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The Woman Engineer – Spring 200512
Which discipline of engineeringdo you work in?
❏ civil
❏ aeronautical
❏ mechanical
❏ environmental
❏ electrical
❏ chemical
❏ other
___________________________
Which subsector of this disci -pline do you work in?
______________________________
(eg railways, automotive, govern-ment, etc)
What stage are you in yourcareer?
❏ student
❏ mid-career/manager
❏ mature student
❏ senior/director
❏ newly qualified/graduate
❏ retired
How did you originally hearabout WES?
❏ another member
❏ academic staff
❏ institution or professional
organisation
❏ employer
❏ WES promotional literature
❏ other
___________________________
Which WES Circle, Cluster orstudent group are you a mem -ber of?
______________________
What is your prefer red methodof communication with WES?
❏ letter
❏ phone
❏ fax
❏ website
Which of these WES activitieshave you participated in duringthe past year?
❏ yearly conference
❏ social events
❏ local/cluster events
❏ lectures
❏ educational outreach
opportunities
If you have not participated,why not?
_______________________________
_______________________________
If you did not attend the confer -ence, was it because:
❏ too far away
❏ not interested in topic
❏ too expensive
❏ not free those dates
❏ other
_________________________
If you did attend the confer -ence, how pleased were youwith it overall?
❏ quite pleased
❏ somewhat pleased
❏ neutral
❏ somewhat displeased
❏ quite displeased
How pleased were you with theshorter (1.5 day) format?
❏ quite pleased
❏ somewhat pleased
❏ neutral
❏ somewhat displeased
❏ quite displeased
Should WES hold one-dayregional workshops?
❏ Yes, in addition to the national
conference
❏ Yes, instead of the national
conference
❏ No
Do you have any otherthoughts/comments about lastyear ’s conference, or the nation -al conference in general?
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
Do you read The WomanEngineer?
❏ yes ❏ no
WES MEMBERSHIP SURVEY
Which of the benefits on the list below encouraged you to joinWES?low/no some highImportance importance importance
❏ ❏ ❏ professional networking opportunities
❏ ❏ ❏ social networking opportunities
❏ ❏ ❏ meeting role models or mentors
❏ ❏ ❏ opportunities for personal development
❏ ❏ ❏ joining an influential voice for women
in the field
❏ ❏ ❏ taking part in educational/outreach
activities
❏ ❏ ❏ attending WES events (conference etc.)
❏ ❏ ❏ support from other women in the field
❏ ❏ ❏ careers advice
❏ ❏ ❏ helping other women and girls
❏ ❏ ❏ promoting gender equality
other _________________________________________________
Which of the benefits on the list below have you gained as a resultof WES membership?
low/no some highbenefit benefit benefit
❏ ❏ ❏ professional networking opportunities
❏ ❏ ❏ social networking opportunities
❏ ❏ ❏ meeting role models or mentors
❏ ❏ ❏ opportunities for personal development
❏ ❏ ❏ joining an influential voice for women
in the field
❏ ❏ ❏ taking part in educational/outreach
activities
❏ ❏ ❏ attending WES events (conference etc.)
❏ ❏ ❏ support from other women in the field
❏ ❏ ❏ careers advice
❏ ❏ ❏ helping other women and girls
❏ ❏ ❏ promoting gender equality
other _________________________________________________
President’ s
message
Ilike an
exciting
life, and
it looks as
though
2005 will
probably
manage
to keep me amused. WES
affairs continue to have their
little ups and downs (let’s
hope no big ones). The
national climate will change
as the impact of the UK’s
Resource Centre for Women
in SET (UKRC) is felt, and
other organisations find their
positions around it. Our
friends at DiverSETy in the DTI
are also facing change.
Internationally, this is an
ICWES year – the conference
is in Seoul in August, and
INWES will naturally get
boosted too. UNESCO is
doing a major report on
women in science, engineer-
ing and technology, and
European initiatives should be
happening under the new
Framework (and with a new
head of the Women and
Science unit in Brussels).
We need to ease WES
along in various directions –
to reshape the responsibilities
of President, Secretary and
Council to ensure that the
role of President is not too
heavy a burden on a busy
mother (Dawn next year?) or
someone hard-pressed by a
demanding job (you in a few
years’ time?); to find new
sources of funding to
Continues on page 3
Circle Christmas gathering p2
THE
www.wes.org.uk
Young Woman Engineer of the Year pp 6-7 Karen Burt Awar d p 7
Volume 17, Number 7– Spring 2005WomanEngineer
Based upon my experience as amember of Council for a num-ber of years, I had expected
2004 to be a year like any other year.Now when I look back, I realise thatduring my time with WES, I haven’texperienced such a roller coaster rideas I had last year. The year started onquite a high, with a promising out-look for the rest of 2004, but howwrong you can be!
In my day job (before settling downto a career break as a wife and moth-er of two young children), I hadimprinted in my mind the needalways to plan with contingency inmind (if something can go wrong, itwill). I was constantly reviewing RISKand what it would cost my employersif a project was not delivered on time,to budget and to the customers’ sat-isfaction.
I will always remember 2004 as theyear in WES that if something couldgo wrong it would. CathyMacGillivray left WES after 11 yearsservice and members of Council hadto step in to cover most of theadministrative work until we found areplacement. We then discovered thata firm supporter of WES, Dr MichaelSanderson, was retiring from SEMTAand we had no idea about his intend-ed successor, hence we didn’t knowwhat our future position would hold.Due to the changes at SEMTA, wehad to find an alternative means forprinting the journal and, on top ofthat, when we thought that confer-
ence plans were going swimmingly,the rug was pulled out from underour feet due to the closure ofWhitehall College. It didn’t end thereeither, we had some inevitablechanges to Council due to the factthat people move on and work com-mitments prevent them from beingable to give WES as much time asthey would like.
What I have learnt though fromlast year is that WES is resourcefuland I don’t mean financially. Councilhad support and advice from many ofthe members and advisors to WESand, as a result, we were able toovercome all of the issues highlightedabove.
We now have a permanentreplacement for Cathy, we are still atOld Queen St (thanks to SEMTA forcontinued support) and we were ableto deliver a superb conference at analternative venue (thanks to theSchool of Management at CranfieldUniversity).
High points
Despite all of the above, the highpoints for 2004 have been numerous.We have developed a good working
relationship with the UK ResourceCentre for Women in SET (UKRC). Wehave continued to have a good rel-ationship with the Institution ofIncorporated Engineers (IIE) throughour support of the Young WomanEngineer of the Year Award and theirhelp and support with the LadyFinniston Award. The Institution ofElectrical Engineers (IEE) and theDaphne Jackson Trust continued towork with us to run the DaphneJackson Lecture (which for 2004 wasenthralling, my husband thoroughlyenjoyed the presentation by Dr ClaireDavis). The Verena Holmes LectureSeries 2004, hosted by Ford MotorCompany, was a resounding success(thanks to Ford Motor Company fortheir delivery of ‘Friction, Friend orFoe’).
These are just a few of the goodworking relationships that we have,but Council and members of WES areconstantly forging ahead to furtherthe aims of the Society, through workwith many different organisations.
If at the end of 2005 someone asksme what were the highs and lows of2004 that made it such a roller coast-er ride, I’m sure that I won’t remem-ber the lows.
I am positive that 2005 will offersome very different challenges, butthis year I am going to spend moretime contingency planning because, Iknow, if something can go wrong itwill.
IN JANUARY the Institute of Physicslaunched Einstein Year. It’s 100 yearssince the publication of Einstein’swork on special relativity; the inspira -tion for which came to him whilst outcycling. To open his special year BMXstunt rider Ben Wallace performed aspecially devised feat called theEinstein flip.
Ben worked with CambridgeUniversity physicist Helen Czerski,
who worked out the parameters ofwhat was physicallypossible andtested this by computer simulation.
Ben launched himself off a 6 fthigh ramp and spun backwardsthrough 360 degrees whilst foldinghis bike underneath him in a moveknown to BMX devotees as a ‘table -top’. At one point he was upsidedown, travelling at 15 mph, with hishead 12 ft off the floor.
A roller coaster rideSenior Vice-President Dawn Fitt reviews WESdevelopments over the past year
The Woman Engineer – Spring 20052
Inside this issue...
2 Circle News3 Why men should be allowed
to become full members
4 Petra Godwin finds how tosort out work-life balance
4 Kerry Mashford chairslargest IMechE division
5 Carolyn Dougherty’s passionfor trains and a motorbike
8 ICWES - apply for bursaries9 Council Update
10 News12 Membership survey
The Women’ sEngineering Societyis a charity registered with theCharity Commission No. 1008913and a company limited by guar-antee registered in England No.162096.
All correspondence regardingmembership and the work ofthe Women’s EngineeringSociety (WES) should beaddressed to:
The SecretaryWomen’s Engineering Society22 Old Queen Street London SW1H 9HPTel: 0207 233 1974 e-mail: [email protected]
The Woman Engineer Editor :Pat Battamse-mail: [email protected]
Editorial Boar d:Ruth Carter, Lorna Chapman,Jacky Crook, Eli Fosbrooke, PetraGodwin, Dianne Patterson,Karen Quigley, Connie Shirley,Natalie Wiseman
The Woman Engineer is pub-lished by the Women’sEngineering Society. It is distrib-uted free of charge to membersof the Society and to selectedprofessional women engineers,scientists and women under-graduates at universities and col-leges.
Subscriptions : the journal isavailable to non WES membersin the UK at a subscription priceof £20.00pa (inc postage). Pleasesend applications for subscrip-tions to WES. Cheques should bemade payable to: Women’sEngineering Society.
Overseas subscriptions : priceby surface mail is £25.00pa.Sterling cheques or bank draftsshould be made payable to:Women’s Engineering Society.All letters and articles for inclu -sion in The Woman Engineershould be sent to the Editor atthe same address.
The views expressed in thisjournal are not necessarilythe views of the Society.
(c) Copyright: The WomanEngineer 2005
Deadline for next issue: 15 April 2005
This issue features achievementsby women in engineering andscience. Both the Young
Woman Engineer of the Year Awardwinners and the Karen Burt Awardwinner are already proving excellentambassadors for women engineers.All have busy lives but still find timeto try and inspire young women withtheir enthusiasm for what engineer -ing has to offer.
Another WES member hasachieved prominence in their profes-sional institution (see page 4) and onpage 10 we report on the achieve-ments of several women scientists,who have won recognition for theirground-breaking research.
New Council member CarolynDougherty gives us an interesting
perspective on the differencesbetween working life and the experi-ences of women engineers in the USand here (see page 5).
This is your opportunity to applyfor a bursary to attend the 13thInternational Conference of WomenEngineers and Scientists (ICWES13) inSeoul, Korea in August on page 8.And while you are in form-fillingmood, perhaps you would like toturn to the back page and fill in theWES Membership Survey.
This is your opportunity to tell uswhat you think of WES and how youwould like WES to develop in future.Your views are greatly valued byCouncil and will be used to decidefuture WES policy.
The last membership survey was
conducted four years ago and as aresult of this: the journal wasimproved, MentorSET introduced anda business plan created to focusactivities. So please do take a fewminutes to complete the survey.
The survey is intended to beanonymous but if anyone wishes tobe identified, or make their viewsknown in person to a Council mem-ber, please add your name on thesecond page where it says ‘add yourname here’.
We will report in a future issue onthe outcome of the survey.
Sur rey & Sussex Circle
For the fourth year running, we’ve been askedwhether our members can help out with
careers events in the region soon. Volunteers are needed to help at the Warwick
School in Redhill on 15 & 17 March with theirOpportunities Week, and to help run the WomenIn Engineering stand at the Fast TrackEngineering Careers event in Crawley on 21April.
If anyone would like more information or isable to volunteer, please contact Karen Quigleyon 01403 783137 or [email protected].
Heart of England Circle
MEMBERS get together for a convivial festive meal.
At the national finals of the 2005Jaguar F1 Team in Schools
Challenge, the IMechE sponsoredthree Innovative Thinking Awards forage groups 11-14, 14-16 and 16+.The respective winners had to designa model F1 car and present theirideas to a panel of judges.
The winners were: St Joseph’s RCSchool in Newport, South Wales,with their Atomic Jo team; BishopGore Comprehensive School inSwansea, with their Bishop GoreEagles team, and LutterworthGrammar School, Lutterworth, SouthWales, with Team Dynamic.
IMechE Director, Engineering and
Membership Services, NedNetherclift, presented thethree teams with their tro-phies after James Allen, the‘voice’ of F1 at ITV Sport said:“F1 is a state of perpetualchange – and these studentshave proved that with theoutstanding work they havedone in this year ’s competi-tion.”
F1 in Schools is a not-for-profit company which aims topromote engineering as acareer.
Students from St. Mary’sGrammar School fromMagherfelt, Belfast were crownedoverall winners and scooped the
National Jaguar F1 in Schools UKtitle.
Team from St Joseph’s RC School Innovative
Thinking winner in the 11-14 age group. The
students were inspired to enter by their tech -
nology teacher Helen Hughes .
Cool cars
11The Woman Engineer – Spring 2005 11
What sort of articles would youlike included in The WomanEngineer, which aren’t at pres -ent covered?
______________________________
______________________________
Have you participated in any ofthe following WES-associatedschemes?
❏ schools/careers talks
❏ Lady Finniston Award
❏ Karen Burt Award
❏ Daphne Jackson Lecture
❏ Verena Holmes Lecture
❏ ICWES
❏ MentorSET
Would you like to see more WESevents offered?
❏ yes, professional
❏ yes, social
❏ yes, volunteer/educational
❏ yes, other
___________________________
❏ no
Is the fact that WES is a predom -inantly women’s organisation
❏ the most important part of WES
❏ irrelevant
❏ an integral part of WES
❏ off-putting
Should men be allowed to joinon an equal footing withwomen?
❏ yes ❏ no
The Womens’ Engineering Society
22 Old Queen Street
London SW1H 9HP
Please rate the activities below in terms of relevance to WES’ pur -pose.highly some little or nosignificant significance significance
❏ ❏ ❏ facilities/services for members
❏ ❏ ❏ support network for engineers
❏ ❏ ❏ advice/role models for educational/
careers establishments
❏ ❏ ❏ advice to governments/regulator bodies
❏ ❏ ❏ influencing employers, professional
institutions
❏ ❏ ❏ publicity and profile for women in
science and engineering
❏ ❏ ❏ financial awards/scholarships
❏ ❏ ❏ encouraging young women to join the
profession
❏ ❏ ❏ advice for women returning to work
after a career break
Please rate the adjectives below as appropriate to describe WES:highly somewhat notappropriate appropriate appropriate
❏ ❏ ❏ educational
❏ ❏ ❏ effective
❏ ❏ ❏ full of strange people
❏ ❏ ❏ influential
❏ ❏ ❏ inspiring
❏ ❏ ❏ lively
❏ ❏ ❏ old-fashioned
❏ ❏ ❏ pointless
❏ ❏ ❏ professional
❏ ❏ ❏ supportive
❏ ❏ ❏ traditional
Please fold form carefully and post. Don’ tforget to add a stamp.
In what ways could WES improve its service to members?
_____________________________________________________________
How can WES increase its impact on working practices which needchanging?
_______________________________________________________________
In what ways could WES improve its image?
_______________________________________________________________
What is your favourite thing about WES?
________________________________________________________________
If you could change one thing about WES, what would it be?
_______________________________________________________________
Add your name here if you want a Council member to contact you.
THE WINNER of the 2004Royal Society’s Rosalind
Franklin Award is Carol Robinson FRSof the University of Cambridge’sChemistry Department. ProfessorRobinson is a world leader in the fieldof mass spectrometry, a techniqueshe has used to study interactions ofproteins.
She will use part of the prizemoney to fund a mentoring projectfor undergraduates and to inviteother eminent women in her field tocome and speak at Cambridge.
The Rosalind Franklin award isopen to women scientists who havedeveloped a field of research withwhich they are identified and whoare planning a project to raise theprofile of women in SET.
In her award lecture, entitled‘Finding the right balance: from raregases to ribosomes’, ProfessorRobinson described the developmentof innovative new mass spectrometrytechniques that are giving newinsights into how different types ofproteins, such as ribosomes, withincells interact with each other.
The photo (left)shows Council
member ValentinaMacchi (front right) atthe Everywoman Awardceremony on a Jaguarsponsored table withJaguar Cars managingdirector Bibiana Boerio(4th from the left) andother Jaguar womenengineers.
LYNNE MACASKIE from theUniversity of Birmingham’s
School of Biosciences has won theRoyal Society’s ‘Brian Mercer Awardfor Innovation 2004’ for her work onrecycling road sweepings and urbanwastes.
Dust originating from car catalyticconvertors that are found in roadsidegullies are treated by ProfessorMacaskie’s team to extract the pre-cious metals into a liquid solution.Harmless bacteria are introduced tothe metals and are fed with hydrogento convert them into nanoparticles.Other sorts of metallic nanoparticlescan act as a catalyst for fuel cells tomake clean electricity and it is hopedthat the bacteria nanoparticles will beable to do this too.
Prof Macaskie is also working onusing food wastes from confectionerycompanies to produce hydrogen tofuel energy cells.
GOOD CORPORATE gover-nance is strongly linked with
the presence of women on theboard, according to new researchfrom Cranfield School ofManagement. The 2004 Female FTSEindex offers clear evidence that com-panies with women directors performbetter compared to those with allmale boards.
Dr Val Singh, co-author of theFemale FTSE Report said: “A diverseboard can generate a richness andquality of ideas that is lacking in anall-male board firmly locked into thesame mindset. The result is often abetter managed company, makingmore informed decisions, with a
greater understanding of the needsof its customers and workforce”.
Among the FTSE 100 companiesthe total number of women directorshas gone up from 88 to 96 in 2004,and there has been the largestincrease ever in the proportion ofnew director appointments going towomen (17%, up from 13% in2003).
Top companies in this respect areCentrica, with three women direc-tors, and J. Sainsbury with two; inboth companies women comprise athird of their directors. On the down-side the number of companies havingall male boards has stayed static (31in 2004, 32 in 2003).
To request a free copy of thereport e-mail: [email protected].
The Woman Engineer – Spring 200510
New members
Radi Dontcheva , Gillingham
Barbara Hodgson , Milton
K e y n e s
Lynette Per c o x , Te l f o rd
Isabelle Phillips , Oxford
Dyanne Sharp , Earl Shilton,
L e i c e s t e r s h i re
Yvonne Stone , Bristol
Student members
Adebanke Funsho ,
B i rm i n g h a m
Sarah Jor d a n , Birm i n g h a m
Keep us informed of your
latest news by writing to:
The Woman Engineer,
22 Old Queen Street,
London SW1H 9HP
or via e-mail to
Carol Robinson
BARBARA MAHER, Professorof Physical Geography at the
University of Lancaster, has won theInstitute of Physics Chree Medal forher pioneering work using the mag-netism in rocks and soil to under-stand how changes in the Earth’s cli-mate have been caused by humansand by natural events in the past.This work is now helping researcherspredict exactly how the Earth’s cli-mate might change in the future.
She was the first person to linkthe magnetic properties of rock andsoil with changes in climate and theenvironment. Understanding thisrelationship allowed her to recon-struct the Earth’s climate over geo-logical time-scales; identifyingchanges induced by humans as wellas natural variations in climate.
Sir John Enderby FRS, president ofthe Institute of Physics said:
”Physicists around the UK are mak -ing vital contributions to our under-standing of climate change andglobal warming, one of the most
serious problems facing the Earth.The Institute of Physics is delightedto be able to recognise the work ofBarbara Maher in helping climatol-ogists understand major changes inthe Earth’s climate and how humanshave influenced these.”
Sir John Enderby with Barbara Maher
Her Royal Highness Princess Annepresents the 2004 WISE ExcellenceAward to Wendy Sadler. Wendy’scompany ‘Science made Simple”organises activities to explain scienceconcepts to girls and young women .
The Woman Engineer – Spring 2005 3
President’s messageContinued from page 1
strengthen
our ability
to carry
out our
core busi-
ness; to
maintain
our representation on all
sorts of decision-making
bodies; probably to find
new office premises as our
generous landlord of many
years faces cutbacks as its
funding has changed (and
to monitor the impact of
those cutbacks). There is
an immediate need to sort
out the future of
MentorSET – Council has
just reiterated its commit-
ment to this project that
has a unique impact on
women engineers. We
need money, and we need
mentors. Any help with
either will be very wel -
come!
The UKRC is starting toreally roll. It feels like along time since BaronessGreenfield (and Jan Peters)started on that report, butwe are beginning to seethe actions that werequested then. WES has avoice in the UKRC activitiesthrough a couple of advi-sory groups, and we try tobe constructive, and offerthe benefit of our longexperience.
It is good to see WESexperience also beingrecognised by our invita-tion to take a lead on partsof the UNESCO reportdealing with ‘the labourmarket’. However, it mustbe admitted that the UKwill take up only a smallpart. The report-writingteam need to talk towomen from across theworld, and not just thosewho got to the top butalso those who werecaught by the barriersacross their path. Pleaseemail me with useful sto-ries and far-flung contacts.
HOWARD CHERR Y runs a trainingand assessment company. At presenthe is heavily involved in providingtraining for the new ‘Part P’ of theBuilding Regulations and runningelectrotechnical assessments for theElectrical Contractors Association.
He was recently elected to the IIECouncil and serves on the IIE’sProfessional DevelopmentCommittee.
Howard has been an Associate ofWES for five years. He was recruitedby a colleague at the EngineeringCouncil where he was work-ing at the time promotingthe NeighbourhoodEngineers scheme whichhas since evolved intoEngineering Ambassadors.
One of his reasons forjoining was because he val -ued the kudos WES member -ship offered. “At the time Iwas trying to get more womeninvolved inNeighbourhoodEngineers to act as rolemodels, I felt that say-ing I was an Associateof WES gave me morekudos in this respect,” he said.
Howard always enjoyed receivingWES literature and attending theoccasional meeting. He was delightedto learn that WES was consideringallowing men to become fullMembers and has expressed his sup -port for this proposal.
“I’m a Fellow of the CharteredInstitute for Personnel Development(CIPD) and this body is heavilyinvolved in promoting diversity and
equal opportunity,” he said.“Allowing men to become full mem-bers would demonstrate that WESfully supports diversity.”
Howard believes there is an urgentneed for men and women involved inengineering to work together toincrease the number of young peopleof both sexes coming into the engi-neering profession.
“There is a desperate need formore women and men particularlyworking at the Incorporated Engineerlevel”, he said. “Initiatives to attract
girls can be equally used toappeal to boys.”
He cites the WISE businitiative as an example of
this. “Boys could not usethe buses during schoolhours as this would con -
travene the sponsors’requirements,“ he said.
“But it was agreed withthe engineerswho wereassisting withthe scheme, atthat time, thatthey couldallow boys on
the buses at lunchtime and afterschool hours.”
Howard believes that WES andother organisations working to pro-mote engineering for women havemuch to offer in their way of doingthings which might appeal to boyswho could be encouraged to pursueengineering careers. However if WESmembership is seen to be exclusivelyfemale, this would act as a barrier toboys being receptive to these ideas.
Full WES membership for men suchas Howard, who are active in engi -neering institutions, would alsoensure WES had ambassadors withinthese organisations.
Why men should be allowed tobecome full WES members
Howard Cherry
Notes on membership
As Membership Officer, I’vealways found the WESmembership structure
rather complicated with 8 differ -ent classes of member. Article 6decrees that only women can beMembers, Associate Members,Student or Junior Members. Ifmen wish to join WES, they joinas Associates (note, there is adistinction between AssociateMember and Associate.)
The definition of Associates isas follows “...men or women ofnot less than 24 years of age whoare of good education and whoby their connection with engi -neering, the sciences or arts orotherwise will by their associationwith the Society assist in the gen-eral advancement of its work andits aims and objects.”
Having checked the Memo-randa & Articles, I can’t see thatthere is any distinction betweenAssociates and any other grade ofmember, in terms of involvementin WES. All have the opportunityto vote on WES business and allthe votes have the same worth.All are eligible to hold office as aCouncil member and in the past,WES has had male members ofCouncil (such as, John Hardwich).Any Council member could benominated as an Honorary Officerso it is possible for a man tobecome President of WES.
As I see it, men aren’t disad-vantaged by not being allowed tojoin WES as Members, but do wereally need to make a distinctionin our class structure? WES wouldhave to make amendments to theArticles of Association to allowmen to become Members andthis has already been a hot topicfor debate within Council. Wewant to know what you think soplease let us know by answeringour Membership Survey on theback page. If you’d like to shareyour opinions on the subject thenplease write to (or email) theEditor so that your thoughts canbe included in the Letters page.
Karen Quigley
Vice President & Membership
Officer
Technology aidsOlympic titles
Technology had pushed out theboundaries of record-breaking
performances in many sports, saidClaire Davies, senior lecturer inmetallurgy & materials at theUniversity of Birmingham.
Claire presented the DaphneJackson Memorial Lecture at the!EE on 17 November 2004.
First developments were in the1950s with aluminium and glass-fibre poles for pole vaulting. Sincethen javelin-throwers, cyclists, ten-nis players and golfers had allimproved performances with tech-nologically enhanced equipment.
At the Athens Olympics thesharkskin suit worn by swimmerIan Thorpe to reduce turbulenceand aerodynamic cycle wheels hadenabled records to be broken.Timing of these developments wascrucial and research was now beingtargeted towards major events.
4 The Woman Engineer – Spring 2005
Petra Godwin gets introspective in agroup setting
HELEN ROOME, our facilitator, has a warm smileand open demeanour. This encouraged us eight-een delegates to the Roome for Growth work-shop one Saturday in November, to share per-sonal experiences. We probably learnt as muchfrom each other’s contributions as we did fromour course leader, and this is what one hopesfrom such a workshop.
Her crisp and efficient presentation includedideas from Stephen Covey’s book, ‘The SevenHabits of Highly Effective People’. Revisitingthese ideas with a few women round a tablereally made me realise what I’d missed in myreading of the book!
Helen got us to consider our drivers with asimple strength-of-feeling test. Although this isnot terribly scientific, the five drivers she identi-fied for us are rooted in our subconscious, andare remnants of our upbringing. (This remindedme of Thomas Harris’ ‘I’m OK, You’re OK’).Being motivated is a ‘good thing’, but beingdriven by our ‘demons’ can be not only self-destructive, but also damaging to our relation-ships with others.
We discussed how we were energised to actfor certain reasons. (Apparently, I have a tenden-cy to expend inappropriate energy on ‘being per-fect’. Those who know me as ‘the Princess ofMess’ may disagree, but actually my clutter isabout the need to control, which is part of ‘per-fect’ pathology. Similarly, taking ages to getready to go out; it’s a ‘perfect’ thing coupledwith a ‘please others’ thing – something elseupon which I score worryingly high.)
Helen encouraged us to ‘brain-dump’ the rolesthat we each take on in life – daughter, parent,line-manager, bookkeeper, marketeer, friend, etc
(we each have our own list), and note what eachrole demands of us. From time-to-time we needto review this, and ask “Do I really need to dothis? Which roles do I prefer or dislike?”
This workshop really brought home to me thatsorting out a work/life balance is much morethan time management. I am grateful to Helenand the organisers (Women in Physics withMentorSET) for providing me with a timely eventin this particular area of personal growth.
Details of Helen’s consultancy can be found atwww.roomeforgrowth.com.
Sex and power: Who runs Britain?
THE EOC’S report of the above title notes thatthere is only a 1% improvement in women’spositions in business, the police and senior legalposts during the past 12months. Is it any won-der! There is still astrong career-orientatedattitude in our society.By this I mean there is anassumption that onegraduates, gets a job inUK plc and is then pro-moted on the basis oftime-serving. (Those whoare ‘fast-tracked’ areexceptions.)
In a recent conversation with one of our verybright female final-year (MEng) students, I askedwhat area she hoped to go into upon graduat-ing. She replied that she aspired to have a familyand didn’t want to get into ‘that whole career-thing’. We all know that, because women tendto play the long-game, girls disregard careers inwhich they will not achieve success within theirbiologically programmed timeframe.
So, why are we expending our effort in pro-
moting careers in engineering for women?Surely, we’re only addressing a tiny section ofthat female half of the population who are will-ing to admit choosing career over family: defi-nitely not in tune with the Zeitgeist! I’m going tostart promoting jobs in engineering for women –you can have great fun working on really inter-esting projects in engineering between schooland doing that whole family-thing, and if youfind an enlightened employer, you might even beable to combine work with a happy and healthyfamily life! (No career progression implied!)Would any engineering employer like to workwith me on this? Contact me at [email protected]
The power of PR and a climb-down
SEVERAL YEARS ago, via WES, I was invited tothe showcasing of a new car: the Ford Focus. Atthe time I was a teeny bit scathing: the event
was aimed at womenand run with the Womenin Business Network. Thecar was being promotedon qualities designed toappeal to women (finish-es, luggage space, use ofrecycled materials). Asseveral of the audiencewere driving Jags (andthe rest of us only caredthat whatever we drove
got us from A to B), I felt the audience was seri-ously misjudged. (The patronising after-lunchspeaker certainly misjudged us – although I hadto admire how he got a reference to pudenda injust after pudding! A man from Ford nearly hadkittens!)
However, I am now considering changing mycar, and I have to admit that one of those Focus-mobiles is a contender for fitting the bill! Ofcourse, any car manufacturers who’d like to per-suade me otherwise can contact me as above!
Sorting out work-life balance
KERRY JEAN MASHFORD has been elected chair-man of the Manufacturing Industries Division ofthe Institution of Mechanical Engineers. The divi-sion is the largest in the Institution, with a mem-bership of over 23,000.
Kerry started her professional life as amechanical engineer in medium/heavyengineering, before taking an academ-ic post in the College of Manufacturingat Cranfield. She spent 11 years withUnilever developing its activities inmachine design and technology, latermoving into manufacturing and supplychain strategy and the development ofnew technologies for Fast Moving Con-sumer Goods (FMCG) manufacturing.
In 1999 Kerry became director of thegovernment’s Manufacturing 2020Foresight Programme, since which shehas worked as coach and project direc-tor in companies in manufacturing,
technology and constructions sectors, majoringon strategy, new business development, agilemanufacturing, mass customisation, new prod-uct introduction, complexity and variety manage-ment, frequently underpinned by disruptive tech-nology. In parallel with these activities she has
co-founded sev-eral technologybased enterpris-es, and retains aposition of direc-tor in some ofthese.
She is current-ly a visiting lec-turer at theUniversity ofBath and occa-sional lecturer atCambridge andis a steering
group member of Cardiff University’s InnovativeManufacturing Research Centre.
Kerry is also a Fellow of the Institution ofMechanical Engineers and of the Royal Society ofArts and Manufacturers and is active on a num-ber of professional committees and boards,including the IMechE Manufacturing IndustriesBoard and the IEE Manufacturing Sector Panel.She was instrumental in the relaunch in 2000, ofthe Manufacturing Excellence Awards and itssubsequent growth.
As an undergraduate, Ker ry was the recipientof a WES exchange scholarship, allowing her tostudy in the USA – a valuable and broadeningexperience.
Kerry is married and has two sons. She has akeen interest in unique and sustainable domesticarchitecture and has built a demonstration homewith her husband. She is currently engaged incombining the best of manufacturing industrywith building design and development planningto deliver a step change to the UK’s regenerationagenda.
Ker ry chairs largest IMechE division
The Woman Engineer – Spring 2005 9
The January Council Meetingwas well attended and covereda plethora of issues in a some-
what limited time. We were delight-ed to welcome a member whowished to attend as an observer andwould welcome any other memberswho wished to do so at future meet-ings.
Pam opened the meeting by givingher report as president, the keypoints of which have been covered inher President’s message at the frontof this issue.
Key decisions taken were as fol -lows:
✦ Janet Birkman is to be appoint-ed as the WES link person at the EEF.However, as she only has limited timeavailable to do this, she is alsoencouraging Cluster reps to get intouch with EEF reps in their vicinity.
✦ The website has now been
updated – every piece of informationwhich has been passed to RoseniDearden has now been included.However, members who believe thatinformation is out of date are invitedto provide alternative amended infor-mation for loading direct to Roseni.
✦ A review of the effectiveness ofthe Clusters will take place at theApril Council Meeting. Member feed-back on Clusters should be input tothe WES office in advance of thismeeting.
✦ It is now understood that WEShas no long term security at theLondon SEMTA office and that weare likely to be asked to move outwithin the next year. This will be oneof a series of cost cutting initiativesthat SEMTA are required to take.
WES would formally like to thank
SEMTA for their hospitality over thelast 5 years and appreciate all of theirassistance to date. A committee hasnow been established to determinepotential office accommodation solu-tions.
✦ A team has been established tolook at the best way to respondwhen WES is asked to employ anindividual on behalf of anotherorganisation or if we are asked tosuggest members for suitable postselsewhere. A vote was taken whichsupported the view that we shouldnot be used as an employer conduitfor another organisation who wereunable to legitimately employ an indi-vidual themselves. We will also lookinto potential conflict of interestissues. Comments on this issueshould be forwarded via the office toNatalie Wiseman or Alex Walker inthe next couple of months.
✦ MentorSET – We currently onlyhave funds to be able to continue tillSummer this year. However we arelooking to see if we can get furtherfunding in order to continue beyondthis point. The legacies committeewill also consider whether theybelieve legacy money could be usedif necessary. A MentorSET businessplan will be brought to the AprilCouncil meeting where appropriatedecisions will be taken.
✦ International – GrazynaWhapshott reported on the ICWESmeeting 2005. A limited amount ofmoney will be available from theICWES fund for applicants who wishto give a paper at this meeting. Itwas suggested that favourable con-sideration should be given to peoplewishing to attend ICWES for the firsttime.
The ICWES subcommitee will drawup criteria for the fair distribution ofthe bursaries for Council to endorse,in advance of the issue of the bur-saries.
✦ Carolyn Dougherty has agreedto lead the preparation for this year’sconference with the assistance ofDawn Fitt, Heather Bilton and JulieWinnard. The suggested vicinity willbe the Newcastle/Yorkshire areas. Itwas suggested that this be basedaround the ETB energy initiative.Proposed date was late September. Ataster will be inserted in the Mayjournal.
✦ It was agreed to gain quotes fora new WES display stand.
✦ A new membership survey isbeing finalised. Members will beasked for their views in order that wecan modify the business plan accord-ingly (see back page in this issue).
COUNCILupdateNatalie Wiseman reports on the 22 January Council meeting
“MentorSET currently only hasfunds to be able to continue tillSummer this year “ President Pam Wain
Immediate Past President Jackie Carpenter
Senior Vice-President Dawn FittVice-Presidents Karen Quigley
Grazyna Whapshott
Hon Secretar y Dorothy HatfieldHon T reasurer Betty McCarthy
CouncilHeather BiltonRoseni DeardenCarolyn DoughertySasha GallagherGeorgina HaymanJoanna KnightValentina MacchiFiona NeadsDeirdre O’NeillPetra SchruthAlexandra WalkerJulie WinnardNatalie Wiseman
WES Officers &Council
Diary
8 Mar c h I n t e rn a t i o n a l
Wo m e n ’s Day lunch & lec-
t u re organised by Aurora at
the Savoy Hotel, London.
Tickets: £80.00 (inc. VAT )
Tel: 020 7653 1909
23 April WES Council
meeting at 22 Old Queen St,
London SW1
EES Celebration &
Assessment Days
14 Ap r Newcastle University
& University of Kent
15 Apr University of
H e rt f o rd s h i re
20 & 21 Ap r Rutherf o rd
Appleton Laboratories,
D i d c o t
21 Apr RAF Wittering, East
Midlands
27 Apr HMS Collingwood,
H a m p s h i re
28 Apr F o rd Motor
C o m p a n y, Basildon
3 May H e n ry Ford College,
L o u g h b o rough
Dates in other areas will be
c o n f i rmed later.
Please send all diary
items to [email protected] . u k
or post to the addre s s
above. Deadline for next
issue 15 April 2005.
The Woman Engineer – Spring 20058
Application for assistance from Women’ sEngineering Society ICWES Fund
Name ________________________________________
Address ________________________________________
________________________________________
Are you WES member? Yes ❏ No ❏
If not, other affiliated organisation _____________________
Tel No _______________ Home ______________ Work
Fax No _______________ Home ______________ Work
Email ____________________________________________
Name of company or university _______________________
Title of event for which you are seeking funding
__________________________________________________________
Date _________ Venue ________________
Reason for attending ____________________________________
How will you use what you learn by attendance to benefitWES & women in engineering? (give specific details in about100-150 words on an attached sheet)
What it will cost to attend? £
Travel
Accommodation & meals
Conference fees
Other expenses (please specify) _______________
Total cost
Subsidy requested from Fund* ______________
How do you intend to pay for the remainder of the cost?
________________________________________________________
Have you submitted a paper? Yes ❏ No ❏
Has your paper been accepted?** Yes ❏ No ❏
Office use only : WES ICWES Fund Sub-Committee’s Decision
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------When completed, please return this form with SAE by 31 March to:
The SecretaryWES ICWES FundWomen’s Engineering Society (WES)22 Old Queen StreetLondon SW1H 9HP
Tel 020 7233 1974 Fax 020 7233 1973 email [email protected]
* the WES ICWES Fund does not grant 100% subsidies
** the proof of the acceptance has to be submitted
ICWES13 will be held in Seoul,Korea on 25-29 August. Thetheme is ‘Women Engineersand Scientists: Main Force toReshape the World’.
Those of you who have been toan ICWES before will know what afantastic experience it is, and if youhaven’t been then you reallyshould make an effort. I havefriends all over the world, who Ikeep in touch with on the internet,that I met at ICWES. It has theatmosphere of a WES conferencewith an added dimension.
WES has some funding to sup-port people who want to attendICWES. Fill in the form opposite toapply for one. The closing date is31 March ; decisions will be made
by the WES ICWES sub-committeeby 30 April and cheques will bedistributed by 15 May .
I went to a conference in Koreain 2003, and it is a fascinatingcountry with friendly and helpfulpeople. I have been told that Seoulis one of the best shopping citiesin the world, although I don’t thinkI found the right places last time.Do think about going, and applyfor a bursary as soon as possible.
This will be the first ICWES sinceINWES was formed at ICWES12,and we hope that here INWES willreally start to live. We already havethings going on, but we need peo-ple who will organise and work forour aims. I think that we will findthem at ICWES.
Sue Bird reports on ICWES 13
Overall the seminar was a use-ful way for key players in pro-moting women in science and
engineering to propose ways ofworking and influencing the massesthrough the TV media. I believe thatthe UK can’t produce TV drama thatimpacts on ordinary people as theydo in France. We do produce excel-lent drama such as Silent Witness,Life Story, Marie Curie, Newborn but II believe these appeal to people whoare already interested in history andscience but not to the masses.
These are not main stream such asEastenders, Coronation Street etc. Ifeel that two dramas produced by aFrench woman are more realistic.These portray the woman scientistand engineer as the main character,are realistic, motivating, entertainingand tackle issues such as parenting,environment, economics and politicsin the drama. In the UK, the only wayto generate change in SET culture isto influence the people at the top ofthe media pyramid and these peoplewere not at the seminar!
I am glad that Andree Molyneux,producer of many films and some TVseries, said that Ken Loach is one ofthe producers who can capture andidentify with ordinary people. Maybe
we could have Ken Loach andAndree to produce a drama for us!
The seminar did highlight that UKscientists and engineers have moreobstacles than Italian women. It alsoidentified that the number of womenin engineering and science hasn’ tincreased over the last 30 years andremains around 20%; in some areathe number is decreasing.
For me the best speaker wasProfessor Lynne E Frostick. She is aprofessor of Physical Geography atthe University of Hull and involved inmany environmental projects. She haswritten 100 publications focusing onthe two most pressing environmentalproblem facing society today – waterand waste.
I enjoyed watching all the bits ofdrama they were showing in theseminar.
I didn’t get any impression of whataction would be taken following theseminar or what they were trying toachieve.
I did, however, manage to promoteWES to a few students from Londonuniversities, a few of them are elec-tronics engineers.
The PAWS Drama Fund was set up in the1990s to bring science and technology intohigher profile in television drama.
PAWS and considerRoseni Dearden reports on a seminar organised by Promoting Awareness of
Women in Science and Engineering (PAWS) which brought together women
engineers and scientists with TV producers and writers.
5The Woman Engineer – Spring 2005
Carolyn is currently workingpart-time at Scott WilsonRailways in York, partly as an
engineer and partly as railway eco-nomics/business consultant, whilstat the same time pursuing anMA/PhD in railway studies at theUniversity of York.
Her two great passions are rail-ways and her antique motorbikeHenry, a 1948 Royal Enfield Model
J2. Last October she took Henry ona challenging rally in northern Spain
“The ride was for pre-1975bikes, but most of the bikes were atleast 15 years younger than Henry,”
said Carolyn. “We did come homein a truck, but that was because wepicked up a nail in the rear tyre halfa mile from the ferry back toEngland...and plenty of newer bikes
didn’t make it over the entirecourse.”
Prior to coming to the UK,Carolyn worked as an engineer forthe Peace Corps/USAID in Malawi,for the California Department ofTransportation, and for private
engineering and architectural con-sultants. She also taught at theequivalent of a 6th form college inCalifornia for four years, and wouldlike to do that again sometime.
She observes that women engi-neers in the USA are more prolificthan in this country.
“In California I worked for sometime for the state government ,
which made more effort than aprivate firm generally would tohire women,” said Carolyn. “Inone construction office where Iworked women made up halfthe engineering staff. And thefirm I left to come to the UKemployed an unusually highnumber of women. So I grewused to having the companion-ship of women civil engineers.
“In the UK after a great dealof effort I’ve finally met a fewwomen civil engineers (therearen’t that many even in WES!).I understand that working in
the north, as a civil engineer for arailway consultancy makes my viewbiased, but this has been my experi-ence so far.”
Although Carolyn finds manythings in this country superficiallythe same, she has observed somesignificant differences.
“I think it’s a surprise how differ-ent things are here because the dif-ferences are pervasive. For example,in America we don’t have electrickettles. We boil water on thecooker or in the microwave.
“I love how much attention ispaid in popular culture to archaeol-ogy, engineering and history – Ican’t imagine an English childgrowing up not wanting to be anarchaeologist,engineer or his-torian.
“It seems thatyou can’t get avisa to live in theUK unless youhave a weirdhobby. TV does-n’t seem to pos-sess British peo-ple the way itdoes Americans.They join clubs,pursue hobbies,and undertakeactivities whichin my eyes areweird andunusual. I findthis delightful.”
At workCarolyn enjoysthe casual andsupportive atmosphere.
“I really enjoy a work environ-ment where everyone chips in tohelp. My colleagues are always will -ing to offer advice and suggestions,and answer questions. I also reallyenjoy how much history there is inday to day work.
“My colleague studied engineer-ing at Imperial College, foundedwith money raised from the GreatExhibition in London, and workedfor a time at Butterleys, a companyfounded in Derbyshire in 1790 anda significant ‘player’ in the researchI’m currently writing about pre-1830 railways.
“When I work on railways I oftenfind myself dealing with structuresmore than a century old, and someof the projects we get – bridge
inspections for the North YorkshireMoors railway, built in the 1850s,and structural analysis of theBarwick in Elmet Maypole, justmake me laugh.”
Other significant differences inworking practices are lower wagesand longer holidays.
“Even if I were working full time,I’d only be making about two-thirdsof what I’d make in California, andmy cost of living is as high if nothigher here.
“Things move more slowly here,largely because people take timeoff. In America two weeks’ paidvacation is standard, if you’re lucky,but many Americans don’t even useit.
“I don’t like the fact that there’sonly one other woman in my officeand I’m also surprised by what is nodoubt thoughtless, but still upset-ting, minor acts of sexism anddemeaning of women.”
One of the delights of working inthis country is the opportunity toexplore the countryside.
“My favourite thing in the worldis to take Henry on road trips. Sofar I’ve done two in the west coun-try and Cotswolds, and one fromYork to Hadrian’s Wall and back(I’ve also ridden in the Fens on ahired bike – but am not interestedin going back there on Henr y, as heis a bear to handle in the wind!). I’dlike this year to spend a week ortwo in Derbyshire and as much as amonth in Wales and Shropshire.”
New Council member Carolyn Dougherty has swapped life in California forYork. She describes her present job and the cultural differences she hasobserved, particularly in the status of women engineers
On my bikeCarolyn on her second favourite form of transport
Carolyn & Henry ready toset off
6 The Woman Engineer – Spring 20056
Winner of the 2004 YoungWoman Engineer of the Year wasFaye Banks (photo right), a pro -duction line engineer at LeverFaberge.
Faye left school at 16 without anyqualifications; she had been takeninto care aged 10 from a brokenhome. She got a job on a productionline for a local FMCG company.
“I became frustrated with the roleas an operator on a production linebecause every time it stopped I hadto wait for an engineer to rectify thefaults. I liaised with the engineersbecause I was intrigued with every-thing they did so I decided to quit myjob and go to college to study engi-neering,” said Faye.
She went back into education com-pleting eight GCSEs in one year and aGNVQ in advanced electrical engi -neering and NVQ 2 in manufacturingengineering. She then went on to anapprenticeship at Linpac Plastics andcontinued with her education, obtain-ing an NVQ 3 in electrical/mechanicalengineering and an HNC in electricalengineering at Whitwood College.She won best overall engineering stu-dent and Principal’s Award for Wo-men into Science and Engineering.
In 2002, Faye was presented withthe Yorkshire Woman of Achievement– Business Award and the MaryGeorge Memorial Prize. Faye washead-hunted for her present job withUnilever.
“In my role as production line engi-neer, I am responsible for supportingthe engineering improvement activi-ties in the local factory. I work onimprovement projects, develop a highperformance team and contribute tohigh manufacturing performance.
“I love my job because of the vari-ety of work involved in my role,” saidFaye. “Winning the Young Woman ofthe Year is the epitomy of everythingthat I’ve worked for in my life. If youwork hard you eventually reap therewards. I’m currently studying withthe Open University for my Master’sDegree, it’s not easy because I do somuch in my spare time but I willachieve this qualification with hardwork.
“In my spare time I’m an ambassa-dor for NSPCC, I visit children andhelp them do homework and talkabout my life experiences. I’m amember of Ackworth Road Runnersand I qualified for the Elite Womens’race in this year ’s London Marathonwhich I’m currently training for. I’malso working as an IIE ambassador.”
Claire Woolaghan won the WESprize as runner-up to the YoungWoman Engineer of the Year.
Claire is a control systems teamleader with the British Nuclear Group.She manages a team of ten engi-neers, who provide support in theform of maintenance, breakdown
cover, modifications and improve-ments, for the control systems at theMagnox East River Plant (MER) inCumbria. Altogether the team has100 programmable electronic systemsfor which they are responsible andhave five ongoing programmes toreplace the legacy control systems.
Claire always knew that she want -ed to be an engineer and decided totake the practical route into engineer-ing, after speaking to established
Claire Woolaghan with Pam Wain
Young Woman Engineerof the Year
WES prize
77The Woman Engineer – Spring 2005
engineers whilst on work experi -ence.
Upon leaving school, in 1992,Claire embarked upon an appren-ticeship as an instrument mechanicat BNFL where she completed anNVQ before going on to completean HND and then a BEng (Hons) atthe University of Central Lancashire.
“The advice I received from thoseengineers definitely paid off. I wasable to continue with my educationwhilst gaining practical experi-ence,” said Claire.
“I love the buzz of doing a jobwhere I know people are depend-ing on me,” said Claire. “I want tocontinue to develop and progresswithin the engineering field. I’mnot setting limits, just challenges.”
She first saw the Young WomanEngineer of the Year competitionadvertised a number of years agobut didn’t feel at the time that herjob had sufficient responsibility orchallenge to qualify her to enter.
In September when Claire heardthat she had reached the finals shewas really excited. “I came awaybouncing. I felt very positive andactually enjoyed the experience,”she said.
“ I hope that my success will helpme progress in the future!” Clairesaid. “It has showed me how muchwork needs to be done to encour-age women into engineering. Mygender was never an issue when Iwas younger and I became an engi-neer because I wanted to, perhapsthe fact that my dad is also anengineer helped. I think the ques-tion we have to ask when peoplesay why should a girl become anengineer is ‘Why not?’ A lot ofengineering is about understandinga job and its impact on other workand planning and co-ordinatingwith other teams. A woman’s tradi-tional role in the family is organis-ing the family schedule, budgetingand planning – does this notdemonstrate that we naturally havethe skills?”
In her free time Claire is theAssistant County Commissioner -International for Cumbria Scoutsand is on the European and WorldScout Jamboree Programme Team.She is also a Science andEngineering Ambassador andrecently helped run activities at aGirls in Engineering Workshop forYear 9 girls from the local second-ary schools.
“I used to be involved in YoungEngineers – but since taking ongreater responsibilities in scouting I
haven’t been able to give thetime,” she said. “One of my roles inscouting is Village UK Manager –an activity area at EuroJam (aEuropean Scout Jamboree to beheld in July/August 2005 for16,000 young people from all overEurope, of which about 4,000 willbe from the UK). Within Village UKthere is an area called Innovationswhich is all about British Scienceand Engineering and getting youngpeople involved in activities to getthem interested and help themlearn. So if there are any engineer-ing companies that would like tosponsor an activity or provide adonation towards the Village Iwould be really interested to hearfrom them!”
Suzanne Bland , a civil engineerworking for KBR Government &Infrastructure, is the winner ofthe 2004 Karen Burt Award.
Suzanne’s role in KBR is AssistantBusiness Development Managerworking across the Africa, MiddleEast & Eurasia region.
“This involves managing bids andproject managing the smaller onesonce we’ve won them,” saidSuzanne. “I’m also responsible forthe commercial management of allour projects in Kazakhstan. It’sinvolved some travel and I spentabout a quarter of 2004 inKazakhstan – quite an experience.”
Suzanne went to university tostudy geochemistry, in which thereis a family background. Her degreeand MSc studies led her into themore practical, applied side.
“I began my career as an engi-neering geologist working on vari -ous slope stability related projectsaround London,” said Suzanne. “Ispent some time on site on theA13; after that I was seconded tothe UK Environment Agency tomanage capital projects for 14months. Upon returning to KBR I
ran a large flood managementstrategy for a major catchment inthe South East of England.”
The judges were particularlyimpressed by Suzanne’s efforts inpromoting engineering to otherwomen.
Upon receiving the award at theIEE on November 17, Suzanne said:“When I was first told that I hadwon this award I was surprised toreceive it for something I do everyday. To me it is important to seeother people coming through andenjoying their careers.
“For me, this award signifiesrecognition of my efforts andachievements both in my personalcareer development and in promot-ing engineering – a real ‘feather inmy cap’.”
The message that she puts acrossto young girls is that: “Engineeringis rewarding and it’s satisfying tomake a tangible difference to peo-
ple’s quality of life. It allows you tobe practical, creative and innova-tive.”
In her leisure time Suzanne is akeen ballroom and latin dancer andenjoys spending time with friends,often walking in the Surrey Hills.
The Young Woman Engineer
of the Year competition is
sponsored by the Institution
of Incorporated Engineers (IIE)
and the Caroline Haslett
Memorial T rust to find out -
standing young female engi -
neers who have established
themselves as technically
excellent professionals and
who provide role models to
inspire other young women .
Karen Burt Awar d
The Karen Burt Award isfunded by a bequest madeby Karen’s father,Professor Cyril Hilsum. Theannual award is made byWES to a woman engineerof high calibre who hasnewly attained full corpo -rate membership andChartered Engineer statusthrough her relevant pro -fessional Institution andwho has contributed tothe promotion of the engi -neering profession.
Pam with Suzanne Bland at the presentation following the DaphneJackson lecture
