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Danielle Fallon
Mechanical Design Engineer, Plenty Unlimited
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Don't be afraid to ask for more and don't be afraid to ask for help.
WHAT DO YOU DO?
I design, analyze, build, and test hardware for our vertical farm. Specifically, I own the irrigation nozzles, supply manifolds, manifold joints, as well as a maintenance partition system in our Vertical Grow room.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS FIELD?
I picked Mechanical Engineering because I like to get my hands dirty and I enjoy tough problems. ME, in my experience, has a great balance of theoretical/analytical work with hands-on deliverables. I get to prototype and build the first round of all of my designs, but I also get to design, analyze, and do math from my desk. I picked Plenty because I have always been interested in environmentalism and have been curious why global agricultural practices weren't more sustainable. It was a perfect pivot from my previous aerospace roles at SpaceX and Virgin Orbit.
WHAT DO YOU LOOK AT & THINK, "I WISH YOUNGER ME WOULD HAVE KNOWN THIS WAS POSSIBLE?"
I have founded the women's resource groups at both of my engineering companies and I am 25 years old.
I wish younger me would not have stressed out about what to pick: a career in something technical, or something in advocacy. You can have it all, and I didn't think that was possible.
WHY DO YOU LOVE WORKING IN STEM?
I love solving challenging problems in elegant, crafty ways. I look forward to conquering these tough design details that make or break the larger system. Every millimeter counts and they are uniquely yours, as a mechanical designer!
BEST ADVICE FOR NEXT GENERATION?
Don't be afraid to ask for more and don't be afraid to ask for help.
Ask for more money, ask for a promotion, ask for more on your plate or more challenging projects.
It's okay not to know the right answer, you should feel comfortable asking for help, too.
INSPO / FUN FACT
“You deserve to be here. You deserve to exist. You deserve to take up space in this world of men.”