Encouraging Women to Imagine Their Futures as Inventors, Innovators and Engineers

Statistics reveal that women are underrepresented in the engineering profession. The Women's Engineering Society reports that as of June 2021, it's estimated that only 16.5% of engineers are women. That's why, in honor of International Women in Engineering Day (#INWED22), we've asked a few of the women on the GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy team to talk about the fascinating work they do and what motivated them to pursue a profession in engineering. We hope that in sharing Stephanie, Samantha and Morgan's experiences more women will be inspired to imagine themselves as inventors, innovators, and ultimately engineers.

Meet Stephanie Foerster, Human Factors Engineer

In college, Stephanie studied everything from Psychology and Statistics, to Pilates and Russian.?

“My interests have always been a blend of science and art, so it is only fitting that my education was the same sort of blend.”

Stephanie earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a master’s degree in Experimental Psychology, before accepted a job with GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy. Today she works as a Human Factors Engineer, helping to design the digital and analog human-system interfaces of control rooms for nuclear facilities, and taking responsibility for the design of anything an operator or maintenance person might interact with.

This type of engineering attempts to optimize human performance by considering human strengths and limitations. That knowledge is then used to prevent or mitigate the consequences of human errors. Stephanie uses her understanding of human perception to create designs that are more intuitive. She also uses her background in experimental design and psychometrics to run tests that validate that the designs support better decision-making among plant operators, especially under times of stress.

“My job appeals to my diverse interests and talents, and is the perfect blend of analytics, science, and creativity.”??

Meet Samantha Michael,?Materials Engineer

From the moment Samantha learned about nuclear energy, she knew how important it would be to hitting net zero carbon goals. That has been a big part of her inspiration in working at GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy.?

I chose engineering as a career because I have always had a passion for sustainability, and I specifically wanted to be in a career that could have an impact on climate change.

Samantha worked as an intern at GE for two summers before joining the Edison Engineering Development Program post undergrad. She did rotations with the Systems Team, Materials Team, RDA, and even supported the Fuel Inspections Team at the Fermi 2020 outage for her last rotation. She then joined the Materials Team where she continues to be a critical contributor to the team.?

“It’s incredible to work with a company that is making a difference in the nuclear industry. I hope to inspire other women to consider engineering as a profession because of how influential and rewarding it can be.”

Meet Morgan Byerly, Nuclear Engineer

Morgan was always more interested in math and sciences classes. She recalls doing a short segment of nuclear chemistry in high school which prompted her interest in baseload, carbon-free power. That year she applied to the University of Florida to pursue a B.S. in Nuclear Engineering, and went on to receive her M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Her career at GE Hitachi started in the Edison Engineering Development Program, where her roles spanned across the Core and Fuel Engineering organization. At the conclusion of the Edison program, Morgan joined the Reload Design & Analysis Team within Core and Fuel Engineering where she learned the ins and outs of fuel cycle analysis, working closely with customers to optimize core and bundle designs to cycle-specific needs, and designing fuel cycles for bid and NFI applications.?Morgan is now the technical leader of fuel cycles on Reload Design & Analysis.

“I’ve realized that when working in research or academics the impact of the work can be much more future-based. I chose to work in an application-based field because the work I’m doing matters now.”

Each of these women has a curiosity and a passion that has led them to fulfilling careers in engineering. At GE Hitachi, we believe that having a diverse team of engineers that include women like Stephanie, Samantha and Morgan will help us to build a world that works...for everyone. That's why we're always looking for engineers to join us in our mission to bring reliable carbon-free power generation to the world. We invite you to explore all our career opportunities here.