Happy International Women in Engineering Day 2023

On June 23rd each year lies International Women in Engineering Day. The day celebrates the achievements and contributions of women in the field of Engineering. As a battery cell manufacturer for electric vehicles, Ultium Cells LLC is an organization that relies heavily on our Engineers in order to be successful. Our newest manufacturing plant in Lansing, MI is currently under construction but the team of engineers currently working are making sure everything is accomplished safely, timely, and correctly.?

Today we honor the female engineers at the Lansing, MI site of Ultium Cells and provide some background on what led them to this career path, to our company, and advice they have for other girls and women interested in pursuing a career in Engineering. Currently we have four female engineers on the Lansing team. These include Plant Director Grace Griffin, Process Engineer Jessie McInnis, Process Engineer Elizabeth Michalski, and Environmental Engineer Sydney Reimink. All four have unique and varying backgrounds and experiences that bring a range of ideas and expertise to help our site succeed.

In terms of academic training Chemical Engineering is by far the most common subset pursued by our engineers with Grace, Jessie, and Elizabeth all focusing their undergraduate degrees in that field. Sydney studied Bioengineering and Grace also pursued a graduate degree in Manufacturing Operations Engineering further her training in the field.

When asked why the women wanted to become Engineers the answers varied but also had one similarity: the ability to make a difference, a love of problem solving and thinking critically, as well as a commitment to fixing and improving processes so as to lead to better outcomes.?

As for advice for other girls and women wanting to get involved in the Engineering field? All four of these amazing women highlight the need to be curious, work hard, ask questions, commit yourself to grow and learn each day, and finally be kind to yourself if you make a mistake.

Grace Griffin

For Grace an affinity for math and science started her on the journey to pursuing an Engineering career but it wasn’t until she was an undergraduate student at Case Western Reserve University that the idea of working in a manufacturing environment really solidified.

This happened while completing a summer internship at General Motors. The challenge of manufacturing, the work environment, and people all told her that the manufacturing field was where she wanted to be professionally.

Grace’s journey to Ultium began with her graduating from Case Western to getting an MS in Manufacturing Operations Engineering at Kettering University, to working in various roles at companies including Toyota, General Electric, and General Motors.

When asked what attracted her to join the team at Ultium Cells Grace said:

“Ultium allowed me to continue to grow in the areas of engineering I love. These include large project management, new technology, and people growth and development. I was attracted to the role because of the great impact the company will make on the future in these areas.”

Jessie McInnis

For Jessie the desire to become an Engineer didn’t materialize until she was already an Undergraduate student. In her own words Jessie describes the journey as follows:

“I didn’t know much at all about what I wanted to do with my life, but I did know I wanted a challenging career. By pursuing engineering, I knew I’d have the opportunity to impact society, explore various industries to discover what I enjoy, and feel professionally fulfilled.”

After attending a community college for a few years Jessie transferred to Michigan Tech and studied Chemical Engineering and after graduating in 2022 landed a role as an engineer for 3M in Wisconsin.

What attracted Jessie to Ultium Cells? The opportunity to be a part of technological advancement and to fulfill a goal of working in the automotive industry.

Elizabeth Michalski

Elizabeth completed her undergraduate degree at Washington University in St. Louis where she focused her studies on Chemical Engineering. After graduating she began her career as a Paint Process Engineer at General Motors in Missouri.

Elizabeth became an engineer because she enjoys problem solving. “As an Engineer, there are constantly opportunities that will challenge you to think critically in order to fix or improve a process.”

The tremendous opportunities to grow, make an impact, and be a part of the up-and-coming EV technology space brought Elizabeth to Ultium Cells.

Sydney Reimink

One of our most recent hires, Sydney joined the Ultium team this month (June 2023). Before beginning her job at Ultium Cells she attended Oakland University where she studied Bioengineering. She graduated this spring.

Growing up surrounded by engineers in the family – her father and uncle both were engineers for manufacturing companies – gave her a lot of exposure to the industry and helped move her to the path she embarked on academically and professionally.

Working for Ultium Cells was a good fit for Sydney because she wanted to “take part in the electric vehicle movement and help reduce the environmental impact that cars have on the environment.” She was also attracted to the forward thinking Ultium Cells has towards manufacturing and appreciated the company values.

To Grace, Jessie, Elizabeth, and Sydney, and all the female engineers at Ultium Cells: we thank you and appreciate your work and contributions to our company.