IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2013 - 11

"The glass ceiling is breaking at
interested in space applications for her
our solar system, and the universe. "The
GSFC to a large extent," says Barth.
background. She did research on radiaGoddard science mission is achieved by
"It definitely is easier than it was 20
tion environments and their effects on
scientists asking the questions about
years ago, or even ten years ago." While
electronic systems and, before long,
the universe that they need answered,"
"the old image of NASA in particular
became a lead radiation engineer for
says Barth. "Scientists and engineers
is guys with white shirts and ties and
NASA spaceflight projects. "I just liked
collaborate to develop spacecraft and
black horn-rimmed glasses," she admits,
the environment here," she says. "The
instruments that measure the data
the reality today is that "Goddard is a
people are brilliant. It's stimulating and
needed to answer the science questions.
diverse place," she says. "I have a poster
challenging to work with so many peoScientists develop the science mission
of my staff on the wall outside my office
ple who love space and space applicaand instrument concepts, and then it's
and it's amazing the number of people
tions and who are very, very gifted at
our job to put together a spacecraft and
who stop and look at the poster and poke
what they do." Even though there were
instruments that will go up in space to
their head into the division office and
no other women in her field at the GSFC
collect the data that will answer those
say, 'Wow, what tremendous diversity
back then, Barth was undaunted.
questions for the scientists.
you have on your staff.'"
"It wasn't discouraging. I felt
The electronics system
very welcome," she recalls. "At
support is exciting to me
that time, management was
because we are responThe Doors Are Open
starting to look at the need
sible for the data flow
She is also seeing women reach critifor more diversity in their
from the instruments'
cal mass within IEEE, where Barth is
staff-not only in gender,
sensors through the
a Senior Member and president of the
but also across all demographdata management system
IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Sociics. And so after I was there,
to the communications
ety. "The doors are open," she says. "In
Janet Barth
more women started joining
systems that transmit the
fact, in my technical area-the technical
the staff."
data to science operation
committee that I came from is Radiation
There's no question that the democenters on Earth. I love when we first
Effects-I've always felt welcome as a
graphics have changed dramatically
get that electronics box together, it goes
peer in that community, going as far back
since Barth started at the GSFC. In 2011,
live, and we know it's working and doing
as the mid-1980s. I always felt accepted,
the book Women of Goddard: Careers in
the job it is designed to do."
encouraged." Still, this past year, she
Science, Technology, Engineering, and
was stunned by the number of women at
Mathematics, profiled more than 100
the Nuclear and Space Radiation Effects
Putting the Pieces Together
women who have worked at the flight
Conference, which traditionally has been
Barth has always loved solving puzzles,
center, some of whom were also feavery strongly male, and when she went
"trying to find an answer when I only
tured in a poster exhibit at the Maryland
to the IEEE Technical Activities Board
have some of the pieces, part of the
Women's Heritage Center. "By and large,
meeting this past June, she noticed that
story-really digging into a problem, and
these women are extremely appreciative
many more women were involved-
finding more data, and making connecof the jobs they have," the first
either as a Society president or
tions," she says. Growing up, math came
poster read. "They realize
vice president-than when
easily, and she enjoyed physics, but like
that many of these jobs
she was there two years
most girls in the 1960s, "I really was not
In my
would not have been
ago as vice president of
guided in that direction when I went to
technical
possible for women of
the NPSS. Simply put:
high school and college," she recounts.
area, I've felt
previous generations,
"Women are starting to
"Those seem like ancient times now.
welcome as a peer be included," she says.
and they recognize the
They all thought that I should be a nurse
going as far back
great privilege of being
She has gotten involved
or maybe, if I was lucky, a doctor. But my
a part of NASA and the
with WIE, she explains,
real interests and talents were in math
as the midgrand enterprise that is
because "as I become
and physics."
1980s.
the American space promore mature in my career,
Still, she followed a path toward
gram." Barth, who has held a
I feel the need to give back to
medicine at the University of Michigan,
number of managerial jobs at the
the community."
studying biological science, but she
GSFC, says that early on in her career,
These days, Barth is engaged in a
didn't find it challenging. She moved
she was never encouraged to go into
number of upcoming space and Earth
to the University of Maryland (UMD),
management or take leadership posiscience missions, including the internawhere she graduated with a bachelor's
tions, even though she excelled in her
tional Global Precipitation Measurement
of science in mathematics in 1978. It
work. Today, however, minority women
(GPM) mission, set to launch in February.
was during her time at UMD that she
head four of the nine branches she manA network of satellites will collect data on
picked the GSFC, just a few miles away,
ages as chief of the EED.
rainfall and snowfall from space, and the
for a co-op placement and became

DECEMBER 2013

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2013