Women In Engineering: Tabitha Crocker
This profile series introduces materials scientists from around the world who happen to be females. Here we speak with Tabitha H. Crocker, research engineer, American Cast Iron Pipe Company, Birmingham, Alabama.
What does your typical workday look like?
My title of research engineer is a bit of a misnomer because I don’t do what people traditionally refer to as research. I mostly help contractors with technical questions, review drawings and plans, and calculate restraint lengths. I also do ductile iron pipe joint demonstrations and visit jobsites around the country to help contractors with the application of our products. Most recently, I’ve started doing some of our investigations on returned materials.
What is your greatest professional achievement?
I spearheaded the creation of a women’s resource group at my current company, which serves the water/wastewater/oil and gas industries. I was drawn to creating a women’s group after I found a documentary online called Hard Hatted Woman. I don’t think women are well represented in skilled trades and I really want to be an agent of change for that. I want women in manufacturing to feel like they have a voice and for them to be given opportunities to gain leadership skills and fill management positions. Though I face my own challenges as a female engineer, I feel that I’m given more opportunities because of my status as an engineer. I want to be known as an advocate for women in skilled trades such as welding, and I want to do it by taking advantage of my position as an engineer.
Did you ever consider doing something else with your life besides engineering?
Ironically, I never knew that I wanted to be an engineer until I became one! When I decided to go to college, it was because I wanted to be an astronaut. I had read somewhere that most astronauts were aerospace engineers so, on the college application, I checked the box for aerospace engineer and moved on. I had no clue what it meant until my second semester.
What are you working on now?
At the moment, I’m balancing my full-time position as a research engineer with going to back school. This month I’ll be graduating with a master’s in aerospace engineering and mechanics and will start work toward a Ph.D. in materials science. My research experience varies from gravitational lensing and dark matter to plant bioinformatics, cancer, tissue engineering, and 3D printing. At this point, I’m just trying to become an expert at something!
Do you know someone who should be featured in an upcoming Women in Engineering profile? Contact Vicki Burt at [email protected]
