New Engineering Director Takes Charge at Naugatuck Valley Community College

Waterbury, Conn. – Naugatuck Valley Community College has hired Barbara Washburn as the new director for the College’s division of engineering technologies. Washburn began in May 2008 and is already looking for new ways to improve the division’s programs.

“We are in a great position to help the region turn the corner in engineering technology,” said Washburn. “The College already has a reputation for high academic standards in the industry. Now it’s time to expand upon that reputation in other areas.”

Although her time is largely filled up by the relocation of engineering technologies to brand new Technology Hall, Washburn has already begun reaching out to the local manufacturing community through the Small Manufacturers Association to make sure the College’s engineering programs are meeting industry needs.

“It’s an important balance,” said Washburn. “You need to understand the needs of incoming students and the needs of the workforce that you’re sending them into. We are constantly reworking our curriculum to ensure that we’re meeting needs on both ends.”

According to the Extraordinary Women Engineers Project, a national outreach program that supports engineering education for young women, fewer than 10% of the nation’s engineers are women in spite of the fact that girls do not lag behind boys in grades or test scores in math and science.

Washburn intends to reach out to middle school and high school students, specifically women, through both off-campus and on-campus outreach.

“These students need a female role model to tell them ‘you can do this - I have done this,’” said Washburn. “It’s an intellectually and financially satisfying career for women and it offers so many opportunities, but we need to reinforce that message.”

Washburn started out her education on a full scholarship for pre-med at the American International College in Springfield, Mass., before she was advised to go into the engineering program at Western New England College (WNEC).

“I was good at math and science so I thought that made me a good fit for the medical field,” said Washburn. “I never really wanted to go to medical school. I wanted to work with lasers but no one had ever told me about engineering.”

Washburn is the first generation in her family to earn master’s degrees.  Her parents and four siblings are all successful entrepreneurs of small businesses.

Washburn graduated from WNEC with a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering, and worked at Dynamic Research Corporation in Wilmington, Mass., as a communications engineer and then at Raytheon Company in Tewksbury, Mass., where she designed optical systems, including infrared (IR). During this time, Washburn completed a Master of Science in electrical engineering with a focus in laser-electro-optics from Tufts University. She later went on to earn a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from the University of Connecticut.

“A common speech in engineering is that ‘the person to your left and right will not complete this program,’” said Washburn. “That scared some people but it never fazed me. It never occurred to me that I wouldn’t make it.”

Washburn next moved on to Massachusetts Bay Community College, where she was hired to develop an associate degree program in laser optics. Five years later, she was hired by Springfield Technical Community College as a full-time professor and eventually became department co-chair for electronic systems engineering technologies.

“I loved teaching from the moment I started,” said Washburn. “My hope is that once we finish our move and get some things in motion that I can get some time in the classroom.”

Washburn accumulated fifteen years in the Massachusetts community college system with six years at the leadership level. She raised more than $3 million in funding for academic projects and worked closely with the Gender Equity Department of Massachusetts to host workshops and explorations in photonics technology for minorities and girls in the middle and high school levels.

In addition, Washburn has worked on several grants for the National Science Foundation (NSF) and has been published in a number of professional magazines and journals.

“Outreach has always been a passion of mine and I look forward to bringing that to Naugatuck Valley,” said Washburn. “The College needs to be more involved with NSF and local businesses. We need to be out in the community, reminding our local schools that engineering is a viable, exciting and extremely rewarding career path.”

“No one ever told me that I could be an engineer. That’s why I plan to make sure that our community’s female students get that message and they get it early.”