SWE Honors 3 at Honeywell for Advancing Women in Technology

Women engineers and scientists at Honeywell and Sandia National Laboratories are distinguishing themselves in their chosen Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) careers – and working to help other women advance, too.

In recognition of their outstanding professional accomplishments and mentoring contributions, the Society of Women Engineers is honoring employees Blythe Clark, Karen Devine and Maira Garcia. They are among national SWE award recipients who will be recognized at the group’s annual conference in Anaheim, Calif., Nov. 7-9.

Clark is a respected materials science engineer and R&D manager at Sandia in Albuquerque, N.M., who works to mitigate gender bias in the workplace. She will receive SWE’s Advocating Women in Engineering Award for her impactful efforts to ensure the research environment attracts and retains talented women. Sandia National Laboratories is operated by National Technology and Engineering solutions of Sandia LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Honeywell.

Devine is a Distinguished Member of the Research and Development Technical Staff at Sandia who focuses on supercomputing software and makes dedicated efforts to build a pipeline of future women engineers. She will receive the SWE Prism Award, given to those who have charted their own career paths, are leaders in technology fields and professional organizations and actively promote what it means to be a successful woman in STEM.

Garcia is an Engine Controls engineer at Honeywell Aerospace in Phoenix who strives to offer relatable technology role models to the next generation of women. She will receive the Outstanding SWE Counselor Award for serving as professional advisor for the student SWE section at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Ariz., since 2015.

SWE Advocating Women in Engineering Award

Clark provides a strong role model and mentor for female staff and managers. She holds a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Co-chair of the Sandia Women’s Action Network, Clark is known for fostering professional development of women engineers. She is active both in bringing together multi-disciplinary teams to solve complex problems and in driving implicit bias mitigation practices to create an inclusive workplace that takes full advantage of each team’s diversity.

In 2015, she was instrumental in bringing Abby Stewart, a leading researcher on mitigating gender bias, to Sandia for its first-ever presentation on the subject. Through Clark’s efforts, the collaboration continues to promote the best diversity and inclusion practices.

Clark is involved in community outreach at STEM events, science fairs and engineering design competitions and meets with female high school and college students to discuss their STEM interests. She also was featured in a New Mexico Public Broadcasting Service video for young viewers on “Why I Am a Scientist.”

SWE Prism Award

Devine is known for her work in high-performance computing for engineering simulations using highly complex supercomputers. She has delivered algorithms and software to improve the performance of engineering simulation codes throughout the scientific computing community. A trailblazer for open-source software practices, her software is used in national labs, industry and universities worldwide.

Since 1994, Devine has advanced along the technical career ladder in Sandia National Laboratories’ Center for Computing Research from a graduate summer intern to Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff, a special appointment based on exceptional technical and leadership contributions.

She has 11 Sandia Awards for Excellence and is on the Sandia Women’s Wall of Fame. She holds a Ph.D. in computer science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Passionate about increasing diversity among technical staff, Devine has been active in building a pipeline of future engineers by introducing girls, women and minorities to STEM career opportunities.  Her involvement has taken her from elementary to graduate school levels and from local, family-focused events to international workshops.

SWE Counselor Award

Garcia recalls not being able to fully relate to the predominantly male guest lecturers in her college engineering courses. After graduating from the University of Arizona in 2014 with a bachelor’s in aerospace engineering, she wanted a broader experience for other young women interested in STEM careers.

That’s why she volunteers as the collegiate counselor for the Embry-Riddle SWE section in Prescott.  A SWE member as an undergraduate and now a Honeywell employee, Garcia’s focus has been to provide exposure to professional STEM careers and how to succeed in the workplace.

With her assistance, meeting attendance has risen with presentations on the benefits of SWE, resume reviews, graduate programs and moving from college to industry. Garcia also arranges an annual site visit for members to tour the Honeywell flight line and other engineering facilities.

Collaborating with others, in 2017 Garcia was instrumental in inducting the Embry-Riddle SWE section into the Honeywell University Liaison Program, which partners employees with university diversity groups. It funds student attendance at conferences and events promoting women in engineering.