Engineering alumna awarded for her skill

A WSU graduate was commemorated for her achievements in manufacturing and industry with an award recognizing women in engineering.

Jackie Peer was awarded the 2014 Women in Manufacturing STEP Award by the Manufacturing Institute at a reception in Washington D.C. The award recognizes women in science, technology engineering, and production.

“She is a leader and is always willing to take on challenging projects and opportunities,” said Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories President Ed Schweitzer.

Peer is the director of SEL University at Schweitzer, where she has worked at since 1996.

Peer is a senior member of the Society of Women Engineers, a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), IEEE Women in Power, and the American Society of Engineering Education.

She enjoys doing activities with these groups that also give real-world experience and scholarships to undergraduate students interested in careers in energy, Peer said.

As a child Peer wanted to become a doctor, which was a dream that lasted until college when she was exposed to different kinds of electronic medical equipment while working at a doctor’s firm.

“I was fascinated by the equipment and use of electrical stimuli to treat our athlete patients. That’s where it started,” she said.

After this experience, she changed her major to electrical engineering. When Peer transferred to WSU, she met the late Cliff Mosher, a professor in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science who guided her toward the career she has today.  

Before meeting Mosher, Peer knew she wanted to go into electrical engineering but did not know what her focus would be.

“I never have figured it out completely, but for some reason Cliff pulled me aside from the beginning, advised me and became a mentor and supporter,” she said. 

Originally, Peer had not applied to SEL because it seemed to hire seasoned engineers with years of experience.

“While going to school I was working for the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers and already had a full-time job secured,” she said. “(Mosher) encouraged me to apply to SEL as he knew I wanted to stay in the Northwest, and I think he saw SEL as a better long-term match.”

As a student, Peer commuted from Clarkston, was married with children, and also held down a job.

Peer places a lot of value on family, and no matter how busy her life got she always made time to hang out with her family over dinner at the end of the day.

Shira Broschat, a professor in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, noticed this when Peer was a student in her EE 331 class.

“I think what always impressed me about Jackie was that she was very centered and had her priorities straight,” Broschat said. “I can imagine how tough things might have gotten at times when she was doing all that juggling, but she didn’t get flustered. She just did her best and got things done.”

Peer said she is often approached by female engineering majors who ask for some guidance, and inspired by Mosher, she said she tries to put a lot of effort mentoring these students.

Students might feel discouraged by the difficulty of coursework that engineering majors take, but they shouldn’t give up, she said.

“If engineering was easy, there would be more engineers.  Don’t be too hard on yourself if everything doesn’t go perfectly as planned,” Peer said. “Sometimes you have to dust yourself off and have another try at it.”