Get WiSE with.... Amy Kaleita, Ph.D.
Dr. Amy Kaleita, originally, knew nothing about agricultural engineering, but she did enjoy problem-solving and engineering. When she began looking at classes, agricultural engineering seemed to be the most general. "I got to do a little bit of everything." She completed her Bachelor's degree at Pennsylvania State University in agricultural engineering.
During her undergraduate education, she particularly enjoyed her environmental conservation class. That class, along with her USDA summer research supervisor's encouragement she pursued a Master's degree from the University of Illinois in civil engineering where she could study more about soils and water.
She also received her Ph. D. from the University of Illinois in agricultural engineering. Now, she is an assistant professor in the agricultural and biosystems engineering department at Iowa State University. She works as an agricultural engineer, but mostly with the environmental aspects such as soil and water conservation. Her greatest accomplishment while she has been at Iowa State is receiving a teaching award in the fall of 2007 from the USDA. "Supportive environments bring out the best in people. I am good at what I do because I enjoy it."
She sees the field of agricultural engineering changing a great deal in the next 5 - 10 years. The field is already experiencing an "information intensity" and additional environmental protection issues. Many discuss the human impact on the environment, energy, biofuels, crop production, etc.
Dr. Kaleita has been presenting at the Program for Women in Science and Engineering's Taking the Road Less Traveled Career Conference since 2004. She always has fun at TRLT and talking with the students. She hopes that she is making an impact on the students and encouraging them to realize all the opportunities available to them. Her advice to students is to "realize how much control you have over your life and destiny. If I could do it all over again, I would be more proactive and open-minded about all the different things I could do with my life."
