Michele and Karl Plattenberger, with daughter Celia, at Miyajima Island near Hiroshima, Japan.
February 10, 2021
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Wednesday, Feb 10, 2021
Couple aims to change lives through Japan study abroad endowment
If you want to change your life and the way you see the world – study abroad.
Plattenberger family, pictured clockwise from left: Karl, Michele, Celia and Minna.
Museum of Flight Space Mavens Offer Insights from Earth to Mars
Museum of Flight Space Mavens Offer Insights from Earth to Mars
An illustration of NASA’s Perseverance rover landing safely on Mars. Photo NASA.
NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover lands on the Red Planet Feb. 18, and the Museum of Flight is hosting two live, online panel programs to prep and cover the landing with NASA JPL Mars mission engineers. The preview discussion on Feb. 11 includes Mallory Lefland, JPL Flight Controller, who will be on duty with NASA Mission Control for the rover landing; and on landing day, Feb. 18, the program includes Bill Cahill, the program manager for the MR-80 rocket engines that will power the descent stage bringing Perseverance to the surface of Mars. Both programs are free and online.
2021 Rising Stars: Akanksha Garg
Associate Research Scientist, Dow Chemical Co.
Akanksha Garg grew up in India and received her engineering degree from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University.
Her first plastics job was at FM Global Research, where she revised guidelines and recommendations for ensuring the safety of polymer and metal products. Through this experience, I learned about many different types of plastic and how the plastics offered different balances between cost and performance, she said. After having worked to develop evaluation standards and a variety of approvals for polymers, I wanted to delve deeper into the fundamental science of polymers and to develop new polymers.
2021 Rising Stars: Maggie Highberger
Account Manager, M. Holland Co.
Maggie Highberger said she became drawn to the plastics industry because of its continuously growing opportunities and technology.
Highberger was born in Kansas City and graduated from Pittsburg State University in Kansas with a bachelor s degree in plastics engineering technology. Her first plastics-related job was an internship at Kohler Co. in Sheridan, Ark., making toilet seats and components. The internship taught me not only how to work with my hands, changing molds, but also how to build relationships with everyone involved in the manufacturing process, Highberger said. My experience at Kohler taught me so much that it could fill a book, and every day I am grateful that experience was my first look at the plastics industry.
Modern women in engineering: inclusive or a façade?
Maansi Suri Filed on February 7, 2021
Hailing from a family of female engineers, I have always loved science, and, more specifically, have always dreamt of being an engineer. However, I noticed that most girls aren t encouraged to dream big and the male engineer stereotype prevails. Clearly, this is an issue that needs to be investigated and addressed.
My Research
Despite the significant progress that has been made in bridging the gap between men and women in the workplace, women are overlooked in the field of engineering. According to the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), globally only 13 per cent of engineers are women, and more disquieting, female engineers are generally paid 10 per cent less than men (SWE Research Update: Women in Engineering by the Numbers (Nov. 2019) - All Together, 2021).