Stony Brook University President Andrea Goldsmith led a panel discussion on April 15 with distinguished women engineers, focusing on their personal journeys, challenges, and achievements in the field. The event was part of Inauguration Week and brought together Jennifer Cochran from Stanford University, Ayanna Howard from The Ohio State University, Muriel Médard from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and Telle Whitney, an entrepreneur and advocate for women in technology.
The discussion highlighted the ongoing underrepresentation of women in engineering and STEM fields despite a gradual increase in female participation. Panelists shared stories about how they navigated their careers and what qualities they believe are essential for leadership.
Ayanna Howard described her path from NASA to academia: “I started off at NASA because I wanted to do robotics, and NASA was the only place that wasn’t in the automobile industry or the military,” she said. “I went into academia because I realized I liked students. My journey has really just been about opportunities and aligning my passion with my values, and then being open to exploring it.”
Telle Whitney recounted her experience leading AnitaB.org after its founder became ill: “I saw that it made a huge difference in people’s lives,” she said. “Sometimes your career takes unanticipated turns, but I loved the work that I was doing.” Whitney served as CEO from 2002 to 2017.
Muriel Médard spoke about finding creativity within engineering: “I went to college without a plan,” she said. “It was a complete surprise to me that you could do both [math rigor and literary creativity]. And it was challenging because there were very, very few women.”
The panel also addressed leadership qualities such as inclusivity and empathy. Jennifer Cochran said: “What I realized is that being a good listener is very important… Just being present and being empathetic to what people are going through… is so important.”
President Goldsmith summarized common themes by saying: “One of the themes that we’ve heard a lot is this notion of twists and turns and not necessarily knowing the destination, but enjoying the journey.” She encouraged following one’s passion regardless of doubters: “Focus on what you’re passionate about and believe in. If you do that, then there is no failure… failure often is the best path to success.”
