It's an almost unrealistically beautiful Saturday late in September. The air hangs still over the yard, and the high doors of the stables are positioned to the southeast. The stalls are spacious, the stable aisle is well-swept.
"This is the environment where I feel best," says Sandra, a research and development engineer at the RISE research institute, as she casually holds the reins of the thoroughbred.
Pantzare grew up next to a trotting horse farm. The four sisters were constantly around and, in the process, learned everything about life with horses.
"Yes, that school was incredibly important to us. We were five siblings who grew up in the countryside in Norrland (or Hälsingland). Our grandparents lived right next door and had dairy cows. As neighbors, there was also Åsa with the trotting stable, Hästfarmen. I also went to a regular riding school, but it was with Åsa that I learned to understand the horse as an individual. When you follow enough individuals from when they are young until they become adults, you see patterns and understand the animal from a larger perspective. You learn to quickly pick up signals."
She describes the family of five siblings, four sisters, and one technology-interested brother. How they played in and around the stable, and the proximity to nature was always there.
Was it clear to you what you wanted to do in life?
"On the contrary. I chose the natural sciences program because I thought it would give me breadth and allow me to make a decision about the direction later. After high school, I worked abroad, partly in France, and partly in Australia. I was an au pair, played handball, and surfed... I also tried working in a factory for a while but quickly realized that I didn't want to do that for the rest of my life. So when it was time to choose a university education, I looked again for something broad and checked a few options for civil engineering. So it happened that I ended up in Electronics Design at LiU. It wasn't actually my first choice, but once there, I met a lot of nice people. And it turned out that my future husband was a mentor in the program..."
Now they have a little son together, who is at home with his father during the interview.
You did your thesis together with your friend Elin, but were there few girls in the program otherwise?
"Yes, many girls lack confidence in technology. It's not about a lack of ability, but just that we don't receive the same education as boys. There's a lack of role models and an expectation that this type of knowledge should be passed on to us."
"I remember a pivotal moment when I was about five years old. The chain on our little toy tractor had broken, so I fixed it with a nail. I remember my mom coming out of the house and saying, 'You're quite the techie, Sandra.' And I think that has had an impact. To hear so early that you're good at something..."
"But I also remember feeling like I had fooled her; that was so incredibly easy. And I can still feel that sometimes, that what I do is so simple that I don't understand why it would be anything remarkable..."
And why do you think that is?
"Lack of testosterone," she laughs, looking over at her male colleague who has just dismounted and stands with his arms crossed, leaning against a stall.
"It's so interesting when I'm out in the world at conferences. People often assume that I have some kind of administrative role until the researchers turn to me for advice on what to do. Then the attitude shifts."
How can we address that?
"I think it's about convincing girls that they can do just as well. I would like to say, 'If I can do it, so can you,' but that would be a bit strange... Anyway, I really hope that more people dare to try. Many girls are already involved in a lot of technology, like posting pictures on social media, for example. There are several technical variables that need to be right for that to work well... And we need more concrete examples of what can be done with technology. I hope that what I do can inspire others to see new technical solutions within their areas of interest."
And how did the idea of developing sensors under a horse's hooves come about?
"After spending a whole life with horses, the need to detect lameness earlier became apparent. Horses are often asymmetrical and, on top of that, they are flight animals. They never show weakness, and when we ask them to run, they will do it, whether they are in pain or not. So detecting lameness is always difficult in time. Many have torn their hair out and wished that horses could talk to us and tell us where it hurts. Now we can measure how much force and weight they put on their hooves to see patterns and prevent issues in time."
Where does this solution-oriented approach come from?
"It's probably from growing up in the stable. You always need to find ways that are sustainable and work with these large animals. Research also shows that horse girls often end up in leadership roles in the workplace."
"And probably that village mentality of having to fix things yourself. If you want a soccer team or a club, you have to create one. No one else will do it for you. That has probably played a role too."
She also talks about the fascination with how electronics are a dance between the laws of physics and human inventiveness. Perhaps thanks to her Sami heritage from her grandmother, she has the desire to listen and learn from nature.
"It's actually the same phenomenon as in handling horses, finding the listening. Understanding. I think that's what life is all about, listening to learn."
And if you were to dream forward?
"Then I would like to have a large horse farm with lots of smart solutions, preferably with my siblings. And that I only got to do things I enjoy. I like to constantly evolve, so during parental leave, for example, I'm learning web development. And in the same way, I would like to develop in the equestrian sport..."
"So I wish that more children would be told early on that they are technical when they come up with inventive ideas. We need more people who can help solve tomorrow's problems!"
TEXT & PHOTO: ANNA WALLENTIN
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