Mildred Dresselhaus is our leading lady when it comes to role models
and mentors. Dr. Dresselhaus, or Mil-

Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MWIE.2016.2535700
Date of publication: 9 May 2016

iEEE womEn in EnginEEring magazinE

STEM. Susan Schueller uses music and
has found many innovative ways to make
connections and create opportunities for
others through her love of the arts.
Heather Dewey-Hagborg's bioart
concept has attracted artists, STEM
experts, journalists, educators, musicians, and many other types of individuals with little-to-no background in
technology. Heather collected DNA from
articles like chewing gum and hair and
set out to determine from these diposed
items if she could reverse engineer
lie, as most of us know her, is the first
what the individual looked like from
female recipient of the IEEE Medal of
the DNA left behind. How does one go
Honor, an award that has been around
from being interested in art to becomfor 90 years.
M a ny stor ie s have been
ing a technology, privacy, and
done on Millie, her career,
DNA expert? Heather sets
her innovative technolothe stage for us and shares
her incredible journey.
gies, and how she has
Finally, there are wo been a strong advocate for
men out there who ap women. However, upon
pear to be able to do it all
meeting Millie at the IEEE
and seem to have achieved
Honors ceremony, I was
the elusive "life balance."
struck by the fact that
Karen Panetta
In our interview with Dr.
her legacy is also a famEllen Ferraro, we learn that life balance
ily affair. Millie's daughter and grandis really about making choices and being
daughters have also ventured into
courageous enough to ask for what you
science and engineering, where each
need to make it all work synergistically.
woman has taken ownership to craft
It is also centers on knowing that there
her own unique career path. Millie
are certain aspects of our lives that
didn't just inspire her own family to
should not be sacrificed and not apolopursue the science, technology, engigizing for holding true to your heart.
neering, and math (STEM) fields, she
Dr. Ferraro is the wonder woman most
empowered them to be innovative
women aspire to be, and we thank her
and do it on their own terms. All of
for her sharing her "best practices" for
us at IEEE Women in Engineering
life with us.
Magazine celebrate Millie's lifetime of
Everyone of you is a mentor and a
achievements and are honored to have
role model in your own way. You care
been granted an interview with her and
enough to share your experiences, supher family.
port your peers, and, most of all, you
Good mentors recognize that "one
keep learning. Students may not believe
size does not fit all" and that our entry
that they are already role models, but
points into the STEM fields vary greatly
younger students are watching you, even
across the world. Some of the role modif you don't realize it. At times, the feats
els we interview in this issue show the
we achieve may seem small and trivial,
different avenues to attract youth into

JUNE 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2016