International Women in Engineering Day
Historically, engineering has been perceived as a male dominant field, but women are making breakthroughs and bringing a lot to the engineering dinner table. In fact, throughout history, women have been fundamental to the discovery and success of many projects, and today we honour them and their achievements.
Lady Katherine Parsons
We cannot talk about women in engineering without mentioning engineering advocate Lady Katherine Parsons (1859-1933). Her efforts and activism were vital in bringing women to the forefront of engineering in the UK, and she co-founded and directed the Women’s Engineering Society (WES). During the First World War she led thousands of women on engineering projects, and during a talk she gave at the First World War Victory Meeting, she implored women who were active in engineering to continue their work when the men were introduced back into the workforce. It is suspected that she collaborated with her husband Charles Parsons – who invented the steam turbine engine – on his projects, and together they established a strong reputation in electrical engineering that still stands today.
Katie Weimer
Engineering can be applied to more than building steam turbines and rockets. Katie Weimer of 3D Systems uses 3D technologies to revolutionise healthcare operations. She leads teams through the development of medical devices and calls upon her experience to create “patient-specific anatomical models, surgical guides and templates.” (10 Influential Women in Engineering). With a growth in technological advances, women like Katie provide important exposure and knowledge in expanding healthcare treatments and making them as individualised and successful as possible.
Representation
Women are still underrepresented in engineering only making up 16.5% of the workforce according to Engineering UK. This number has been increasing, no doubt in response to the governments STEM initiative, and women continue to rise and showcase their skills to create expansive technologies that enhance and improve society.
What Can You Do to Cultivate Your Daughter’s Interest in Engineering?
- Look for clubs that offer opportunities for them to build upon their knowledge. At ComputerXplorers, we run academy classes where they can explore their creativity and knowledge in more depth.
- Direct them to resources and websites that will guide them on projects and enable them to think in new and constructive ways.
- Honour their creativity and indulge their inquisitive nature by answering their questions (or Googling it if you don’t know!) and giving them little tasks to do that encourage them to use their logic and knowledge.
- Involve them – children love to get involved and contribute, and often provide solutions our adult minds are too logical to come up with. The hands-on approach is perfect, and not only will they be able to contribute and take pride in their achievements, it enables you to spend quality time with them and see that you have a genius in the mix!
To find out more about women in engineering, check out this website.
