International Women in Engineering Day: Phoebe Wu

CO2 Monitoring and Aerosphere® are celebrating the 12th annual International Women in Engineering Day, coined by the Women's Engineering Society (WES). Created during World War 1, the WES is a UK-based charity that empowers women to invest in their futures as engineers, applied scientists and leaders.

Today, we are highlighting our Software Engineering Intern, Phoebe Wu. Phoebe Wu, a first generation Chinese-American and Nevada native, recently completed her studies as a Computer Science major at the University of Nevada–Las Vegas, Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering. President Ronald Longley, as well as Marketing Lead, J.R. Esguerra, and Marketing Creative Producer, Thea Reyrao, first met Phoebe at a collaborative event between the company and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) UNLV Chapter. Since then, she has made pivotal moves with the upcoming Aerosphere® telemetry site, improving back-end and front-end workflows. Her other work experiences include interning at other tech giants like Aristocrat and NV Energy.

This interview was conducted asynchronously through a questionnaire with Phoebe Wu herself – she shares stories from her early childhood, how she initiated her interest with engineering, her journey so far, and lastly, her advice for other women interested in pursuing an engineering career.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your background.

I'm Phoebe Wu and I was born and raised in Las Vegas. I am a first generation American, and my parents were immigrants from China. In my early childhood, we were low-income, but our situation improved as my family settled into the country. Growing up I loved reading books, attending piano classes, and playing basketball for my middle school. I also loved listening to music and discovering new YouTubers back then.

What first sparked your interest in engineering?

A lot of fellow Asian Americans—myself included—were chronically online when we were younger. I was part of an online community where: 1) we were able to use HTML and CSS to customize our websites and profiles, and 2) hacking was a big issue. As a result, I was drawn to the IT/Cybersecurity program at West Career and Technical Academy, a magnet school I enrolled in, and have since then been building my tech career.

Can you tell us about your journey into the field? Your experience in school, UNLV, IEEE, your past internships?

During my high school years, I was part of the Cybersecurity program and achieved certifications in hardware and networking. I teamed up with other students in a high school competition called CyberPatriot, and my team would go on to achieve platinum during state. We attended talks hosted by the FBI, CIA, and other cybersecurity-heavy orgs. This prompted my interest in becoming part of the tech field as well, in which I enrolled in UNLV as a Computer Science major. I achieved a great GPA, was the officer of numerous clubs including SASE, IEEE, RebelSat, and I'm currently a responsible engineer in our school's rocket team, SEDS UNLV. I'm currently working on the system GUI and state flow machine.

My internship experience spans multiple fields for companies such as NV Energy and Aristocrat, including gaming tech, machine learning, database engineering, and full-stack development. I’ve worked on projects involving Unity game development, data mining using Python, and creating data-driven dashboards to visualize and analyze real-time user behavior. Each experience has helped me grow as a developer, collaborator, and problem-solver, and has further fueled my desire to work in innovative, impact-driven tech spaces.

I picked up the internship here at CO2 Monitoring and Aerosphere® to have web development experience and become more well-rounded as a programmer.

How did you find your current internship at CO2 Monitoring, creator of Aerosphere®? What does a typical day look like for you?

CO2 Monitoring offered to tour students from ASME and IEEE chapters at our university. At the ASME event, I went up to our President, Ronald Longley, and told him about my experience (how it aligns, etc.) and took the tour at our Cameron location.

I was pretty impressed with the company's mission and we both decided I'd be a good fit. A typical day looks like starting services in XAMPP, starting a local DB and pulling up the webpages I've created for the company. Following that, I would use PHP, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to tailor the webpages to management's vision and information consolidation I would implement.

Which Aerosphere® projects have you been involved in, and how have you been able to apply skills from your computer science program and previous internships to your work here?

At Aerosphere®, I’ve been working on the CO2 monitoring dashboard project, which focuses on visualizing real-time environmental data collected from various sites. I’ve contributed to building an interactive interface that allows users to view site-specific data, analyze historical trends, and monitor sensor health. I brought in experience from previous internships working with APIs, advanced SQL, and front-end frameworks to ensure smooth data flow and intuitive user interactions.

What’s something people might not realize about working in engineering, particularly in your specialty?

Something people might not realize about working in engineering—whether it's here at CO2 Monitoring or elsewhere—is how methodical and abstract the work can be sometimes. There’s often a misconception that computer scientists just sit alone and code all day, but in reality, most of the work involves constant communication, problem-solving with others, and drawing out solutions or thoughts by hand.

Have you faced any challenges or breakthroughs in your career as a woman in engineering? What advice would you give to young women or girls considering a future in STEM?

One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced in my engineering journey has been finding the right fit within such a broad and fast-paced field.

It took time and a lot of exploration, balancing 15-credit semesters with internships, research, and leading clubs like SASE and IEEE, to figure out where I thrive. Time management and just sleep deprivation in general was a constant challenge, especially as I juggled hands-on projects with long-term career planning. But a major breakthrough came when I found my niche in machine learning and data mining. That clarity led me to incredible opportunities, including a research internship this summer at NASA JPL through NSHE and UNLV, as well as a research graduate assistantship this fall. Both positions not only align with my interests, but they’re also helping fund my path to grad school, proof that the hard work and self-discovery pay off.

To young women entering STEM: explore widely, manage your time wisely, and don’t settle until you find what makes you feel energized and valuable.

Who are some mentors or figures that have inspired or supported you along the way?

While I haven’t had a single defined mentor throughout my journey, I’ve been inspired and supported by a variety of people along the way. My peers in engineering clubs and internships have constantly pushed me to grow through collaboration and shared ambition. I’ve also been deeply inspired by Amanda Ngoc Nguyen—her resilience, advocacy, and ability to drive policy change as a Vietnamese-American woman have shown me the power of using your voice and skills to create lasting impact.

Looking ahead, what are your goals or dreams for the future, personally or professionally?

Professionally, I hope to become a machine learning engineer or data scientist at an innovative company like Planet Labs, where I can work on impactful, forward-thinking technology. Personally, I want to travel more, get into dance and music production, and continue exploring new hobbies that keep me creative and inspired.

And just for fun – what’s something outside of work that brings you joy or keeps you grounded?

I love traveling. It’s so easy to get complacent in your routine, but exploring new places reminds me how big the world is and helps me reset mentally. I also find joy in music—whether it’s discovering new artists, dancing, or experimenting with music production, it’s a creative outlet that keeps me grounded and energized outside of work.

Anything else you'd like to share?

For my young girls out there: never underestimate your ability to create change! Your curiosity, voice, and ideas belong in every room, especially in STEM.

CO2 Monitoring and Aerosphere® thanks Phoebe Wu for sharing her story with us. The company is proud to further our connection in higher education.