Celebrating Diverse Voices in Aerospace at AIAA SciTech Forum Written 10 January 2025

By Anne Wainscott-Sargent, AIAA Communications Team

ORLANDO, Fla. – On the final evening of the 2025 AIAA SciTech Forum, female aerospace leaders, students, and allies gathered for an engaging discussion on the unique experience of women in aerospace and how to navigate interpersonal, gender, and cultural dynamics for long-term professional and personal success.

“Throughout my career I have witnessed the power of diverse perspectives and how they drive innovation, tackle complex challenges, and lead technology through development,” said panel moderator Soumya Patnaik, a principal aerospace engineer at the Air Force Research Lab. “This evening is all about celebrating that diversity.”

Patnaik added that aerospace isn’t just about technology; “it’s about people – our ideas, our collaboration, and our shared drive to keep moving forward.”

How does one attract people of different backgrounds and experience? Sonya Smith said it starts by being inclusive. Smith is professor and executive director of the Research Institute for Tactical Autonomy at Howard University. “Make sure that you’re going beyond your comfort zone, to reach out to different populations, to people with different experiences.”

In academia, that might mean reaching out to community colleges instead of only four-year universities.

“I look to raise the voices of women and bring them to more leadership positions,” added panelist Melike Nikbay, professor of Aerospace Engineering and chair of the Astronautical Engineering Department at Istanbul Technical University.

Her outreach to young people extends to her role representing Turkey with NATO’s Science and Technology Organization Applied Vehicle Technology Panel, where she has served for over 16 years and contributes scientific work to the research task groups.

Clearly, the issue of diversity isn’t just about gender – it can be about diversity of experience, be it cultural differences or age. While sharing their own experiences, the panelists offered practical advice to current professionals and the up-and-coming generation of engineers.

“Success is defined by you, nobody else,” said panelist Anna-Maria McGowan, national senior engineer for complex system design at NASA Langley Research Center. “We are so much more than our job.”

McGowan, a native of the Caribbean, said she turned down promotions because she knew the new roles would take her away from her family. McGowan’s son, an undergraduate engineering student attending Pennsylvania State University, watched his mom on stage as he attended his first AIAA SciTech Forum.

Afterward he said, “What she said reflected a lot of how she raised me – it was very familiar. My mom really encouraged me to get into a lot of different things. I’ve lived in ice caves for days in Colorado; I’ve studied abroad in Singapore. I run a product design team right now where about half (the members) are underrepresented.”

Smith advised engineering graduates who are looking to start families to be selective about where they choose to work. “Look for organizations that support family-friendly policies. Choose carefully where you start your career.”

“Be who you are,” urged Karen Roth, deputy director of AFWERX, the innovation arm of the Department of the Air Force, who also serves as the president of the Society of Women Engineers. Roth said those times when she wasn’t her authentic self to fit in never worked out.

Embracing Diversity Makes Business Sense

“Wall Street requires organizations to have diverse boards because they know that diversity has a profitability impact,” noted Roth.

As a mother, she brings skills to the work setting that allow her to be a better communicator, which is helpful when dealing with people interpersonally who may not have strong communication skills. In those instances, “understanding context” proves extremely helpful.

McGowan acknowledged that conversations about diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility have become a challenging topic for everybody.

“People are afraid if they mention it, they’ll (be viewed as) ‘pulling the race or gender card,’” the NASA career professional said.

She urged people to resist staying silent and for leaders to have honest discussions with their teams.

“Let’s make the conversation about diversity comfortable and engaging. It may mean we need to educate ourselves. We as leaders and future leaders need to have those conversations.”

After the panel, first-time AIAA SciTech Forum attendee Funmi Adeeye said her decision to attend the panel was easy. “I get inspired whenever I see women doing something great.”

The Nigerian native and Stanford University engineering student said she liked the advice from one of the panelists – to accept that you will make mistakes and to extend grace to yourself and to others.

“Be kind to yourself. In school, there’s always a chance to make things better,” she said.

Also in the audience was Joseph Connolly, an aerospace engineer with NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland and former member of the AIAA Diversity Working Group.

“I’ve been coming to the Women at SciTech discussion every year since I’ve been attending the forum,” he said. “The panels are always phenomenal. There’s usually some inspirational and refreshing words of ways to work through tough situations, and how to make sure you’re giving yourself a nice balance between your family life and your work life.”