1.What is your job title?

Design Engineer


2.How did you feel about math in school?

Math was one of my favorite subjects, especially Algebra and Trigonometry.


3.How do you feel about it now?

With computers and calculators, most of my math gets "done for me" and I just need to know if it is about right. But I still get those math puzzle books for fun now and then.


4.Did you have to go to college to get this job?

Yes, I have a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering.


5.If so, for how long?

I spent five years on my Bachelor's degree and then I got a full-time job at NASA. While I was working, I did my Master's degree one or two classes at a time. And it took me five years to get my Master's degree.


6.If so, what kind of math did you take there?

Derivitive Calculus, Integral Calculus, Advanced Calculus, Differential Equations, Vector Analysis, and Linear Algebra.


7.What kind of math is in your job?

I do mainly applied math and science for my job. In other words, I use Algebra, Geometry, and Calculus to solve real problems.


8.How do you use math in your job?

I check strength of materials, bending loads, friction forces, bolt torques, and part tolerances (to make sure parts will fit together).


9.How do you use technology in your job?

As an engineer, I use lots of science in my job. It is important to me what materials are made of and how strong they are. I work with the research from many scientists to do my job right. And since I am a design engineer, I make the products that people use everyday. If you think about all the products around you from staplers to computers to bridges, you will realize that people had to design and build them. Those kinds of people are all engineers.

10.Is there anything else you'd like to tell us? To give you a little background about myself, I am 33 years old and I have two daughters age eight and six. I have been working as an engineer for ten years and I have designed all kinds of things including spacesuit testers, homes for rats in space, giant robot dinosaurs, and new hips for people that need them.