Miriam Lerner

Why engineering?

I have always had a desire to make a positive impact on my community and the world around me. As a young child, I would beg to have my birthday parties at the Lawrence Berkeley Hall of Science, driven by my obsession with physics. The idea that technology and innovative engineering can work to solve real-world problems both inspires and motivates me. As I’ve grown older, I have been in awe of the modern-day innovation around me. Whether it be learning about a friend’s research on pneumatic prosthetics, researching cutting-edge semiconductors in my lab, or working on a novel hybrid solar receiver, I feel extremely grateful to have the opportunity to work in engineering. I want to be a part of something much bigger than myself, and my love for engineering is rooted in my intention to make a positive, real-world impact.

When have you been able to apply your knowledge and passion for engineering?

Engineering, at its core, is the science of problem-solving. This message truly hit home in a recent project of mine, ErGO!, where we were tasked with designing, constructing, and testing a product from an engineering perspective. My team created a portable, ergonomic chair, and we quickly discovered why no such product had been made. The chair had a cushioned wood seat, with PVC legs and a PVC backing that would snap into 3D printed supports. We struggled with creating supports that would both have a compression fit, allow the leg to move in and out of position, and be sturdy enough to support a user’s weight. I worked on modeling the chair in CAD, where we performed finite element analysis on the chair and its supports. We decided to combine rapid prototyping of the supports with constant FEA in order to get the best results. This dual method of testing resulted in a chair prototype that has remained usable for nearly a year.

What about your people and communication skills? We all know the typical engineering stereotypes…

In addition to my strong engineering background, I have excellent leadership and personal skills. I have worked as a Camp Program Director over the past summers, where my social skills have been pushed, challenged, and have grown immensely. I led a team of counselors in charge of over 50 young children, where we designed original programming, organized it, and executed it. Things would often go awry in the middle of the day, and I would be forced to think on my feet, whether that be moving a schedule around on the fly, or figuring out how to feed 50 hungry kids. I learned how to manage people, particularly with communicating positive and negative feedback to my staff. My work ethic can be seen from the time and effort that I put into this job, and it taught me how to become a better leader and someone that people enjoy working with. Working with others is one of the most important and undervalued skills in engineering, and I can say without a doubt that this is one of my strengths.

Favorite classes?

Photonic Materials and Devices, Thermodynamics, and Tech Ethics.

So do you even have free time?? What do you do?

Aside from my personal, engineering-esque projects, I do have other ways I spend my time! I love to knit and crochet, and it’s the perfect way to wind down at the end of the day while listening to music or watch tv. I also have danced for all my life, and attending dance classes between my engineering classes is the best way to recenter myself throughout the week. Finally, growing up in CA, I’m a big fan of the outdoors, so over the summers you can always find me hiking, camping, and backpacking!

Answer: (b) is a lie! My favorite power tool brand is Milwaukee (they have the best power drivers)