Perspectives from female engineers working HVAC
The HVAC industry has long been a male dominated industry, with women accounting for only 1.7 percent of HVAC professionals in the United States according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In recent years, this has been slowly changing with many women going after careers in engineering. Women account for 14 percent of all engineers in the U.S., although this number isn’t significant, it is much greater than the 1.7 percent in HVAC and is making an impact. In many engineering disciplines, the percentages of women in the field are actually much higher, for example, industrial engineers (20.3%) and chemical engineers (20.1%).
This data causes questioning as to why women are choosing careers in HVAC, but many tend to fall into the position. Julie Decker, incoming president of Women in HVACR, explained in an ACHR the News article, many women find themselves in the industry in ways they would have never expected.
Lindsay Nguyen
Chiller Applications Engineer, Positive Displacement
As a woman in this industry, I have the ability to showcase my skills and knowledge in a manner not all men might experience. Often times, when I walk into a meeting or a conference, I feel I’m identified first as a female before an HVAC professional. Once I start talking and presenting ideas, I can feel the attitude shift; I love that feeling of proving I am both a woman AND an HVAC professional.
Dina Mikhailenko
Senior Sales Application Engineer
My attention was drawn to HVAC because of its vast applicability and demand. I thought HVAC was going to be easy to learn considering my background in thermal transfer and fluid mechanics, but it required much more! I learned a lot about fans, motors, compressors, and controls. My engineering vocabulary and horizon expanded greatly.
Judy Peters, PE LEED-AP BEMP
Energy Modeling Engineer
As an energy modeling engineer at Daikin, I work with a greatgroup of people and have the opportunity to contribute to global energy conservation through the promotion of Daikin’s highly energy efficient equipment. It is a pleasure to serve as a role model for the next generation of women considering a career in the HVAC industry.
Bonnie Baumgartner
Pricing Analyst
My favorite part about my job is the creative problem solving. The HVAC industry is very complex and dynamic, I didn’t realize how challenging and engaging it could be. Daikin did not hesitate in utilizing my engineering background.It is exciting to be in an environment that values my insights and has high expectations of me. I really love the challenge and always striving for innovative solutions.
Carmen Li
Electrical Engineer, Controls
For someone who appreciates both pure science and the applications of theories, engineering is a natural career choice for me. New technologies and the optimization of current ones mean thatlearning never stops. I enjoy the many interesting projects that I have worked on at Daikin in testing, sustaining engineering, and R&D. The cross-disciplinary skills that I’ve acquired allow me to expand my technical role.