Meet Lori, a Systems Engineer at Lockheed Martin
Lori has been a Systems Engineer at Lockheed Martin since 1996. She earned her Bachelor of Arts and her Master of Science in Astronomy and Physics.
What inspired you to become a Systems Engineer? How did you first become interested in STEM?
I always loved the Space industry as a child and went to Space Camp three times. The Systems Engineering role that Lockheed Martin offered was the most suitable option for graduates in Physics, Chemistry, Math, and basically any discipline of Engineering where one is interested in seeing the bigger picture (crossing multiple disciplines of engineering) versus becoming a specialist or subject matter expert in any one area of engineering.
Can you tell us about some really cool things that Systems Engineers like you are working on?
I work in the Space industry so there are lots of cool projects one can work on: all kinds of satellites, spacecraft to outer space, the human lander system back to the Moon and Mars, etc. Every program needs Systems Engineers who architect the system, develop requirements and interfaces, perform high level analysis to support delivery of the system, and more.
Can you tell us about a time when you failed? How did you move on from that?
I have failed multiple times interviewing for a leadership role. Sometimes it was due to my lack of preparedness for the questions and sometimes I just wasn’t the best fit for the role. In each circumstance I asked for feedback and noted where I could have improved, which I applied for the next interview. I sought advice from others who interviewed and succeeded, and I asked other managers how to improve my answers. Ultimately, I discovered that while improving my interviewing skills helped, I also needed to seek the right kind of leadership role for me. I am very pleased with my current role as a Systems Engineering and Integration Manager.
Can you describe a “day in your life” studying Systems Engineering?
One project I worked on back in 2001 was the Solar X-ray Imager and it was a telescope that took images of the sun in order to predict its behavior. It was one of a few instruments on the weather satellite GOES (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite) which still operates today but now there is a new and improved solar telescope. I was the Chief Systems Engineer for that project during the build and test phase through integration. The project was a partnership between Lockheed Martin, NASA and Boeing.
Can you tell us about the importance of diversity in Systems Engineering?
Diversity in engineering is extremely important for companies to be innovative, but it is even more important for companies to create an environment which is inclusive of those diverse thoughts and perspectives in order to have a culture of openness. I encourage everyone on my team to speak up and share ideas for collaboration, best practices, and improvement.
