"A lot of kids grow up loving airplanes, but I actually get to play with them as a grown-up and I get paid !"

Name: Jos Cocquyt

What he does: Designs small, unmanned aerial vehicles used by the military for surveillance

For whom: AeroVironment Inc

Reference: IEEE Spectrum Feb 2005. pp36, 37

"I want to plop a rover on Mars and have it call when it finds interesting science..."

Name: Ayanna Howard

What she does: Designs future generations of space robotic explorers.

For whom: NASA

Reference: IEEE Spectrum Feb 2005. pp20, 21

"It's satisfying to know that you've helped people who have been wronged and that you're part of ensuring that products are safe..."

Name: Andrew Paris

What he does: Investigates electrical and electronic devices suspected of catastrophic malfunction.

For whom: Anderson Engineering of New Prague Inc.

Reference: IEEE Spectrum Feb 2007. pp22,23

Lighting design "involves a wonderful mix of art and science, amazing clients, travel - and an opportunity to make a difference."

Name: Jim Benya

What he does: Designs energy-efficient lighting systems for commercial, public, and residential projects.

For whom: Benya Lighting

Reference: IEEE Spectrum Feb 2006. pp44, 45

"There are jobs and careers that we can't even dream about at this point..."

Name: Manni Wong

What she does: Designs electronics and control systems for rides and attractions at Disney Parks worldwide.

For whom: Walt Disney Imagineering

Reference: IEEE Spectrum Feb 2006. pp38, 39

"Technology is not an end in itself, but a set of tools to be used for getting a better understanding of the world and helping to improve it..."

Name: Dale Joachim

What he does: Designs technology for communicating with birds via cellphone, making them easier to count and track.

For whom: MIT Media Lab

Reference: IEEE Spectrum Feb 2007. pp26,27

"I am exploring machines that are... more like tricksters, capable of surprising us and making us think and behave differently."

Name: Frederic Kaplan

What he does: Invents futuristic devices-robots, interactive furniture, new forms of computers-and explores their social consequences.

For whom: Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne

Reference: IEEE Spectrum Feb 2007. pp34, 35

"Gets to travel the world and meet heads of state."

Name: Mary Lou Jepsen

What she does: Dreams up ways to design a high-quality US$100 laptop for children in emerging countries; acts as "ambassador" to the laptop's manufacturers in Asia and to the countires that will buy the computers.

For whom: One Laptop per Child

Reference: IEEE Spectrum Feb 2007. pp28, 29

"It's fantastic to work on things that touch millions..."

Name: Anthony Eckersall

What he does: Designs control systems for the largest and most complex fountains ever made.

For whom: Wet Design Inc.

Reference: IEEE Spectrum Feb 2006. pp48