Tara Astigarraga

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“Women bring strong skills and unique perspectives to projects.”
Tara Astigarraga

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Astigarraga sitting at her desk in front of her computer

Tara Astigarraga in her office at IBM, 2020. Courtesy of Lori & Erin Photography

Tara Astigarraga, a member of the Choctaw Nation, studied Spanish linguistics and communications in college and planned to become either a bilingual teacher or a social worker. An internship at IBM changed all that, sparking a passion for software engineering.

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Astigarraga speaking at a podium with slide on the screen

Tara Astigarraga speaking at NASA, 2019. Photo by Alexis Astigarraga

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Drawing from Astigarraga’s US Patent 10,586,447 for a smart traffic signal system, 2020. Courtesy of USPTO

With more than 75 patents to her credit, she has invented storage, networking, security, and blockchain solutions. For her inventions and her mentorship of Native Americans and women pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), Astigarraga was named an IBM Master Inventor.

Source for quote above: “How This IBM Master Inventor Brings STEM Education to Native American Communities,” IBM Careers Blog, March 12, 2018, https://www.ibm.com/blogs/jobs/2018/03/12/how-this-ibm-master-inventor-brings-stem-education-to-native-american-communities/.