#engineersweek

The National Society of Professional Engineers has been sponsoring Engineers Week every February since 1951 as a means of calling attention to engineers’ contributions to society and advocating for the importance of education in math, science, and technical skills.

Today’s Engineers Week theme is Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day, so we’re sharing this December 1949 photograph of Florence Naum (1922-2006) testing a generator regular quality control machine at the Ford Motor Company’s plant in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The device tested regulators for 1950 Fords under simulated road conditions.

Naum was a resident of Farmington, Michigan. She began her career at Ford as a stock handler in 1939 after graduating high school and, by 1949, was the only woman electrical technician at the company and one of only two women enrolled at the University of Detroit in pursuit of an engineering degree. She eventually earned an electrical engineering degree from the University of Michigan and later became the first female electrical engineer employed at the company.

NYPA is celebrating Engineers Week to recognize the achievements and contributions of our talented engineers in developing and maintaining reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy solutions for New York State.

NYPA is celebrating Engineers Week to recognize the achievements and contributions of our talented engineers in developing and maintaining reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy solutions for New York State.

Name: Michael Laoye Title: Meter Engineer I Location: Eugene W. Zeltmann Power Project What is a typical day/week like for you? A typical day includes submitting metering data to the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) from our generating plants, testing/calibrating meters in our MEG Lab, and supporting meter upgrade projects across our municipal locations.

NYPA is celebrating Engineers Week to recognize the achievements and contributions of our talented engineers in developing and maintaining reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy solutions for New York State.

NYPA is celebrating Engineers Week to recognize the achievements and contributions of our talented engineers in developing and maintaining reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy solutions for New York State.

Name: Wing Kong Title: Associate Protection and Control Engineer Location: WPO

What is a typical day/week like for you? A typical week includes developing and reviewing design packages, relay setting calculations and relay setting files, as well as testing relay settings to ensure they meet compliance and operate to protect high-voltage electrical equipment as designed when needed.

What drew you to NYPA as an engineer? The amazing workplace culture as well as the interesting and challenging assignments.

Do you have any advice for engineering students or engineers just entering the workforce? 

Organize information well so it’s easily accessible, take initiatives to gain experience, prioritize tasks well and don’t be afraid to ask questions.

What types of challenges in engineering do you enjoy? 

NYPA is celebrating Engineers Week to recognize the achievements and contributions of our talented engineers in developing and maintaining reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy solutions for New York State.

Name: Nishant Sharma Title: Assistant EMS Electrical Engineer Location: Energy Control Center (Marcy)

What is a typical day/week like for you? I start by reading emails and writing down in my notes my goals/plan for the day of what needs to get done and how my week looks. Then I listen in to a meeting we have every day. I discuss with coworkers the work that needs to be done for the day and what the best plan of action is to complete it. I usually go into the control room and work there for the morning of the day to get any urgent work complete until lunch.

Usually I go to my desk in the afternoon and get more work done and have more meetings. I finish the day by completing my goals and discussing with coworkers what we need to do tomorrow and the rest of the week.

What drew you to NYPA as an engineer? I always knew engineering was going to be my full-time job, so picking a career was not difficult.

In my senior year of college, I was fortunate enough to land an internship at NYPA. I worked as an intern for a year and right after I graduated, I applied for the assistant EMS electrical engineer position and got the job. I really enjoyed the internship and was drawn to NYPA’s goals and vision for the future, so it was an easy decision to apply for a full-time position.

Do you have any advice for engineering students or engineers just entering the workforce? One of the most important pieces of advice I would have for new engineers is to have an open mind and ask questions. The best way to learn and grow as an engineer is to learn as much as possible. This is done by asking questions whenever you are in doubt. Gaining knowledge about the position will only benefit you in the future. Always speak with coworkers and discuss what the best plan of action is so that the work is done in the best interests of the organization.

NYPA is celebrating Engineers Week to recognize the achievements and contributions of our talented engineers in developing and maintaining reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy solutions for New York State.

Name: Haoyu (Robert) Wang Title: Mechanical Engineer II Location: WPO

What is a typical day/week like for you?

A typical day for me is collaborating with on-site and home office personnel, providing engineering solutions to NYPA’s generation facilities, and performing calculations and engineering analyses on multiple projects.

What drew you to NYPA as an engineer?

NYPA initiated great projects such as decarbonization and revitalization of the hydro generation plants. The contribution I can make to the organization will bring values to the state and the nation. Can you describe your professional journey and how it led you to NYPA?

My professional journey started with an engineering/consulting firm, where I gained lots of analytical knowledge on providing engineering solutions. NYPA provided opportunities for engineers like me to integrate into existing and future projects. Also, upon joining NYPA, I am broadening my technical and management background as an engineer. This means a lot for career advancement.

Can you tell us about one of your best accomplishments in engineering? What about this project makes you most proud? 

In the past, I performed engineering calculations and piping and equipment stress analyses, as well as site walkdowns, mostly for new power plant design and construction. At NYPA, my biggest project is still ongoing, which is the High Energy Piping program at the Zeltmann Project. It has been a successful journey during the past two years with this project. We identified multiple piping failures and saved the plant from many unexpected and forced outages and made it a safer place to work.

Do you have any advice for engineering students or engineers just entering the workforce? 

Yes -- when a new engineer enters the workforce, one may be asked to perform certain tasks using an existing software/program. This would make the engineer’s life easier as everything has been set up but make sure to spend more time to learn and ask the engineering theories on the backend. So, the engineer will understand how the process works and it will be helpful in a long run.

What drew you into the discipline of engineering? 

I like mechanical engineering as it is related to cars, engines, robots and other cool stuff I liked when I was a child. I always wanted to learn how it works so I chose to study the mechanical discipline.

What kind of engineering skills would you like to develop in the near future? 

I would like to gain more engineering skills in plant and transmission operations. My past was more about design, but to be able to gain more knowledge in operations will help me assist NYPA’s projects better.

What personal characteristics do you think are needed to become a successful engineer? 

Be open minded, communicative and be willing to help others. Engineering is not a one-man show. It requires a collaborative mind and it is a teamwork process.

What types of challenges in engineering do you enjoy? 

To proactively analyze and figure out an issue before it happens.

Why did you choose to become a Professional Engineer?