Inspire, Fall/Winter 2010

Blowing in the Wind T he A nswer , M y F riend , is “The heart of an engineer is to make the world a better place.” Not exactly what you’d expect to hear from a left-brained thinker who works in product reliability. But when that person is Debbie Pittman ’99 and the product is natural energy, it starts to make sense. Debbie, who holds a mechanical engineering degree, is a wind product reliability engineer for GE, which means she works on large wind turbines. Her job includes anything from addressing systematic problems to more “fun adventures” — like climbing 270 ladder rungs to perform maintenance on a turbine. “As an engineer,” she said, “there are so many ways to influence how society works. And green initiatives are changing the way we view energy and utilize the resources God has given us, without being destructive.” With five million households already powered by wind energy and 14,000 GE wind turbines in action around the world, the technology seems to be here to stay. Debbie’s work is also helping the United States make strong progress toward reaching renewable energy goals. While this is good news for her job security, Debbie is motivated by something more than career success. It Takes an Engineer Several years ago, while suffering from significant back issues, Debbie realized she needed a healthier lifestyle. As she began eating organic foods and improving the air quality in her home, she researched how toxic emissions, particles, and waste products created by standard forms of energy affect people. As a trained engineer, Debbie sees everything as a system of interconnected pieces. She carries this perspective both into her job and into her life. “I discovered things we take for granted as illnesses are a result of the industrialization of our environment,” she said. “It became clear how many modern diseases are caused by indoor and outdoor pollutants. Natural energy is healthier, not just in five or 10 years, but today.” It Takes a Woman As a woman who is forging her career in engineering — traditionally a male-dominated field — Debbie knows that she does not represent a demographic trend. But after years of experience, she is now more aware of the unique skills a woman can offer the industry. By bringing people together and facilitating communication, she has discovered her knack “D iscovering ways to use clean energy and fuels means we will be able to breathe cleaner air with fewer toxins. ” by Sharyn Kopf 14 fall/winter 2010