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.
