This profile will be featured in Design World’s upcoming Engineering Diversity & Inclusion issue.
Solving problems first drew Laine Chan to engineering. As a young girl, she loved working on puzzles, playing with Lego blocks, and helping her dad assemble Ikea furniture. She also had a natural affinity for math and science, so engineering seemed to be the clear next step for her.
“Both my father and grandfather are engineers, so I like to say I was born to be an engineer,” Chan said. “I grew up in metro Detroit, and they both worked in the automotive industry. I remember doing engineering and science camps as a child and loved doing hands-on work. My father, in particular, always told me that I would be great in whatever I decided to do. He never put limitations on me, and that helped me to see that engineering would be a good path for me.”
Chan attended the University of Michigan, earning both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering there. She currently works as Learning and Development Manager and Senior Mechanical Engineer at SLB in Houston.
She recounted the story of her work as a modeling and simulation engineer working on FEA of elastomers as a highlight in her career thus far.
“This was a support role where other groups would contract out simulations from us. The simulation I completed is my most complex one to date. It took weeks of modeling, repeatedly running the simulation to determine the appropriate displacements and time steps, and getting help from coworkers when I would get stuck,” she said. “Ultimately, it led to successful physical testing of the elastomeric parts I designed and then to a mega tender contract from a high-profile client. At SLB, we place a big emphasis on learning and mentoring, which go hand in hand. I’m sure a more experienced engineer could’ve completed the simulation faster than I had, but as the first ‘fresh-out’ engineer who needed to learn FEA, I was able to give my coworkers the opportunity to practice their mentoring skills.”
It hasn’t always been easy for her, though. Her biggest career challenge was being a Field Engineer in the Amazon Rainforest of Ecuador. Chan noted that she doesn’t come from an operations background; all her work experience previously had been in design or material testing.
“I struggled with learning how to troubleshoot all of the tools, especially in Spanish, which I didn’t speak before arriving in Ecuador. To overcome this, I got a Spanish tutor; I spoke as much Spanish as I could; I studied past jobs with a senior engineer. During pre-job meetings, I would ask about any issues that had been encountered in the past with the specific equipment and how it was dealt with. You can’t always solve your problems by devoting extra time to an issue, but for this problem, I knew it could. In the end, I did my ‘break out job’ (the job to become a supervisor) with four months of field experience as the second hand, which was one of the fastest in the location. Being a field engineer is tough work, but I’m really glad I went through it because it taught me that I can achieve and endure anything I put my mind to,” Chan said.
Thinking diversity
Chan strongly believes in outreach. She explained that people can’t hope for things they don’t see or know about. Thus, if children aren’t exposed to engineering, they’ll never know it’s a possibility. In addition, if youth do not see engineers who look like them, they’ll never believe it’s an option for them.
She explained that diversity of thought is a key reason to encourage diverse teams in the engineering world.
“It’s so important to have people who approach the same problem in different ways because you arrive at the better solution faster. If you have two people who come from the same educational background (i.e., taught to solve problems in the same way by the same pedagogy), they can miss a crucial detail,” Chan said. “The problem might be solved, but it might not be the best solution. And this missed step will only get pointed out in a technical review. But if you have someone who thinks differently, they will point out what you’re overlooking at the beginning, and you can go into your technical review having already thought of multiple options.”
And for newer engineers just entering the field, Chan stressed the importance of finding a mentor, even if that’s just a friend who also works in the industry.
“At times, I still struggle with feeling silly for not knowing something,” she said. “But most of the time, when I ask a question, people are more than happy to help. As long as they have time, I’ve found that most people want to help in any way they can. They take pride in being able to help and that they are seen as someone who takes time to mentor others. You should put in some time to try to find an answer yourself, but there’s a fine line with spending too much time on a single problem. In college, my classmates would always say, ‘engineering is a team sport,’ and that sentiment doesn’t go away in the workplace. You are a team who is working collectively to solve certain problems. You all have your role on the team, but those overlap. Find where they overlap and seek to learn the best way to do your role and also broaden yourself to tasks outside your role as well.”
Another suggestion Chan has for younger engineers is to peer review everything you can; she will ask coworkers to read through a report she’s written or watch a dry run of a presentation before she gets to the official review. Using this technique, she explained that she can minimize any embarrassment for having missed something small or what she later perceives as obvious.
“Thinking on my career to this point, the most successful times have been when there was someone I felt completely comfortable with, to ask any question, without worry of judgement. Part of that is feeling safe in my group, and another is being able to learn as much as possible as quickly as possible. I hope my biggest takeaway is that you won’t get far on your own. When you reach a goal or a career milestone, you aren’t up on some pedestal by yourself. If you look back, there are dozens of mentors, managers, and friends who helped you reach that point. Lift some of them up there with you, and pay forward the generosity they’ve given and you’ve undoubtedly received,” Chan said.
Looking ahead
Chan expressed that she would love to do more in the engineering education space.
“There are two parts to engineering education that I’m interested in: One, figuring out how universities can be more equitable in their teaching methods. Not everyone learns the same way, and how can we help students learn in the way that’s best for them? If I were to ever go back for a Ph.D., I would like to get one in engineering education,” she said. “And two, working to get children excited about engineering at an early age. How do we infuse engineering into more schools from elementary through high school? How do we provide accessible opportunities for children to dream about becoming engineers? One day, I would love to either start or work with a non-profit with this goal.”
Filed Under: Engineering Diversity & Inclusion
