“What do a bomb maker, interpreter and educator have in common?” asked Rebecca Ortiz, ChE ’99. High school and college students interested in an engineering career and their supporters gathered to hear Ortiz’s keynote speech for the Cargill Women in Engineering Dinner held at Montana State University on Feb. 22, 2007. The annual event is sponsored by Cargill and MSU’s College of Engineering. The audience got advice from Ortiz and from five other panelists.

Ortiz told the audience that she remembers having been impressed by a chemical engineer who was one of several guest lecturers who spoke to students as part of an introduction to engineering class. He, in particular, stood out for Ortiz because he had what seemed like the ideal job and an incredible work-life balance. He lived in Bozeman which he and his wife loved, he flew to meet with people working for his impressive list of clients, he was his own boss and set his own hours. She had imagined that as a college student he had set the grade curves and was among the top ranks in all of his classes. Although Ortiz had been inspired, she remembers thinking that his career and lifestyle were out of her reach.

According to Ortiz, she had been an average student. She told about one professor who had routinely drawn bombs on her exams because he thought that her recommendations would be more likely to cause an explosion than solve problems. Now, less than a decade after graduating from MSU with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, she, too, has a rewarding career that has allowed her flexibility, a satisfying life balance and exciting opportunities.

Ironically, Ortiz’s first assignment with the United States Air Force was to work with an explosives team. After having done an internship with Cargill and some undergraduate research at the Center for Biofilm Engineering, Ortiz decided that she wanted to work in research and development. But, she found that most companies were unwilling to hire someone for such jobs with just a bachelor’s degree. The U.S. Air Force, however, was willing to place her on an experienced explosives team. Although some of her co-workers had 50 years of experience and names that she recognized from her textbooks, she earned their respect and contributed to the team’s success. She realized that, as an engineer, she had been trained in a very specific way to solve problems and to think outside the box.

The team that Ortiz had joined wanted to make explosives coated with metal parts to gain advantages of smaller weapons without sacrificing impact. The team also needed to make these small, lightweight bombs with explosives other than TNT, which had been discontinued because of its environmental hazards. The team had not yet found a way to coat the explosives. Ortiz researched how various industries apply coatings and found a sprayer that pharmaceutical companies use to coat medications. The team retrofitted the equipment and used it for their project. “Be willing to look beyond the surface,” Ortiz advised the audience.

Ortiz also stressed the importance of asking questions. After finishing four years of college, she had prepared to complete her senior design project and wrap up her final semester. Unexpectedly, she was invited to lead the campus ministries at the University of Utah. She had chosen to accept the invitation before doubts led her to believe that it couldn’t possibly work. In hindsight, Ortiz couldn’t explain how or why it worked. But, she said that she now realizes that she had asked the right people the right questions and, even though many were strangers, they supported her decision.

Once after getting her hair cut on a Saturday morning, Ortiz chose to satisfy a festering curiosity about what went on at Bio Science Laboratories Inc., a company located near the hair salon. Ortiz described having seen a man sitting at a conference table on the other side of the company’s front window and deciding to direct her questions to him, despite being unaware of his role in the company. Ortiz said that after talking to him for nearly an hour, she had asked, “What would it take to get a job here?” He said, “You’re in luck. I’m the CEO; you can start work on Monday.”

Ortiz also advised students to “Think about your passions and things that you enjoy; think about how they’ll be useful in your engineering career.” She said that she had taken French throughout college and has always listed her language skills on her résumé, even though others have been skeptical of its value. She proved that it was well worth it when, in her current position, she spent six weeks in Paris. She acted as an interpreter for an intelligence branch of the Air Force that needed a person to discuss military weapons systems with French military leaders.

The final, strong recommendation from Ortiz was to consciously build communications skills. She encouraged students to volunteer to be a spokesperson for groups, “Join Toastmasters and become comfortable with public speaking, even if it means first learning to be comfortable speaking to an audience of 12.”

Ortiz wrapped up her comments by answering her opening riddle. She is the common thread of the bomb maker, interpreter and educator. She has played each role, despite her assertion that she was a “very average engineering student.”

The keynote address was followed by a discussion in which participants were able to ask questions of accomplished women representing career development, industry-related engineering and academia. The panelists were Carina Beck, Director of Career Services and Student Employment, MSU; Sarah Codd, Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering, MSU; Libby Miller, Lean Six Sigma Blackbelt, Dept. of the Navy, Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Keyport, Washington; Kristie Simpson, Technical Lead, Dynojet Research, Inc. and master’s candidate in electrical engineering; and Nicole Steinmetz, Manager System Integrity, NorthWestern Energy.