As the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory celebrates Women's History Month throughout March, we asked some of our staff members to tell us what Women's History Month means to them. This is the fourth of a weekly series throughout March.
Name: Susmitha Bodige
Position: Help desk technician, PPPL Information Technology Department
How long at PPPL: Two and a half years
Describe your job:
"I'm pretty much the go-to tech person for everyone's tech issues. No day is the exact same. A day-in-the-life for me is helping out people with their computers and any issues that they're having. I handle everything on the surface level, so if you tell me, 'I can't turn my computer on' or 'my computer isn't working,' I'm usually the first person that diagnoses the problem and then directs you to another group that can solve the issue. I also meet new people all the time. Any newcomers who come to the lab, including employees, contractors, or grad students even, I'm usually the first person they meet. Even though I don't have a direct hand in fusion energy work, my department supports it in the sense that we take care of all the tech management. If anything goes wrong, we're usually the first responders and we do backend support."
What does Women's History Month mean to you?
"To me, Women's History Month is a dedicated month where we can celebrate women's accomplishments and advancements in history. I see it as a time where men and women can come together and really strategize promoting female empowerment."
What does working at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory mean to you?
"Working at PPPL means that I get to be a part of an amazing community where we all do different things, but we're all working components for the bigger fusion energy project. I think it's really amazing to be a part of a community where we're all grateful for what everyone does, we all respect each other and we wish each other the best. We're like a big family and that's the best part about working at the lab."
