Explaining my job to my kids

“Now that it’s winter, it is often still dark in the morning. It can be foggy and sometimes even snowy – as you know from when we take you to school and kindergarten. If we go by car, it is especially important that we can see well despite the darkness or bad weather, and our car needs to be clearly visible to others so there are no accidents. The company I work for makes really good lamps for cars. My colleagues and I explain to automakers which ones they should ideally install in a car to make sure that the roads are well lit. If a car’s lighting is bright enough, then we can drive safely at night and when it snows.”

Jenny Trommer, Automotive Application Engineering
Two children: Julia (8) and Jarne (5)
Her field: Safety & Security

“Wouldn’t it be great if we could grow vegetables in the winter in our home city of Boston – super healthy plants without having to transport them by airplane or ship? That’s precisely my job. Together with my colleagues, I’m working on ways to grow vegetables in homes or buildings in cities. With the help of special LED light, sensors and computer programs, we can make sure that plants can grow just as well indoors as they do in nature. In fact, even better, because this special light helps them grow faster, and we can improve their flavor or their vitamin content. What’s more, we hardly need any water or fertilizer. Our goal is to put fresh and healthy vegetables on the tables of as many people as possible.”

David Hamby, Staff Mechanical Engineer
One daughter: Emily (15)
His field: Well-being & Health

“You know those big office buildings that often stay brightly lit unTil late at night even though no one is there? Well, keeping the lights on uses a lot of electricity, which costs money. Things don’t have to be this way. With my colleagues, I can make sure that lights are on only where they are actually needed. To get this to work, we install little helpers in the lights – we call them sensors. Sensors can detect if someone enters a room and where that person is. All of the sensors and lights in the building are connected with each other, which allows us to control them really easily with a tablet computer. Our setup uses less electricity, saves money and is good for the environment. Great, right?”

Paul Matthews, Product Marketing Manager Encelium
Two sons: Robert (12) and Paul (14)
His field: Connection