IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2007 - 10

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Women to Watch
Nancy Salim

Building the House
of Mouse

To get a better understanding of
what imagineers do we talked with
three Disney-Imagineers.

Be Our Guest
Maureen Hart, principal mechanical
engineer at Walt Disney Imagineering,
describes herself as "short and bossy,"
but her passion shows through her work
to enhance guests' experiences at the
company's theme parks.

Disney imagineers bring park attractions to life

If creating an iconic image of a duck in
a sailor suit seems impressive, consider
meshing the creativity of imagination
with the technical nature of engineering into what is known as "imagineering." A large part of being an engineer
requires creativity. Especially if you
work as an employee of Walt Disney
Imagineering.
Almost all imagineers
work at the corporate headquarters in Glendale, California, developing ideas and
attractions for Disney parks.
During the construction of a
major project, imagineers are
often deployed to work onsite
for six months to a year. Imagineers can be artists, writers,
architects, landscape architects,
engineers, model builders, construction managers, technicians, designers, and a whole
range of others.
Walt Disney formed Walt
Disney Imagineering on 16
December 1952 as WED Enterprises to develop plans for a theme park
and to manage Disney's personal assets.
It was originally an independent, private
company, owned by Walt Disney, but on
3 February 1965 it was merged into Walt
Disney Productions. It is currently
known as Walt Disney Imagineering
(WDI), Disney Imagineering, or simply
Imagineering.

IEEE WOMEN IN ENGINEERING MAGAZINE

WDI is well known today for
designing and building Walt Disney
parks and resorts all over the world,
including Disney Resort in Anaheim,
California, Walt Disney World Resort
in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, and
Tokyo Disney Resort in Urayasu,
Chiba, Japan, among others.

Q: Tell us about yourself.
Hart: I'm a principal mechanical
engineer at Walt Disney Imagineering in
Glendale, California. I have a bachelor's
and a master's degree in mechanical
engineering. I grew up in Minnesota, and
after I earned my bachelor's degree from
Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, I decided to stay in California. The
energy crisis in the 1970s sparked my
interest in engineering and alternative
energy. I still remember it being
Christmas with no Christmas lights
Maureen Hart
because we all were trying to save
says that while
the goal is
energy. My first job was in thermal
opening the
analysis at Rockwell's Alternative
attraction,
Energy division in El Segundo, Caliengineering is
about good
fornia. At the risk of dating myself, my
communication
first calculator was an HP 35, and I
and
assembled my first computer from a
observation.
Heathkit. I follow Formula 1 racing
and have a daughter in high school
and a son in middle school.

WDI is now the research and development arm of Walt Disney Parks and
Resorts, no longer a division of Walt
Disney Productions. Imagineering also
includes Walt Disney Creative Entertainment, the company that utilizes
Imagineering techniques to create
shows, fireworks displays, and parades
at the Disney theme parks.

WINTER 2007/2008

Q: What made you decide to become
an imagineer?
Hart: Working for Disney, I am able to
share what I do with my friends and family. I work on a variety of engineering
projects and always like a challenge.
Q: What is a typical day for you at work?
Hart: I'm currently working on global
accessibility and safety to improve our
guests' experiences at our parks.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2007