Press Releases

Nitsch Engineering Holds 6th Annual “Introduce a Girl to Engineering” Day with Biogen Idec and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals

June 1, 2007; Boston, Mass. – Nitsch Engineering, Inc., a Boston-based civil engineering firm, recently hosted its 6th annual “Introduce A Girl to Engineering” Day.  More than 75 6th to 12th grade girls participated in this year’s event, which focused on the exciting field of bioengineering.  Biogen Idec hosted the half-day event in Cambridge, which allowed attendees to learn about engineering from ten women engineers. 

“This year’s ‘Introduce a Girl to Engineering’ Day was our largest ever, and we hope that this increase in attendance reflects an increase in female interest in entering the engineering field,” said Judy Nitsch, President of Nitsch Engineering. “Our goal over the past six years has been to show girls that engineering is a fun and rewarding career, in a non-threatening and supportive environment.  ‘Introduce a Girl to Engineering’ Day is the focal point of that effort, so we’re very excited that the annual event is continuing to grow!”

The day started out with an icebreaking activity and a keynote speech by Beth Wescott, PE, Director of Manufacturing for Polysaccharides at Wyeth Biotech.  The girls then broke up into three groups that participated in laboratory activities, a tour of the Cogeneration Plant at Biogen Idec, and an exploration of Bioengineering Manufacturing.  The event culminated in an in-depth and personal panel discussion about working in the bioengineering field.  Moderated by Erin Venezia, LEED® AP, a Senior Project Designer at Nitsch Engineering, the panel included perspectives from five bioengineers:

 

  • Brigitte Miller: Brigitte has undergraduate degrees in biochemistry and chemical engineering from the University of Ottawa, in Ottawa, Canada; a Master’s degree in chemical engineering from Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal, Canada; and an MBA from Babson College in Wellesley, MA.  She is currently working in Manufacturing Sciences at Biogen Idec.  
  • Jennifer Antonetti: Jennifer graduated from Northeastern University in 1996 with a Bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering. Her experience has included commissioning and validating equipment (e.g. bioreactors, temperature control systems, chillers, scrubbers) for chemical and pharmaceutical companies; process design engineering, where she created new systems, developed Process & Instrumentation Diagrams, sized and purchased equipment, and tested complex automation control systems; and linking process and automation for Fermentation, Recovery, SIP, CIP, and Buffer Areas.  She is currently a top performer on the Manufacturing Engineering team at Biogen Idec.
  • Parika “Pinky” Petaipimol: Pinky graduated from Georgia Tech in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering and a minor in Molecular Biology. She has been working for Biogen Idec as an Engineer in the Manufacturing Sciences group since then, and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Manufacturing Engineering at Boston University.
  • Mary Wojtyk: Mary graduated from Queen’s University in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering.  After working on several international engineering projects, including development work in Bolivia, imprinted polymers in the UK, and an exchange program focused on plant design software near Buenos Aires, Argentina; Mary is now focused on equipment design, process validation, and technology transfer for new clinical drug candidates at Biogen Idec.  She is actively pursuing a Master’s from the Harvard Extension School in Biotechnology Project Management.  
  • Nicole Orrell: Nicole received a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in 2004, and has been working as a Quality Engineer at Karl Storz Endovision for the past two years. During this time, she has managed and maintained several of the FDA Quality System Regulations and is now assisting with the transfer of a new product from Tallinn, Estonia. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering at WPI.

 About Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day

Started by the National Society of Professional Engineers, the Society of Women Engineers, and IBM in 2001, Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day aims to increase interest in math and science among girls.  Now organized by the National Engineers Week Foundation (http://www.eweek.org), Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day has become a global event, reaching over one million young women each year.