Howdy! My name is Claire Atkinson. My pronouns are she/her. I’m an aerospace and nuclear engineer by trade. Aerospace in the sense that I’m a fancy mechanical engineer who took a few extra courses on fluid dynamics and some fun stuff on propulsion and aerothermochemistry. Nuclear in the sense that I got enough practical fluids and heat transfer experience with that aerospace degree that they decided it was a good idea to let me work on the loops of hot water that flow around inside a nuclear power plant. I’ve worked on testing aircraft structures, designing and analyzing the fluid-carrying guts of rockets, readying airplane programs for certification from an airplane safety standpoint, and explaining to project managers why Hofstadter’s law applies viciously to aerospace development programs. Currently I’m working on the analysis of nuclear steam supply systems.

I’m also a writer, and you can find my work in CALYX and Science for the People. I enjoy writing speculative fiction (mostly sci-fi) and about the weirdness of gender. The blog on this site is where I get to have fun without an editor, and where I mostly focus on the latter.

I was born in 1989 and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. I’ve lived in Texas (where I went to college), Washington, California, and now Oregon. My family of origin comes from southern Illinois, but I’m stuck in the gravity well of the west coast and I don’t particularly mind that. The Pacific northwest is one of my favorite parts of Earth. I’m happy to call it home at the moment.

I’ve been married since 2014 to a woman who makes me a better human every day. We have three children who are what I care for and am proud of most in the world.

In August 2021 I made the rather startling and sudden discovery that I’m transgender. I describe it as “startling” and “sudden” despite clear signals something was very wrong with the way I experienced my gender for at least half a lifetime. This is more common than you might think.

This site is my platform for documenting the work I do in the engineering and writing worlds, as well as my noodlings and musings on how humans and femaleness work. I hope it finds you well.