WISE Practitioners: Kristen Hurtado Sets Professional Development Goals

Oct. 6, 2021
Kristen Hurtado discusses the multiple paths women take through engineering careers.

In this WISE chat, Machine Design chats with Kristen Hurtado, assistant research professor at Arizona State University. One of Hurtado’s many hats is to manage an immersive online Professional Development and Training program, covering facility management, operations, lifecycle and energy management. She also mentors professionals and coaches them to achieve their professional development goals.

In industries such as engineering and construction, Hurtado argues, women are used to being the only female in the room—in meetings, networking event or day-to-day work. “It is something they need to be prepared for and comfortable with,” Hurtado said. There are unique challenges for women; for instance, there’s no room for bringing babies to the construction site. Employers create jobs based on their needs without consideration for systemic industry-wide challenges, said Hurtado. Visibly improving the presence of women to increase levels of comfort and improving infrastructure for working parents are among the changes needed, she said.

Editor’s Note: Machine Design's Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) hub compiles our coverage of gender representation issues affecting the engineering field, in addition to contributions from equity seeking groups and subject matter experts within various subdisciplines. Click here for more.

About the Author

Rehana Begg | Editor-in-Chief, Machine Design

As Machine Design’s content lead, Rehana Begg is tasked with elevating the voice of the design and multi-disciplinary engineer in the face of digital transformation and engineering innovation. Begg has more than 24 years of editorial experience and has spent the past decade in the trenches of industrial manufacturing, focusing on new technologies, manufacturing innovation and business. Her B2B career has taken her from corporate boardrooms to plant floors and underground mining stopes, covering everything from automation & IIoT, robotics, mechanical design and additive manufacturing to plant operations, maintenance, reliability and continuous improvement. Begg holds an MBA, a Master of Journalism degree, and a BA (Hons.) in Political Science. She is committed to lifelong learning and feeds her passion for innovation in publishing, transparent science and clear communication by attending relevant conferences and seminars/workshops. 

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