Niyati Tamaskar is an electrical and computer engineer with 15 years’ experience developing electronic controls for machine and engine applications. Her love of engineering is equaled by her dedication as North American leader for Cummins Women in Technology, and she promotes STEM education and engineering careers among minorities.
At 34, Tamaskar was diagnosed with an aggressive breast cancer. She was breastfeeding her second child at the time. Growing up in India, she found discussion of serious illness was often discouraged. Tamaskar chose not to be silent, writing a 2019 memoir about her cancer journey. She donates all proceeds of Unafraid: A Survivor’s Quest for Human Connection to the American Cancer Society. Unafraid was featured in Forbes magazine as one of eight books that will help to spark human connection.
Tamaskar connects with women of color with breast cancer locally and nationally. She helps navigate medical jargon, sheds light on reconstruction processes, and brainstorms strategies, nourishing their self-advocacy. Tamaskar has given talks on “the power of vulnerability” at Cummins Inc. and has given a TEDx talk on the cultural bias and stigma associated with cancer.
She volunteers for Girls Inc. and is part of Cummins’ engineering recruiting team for The Ohio State University. She currently lives in Columbus, Indiana, with her husband and two children.
This article first appeared in Society of Women Engineers Magazine.
