Exploring Careers in Engineering and Science with Dr. Doreen Edwards

On this episode of Advanced Automation by Calvary Robotics, Host Josh Gravelle talked with Dr. Doreen Edwards, the Dean of the Rochester Institute of Technology’s Kate Gleason College of Engineering. Edwards holds a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Northwestern University. She has served as the principal investigator on fundamental and applied research projects, focusing on oxide materials for fuel cells, batteries, thermoelectric devices, environmental remediation, and solar energy applications. They talked about her career and how science can change the world.

Growing up on a ranch in South Dakota, what got Edwards interested in engineering was her attraction to math and science courses in school. According to Edwards, when people like those courses, they tend to get pushed into careers in science and engineering. She also lived close to a college with an engineering and science school, so that possibility was always on her radar. In college, she ended up majoring in Chemistry.

“I can trace that interest back to a fascination with the idea of atoms and molecules,” Edwards said.

She recalled a story from the third grade when a teacher told her a desk was filled with atoms moving at an incredible speed. She was in awe. With her fascination sparked, she moved into her career after her undergrad years. The spark she found in her early years hasn’t withered, either.

“One reason is the potential that science and engineering have to change the lives of people,” Edwards said.