Today marks the 10th annual International Women in Engineering Day.
It is a day designated by the Women’s Engineering Society to celebrate, and raise the profile of, women in engineering and to highlight the important career opportunities the industry provides to women and girls in the world of engineering.
The theme for this year is Make Safety Seen.
The Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science asked some of Memorial’s women engineers how they help to make safety seen.
1/ Dr. Octavia A. Dobre, interim dean, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science
“Use robotics/cobotics, along with AI, control and wireless communications in environments hazardous for humans.”
2/ Dr. Helen Zhang, professor, Department of Civil Engineering, and Canada Research Chair Tier 2
“Environmental engineers make water safe and clear to drink, soil safe and healthy for growing and air safe and clean to breathe. We are making environmental safety seen by our communities.”
3/ Tina Putt, academic staff member, Engineering Co-operative Education
“Planning, design, operations . . . public safety is at the forefront of everything an engineer does.”
4/ Dr. Heather Peng, Department of Ocean and Naval Architectural Engineering, and director, first-year engineering
“A ship’s design must consider safety. Designing more energy-efficient vessels and reducing underwater noise from propellers will lead to safer operations, fuel and noise reduction and allowing more comfort for those on board the vessels and for marine life.”
5/ Dr. Lesley James, professor, Department of Process Engineering, and Dr. Mahsan Basafa, research engineer, Hibernia Research Group
“Safety in the Hibernia Research Group is paramount. Our daily work involves handling high pressure and high temperature flammable gases and liquids, making safety critical. We believe in a collaborative approach to safety, involving the entire team in laboratory safety checks. We even implemented a visual dashboard, developed by a co-op student, to ensure that safety information is easily accessible for everyone. Together, we strive to make safety seen and prioritize the well-being of our team and our research endeavours.”
6/ Dr. Maha Bhouri, Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering
Dr. Bhouri is inspired by the words of Leah Busque, an American entrepreneur, who said, "I've never thought of myself as a female engineer or founder or a woman in tech. I just think of myself as someone who's passionate."
To see Memorial’s women engineers at work in a series of videos, visit the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science website.
