Anna Smith
Anna Smith
Application Engineer
New River Kinematics
Women In Metrology Survey Answers...
1. Tell us about the accomplishments that helped shape your growth/career. Was there a specific project that influenced your decision to join or continue down the path of metrology?
I consider myself still fairly new to the workforce and I'm definitely in the beginning stages of building my career, but my first big project as an engineer post graduation dealt with using metrology to identify problems, quantify them, and come up with a repair plan for a part we had received that was machined in a way that left a majority of the features out of tolerance. In the end we were able to pull off the project successfully and it showed me just how powerful a laser tracker coupled with the right software can be.
2. What was your journey like to get you to where you are now? Was there a particular challenge you had to overcome?
I took a little bit of a roundabout way to get into metrology. Growing up it was just my mom and I and she worked in hospitality so a career in a STEM field was never really front and center for me until my stepdad came along in my mid teens. He is a chemical engineer and when he realized my natural aptitude for math and science he was very encouraging of me pursuing a degree in a technical field. I went into college having declared a major in Chemical engineering as well, then quickly changed to Ocean engineering when I realized I did not enjoy chemistry nearly as much as I thought I did. Following graduation I worked for Newport News Ships building as a quality engineer, then Collins Aerospace as a project engineer, which is where I got my introduction to metrology and lead to me learn about my current company and everything they add to the industry.
3. What is your favorite aspect of your role in metrology?
In my current role I'm able to go visit our customers and their metrology teams and see what they are working on. It's always a huge eye opener on how large the industry is and how many different kinds of projects and applications our customers are working on.
4. What is the most critical aspect of your role?
Now that I'm working for NRK, I'd say the most critical part of my roll is being available to our customers and answering any questions they have about our software. My goal is to ensure they have everything they need to be successful in their use of SpatialAnalyzer.
5. Who was one of your mentors as you pursued your education and career?
My stepfather, he is a chemical engineer and was really the only person around me that was in a STEM field. He really didn't enter my life until I was 15 but in the three years between then and the time I started college, he encouraged me to do the research, answered any questions I had, and is probably one of the main reasons I majored in engineering and have made it to where I am today.
6. What advice would you give to others who are considering a STEM career?
Go for it! The career opportunities are nearly endless and I really can't imagine any other fields quite as exciting. Careers in STEM will keep you at the forefront of all of the technological advances we make as a society.
7. When did you get your first chance to work in the Metrology field?
I was first introduced to metrology during my time at Collins Aerospace in Jacksonville. In my position there metrology was only a small part of my roll, but the days I got to break out the laser trackers were always some of my favorites.
8. Describe the value that your efforts have delivered for the systems, products and processes.
Previously during my time at Collins Aerospace our teams metrology efforts were focused on in-process inspection and subsequently saved large amounts of time and money by correcting any issues during the build and avoiding rework or possibly even part scrapping after completion. Now as an application engineer for New River Kinematics I will be assisting our customers as they come up with the most efficient processes possible that will in turn create high quality products.
9. Is there anything additional you would like to add?
N/A
