International Women in Engineering Day - Inspiring women to work in engineering
Today, International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) is celebrating the work and achievements of women engineers. The day also provides an important opportunity to raise the profile of women engineers and highlight the career opportunities available.
To support INWED today, some of the women working within engineering at the Materials Processing Institute are sharing their thoughts to inspire women to work in the engineering sector:
Dr Lucy Smith, Ventures Lead
Brief description of your role - I develop the Institute's intellectual property (IP) into commercial opportunities with a strong emphasis on sustainable technologies.
How do you ensure that safety is seen in your role? - Process safety is inherent in all of the research we perform at the Institute; in my job, I ensure that safety is translated as we scale-up processes for commercialisation.
What would you say to someone thinking of getting into engineering? - The opportunities are endless, and we need passionate people to support the transition to Net Zero in 2050, now!
Catherine Fennell, Principal Researcher
Brief description of your role - I manage the Institute’s Materials Characterisation Laboratories.
How do you ensure that safety is seen in your role? – Everyone should be able to carry out their work in a safe environment, everyone in the laboratories should understand the hazards present and how to control these hazards to prevent harm before undertaking any work
What would you say to someone thinking of getting into engineering? - The opportunities are endless, and it is great working with passionate like-minded people.
Lauren Skidmore, Millman Scholar
Brief description of your role – I am a Millman Scholar at the Materials Processing Institute. I am currently doing my summer industrial placement where I am gaining the knowledge and experience of world leading industrial and materials researchers to help develop my skills for my future. I am working on the live project ‘cement 2 zero’ which involves recycling materials and using an electric arc furnace to produce clinker for zero carbon cement production, as the UK focuses on moving towards net-zero by 2050.
How do you ensure that safety is seen in your role? – Relevant risk assessments are carried out for work which I am involved in, ensuring the correct PPE and measurements are put in place for the safety of myself and others.
What would you say to someone thinking of getting into engineering? – Don’t wait for the right time to go back to education to gain a career which you are passionate about. I took an 8-year gap in education, and I am now going into my third year at university, it’s the best thing I ever did. I have already been given endless opportunities and I’m confident this will continue in the future as I contribute to towards building a brighter future in engineering.
Denise Atkins, Project Engineer
Brief description of your role - My responsibilities are managing installation and commissioning on new pieces of equipment coming onto the Institute campus as well as preserving the well-being of the site.
How do you ensure that safety is seen in your role? - I started my career in Engineering with QHSE and it’s the foundation of everything I do. Making the process safe is the top priority in any task I am doing, and ensuring everyone goes home at the end of the day is the most rewarding aspect of my job.
What would you say to someone thinking of getting into engineering? - Don’t be afraid to take the plunge, don’t ever sell yourself short or let outside negative influences sway your decision. If it’s something you are passionate about do it, there’s nothing more rewarding than a career in something you love.
Susan Ojo, Year in Industry Student
Brief description of your role - I am a Year in Industry student at the Institute, I support all the research taking place with the Cement 2 Zero project. My responsibilities include a range of activities from helping to organise and prepare for induction and electric arc furnace melts to characterising samples in the laboratories. Additionally, I work on characterisation of materials for our commercial clients.
How do you ensure safety is seen in your role? - I consistently evaluate the risk associated with each task I carry out. This helps me to determine and utilise the correct PPE and tools that I need for the task at hand. Whenever I’m uncertain, I make sure to seek guidance from more experienced colleagues in order to do my part in maintaining a safe working environment.
What would you say to someone thinking of getting into engineering? - I would say ‘go for it!’ Engineers address so many of today’s challenges and your unique perspective and contributions could help drive innovation and make a difference.
Shiva Sundaram, Manager, Collaborative R&D and Strategic Projects
Brief description of your role - I manage development of funding opportunities and strategic partnerships to deliver our innovation strategy.
How do you ensure safety is seen in your role? - Safety is a key component not just in our R&D projects all the way through to industrial scale up.
What would you say to someone thinking of getting into engineering? - Come and help deliver the new industrial revolution, and make a real impact in achieving a sustainable future.
A global celebration of women engineers
Launched initially in the UK by the Women's Engineering Society (WES) - https://www.wes.org.uk/ as a national initiative, INWED has grown year by year, and has since achieved a global reach and UNESCO patronage.
The organisation follows three objectives:
• To support women to achieve their potential as engineers, applied scientists and leaders and to reward excellence
• To encourage and promote the education, study and application of engineering
• To work with organizations and influencers to promote gender diversity and equality in the workplace and sustain the historic legacy and future effectiveness of the Women’s Engineering Society.
23 June 2023
