A voice for unsung heroes

My engineering journey began in 2003, when I studied a Masters degree in materials engineering at the Tampere University of Technology (TUT) in Finland. Unlike many students who had a clear vision for their future, I was unsure which path to take. Growing up, I didn’t know how to fix a car and wasn’t particularly interested in building things, like you may assume from aspiring engineers, but I knew I wanted to become a problem solver.

My materials engineering degree involved courses on general materials sciences, mechanics and industrial management. But to fulfil my problem-solving urge, I needed a more practical challenge.

After working in the composites research team for nine years at the University of Girona in Spain, I was contacted about an opportunity as a product development engineer at Exel Composites. I haven’t looked back since, and have worked in this job role for two and a half years - as the only female engineer in the research and development division.

The number of females embarking on vocations in the industry is difficult to ignore. WISE, an organization that encourages women and girls to pursue careers in STEM, estimates that by 2030, 29% of women will work in the field. Currently, women only make up 24% of the workforce.

Bridging the divide

There’s a clear difference between the number of male and female students who study mechanical engineering, and those that study general materials engineering. For example, machine design courses have far less women than other topics like chemistry or biotechnology. I believe this is a result of the culture surrounding these topics.

Upon reflection, I probably wasn’t as aware of a gender imbalance while I was studying. It first became apparent to me later on, when I attended an event for people from many different engineering sectors. I recall I was the only female attendee, out of 50 engineers.

I would estimate that half of the students on my materials engineering degree were female, whereas only 10% of females were studying other minor subjects such as mechanical engineering.

Having witnessed a clear imbalance, I can understand why women may shy away from STEM careers. In fact, STEM Women reported that 58% of female students confirmed that the gender balance of a company would be an influencing factor when choosing where to work.

Part of the team

Fortunately, I’ve had mostly positive experiences with the people I have collaborated with throughout my career. It’s vital that companies recognize all engineers, no matter who they are, for their skills and experience. For me, feeling a part of a team that can create innovative materials solutions is the best part of my job. I’m a fellow problem solver, not just the only woman on the team.

Uniting as a team has led to several industry breakthroughs at Exel Composites. Recently, we worked to develop an industry-first composite radome patent - a real career highlight. As an industry, telecommunications faces the challenge of using radomes that protect communication antennae from the elements, while allowing signals to pass through them. In preparation for the rollout of the fifth generation (5G) of mobile technology, our telecoms customers also faced the challenge of 5G’s shorter wavelengths.

We needed to create a composite solution with a low attenuating material that was strong enough to provide the necessary mechanical strength to produce long-lasting radomes. Together, after four years of hard work, Exel’s industry leading patent was released to the market.

Realising such innovations as a team is important to me. Together, we dare to be a part of the solution - regardless of our personal traits.

A bright future

As we celebrate IWED, and our engineering heroes, I struggle to choose a single person who has inspired me most. In fact, I think every woman in STEM inspires me, and are my engineering heroes. With this in mind, we must continue to work to attract more women to the field.

One area I believe industry can work on is the way that engineering careers are advertised to young people. As I mentioned, I was never a child who liked to build or make things and was pretty unaware of the skills required to become an engineer. After working in the field for many years, I know that practical skills aren’t necessarily the root to success.

I’d like to encourage the next generation of problem solvers and daring thinkers. Working with composites has really driven this home for me. Composites are still a relatively new material - most areas of industry still rely on traditional materials such as steel and aluminum.

To expose engineers to the benefits of using composites, we have to present them as a solution to their challenges. Whether an application requires corrosion resistance, superior strength or light weight, it’s our job to recognise problems, and dare engineers to think differently. And that’s the core part of my role - something aspiring engineers may not realize.

I want to encourage the girls who aren’t sure about STEM and reiterate that the world needs different kinds of engineers. You don’t need to have grown up building or fixing things to be considered an engineer, and you certainly don’t need to be male. My experience as a girl who didn’t know what she wanted to do, to developing industry leading solutions at a global composites manufacturer has demonstrated that we can do anything, as long as we challenge ourselves.