On October 25, 2022, Women in STEM club and Engineering club hosted two representatives from Lockheed Martin to discuss their experiences as engineers and to provide academic advice for students interested in the field. The presentation went on during the lunch block, where students listened and were given the opportunity to ask questions. 

Sophia Mayne-DeLuca, one of the Lockheed Martin engineers, explained, “Part of the reason I’m here at [MFS] is to get girls excited to be a part of STEM fields.” The presentation wasn’t just targeted to women; in addition to gender bias, Mayne-DeLuca and Mike DiBuono discussed many aspects of the field of engineering.

Maya Wohler ’26, for example, said she benefited from the deliberation of the wide variety of career options: “I know I’m interested in STEM, but I don’t really have a sense of direction to the specific sort of career I want to pursue, and so I feel like these type of things, like listening to the people from Lockheed Martin, really get me interested and give me perspective on the things I want to do.”

Engineering is certainly a versatile field, which Dr. Mosher, the advisor of Women in STEM club, reflected on: “I thought it was interesting that one of [the engineers] majored in math and the other was a more traditional engineering student, yet they were both working for the same engineering company. They each have their own sort of sub-field within engineering.”

Such a beneficial event was made possible now that there are fewer Covid protocols at MFS. Lockheed Martin representatives used to visit MFS often to talk to and inspire students before in years past, and the tradition is beginning to return. Past events hosted by Lockheed, such as the annual Women in Engineering event, inspired the representatives’ visit. 

Shriya Reddy ’23, Co-President of Women in STEM club, reflecting on the positive feedback from those who attended the presentation, explained, “I think this is an important event to have, not just engineering but also topics like business or other sciences.” 

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Note: The on-campus presence of Lockheed Martin concerned student Nathaniel Rodwell-Simon ’23, who wrote in a recent Letter to the Editor that hosting employees of the company was against Quaker values.