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Claire Obuchowski

Girlstart’s Women in STEM weekly series highlights various women who are making a difference in STEM. Be inspired as these incredible women describe how they became interested in their field, provide insight into a day in the life, and share learnings from their experiences.

Claire Obuchowski

Senior Environmental, Health & Safety Specialist @ Motorola Solutions Inc.

Claire is a Senior Environmental, Health and Safety Specialist at Motorola Solutions Inc. She wants to inspire young girls to not be afraid and to try anything that interests them in the STEM field. We are thrilled to have her on our blog and for everyone to hear about her journey through the STEM field

Was there a specific person, program, or event in your life that led you to your STEM career?

When I started college, I was an undeclared/undecided major. My first semester, I took a general education class – Environmental Health in the 21st Century – and I started a Bachelor of Science, mostly because of my professor, Dr. George Byrns. He became my mentor throughout and following college.

Briefly describe your field.

Environmental, Health & Safety is focused on protecting the environment and people. EHS is extremely broad – anything can happen any given day and it applies to all workplaces. The field is also different depending on where you work. I work for a technology manufacturing company, so we have machine operators, engineers, researchers, shipping/receiving and so much more. I end up working on everything from ergonomics to machine guarding to EPA air permits in a single day.

What are your favorite things about your career?

The variety of every workday, the people I get to work with, and having so many opportunities.

What projects/programs have you worked on?

Implementing company lockout/tagout programs, championing Earth Day activities and education, conducting risk assessments, developing and implementing fall protection programs.

What is your greatest accomplishment?

Keeping people safe! It’s what I do!

What sparked your interest and made you want to volunteer with Girlstart?

It was promoted by my company, Motorola Solutions, and really inspires me to want to help girls get into science like I did.

What would you like to tell girls who are interested in pursuing a STEM career? What words of encouragement would you share with them?

Go for it! Even if it just seems like something interesting to you, try it out and see if it’s really what you want to do. There’s no reason not to!

Why is confidence in STEM important for girls?

It opens up such a range of personal and professional opportunities and we need more representation in those fields.

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Karina Hershberg

Girlstart’s Women in STEM weekly series highlights various women who are making a difference in STEM. Be inspired as these incredible women describe how they became interested in their field, provide insight into a day in the life, and share learnings from their experiences.

Karina Hershberg

Technical Associate @ PAE Engineers

Karina is a Technical Associate at PAE Engineers because of her passion and love for STEM. As a young girl, she was inspired to pursue a career in STEM when she saw a space shuttle launch. She inspires young girls to be confident in pursuing their dreams and to break barriers. We are thrilled to have Karina on our blog today and excited for you all to hear about her journey in the STEM field!

What would you like to tell girls who are interested in pursuing a STEM career?

Do it! Something I’ve loved about working in STEM is there are so many areas to work in. I went into STEM thinking I would work in space exploration and instead ended up working on sustainable design to preserve Earth’s environment. I love being in a career that is both interesting and impactful.

Was there a specific person, program, or event in your life that led you to your STEM career?

I saw a space shuttle launch when I was 15 and decided I wanted to work for NASA. Even though, I eventually decided to focus my engineering career on helping this planet, it was an interest in space exploration that initially motivated me to pursue an engineering degree. I also had great family support since my dad and brother are also engineers!

Briefly describe your career.

I work in sustainable building design and renewable energy systems.

What are your favorite things about your career?

I love working on problems that are interesting and impactful. Right now, buildings are a problem for the environment but I think that with innovative design and engineering, they can become part of the climate solution. By working to create sustainable, innovative solutions for the building industry, I am part of a larger community working towards solving the climate crisis.

What projects have you worked on?

I’ve led the electrical engineering design on four Living Building projects – the most sustainable building type in the world. The latest project is expected to be the largest of its kind in the world!

What is your greatest accomplishment?

One of my favorite career accomplishments so far has been helping to design the world’s largest Living Building!

What sparked your interest and made you want to volunteer with Girlstart? 

We need all the best minds working on solving the world’s environmental challenges. Women bring so much value to this work and I want to ensure girls are getting access to these career fields and are able to move past the historic barriers we’ve faced.

Why is confidence in STEM important for girls?

Unfortunately, women do still face barriers in STEM fields and the building industry is no exception. We bring great value to the field and deserve a seat at the table but sometimes we still have to fight for that seat. Carrying the confidence of knowing we are valuable contributors is sometimes needed to make sure our voice is here.

Karina is also a member of AstraFemina, a non-profit organization of women who are leaders in STEM fields, with a mission to Inspire Today’s Girls to Become Tomorrow’s STEM Stars by sharing their stories.

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Adele Mae Luta

Girlstart’s Women in STEM weekly series highlights various women who are making a difference in STEM. Be inspired as these incredible women describe how they became interested in their field, provide insight into a day in the life, and share learnings from their experiences.

Adele Mae Luta

Exploration Spacewalk Integration Project Manager @ Oceaneering International Inc.

Adele is an Exploration Spacewalk Integration Project Manager at Oceaneering International Inc.  Her passion for the STEM field as a young girl has led her to supporting the exploration spacesuit and space vehicle integration for NASA’s next missions to the moon. She encourages young girls to have confidence and not let obstacles get in the way of your dreams.

What sparked your interest and made you want to volunteer with Girlstart?

Girlstart has amazing programs like their Summer Camps. It would have been great to attend when I was a girl. I love the Q&A with the girls!

Was there a specific person, program, or event in your life that led you to your STEM career?

It was many things but I loved math in school and when I discovered that physics was a way to apply math – I was hooked!

Briefly describe your career.

I am supporting the exploration spacesuit and space vehicle integration for NASA’s next missions to the moon. Due to my STEM degrees, I have been lucky to work in human spaceflight, defense, and healthcare. I have also lived and worked internationally. I love sharing stories about innovation, physics, and human systems. I hold a BS and MS degrees in Physics and an MS and PhD (ABD) in Psychology with an emphasis in cognition and learning.

What are your favorite things about your career?

Being challenged, especially when I am part of a team developing something that has never been done before in outer space. 

What projects/programs have you worked on?

I have supported NASA’s Space Shuttle program, the International Space Station program, and now Artemis as we return to the moon. I have also been able to support really cool defense and healthcare initiatives through Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) programs.

What would you like to tell girls who are interested in pursuing a STEM career? What words of encouragement would you share with them? 

Science doesn’t care if you are cool, rich, or have lots of followers. Science is hard and demanding but amazing and powerful. If this sounds interesting, maybe you are a future scientist!

Why is confidence in STEM important for girls?

STEM is hard, but that is what makes it great! At least for me. When you come across a challenge that you need to overcome – having confidence in yourself and your team keeps you moving toward the solution.

Adele is also a member of AstraFemina, a non-profit organization of women who are leaders in STEM fields, with a mission to Inspire Today’s Girls to Become Tomorrow’s STEM Stars by sharing their stories.

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Rachel Medbery

Girlstart’s Women in STEM weekly series highlights various women who are making a difference in STEM. Be inspired as these incredible women describe how they became interested in their field, provide insight into a day in the life, and share learnings from their experiences.

Rachel Medbery

Thoracic Surgeon @ Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeons

Rachel Medbery is a Thoracic Surgeon @ Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeons. She has a passion for being in the STEM field and loves to help others. She is the first female thoracic surgeon in Central Texas and is thrilled to lead the path for other young women. We are so grateful to have her on our blog today to discuss her experiences and hear more about what led her to a career in STEM!

What sparked your interest and made you want to volunteer with Girlstart?

I’m hopeful to influence other young women to attack their dreams and passions head-on and not to be discouraged by the fields that are mostly male-dominated. We need more women breaking glass ceilings!

What would you like to tell girls who are interested in pursuing a STEM career? What words of encouragement would you share with them? 

DO NOT let anyone tell you that you “can’t” or that you “shouldn’t!” Also, do not be scared by a challenge. The challenging careers make success all the more rewarding. Keep your head down and keep your eye on your ultimate goal. Ask for help and lean on friends and family for support. Others want to help you succeed!

Was there a specific person, program, or event in your life that led you to your STEM career?

When I was in my 5th grade science class and got to dissect frogs, I just loved it! It’s funny because I was so scared that I actually asked my mother to write an “excuse note” so that I wouldn’t have to do it; luckily, she refused. I had so much fun that I went home that night and told my parents I wanted to become a surgeon. I never looked back. 

What are your favorite things about your career/field?

I love the instant gratification of surgery. It is very high risk but high reward. I’m able to see patients, take them to the operating room and fix a problem. I go home at the end of the day knowing I have helped impact other people’s lives for the better. 

Briefly describe your career/field.

I’m a general thoracic surgeon which means I operate on everything in a person’s chest except their heart and aorta. Approximately 70% of my practice involves removing cancers of the chest — most of which are lung cancers. I do the majority of my cases minimally invasively with the DaVinci robot. 

Why is confidence in STEM important for girls?

Young women need to realize they can be and do anything their heart desires and they need female mentors to help give encouragement.

What projects/programs have you worked on?

I am the first female thoracic surgeon in Central Texas! I’m so excited to lead the path for other young women. 

What is your greatest accomplishment?

I’m mostly proud of the fact that I never gave up. I had a dream and a kept on moving in a direction to make it come true. After high school, 4 years of college, 4 years of medical school, 7 years of general surgery training and 3 years of cardiothoracic surgery training…I finally accomplished my dream. The road was long and challenging and I’m mostly proud of my perseverance.

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