Dancing Electrical Engineer

By Tara Mullee

Dancing engineers may not be common, but Fiona Wolstenholme doesn’t let that stop her. She recently completed her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at the University of Houston (UH) Cullen College of Engineering in Houston, Texas and began graduate studies there in the same field. As Wolstenholme makes her way toward a master’s degree, she seeks to balance her busy schedule to make time for her pursuit of dance.

Last summer, Wolstenholme reached new heights in her artistic accomplishments when she traveled to Buffalo, New York for the International Jazz Dance Congress. Her own piece of choreography was performed at the gathering of the world’s most prominent companies, dancers, and choreographers of the jazz dance style.

Wolstenholme, a graduate of Clear Lake High School near Houston, is not only a performer and choreographer; she also teaches dance. Last summer, she taught dance classes in inner-city Houston neighborhoods for a program called Families Under Urban and Social Attack. The community-based nonprofit agency provides adolescent and adult substance abuse treatment, supportive services to the homeless, and other benefits for at-risk youths.

Combining academic studies and dancing comes as nothing new to Wolstenholme, who once served as a full-time apprentice with the Houston Metropolitan Dance Center. While pursuing her undergraduate degree, she worked 30 hours a week with dance, took classes full-time, and worked part-time to support herself. Where does she find the motivation for such a hectic schedule? "I want to know as much as possible and be the best that I can in everything I do," Wolstenholme reveals. "I like learning and growing—period."

As an undergraduate, Wolstenholme became involved in other groups and activities at UH, including Tau Beta Pi and Eta Kappa Nu, two engineering honor societies. She was also on the Student Advisory Committee. As a sophomore, she participated in the Research Experience for Undergraduates program, studying with Fritz Claydon, professor and chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering. It was during this time that Wolstenholme began to learn how to conduct upper level research.

"I learned how to organize my lab books, find reference materials related to a specific research topic, and be proactive in the pursuit of information," Wolstenholme says. "I found that—unlike in school courses—the information you need is not at your fingertips. You may not even know what you need to know! A large amount of preparatory research, such as reading other scientific papers and teaching yourself specific and necessary computer or mathematical skills, has to be done before you can even start on a project."

Wolstenholme also studied abroad during her sophomore year at UH in England, where she gave free dance classes to younger children. She says she enjoys introducing others to different types of dance, which is why she seizes every opportunity to do so, even in other countries. "At first, I didn’t like the idea of teaching dance, but now I’m enthused because I get a chance to create choreography," Wolstenholme explains. "You also get a chance to impart all the knowledge you have, and at the same time, you see your own errors and can teach yourself."

Ironically, Wolstenholme never planned on becoming an engineer when she was younger, and now she wants even more education in the subject. Her father is a thermal engineer, and she decided to enter the engineering program because her parents said a scientific career was promising. "In high school, I was really good in English, and although I made A’s in science courses, I really wasn’t good at it," Wolstenholme recalls. "I wasn’t even allowed in the honors math program." This led her to fear college math courses. Despite this, she made all A’s in UH advanced math classes, and she had no problem keeping up with the other students who had taken advanced math courses in high school. "I think it’s how much you put into it when you’re here."

Wolstenholme decided to attend UH for its diversity, proximity, and affordability. "I enjoyed the exposure to a wide range of very diverse people," she says. "I liked going to a large college where there were many people so very unlike myself. For the first time in my life, I had a close group of friends that were truly multicultural, and we enjoyed discovering things about one another’s lifestyles and backgrounds." In reflecting, she adds that she is happy to have chosen engineering. And despite the rigors and uniqueness of her chosen career path, she is making the decision to combine dancing with engineering look pretty smart, too.

Tara Mullee works in the University of Houston Cullen College of Engineering. This first appeared in Parameters, the college’s magazine.