Emerson experience – October 3!

I am looking forward to speaking this year at Emerson Exchange for the Women in Innovation lunch. It will be great, I just know it!

I’ve spent most of the last year or so traveling around the world as the 2017 President of the Society of Petroleum Engineers International. I speak at conferences; meet with local professional and university chapters, companies and government ministries. It’s been a fantastic once-in-a-lifetime experience, but I’ll admit also a little exhausting as I’ve already made at least gold status on all 3 airline alliances. But I’ve been to some way off the beaten path places, like Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar (a country capital guaranteed to be a winner next time you play bar trivia), Novosibirsk, Siberia (lots of classic Soviet architecture) and Damman, Saudi Arabia, where yes, I had to wear an abaya. But I’ve also been able to go to some pretty cool places, like Paris, where this photo was taken last week. I was at the European Association for Geoscientists and Engineers Annual Conference, where SPE presents the engineering track. So, I thought of all of you and had my photo taken in the Emerson booth so you would know I am anticipating coming to the Experience, my first time, of course. And adding Minneapolis to my TripAdvisor list because I’ve so far never been outside of the MSP airport. Do they have fall in Minnesota? Just for your information, we don’t really have fall in Texas; on October 3 it will probably still be summer, at least by Minnesota standards.

My talk is called “The 3E’s: Advice for Career and Life” and I’ve condensed advice I have for you. Most of it falls into the categories of either “Things I Wish Someone had Told Me” or “Things I Figured Out Late” so I am doing you a favor by passing them along so you don’t make the same mistakes I did. I also provide some advice about surviving in a “male dominated profession” though I’ve dared anyone to find a non-male dominated profession besides nursing or teaching elementary school. We swim in a different ocean, ladies. While traveling this year, I’ve found that no one wants to hear my technical engineering talk; they would rather hear stories about those unwritten rules that I had to learn the hard way. I think at least part of my presentation is on YouTube – I know I was videoed as the closing keynote for SWE16 last October.

So just so you don’t think I’m always living the glamorous life, I am typing this in the Stavanger, Norway airport where I have been waiting for several hours for a flight only to Oslo. Things don’t always work out as planned, so I either read something or get out the To Do list and be productive. Because I’m not going to study Norwegian; besides, they speak English better than we do.

See you October 3 and for those who are unable to attend Emerson Exchange, I will be be posting the slides and video of my presentation right here in the Women in STEM group in EE365 after the event. 

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