IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2014 - 6

Amperes
Current Affairs from Around the World

Orbiting Next-Gen
Technology

realized. Lord is also the deployment
engineer, responsible for testing the satellite appendages, such as solar wings and
antenna, in a zero-gravity
environment.
Caden a credit s
these women for sucThe women behind Boeing's MexSat Satellite
cessfully weathering
the many challenges
of the project and
for making incredible gains in terms of
Jennifer
schedule and quality.
security, civil, and humanitarian efforts.
In July 1963, Syncom, the world's first
Beriña-Buelna
"We all have a diverse
According to Boeing, the satellite will
geosynchronous communications satexperience that lends
help facilitate disaster relief, emergency
ellite, launched from Cape Canaveral,
itself well for us to work together and
services, telemedicine, rural education,
Florida. It was a month before Martin
meet our goals," Cadena says.
and government agency operations.
Luther King, Jr.'s march on WashingAll five women come from a variety of
Noramay Cadena's integrated projton, D.C. Twenty-six-year-old Russian
backgrounds and are in different stages of
ect team, the team responsible
Valentina Tereshkova had just
their careers: Salazar is fresh out of college
become the first woman to
for the assembly, integration,
while Procopio has just retired. In her 16and test of the satellites, has
travel in space. The satelyear career at the company, Beriña-Buelna
received recognition within
lite, looking something
has served as quality project lead, qualBoeing for having "consislike a table lamp with its
ity engineer, and integration manager. In
tently stood out for perforconical base and shim2012, she received a Quality First Chammance amidst challenging
mering shade, was used in
pion Award for her role in reducing cycle
technical issues and resource
the first live two-way sattime on a critical program. Lord, who has
constraints." What has made
ellite call between heads of
Noramay Cadena
been with Boeing for eight years, is a onethis an especially remarkable
government when U.S. Presitime kinesiology major. Cadena has been
achievement for Cadena and her team is
dent John F. Kennedy telephoned Nigeat Boeing for ten years.
that no other commercial satellite team
rian Prime Minister Abubakar Balewa.
Still, there are other overarchat Boeing has had such strong
The manufacturer of Syncom, the
ing similarities between the
female leadership.
Hughes Space and Communication
women. They each grew up
Integration Managers
Company, was purchased by Boeing in
understanding the value of
Madeline Salazar and Jen2000. Since then, Boeing has continued
education, were not afraid
nifer Beriña-Buelna are
to be an industry leader in the design
of failure, and took great
responsible for mechaniand delivery of geomobile satellite comchances. They made stracal tasks on the spacecraft,
munications systems.
tegic career moves to follow
and they ensure that all parts
Boeing's two new MexSat satellites
their passions, and they underand instructions are procarry on this tradition. Both are 702 hp
Madeline Salazar
stood the importance of surcured and that all schedules
and supply 14 kW of power through fiverounding themselves with strong team
presented by Spacecraft Manager Antoipanel solar array wings. Together they
players who shared their focus on quality.
nette Procopio are executed down on the
comprise a next-generation commershop floor. Heather Lord, vehicle engicial communications satellite system
neer, validates the mechanical aspects of
for Mexico that will support national
The Value of Education
the vehicle and acts as liaison between
"Sit up," Cadena's mother would tell
engineers and build technicians to make
her. "You're not working fast enough.
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MWIE.2014.2353256
sure that the engineering intent is fully
No talking."
Date of publication: 7 November 2014

IEEE WOMEN IN ENGINEERING MAGAZINE

DECEMBER 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2014