{"id":1730,"date":"2021-09-17T08:21:35","date_gmt":"2021-09-17T08:21:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sifcoasc.com\/?p=1730"},"modified":"2023-07-26T14:45:52","modified_gmt":"2023-07-26T14:45:52","slug":"women-in-stem-shining-the-light-on-danijela-milosevic-popovich","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sifcoasc.com\/enuk\/blog\/women-in-stem-shining-the-light-on-danijela-milosevic-popovich","title":{"rendered":"Women in STEM: Shining the light on Danijela Milosevic-Popovich"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Taking place on the 1st to 31st of March every year, Women\u2019s History Month sets to recognize and celebrate the achievements of females all over the world. While it\u2019s important to acknowledge the accolades of all women, we\u2019re focusing on those working in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and we\u2019ve shone the spotlight on Danijela Milosevic-Popovich, our Research and Development Manager.<\/p>\n

From talking about how to remove the glass ceiling for women in engineering, to changing the future of electroplating, we found out what inspires Danijela, and how she strives to create a better future for herself and other females in STEM.<\/p>\n

Science and math \u2013 the foundations of STEM<\/h2>\n

Danijela knew she wanted to work in a STEM field since she was young \u2013 her passion for science and math started in grade school. She loved the challenge of figuring out equations, learning theories, and knew from very early on that having a background in science would provide her with a strong foundation no matter what career path she followed.<\/p>\n

Her father \u2013 her biggest cheerleader and inspiration \u2013 always motivated her to advance her education and strive for independence. Growing up in the Balkans, it wasn\u2019t common for girls to go to college and while his support of her continued studying was considered a taboo, he never let the criticism distract her.<\/p>\n

Danijela realizes just how much her childhood and education shaped her career. Science and math helps Danijela to think more critically. She approaches every problem knowing that there is a logical process to follow. She also questions any critical factors associated with resolution. She said:<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe a strong STEM background helps train the brain to think more critically. Intuition and critical thinking together create the perfect storm of problem solving and I believe math and science are key building blocks to perfect this process.\u201d<\/p>\n

Education \u2013 the passport for the future<\/h2>\n

With a bachelor\u2019s degree and two masters degrees under her belt, Danijela knows just how important education and qualifications are for anybody wanting to work in STEM. While there\u2019s still a long way to go before we close the gap of women working in these fields, the number of women awarded STEM degrees every year has increased by over 50,000 in the past decade<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Changing the electroplating landscape<\/h2>\n

When asked about her day-to-day role at SIFCO ASC, Danijela lights up as she talks about all of the areas she\u2019s involved in.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryday brings something new to the table. My role encompasses so much more than the traditional R&D activities \u2013 it\u2019s multifaceted, and keeps me on my toes. My department and I are the repository for technical know-how, which ultimately leads to growing the knowledge base capabilities of our existing product lines and the development of new applications, plating solutions, and technology.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through this research and knowledge base, Danijela and her team are slowly changing the perception of brush plating. Advancements such as programmable power packs and process automation have not only revolutionized the way electroplating is done, but has given repair engineers even more control.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we\u2019ve developed various plating applications, we\u2019ve been able to introduce more controls to the processing phases. As a result, we\u2019ve refined the plating process parameters to provide repeatable and controllable deposit characteristics for a process that is traditionally manually performed by an operator. This level of control has propelled us to further develop semi and fully automated plating applications and equipment along with going away from traditional brush plating by developing encapsulated plating technologies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Creating a safer and more sustainable future<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s not just the electroplating process that\u2019s feeling the impact \u2013 this research and development is paving the way towards a much safer and sustainable future for repair mechanics and the environment. Working with a team of engineers, Danjiela develops REACH compliant brush plating alternatives.<\/p>\n

For example, cadmium and hard chrome are commonly used by maintenance repair engineers who are undertaking component repairs for a wide range of industries due to their increased wear resistance, surface hardness and durability. However, exposure to both metals in their compound state can be incredibly harmful for both plating technicians and the general public.<\/p>\n

Danijela and her team\u2019s actions are beginning to have profound consequences on the plating industry and the planet. Through exploration, analysis and development, SIFCO ASC has developed brush plating solutions that aim to replace cadmium and chrome in the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, there is no \u2018one size fits all\u2019 solution for drop-in replacement of cadmium or chrome, so we\u2019re focusing on making solutions such as ZnNi (Zinc-Nickel) as cadmium plating alternatives<\/a>, and MMC (metal matrix composite) solutions for chrome alternatives.\u201d<\/p>\n

The challenge of being a woman in STEM<\/h2>\n

When asked the question \u201cwhat are the challenges of being a woman in STEM?\u201d, Danijela says they are the same stereotypical barriers that have been internalized over several decades. She talks about the unconscious bias where both men and women are conditioned to think that men are more inquisitive, motivated and in charge. As a result, women have to work harder.<\/p>\n

However, she muses that if we change the narrative, we may be able to remove the glass ceiling for both women and minorities in STEM, if we start to celebrate their accomplishments, rather than the challenges they face. She says:<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery woman in a STEM field has a unique set of challenges ahead of her that no man will ever have to experience. I\u2019d like to shine a spotlight on the accomplishments of women in STEM historically so that we can lay a framework for continued recognition of our girls as they turn into women and change the world alongside their male colleagues.\u201d<\/p>\n

For any female looking to advance a career in STEM, whether younger or older, Danijela says that believing in yourself and finding a mentor who will advise you and push you out of your comfort zone is the best thing you can do.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was one high-level meeting where there were four levels of managers in attendance, quite overwhelming for a young woman especially when most of the crowd was male. I ran through my presentation with my boss beforehand, and he told me he\u2019d meet me there. Only, he didn\u2019t show up. I survived the meeting, walked over to his office and asked why he didn\u2019t show up. He told me he \u2018didn\u2019t want to take the spotlight away from me,\u2019 he \u2018didn\u2019t want the rest of the room to see a MAN standing behind me.\u2019 He taught me that I was capable of standing on my own two feet and that I shouldn\u2019t ever feel inferior, regardless of who is in my company.\u201d<\/p>\n

Find out more about Danijela\u2019s research and SIFCO ASC\u2019s plating solutions at https:\/\/www.sifcoasc.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Taking place on the 1st to 31st of March every year, Women\u2019s History Month sets to recognize and celebrate the achievements of females all over the world. While it\u2019s important to acknowledge the accolades of all women, we\u2019re focusing on those working in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and we\u2019ve shone the spotlight on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1730","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWomen in STEM: Shining the light on Danijela Milosevic-Popovich - SIFCO Applied Surface Concepts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We found out what inspires Danijela, and how she strives to create a better future for herself and other females in STEM.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sifcoasc.com\/enuk\/blog\/women-in-stem-shining-the-light-on-danijela-milosevic-popovich\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Women in STEM: Shining the light on Danijela Milosevic-Popovich - 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