WOMEN IN STEM: IB, ROBOTICS AND A HEAD START

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February 12, 2023

For information on enrollment and registration at Notre Dame, please visit the admissions section of our website here.

Alum working for Boeing says her Notre Dame Prep experience — especially International Baccalaureate and robotics — was critical to her early success as an engineer. 

Notre Dame Prep grad Demi Outman NDP'13 currently works at Boeing as an engineer virtually supporting architecture development work on the E-7 Wedgetail/AWACS Program located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Previously, she worked on the Sikorsky-Boeing DEFIANT X Future-Long Range Aircraft program, which is a new rotorcraft destined for use by the U.S. Army. The Army ultimately awarded the program to competitor Bell Helicopters and Outman moved to a new Boeing program.

Meanwhile, she's also been busy in school and with the local and national amateur robotics scene.

"After three years, I was able to finish my master's degree in systems engineering from Johns Hopkins University," said Outman, who lives in Seattle, Wash. "Also, this past year, I volunteered with FIRST Robotics in Washington, which is a great group of volunteers and students. In April, I'm looking forward to taking on a head referee volunteer position for the FIRST Technical Challenge (FTC) at the FIRST World Championship in Houston, Texas."

She's got a lot on her plate, but it's not a surprise for an alum of Notre Dame Prep, especially for one who excelled in a couple of signature activities at the school.

"There are two experiences that I had in high school that primarily shaped my foundation for college, my career and my personal life," Outman said. "The IB program and the robotics team."  

"I was challenged both academically and personally throughout NDP's IB Diploma program," she said. "The IB History, English and Theory of Knowledge courses especially pushed me to think critically, which is such an important skill in STEAM fields because you need to be able to analyze problems and their available solutions mindfully and concisely to effectively solve problems."

She said that along with critical thinking, the IB program required her to practice effective communication, which isn't typically associated with the engineering field. 

"It's often assumed that in STEAM careers, the soft skills aren’t as important as technical knowledge," she said. "But if you cannot communicate well, you will never be able to effectively utilize that technical knowledge. Through my IB classes, I also was forced to become more comfortable with the arts of writing, speaking and even painting my thoughts and feelings."

At Notre Dame, if you couldn't find her in the classroom, Outman was designing and building robots with the school's highly successful Killer Bees FIRST robotics team. 

"Participating in robotics definitely prepared me for a career in engineering in a way that math and science courses alone would not have," she said. "Upon entering college at the University of Michigan (B.S., mechanical engineering), I was already far ahead of my peers in practical engineering skills, especially those related to concept development, design, manufacturing and testing."

Now, as a working professional engineer, Outman can see even more clearly the benefits of her high school robotics activities.

"Every day, I see reflections of the positive lessons I learned from the robotics team in my collaboration skills, technical knowledge and everyday work ethic and attitude," she said. 

"Robotics at Notre Dame Prep also exposed me to what the job of an engineer is really like, which ultimately broke down any lagging doubts about eventually enter the field in the first place. In fact, I continue to volunteer with various FIRST robotics programs and look for other opportunities to help continue to break down barriers for future women going into STEM or STEAM careers."

For information on enrollment and registration at Notre Dame, please visit the admissions section of our website here.

Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org

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About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. Notre Dame Preparatory School enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower schools enroll students in pre-kindergarten through grade eight. All three schools are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the National Association of Independent Schools. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school’s home page at www.ndpma.org.