University of Delaware Office of Public Relations The Messenger Vol. 5, No. 3/1996 Alumni Profile: Alumna combines engineering and education Do you like crossword puzzles and mystery novels?" asks Lori Hasselbring, Delaware '88PhD, when she visits children at local schools. "How about your VCR? Did you ever take it apart to see how it works?" Affirmative answers to these questions excite Hasselbring, she says, because she sees in such children the next generation of engineers. A chemical engineer for Phillips Petroleum Co., Hasselbring says she enjoys introducing children to careers they might not have considered. Her contributions to engineering education, combined with excellence on the job, have earned Hasselbring the recognition of her colleagues nationwide. Last summer, she was honored by the National Society of Professional Engineers as Young Engineer of the Year, joining only a handful of women who have received this distinction in the 25 years of its existence. Hasselbring says she hopes to be an inspiration to children with a talent for math and science. Perhaps it's because she's a woman in a male-dominated field: Only 10 percent of engineers are female, and that number is considerably less in the petroleum industry. Married and the mother of two young children, Hasselbring began volunteering in education programs in Bartlesville, Okla., when she was asked to judge a science fair eight years ago. While serving as chairwoman of the education committee for the Bartlesville section of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers in 1991, Hasselbring says she realized that local engineers could be contributing even more to education if their efforts were better organized. Hasselbring's solution, which earned her the accolade from the National Society of Professional Engineers, was to establish the Education Career Development Committee. This umbrella organization combines the outreach programs of Bartlesville's 13 technical societies-with their more than 100 volunteers-for the benefit of children in the 15 elementary to secondary schools there and in the surrounding area. Enthusiastic volunteers now offer career-day talks and hands-on physical science experiments-programs developed in consultation with teachers who also serve on the commitee. Hasselbring says she especially enjoys talking to 7th- and 8th-grade girls about careers in engineering. Research has shown that girls this age begin to lose confidence in themselves and, simultaneously, lose interest in math and science. For this reason, Hasselbring speaks to them separately, encouraging them to believe in themselves and to pursue careers in fields they might have perceived as "male." But, it's not just female engineers Hasselbring hopes to influence. She addresses groups of boys just as frequently, and sometimes teaches the engineering merit badge for the local Boy Scout troop. "People ask me why I teach boys instead of just concentrating on girls. I want boys to see that women are successful engineers, too," Hasselbring says. "I want them to get used to the idea that they will be working side-by-side with women engineers." The local schools also benefit from the computer expertise of the volunteers, who offer recommendations on what equipment to purchase and help set it up once it arrives. Hasselbring approaches her work at Phillips with the same enthusiasm and innovation. Originally hired to develop catalysts for the production of specialty chemicals, she moved on to the plastics division and then to the petrochemicals division, where she developed computer models that identify the most efficient way to manufacture the ethylene used to make plastics. Hasselbring had never before tried computer simulation. She sought out the assignment in an effort to refine her computer skills, approaching the challenge the same way she does any problem. "I read, took short courses and talked to people," she says. Recently, Hasselbring was transferred to Phillips' K-Resin plant in Houston. She has six U.S. patents for work done at Phillips, and she has published numerous technical articles. -Theresa Gawlas Medoff, Delaware '94