Meet Jessica Gray
Jessica went to Western University for Mechanical Engineering and is currently working as an Engineering Designer at Salford Group where she designs fertilizer application equipment for the agriculture market.
Jessica loves gardening (flowers specifically) and running & hiking with her dog during warmer weather. Cold weather brings snowmobile & skiing season.
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Western University, 2020
Who influenced you to pursue an education and/or career in STEM?
My dad influenced me to pursue a career in STEM. I always thought it was cool how he could solve any problem and wanted that to be me one day.
How has your work positively impacted society?
My work has positively impacted farmers by giving them more efficient ways to fertilize their fields. I do a lot of work on perfecting the spread pattern of fertilizer spreaders which allows farmers to apply the right amount of fertilizer in the right place. This is important because too much or too little fertilizer can decrease crop yields, and fertilizer overuse can also be damaging to the environment. I think working in STEM is a great way to help others.
What do you think is the biggest misconception about women in STEM?
I would say the biggest misconception is that school and the workplace are not accepting of women in STEM. I remember being quite nervous to do my first few summer engineering co-ops because I thought people might treat me differently or not respect me, but I have experienced nothing but friendly, accepting coworkers who treat me the same as everyone else.
“My dog and I on a walk in the forest (with Dad taking the picture).”
-Jessica
