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Women to Watch—Overcoming Imposterism: Smith and Reinhart discuss their experiences

May 11, 2023 by Leslie Zucker

I am an imposter.” This is how Julie Smith, senior research physicist in the Space Vehicles Directorate at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) on Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, begins her presentation, “Removing the Mask: Living With Imposter Syndrome.” She was invited to give this briefing at the November 2022 WIE Forum East conference by Forum cochair and her colleague at the AFRL, Felicia Harlow Reinhart, after Reinhart saw Smith speak to the Air Force’s women’s networking group, AFWiSE. Reinhart found the presentation impactful and knew it would resonate with the women attending the Forum, much as it did with AFWiSE members such as herself. Despite their different circumstances, both Smith and Reinhart say they suffer from imposterism, as Smith calls it, and know many other women do too.

For more about this article see link below.
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10113569
For the open access PDF link of this article please click here.

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IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine is the first magazine to focus on issues facing women who study or work in IEEE’s fields of interest.

IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine strives to recognize women’s outstanding achievements in electrical and electronics engineering as well as enhance networking and to promote membership in IEEE Women in Engineering.

The publication also advocates for women in leadership roles and career advancement for women in STEM professions, and it facilitates the development of programs and activities that promote the entry into and retention of women in engineering programs.

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