“As engineers, we were going to be in a position to change the world – not just study it.”~Henry Petroski, American engineer and author specializing in failure analysis
KSB Inc. is celebrating Engineers Week (Feb 18-24, 2018) by allowing Empowering Pumps to shine a light on some of their most talented engineering professionals! We had the great honor of talking with Jacqueline Jones (above center), a Water & Wastewater Project Engineer with KSB Inc. This is what she had to share:
Q. How did you decide to become an engineer? What inspired you?
Jacqueline: I have always loved math and figuring out how things worked. As a kid, I was always taking things apart to see how they worked (much to my parents’ consternation at times). Whenever something new is encountered, the first thing that pops to my mind is ‘How does this work?’ or ‘ Why is this built like this?’. The decision and commitment to actually become an engineer came after my daughter was born, and I realized how expensive it is to raise a child. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to go back to school and obtain my Mechanical Engineering degree.
Q. What do you love most about being an engineer?
Jacqueline: Problem solving is what I enjoy about being an engineer. Figuring out why something is or is not working correctly can be very challenging at times, but imparts a deep sense of satisfaction once the answer is discovered. An added benefit to this is that I seem to learn something new every day. Who could ask for more!
Q. What advice would you give to the next generation of engineers?
Jacqueline: Keep an open mind because there is more than one way to solve any problem. Additionally, if possible, go to the field and listen to the people that will be operating / using your product. Always be aware that no matter how good it looks on paper, things change when it gets introduced into the ‘real world’ and the ‘human’ effect is applied.
On behalf of the entire Empowering Pumps’ team, THANK YOU for your contributions to the Pump Industry! We look forward to keeping in touch with you over the course of your career!
