2020-June-30

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An Engineer at Heart: Meet Madeline Roemer

Ever heard someone was “born” into a trade? You know, when a certain profession was “in their blood”?

Sounds a bit trite, right?

But consider the case for Mechanical Engineer (ME) Madeline Roemer.

She was born in the heart of Silicon Valley — Mountain View, California. Her mom is a high school physics teacher. Her dad is an ME by trade.

Madeline at age 2 working on one of her many block towers.

By the time she was a toddler, Madeline was constructing block towers on her own.

Within a couple of years, she helped her older brothers to design and build derby race cars.

Before she was a teenager, she was already helping her dad repair home appliances — everything from the dishwasher to the blender. Oh yeah, did we mention her older sister is also an ME?

Buy in yet?

“I grew up with amazing role models that helped point me in the engineering direction,” she says.

However, Madeline’s career path wasn’t solidified until her third year at the University of Texas in Austin.

“Something just clicked for me at that time,” she recalls. “All of a sudden, it became very clear what a profession in mechanical engineering could look like. And I loved what I saw.”

Fast forward five years.

Madeline returned to the San Francisco Bay Area. This fall, she’ll celebrate her fourth anniversary at Cisco.

We recently sat down with Madeline to talk about her career goals and accomplishments — and why she’s remained happy here.

Q: What are you working on?

Madeline: I’m designing the Cisco 8000 Series Routers, which are mainly for service provider customers.

I build everything around the circuit board assembly. It’s really a mix of electromagnetic physics, radiation, thermodynamics, structural engineering, and mechanical physics. This includes using structural analysis to make sure they can pass vibration, drops, etcetera.

Electromagnetic physics ensures the routers can shield out all the radiation, so they don’t interfere with your cell phone when you walk by. I also have to make sure the heat is removed effectively, so it can run in harsh conditions, such as extreme heat and humidity.

Madeline on roofing duty for Habitat for Humanity on a Cisco WISE group volunteering day.

Madeline with fellow Cisconians, Johanna Au and Kanika Priyadarshi, at the Cisco booth at Grace Hopper in October 2019.

Madeline visiting Chicago with two of her role models — her sister Michelle (left) and mother Ann (middle).

Madeline and her fiancé David enjoying a hike in South Lake Tahoe.

Q: In a software-defined world, why is hardware still vital to our success?

Madeline: There is more data created than ever before — and it all has to be stored and accessed, at incredible speeds. New software is continually increasing the demand on hardware, which can only keep up for about a year before it becomes irrelevant.

Behind the scenes, hardware is reinventing itself each year — the power behind the ASICs is growing exponentially. When it comes down to it, all software runs on hardware. So, we must continue to develop and innovate for high-functioning customers.

Q: What are your greatest accomplishments at Cisco so far?

Madeline: From a technical standpoint, it’s a tie between being lead design on a new architecture and getting my first patent filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. For this, I owe a special thanks to Hardware Engineering Manager Jessica Kiefer and Fellow Joel Goergen for their sponsorship and mentorship.

From a non-technical standpoint, it would be starting the Cisco Millennial Book Club. We celebrated three years in April, and we now have more than 170 members.

Q: Why Cisco?

Madeline: I interned here for a summer while in college and was very excited to return after graduating. I love the culture — and we have amazing talent.

I have so many resources at my fingertips. Even as a new graduate, I was able to troubleshoot problems with directors and principal engineers. I love the challenges I face every day and the steep learning curve.

Q: How has working during the pandemic changed your job?

Madeline: It’s been extremely difficult to not be in the lab. I’m used to a lot of hands-on experimenting, actually touching the materials. Working remotely, it’s definitely more difficult to troubleshoot things.

Lucky for me, a lot of my products are past their initial development stage and onto the testing stage. A lot of it I can do from the sidelines as we get feedback virtually.

I’m also using this time away from the lab to do more research and development of new products so that when we return, we will be more prepared to execute.

Q: Any advice for engineers just starting?

Madeline: Stay curious and seek out growth opportunities. There are so many conferences and classes to help you grow as an engineer and discover new interests within your field.

Also, make time for play! It is important to continue to find things that get you excited. Many of my away-from-work interests, such as exploring nature, nurturing a garden, and brewing beer, have contributed to my passion for work. There is science in everything around us.

Q: Do any engineer stereotypes annoy you?

Madeline: All of them! I am an artist, an athlete, and a woman. I do not fit a single stereotype of an engineer, yet I love what I do. I believe anyone can be an engineer.

Q: How valuable are mentors?

Madeline: They are incredibly valuable, especially for engineers. I’ve had a couple of key mentors, including Distinguished Engineers Michele Guel and Serpil Bayraktar.

Michele helped me to create a vision for my career when I was only six months in. She also gave me my first shadow experience so I could see what my career could look like down the road.

Serpil continues to lift me up — encouraging and inspiring me to not let work challenges hold me back.

Q: What are your long-term career goals?

Madeline: I’m still not sure if I want to go the management route or the technical route. What I do know is that I want to investigate and speak on behalf of new technologies, so I can simplify them in ways everyone can understand.

I also want to be a role model for women and minorities in engineering. It’s important that people know this is not an exclusive field. Everyone can contribute and bring their unique perspectives.

June 23 marked International Women in Engineering Day. Madeline spent the day celebrating all of the people in her life who helped her get to this point in her career.