GEM-SET

Marcelina Martinez
Weapon Engineer
Technical Staff Member
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos, NM

I got my bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from New Mexico State University in May of 1998 and was immediately hired as a full time technical staff member at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. My first position here was in the Actinide Process Chemistry group of the Nuclear Materials Technology division. Since then, I decided to pursue a master's degree in Materials Science and am doing so through the Colorado School of Mines. I am currently working on my thesis, which involves the fatigue life of lithium hydride, and hoping I will complete this within the next couple of semesters.

I currently work full time in a division within same directorate called the Engineering Sciences and Applications division where I do weapon engineering. Here, I am allowed half time to work on my thesis, although my programmatic projects take up most of my time. My job is extremely interesting and I feel privileged to be one of few in the country that work in this field.

In addition to my full time career and part time schooling, I participate in a variety of activities geared toward youth. Along with my husband (a mechanical engineer), I am a board member of an organization called Hands Across Cultures (HACC - pronounced hawk), which is geared toward youth development and drug prevention. I am part of the lunch buddy program for which I spend one hour per week with an elementary aged student doing activities and just spending time with her. I also like to judge science fairs and visit local high schools and middle schools doing outreach to encourage students to enter SET careers. I do this through LANL and also MAES, the society of Mexican American Engineers and Scientists, a professional society of which I am a member.

I come from a family of engineers, therefore when it was time for me to start thinking about what I wanted to be; it seemed like the right decision. My father had a two-year degree in electrical engineering and my two oldest brothers obtained degrees in mechanical engineering. I considered going into M.E. as well, but really enjoyed my chemistry class and thus decided on getting a Ch.E. degree. I had a good guidance counselor in high school who encouraged me to take as many science and math courses as possible; I doubled-up on everything I could and essentially took math and science classes as electives. This proved to be beneficial when I was in college.

I have found that being female in a predominantly male field is not easy. There were barriers in school but the most barriers I have encountered have been at my job where I often feel I am not respected as an engineer. I feel this is not only because I am female but also because I am Hispanic AND young. I try not to let these things get to me; I just do my job and know that with my accomplishments I can achieve the respect that every woman in this field deserves. Having a bachelor's degree in engineering and working on a master's degree helps me to realize that I am no different than the people I work with; I am just as capable and will overcome any obstacles placed in front of me.