November 20, 1996

Cary News Profile of Sarah Rajala

As a freshman at Michigan Technological University in 1970, Dr. Sarah Rajala was unsure what career to pursue.

She had always excelled in math and science, and entered college as a math major. In those days, "mostly, the options for women were being teachers," Ms. Rajala said, but Michigan Tech was primarily an engineering school and she got bitten by the engineering bug.

Male students - who outnumbered women at least 20 to 1 in a population of 6,000 or so - and professors discouraged Ms. Rajala from pursuing a career in any field of engineering.

"I discovered the one that used math the most was electrical engineering," Ms. Rajala said with a smile. "I was also told that I could never make it in that, so that was certainly incentive to push right through."

At the end of her first year of college, she switched into electrical engineering, enduring some "macho male type students" who said she wouldn't survive and faculty members who hinted she was only at Michigan Tech to find a husband.

Three electrical engineering degrees and more than two decades later, Ms. Rajala continues to serve as a role model for women in engineering as the associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Engineering at North Carolina State University.

She is responsible for all undergraduate programs in a college that enrolls about 5,000 undergraduate and 1,200 graduate students, and for other academic issues such as student recruitment, student support and scholarships.

When she took the associate dean position permanently in September after several months filling it on an interim basis, Ms. Rajala became the first woman appointed to a dean-level position in the College of Engineering. It's not the first time the Cary resident has been a trail blazer.

Ms. Rajala grew up on a farm in the Skandia community on the upper peninsula of Michigan. Her mother had studied physics and math in college and taught elementary school, and her father had been trained as an electrician.

She had no inkling she would become an engineer, since that was a career rarely suggested to young women, especially at a tiny school in which the same 15 student class was together through the eighth grade before heading to a regional high school.

Also accepted at the University of Michigan and Michigan State, Ms. Rajala settled on Michigan Tech in Houghton, which had a strong math and science program and was just far enough from home to be new.

When she switched into electrical engineering, she was the only female student in the department. Becoming interested in biomedical engineering applications, she took as many physiology and anatomy courses as she could.

Deciding that her bachelor's degree wouldn't get her the kind of job she wanted, Ms. Rajala moved to Rice University in Houston, Texas. There, she earned master's and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering, specializing in image processing.

After receiving her Ph.D. in 1979, she arrived at N.C. State as an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering. The first woman ever on the faculty in that department, she primarily taught image and signal processing, helping get curriculum in the latter initiated in the early 1980s.

"(My being the first woman) was probably stranger for some of the men than for me," Ms. Rajala said. "I was used to it. The biggest challenge at the time actually was my age » I looked like the students! My first few Ph.D. students were older than I was."

Ms. Rajala became an associate professor in 1984 and a full professor in 1992.

She has done research in image processing throughout her State career, including work on compression applications and on image improvement. Her work has primarily been in areas related to communications, medicine and environmental science.

Among the applications are developments in video teleconferencing, digital television and image transmission over the Internet, and in medical uses such as MRIs. She is part of a team at State working on using communications technology for distance learning, in cooperation with UNC-Asheville. One course is being taught entirely over the Internet.

"It's pretty exciting, looking at what we can do and how we can do it cost effectively," Ms. Rajala said.

From 1993 until 1996, Ms. Rajala served as director of an industry-university research center, the Center for Advanced Computing and Communication.

She took the position of College of Engineering associate dean for academic affairs as a new challenge and a way to shape curriculum and student services.

Ms. Rajala is a perfect fit for such a role because she is outstanding in all areas, including teaching, research and publications, and leadership, said Dr. Nino A. Masnari, who became dean of the college Aug. 1. He arrived at State at the same time Ms. Rajala did and was her department head for nine years.

"She is a tremendous role model for other women interested in becoming engineers. She has made a significant impact for women students and faculty members," Masnari said, noting that she takes the role in stride but recognizes the impact she can have through advice and support. "She's always happy to give that."

Ms. Rajala is also a very hard worker who presents a good image for the university, Masnari said.

"You look for a person who has leadership skills, a person the faculty members respect, a person who is very effective speaking, and a person who can exercise excellent judgment and common sense, as well as having strong intellectual ability," he said. "She has all that in spades. She's also a very steady, calming influence whenever a discussion is tending toward the emotional side."

One of Ms. Rajala's concerns remains continuing to increase diversity in the College of Engineering.

Today, 12 percent of State undergrads in electrical and computer engineering are female. In some engineering disciplines, the number is about 50 percent, while in mechanical engineering, it's 8.

Overall, 20 percent of the college's undergrads are women, which is fourth highest among the nation's engineering schools. Fifteen percent are ethnic minorities, ranking second in the nation.

About 11 of 240 tenure track faculty in the college are female, and the number is comparable for minority faculty including African American, Native American and Hispanic.

"It's important to me to increase all the under-represented groups," Ms. Rajala said.

Recruiting students has become a focus. Ms. Rajala recently hired a recruiter to help market State's engineering programs and spread the word about career opportunities in engineering to students in high school and younger. Growing fields include environmental and computer engineering, materials science and wireless communications.

In the late 1980s, with more than 6,500 undergraduates in the College of Engineering, a decision was made to downsize. With more resources and space on the horizon as the Centennial Campus develops, college officials aim to push enrollment back to about 6,000 over the next five years.

Also, the nation is moving out of a time period in which there were fewer college-aged students. In the early to mid-80s, the college could pick and choose the top students, Ms. Rajala said. Competition increased, with more programs nationwide. "Students are not just looking for an engineering program any more," she said. "They're looking for resources, for co-op opportunities, for scholarships. Students realize that from a long-term perspective, they don't just need a degree, they need job experience and training opportunities.

"We need to make sure we're providing what students need and want, and that we're being more assertive in seeking the best engineering students."

Supporting new students is a priority. A few years ago, the College of Engineering instituted an "engineering undesignated" program for freshmen, who number about 850 currently and fall under the responsibility of Ms. Rajala's office. A project, team-oriented approach is used, as well as early courses that introduce students to all disciplines within engineering.

"We want them to get the sense of what engineering is about - problem solving, design, critical thinking," Ms. Rajala said.

Her office, which includes about 15 people, oversees support services including tutoring and writing assistance.

"Soft skills" have gotten more focus in recent years as being as important as technical expertise. Writing, communication, teamwork time management and decision making are increasingly stressed because, Ms. Rajala said, educators realize time spent on those issues is well worth the investment.

She also oversees curriculum issues, from new course proposals to accreditation, and advises Masnari on any university policies that affect engineering.

Ms. Rajala serves as State's site coordinator in the Southeastern University and College Coalition for Engineering Education (SUCCEED), a National Science Foundation program for improving education through faculty workshops, curriculum changes and so forth.

Ms. Rajala advises State's Society of Women Engineers chapter, which provides networking, professional development, guest speakers, service and other programs. She also advises the Engineers Council, which includes students from each discipline and organization within the college.

Ms. Rajala said she feels little extra pressure to succeed as the first woman at her level in the College of Engineering. She puts a lot of pressure on herself to work hard and do her best, she said, and her excellent staff makes her life easier.

"I feel I've been involved in a variety of things across campus and that I have earned people's respect," she said.

Courtesy of The Cary News, Wednesday, November 20, 1996

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