Amy Tummin, associate software engineer, jet propulsion laboratory, California University of Technology

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) at the California University of Technology (Caltech) is a NASA research centre for robotic exploration of the solar system. Based in Pasadena, California, JPL creates satellites and other robotic technology, including America’s first ever satellite, Explorer 1, and the recent Mars Phoenix Lander, which will yield information on where water exists on the Red Planet. Amy has been working at JPL for eight years and has been in her current role as associate software engineer for three.

What is your role at the jet propulsion laboratory?

Amy writes software for a small part of her team’s current project – the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL). The MSL is a rover that is due to be launched to Mars in 2009. It’s twice as long and three times as heavy as the Mars Exploration rovers Spirit and Opportunity (launched in 2004), and will aim to collect Martian soil and rock samples for analysis back on earth. Amy is one of 5,000 employees at JPL, and while she claims her role is only a “small cog in the big machine”, it is also an essential one.

Where did you start in a software engineering career?

At the same time as doing her bachelor’s degree in computer science, Amy began working JPL as an intern. “As an intern I was given odd jobs,” she says. “Sometimes those jobs didn’t necessarily apply to the degree I was working towards - for example, I was given a lot of hardware assembly and testing tasks - but the experience was useful nonetheless. It gave me a better idea of the ‘big picture’, and over time my tasks became more focused on the computer science degree I was working towards.”

The internship was also extremely valuable in helping her secure a job with JPL. “Because I was already an employee while doing my internship it was very easy to transition into a full time position and start my career,” she says.

What do you like most about working for NASA?

The best thing about Amy’s workplace is the range of people with different levels of experience.

“There are people who have been in the industry for 20 years working side by side with fresh graduates,” she says. “This creates an atmosphere where the younger generation can learn from the more experienced employees. At the same time, the new hires bring in all new ideas and new ways to implement old ideas.”

The only drawback in her position is her unsteady workload. “Sometimes the work can get very heavy all at once; when a launch date is approaching for example. To keep up with the ebb and flow of the work load a person must be flexible and have good time management skills,” says Amy.

And even though the opportunity to climb the management ladder would be there for her, she has no desire to and prefers to working on technical tasks.

Any advice to graduates looking to work in jet propulsion?

Amy she says the trick to improving your chances of employment is to get your foot in the door as early as possible. “Internships can be really useful for gaining desired experience before you have your degree,” says Amy. “Once you’re in, don't be shy. Meet people and find out more about what your options are and what people did to get where they are now.”