Episode 23 – Educating the Tech Workforce

Hosts: Dr. Jeremy Waisome & Dr. Kyla McMullen

Guest: Dr. Lauren Thomas Quigley

Instagram: @blackGirlSTEMMagic

Twitter: @laurendthomas1

LinkedIn: Dr. Lauren Thomas Quigley

Description: Here’s a secret: you don’t have to get a degree in computing to have a career in the tech industry. Our next guest has degrees in physics, optical engineering, and engineering education, but none in computing. Today, she works for the oldest technology company in the world! Dr. Lauren Thomas Quigley’s story gives us the perspective that is often shared in engineering classrooms across the country, that completing a degree in engineering teaches you how to solve problems. It’s an algorithm that can be applied in a variety of different domains. Listen in to learn how Lauren’s degrees propelled her towards her career educating the tech workforce. And hear how her mentorship through the National Society of Black Engineers and beyond helped Jeremy accomplish her goals of completing her doctorate in engineering.

Bio: Lauren Thomas Quigley, Ph.D. is an Engineering Education researcher who focuses her work on changing STEM education so that anyone can participate in STEM and all people can benefit from technology. In her day to day work, Lauren develops learning experiences to teach people about artificial intelligence and machine learning, one of the most quickly developing and valuable technologies today. She built a university inside of a large tech company and designsAI learning experiences for a wide range of audiences including corporate executives, technical and non-technical people and the broader public. Outside of her daily work, she continues research and teaching along the intersections of STEM education, social justice and womanism frameworks.

Dr. Thomas Quigley is a proud alumna of Spelman College and Norfolk State University. She also celebrates being the first Black woman graduate of her Ph.D. program in Engineering Education in 2013. Over the years, Lauren has mentored a host of students through affiliations with the National Society of Black Engineers, past professional positions and her sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Her purpose is to change STEM education so that anyone can become an engineer and all people benefit from and get to participate in modern technology.