Lynnette Frey：女性solidworks工程师

寂静回声

If you ask Lynnette Frey how she got into engineering, the short answer is that she didn’t really plan to. She started with CAD classes in high school, nudges from teachers, and hands-on problem-solving at home, like her dad telling her to figure out how to back up a toy semi-truck instead of just picking it up.
Today, she’s teaching manufacturing engineering, helping students learn everything from robotics programming to 3D printing, and even how AI can support engineering projects and learning.
Lynnette began her college journey in architecture, but once she got a taste of mechanical projects, she realized she wanted something broader. Mechanical engineering caught her eye because it offered more flexibility. That flexibility has really played an important role in her career, especially when she transitioned from working in the industry to teaching.
Before entering the classroom, Lynnette worked in pharmaceuticals and then telecommunications. She helped support everything from antacid production to fiber-optic network routing. One early job came with a unique perk: a monthly paper sack of over-the-counter cold meds from the manufacturing line. Her team used to joke that the engineers were probably overdoing it on the grape-flavored antacids.
She assumed she’d stay in the industry for a while, but when her former professor shared an open teaching position, Lynnette applied. She didn’t expect to get the job. “I thought, I’ve only been working for five years. There’s still so much I need to learn,” she said.
She got the job, and the first few years were a tough adjustment. She stayed up late preparing lectures and grading assignments while trying to find her footing in front of a classroom full of students. She shared, “I think people imagine teaching is easier than industry, but in industry, I went home at five.” One of her favorite parts of the job is seeing former students out in the field. Some still meet for lunch and keep in touch regularly.

Lynnette 和她的学生
Now that she’s been teaching for two decades, she still works long hours, but gets her energy from her classroom. She likes to teach with projects that interest the students. “I might need to teach a certain skill, but how we teach it is up to us,” she said.
Whether it’s 3D modeling, machining, or prototyping, she lets the students bring their own ideas to the table. And if another class works on something cool, like building an electric bike, she’s the first one listening in from the hallway and figuring out how to share the latest ideas.
Lynnette’s early teaching days focused heavily on CAD and documentation. Now, she’s teaching robotics, coding, and helping students think about how AI tools can help, not replace, their work.
“I tell my students all the time, I don’t care where you find the information,” she said. “You just need to be able to tell if it’s right and makes sense for what you’re doing.” She encourages students to keep a tab open with ChatGPT if it helps them move faster or understand something they’ve missed. That kind of resourcefulness, she says, is more important than memorization. It also helps them keep up with how fast things change in engineering.
Outside of the classroom, Lynnette stays connected with local companies, state manufacturing groups, and longtime partners like Mike Buchli from SOLIDWORKS Dassault Systèmes. She credits those industry relationships and conferences like 3DEXPERIENCE World to help her stay current.
“I’m not self-taught. I’ve been taught by thousands of people over the years at these events,” she said.

Lynnette 和一群朋友在 3DEXPERIENCE World 上
When asked what she does outside of work, she laughed and said, “I think work is my hobby.” Between commuting and being a parent, she doesn’t have much free time, but she’s always keeping an eye on innovative technologies, new tools, and what’s coming next in manufacturing.
Lynnette’s also quick to credit advice that stuck with her from a former boss who suggested she read “Who Moved My Cheese?” not because she resists change, but because it helped her understand how others do. “I’m always ready to try something new,” she said. “But not everyone’s wired that way. That book reminded me that some people need time to adjust, and that’s okay.”

Lynnette hopes more people in engineering and manufacturing will talk openly about the work they do. “Everyone knows what a doctor or a lawyer does,” she said. “But not enough people know what engineering looks like as a career. We don’t talk about it enough—and we should.”