21st Century Women in Technology: Adriana Febles Rodrígue

After the summer break, we continue to get to know our colleagues here at Gradiant through the 21st Century Women in Technology series. Giving visibility to their profiles and why they chose this career path, and the work they do in Gradiant, can encourage and inspire other young women to embark on their own path in the field of technology. Listening to a young professor of Telecommunications Engineering talk about all that could be achieved with this knowledge was precisely what made today’s guest, Adriana Febles Rodríguez, choose her studies studied in her native Cuba before going on to complete a Master’s Degree in Research in Information and Communications Technologies at the University of Valladolid.

Adriana Febles works on a number of different projects in the Advanced Communications area. On the one hand, some of this research is developing solutions that reduce electricity consumption and make Industry 4.0 more efficient. She is also researching Artificial Intelligence models that aim to improve security in 5G networks. She divides her leisure time between sports activities, team building and dancing or travelling to learn about the history, culture and nature of every place he has the opportunity to visit. 

What did you want to do when you were little?

Like many other children, I considered many professions as an adult. When I was a kid, I spent summers with my grandparents in the countryside and I loved horse riding. From that time, I remember that we often went to the Rodeo and I used to say that I wanted to be like the horsewomen who showed up at the various competitions. Then I wanted to be an actress, a dancer, a nurse, but what I wanted to be for the longest time was a psychologist.

Why did you choose technology?

At school I always liked maths and physics, so I changed my mind about studying psychology. But I didn’t really have access to the context of technology careers. In Cuba there was no internet and the technology was really behind the rest of the world. Despite this, the university opened its doors every year to students in their final year of the Baccalaureate. One day I attended this event, a series of lectures on different subjects and when it was the turn of Telecommunications Engineering, which was given by a young professor, I was impressed with all that could be achieved through telecommunications. That day I decided that I wanted to dedicate myself to it.

Where did you plan to study? Why?

In my country, students go to the university that corresponds to their place of residence, in my case it was the CUJAE, Technological University of La Habana. 

What are you currently working on?

Since I started at Gradiant I have worked on projects in sectors such as Industry 4.0 and Machine Vision geared towards studying the advantages of deploying Artificial Intelligence models in Edge devices, specifically FPGAs. This solution allows for lower power consumption compared to other hardware platforms such as the GPU. I’m also working on the development of an Artificial Intelligence model that aims to improve security in 5G Networks by detecting the presence of attacks of different nature in Radio Frequency signals. 

What do you like most about your work?

What I like most about my job is the development stage of each project because it’s dynamic and keeps you in a constant learning process. And then there’s the fact that I can continue my vocational training here. Last but not least, the good working atmosphere we have and the number of initiatives that are presented to get to know each other better while enjoying the wonders that Galicia has to offer.

Who is your female role model or reference in the world of technology?

Unfortunately, I never had a female role model in the world of technology, but I remember that, studying at university, a professor of Digital Electronics dedicated part of the class to tell us about some of the women who had left their mark on the sector, and one of them was Hedy Lamarr, an actress and inventor of the spread spectrum technique. This aroused my curiosity. Nowadays, I am very interested in hearing stories of women like her who have gone under the radar and never received the recognition they deserved. Today, I look up to all of them, as well as many of my colleagues and friends who are doing incredible things and surpassing themselves every day.

What is your reading of the situation regarding women in the technological field?

Great strides have been made in recent years to promote technology degrees among women, but I think there’s still a psychological factor that has been holding us back. In many countries, both developed and less developed, girls grow up with the idea that certain careers are not for them or are unfeminine, and it is difficult to fight against these traumas that come from childhood. That’s why there is still a long way to go to do away with these prejudices that have permeated society for so many years.

What would you say to the tech workers of the future?

I would tell them that they are capable of achieving anything they set their minds to, that they shouldn’t let distractions keep them off the path and that they should continue the legacy of so many generations of scientists, male and female, and always for the benefit of society.