Change your world
Women in Engineering and Technology
Why choose engineering or technology?
Maybe you’re good at math and science, or maybe you love design. Maybe you want to use those skills to help others. Maybe you take things apart just to see how they work. However you have come to us, welcome!
Engineering and technology professions need you! As a woman trained in a technical field, you will offer a different point of view and way of thinking to a profession that thrives on creative problem solving. Your perspective will allow you to solve problems in ways that only you can, giving you many opportunities to change your world.
Engineering is much more than just math and science; it involves working collaboratively with teams to design, analyze, and construct high-quality items and solutions. Your job will change daily and you will be challenged to discover new ideas. Not only will you design things that matter, but your training will equip you with skills that apply to all aspects of life.
We invite you to join us!
Who is WE@BYU?
Having the right resources can ensure your success in a technical discipline. WE@BYU: Women in Engineering and Technology is an organization that supports you both as a student and in the future. WE@BYU hosts activities, connects you to resources, and provides you with the tools you need to excel.
You have the potential to change the world. We want to help you discover the distinct contributions you can make with a degree in engineering or technology.
The faculty and advisors at BYU are friendly and welcoming. They provide opportunities for you to gain experience and to be involved in research so that you can reach your academic, professional, and personal goals. They are available to answer your questions and give advice.
Who are we? We are just like you—women striving to use our talents to reach out and improve the world. Continue reading to meet a few women who demonstrate what WE can do to innovate, lead, connect, serve, and inspire.
Lisa Barrager and Terri Bateman
WE@BYU Program Coordinators
When Rebecca Thompson, now a sophomore doing research in electrical engineering, arrived at BYU, she didn’t know exactly what she wanted to do, but she knew she wanted to make a difference. She was given that opportunity through the WE@BYU Research Mentorship program, which gives first- and second-year students a chance to be mentored by faculty members and to work in a lab on real projects.
Rebecca was on a team that developed advanced wildlife-tracking collars that include a GPS device, a transmitter, and a heart-rate monitor. She focused her efforts on the circuitry in the heart monitor. Despite being new to the world of engineering, Rebecca immersed herself in the project and the process, driven by her passion for learning. “Being a research assistant as a freshman is kind of like learning a language through complete immersion,” she says. “It’s incredibly empowering to realize that you survived and even thrived.”
There is more to life than school. No one knows this better than Jocelynn Anderson, a master’s graduate in civil engineering. As a student she took advantage of BYU’s many clubs, serving as the Tau Beta Pi treasurer, Society of Women Engineers president, and BYU Concrete Canoe team captain. Jocelynn believes her involvement helped her develop into a better leader and engineer.
“Because of my leadership in clubs, I have experiences to share during job interviews,” says Jocelynn. “Recruiters tell me how important the skills I have learned are to their company.” She also learned how to balance her life and how to network. However, looking back on her club experiences, friendships are what Jocelynn says she treasures most. “Through clubs I’ve met people from other majors and disciplines and made connections with friends that I never would have met otherwise,” she says.
As new freshmen, Adelaide Dresden and Rene Kekoolani felt a little lost in the crowd. That is until they met Becca. WE@BYU understands that starting a new program can be overwhelming, so we match each new student with a friendly upperclassman mentor. Becca Peterson, then a senior in manufacturing engineering technology, had been in Adelaide’s and Rene’s shoes just a few years before. She gave them advice, connected them with study groups, and introduced them to faculty and alumni.
“Having a mentor helped me know what to expect in classes and how to organize my schedule in a manageable way,” says Rene. Their friendship increased the success and confidence of all three women. “The best advice from my mentor was actually never spoken,” explains Adelaide. “I saw how confident she was around people. Seeing how much she had accomplished gave me a new perspective on myself.”
“I never thought I would pursue a PhD—ever.” That’s how Amy Wood, a PhD candidate in mechanical engineering, felt as a freshman. But as an undergraduate she worked in a lab researching product design for the developing world. The opportunity to learn more was too exciting to pass up.
With her husband, Charles (manufacturing engineering technology, BS ’14), Amy has traveled the world researching a better way to meet customer needs in developing countries. She has lived in Peru and India and has visited Spain, Italy, Romania, and Greece for her research. “I feel like my engineering degree has really prepared me to help others,” she says. “Skills like how to learn effectively, how to work hard, and how to solve difficult problems are useful in any kind of service. I also have specific skills in math, product design, and research that allow me to use my training to help people all over the world.”
While at BYU, Katie Richardson discovered a love of building things that were simple and unique. After graduating with a degree in industrial design, she worked on projects for companies like Nike. Once she became a mother, she funneled her passion into products for her own children. Eventually Katie and her husband, Ben (industrial design, BFA ’03), founded Puj, a company known for products that simplify life for parents. Their best seller is the Puj Tub, an elegant redesign of the modern baby bath.
“I designed a better baby bath, and now people in 25 different countries use my solution,” Katie says. “It really is amazing what one stay-at-home mom can do to impact the world.” Katie credits her design degree from BYU as the foundation for everything she does as a mother and entrepreneur. It has given her the confidence she needs to run a global business, and it inspires her to show her children how to dream big and reach higher. “It can be a challenge balancing motherhood and business,” she says. “But my family is very supportive and I love connecting with parents all over the world through my products.”
How will you change the world with your major?
The world beyond byu
Once you leave BYU you will join a network of thousands of women alumni from this college who are using their engineering and technology skills to make a difference in their professions, families, and communities and in the world.
Like them, you can enjoy the benefits of an in-demand, flexible profession with job security and excellent pay (an average starting salary with a bachelor's degree is $60,000 a year). More important, you can spend your days working with creative people doing meaningful work. You can work full- or part-time; in a small town or a large city; for a large corporation or a small business; or in a lab, in an office, from home, or outdoors.
There are endless opportunities available for innovative problem solvers. We hope you will join us!
