Sydney Women In Engineering Annual Report 2011
“Connecting Engineering Women”
Chairs Report 2011
2011 Committee Members Chair Julie Mikhail Vice Chair Jade Gan Treasurer Bei Na Wei Secretary Jessica Qiu National Representative Sherry Moghadassi Website Coordinator Yee Yeng Lambropoulos Publications Coordinator Gillian Pak Mentoring Program Coordinator Mai Yeung
This year has been an incredibly busy year for Women in Engineering (WIE) Sydney Division, with an event held each month, the team has worked effectively together and it has been a pleasure to have been a part of this committee. With a solid program to begin with, the 2011 committee implemented some changes that proved to be a success and brought about that little bit of improvement every successive committee should provide. The year kicked off officially with the International Women’s Day Cocktail evening, traditionally our first event of the year, and one of 2 events which tied in with EA’s theme: Year of Humanitarian Engineering. The evening held extra significance this year as we celebrated the centenary of International Women’s Day and also saw a new sponsor come into the fold, that being Parsons Brinckerhoff. The other ‘pillar’ of our program is the Emminent Speakers Breakfast, and this was our second event on the Year of Humaitarian Engineering program. We sought to inspire the audience with three great speakers taking us on their humanitarian engineering journey from Sri Lanka to Afghanistan and the Milky Way in between. Once again we had the support of another new sponsor, Resmed. Our glamour event, the Winter Gala was a sell out, with outstanding venue and speaker, we couldn’t lose. For an event that is only in its second year running, its popularity is certainly increasing and it is set to become the highlight of our program and a key feature of Australian Engineering week, for which it was an opening event.
The event I’m most proud of was our Panel Discussion which addressed the aspect of the ‘Career Break’, a challenging time which many women face in their career. Steering away from our usual evening, debate style and more general topic, we took the risk of running a lunch time event with a smaller focus audience. The turnout exceeded our expectations and the feedback on the event was very encouraging. Our mentoring program ran with a very successful seminar addressing the challenges for women in the work place, our technical site visit took us on board the RAN’s HMAS Success, our family day took us cycling through centennial park and our Christmas High Tea will see us end the year in style. However, events aside, we also awarded two scholarships to female engineering students and offered them a place on our committee to act as student ambassadors for 2012. This year also saw the International Conference for Women Engineers and Scientists held in Adelaide, and we also offered a scholarship for attendance at this conference. Our greatest support has come from our Platinum sponsor Abigroup who has taken on platinum sponsorship for the last two years and have sponsored the WIE breakfast for the last three years. Their support is greatly appreciated and goes along way to helping us put together such high class events. Next year we focus on growing our outreach initiatives with universities and schools and putting forward a well developed mentoring program that puts our female engineers in touch with mentors they wouldn’t otherwise have access to. I have thoroughly enjoyed my first year as Chair and I thank my committee and supporters on all their effort and enthusiasm and look forward to working with them and our sponsors and the brilliant staff at the EA Sydney Office to bring forth another glamorous, informative and exciting year for Women in Engineering Sydney Division.
Julie Mikhail
Platinum Sponsor 2011
Supporting Sponsors 2011
Graphic Design by Bei Na Wei 2011
Sydney Women In Engineering Annual Report 2011
Contents Eminient Speakers Breakfast ... 6 International Women’s Day ... 8 Winter Gala Dinner ... 10 Panel Discussion ... 12 Mentoring Program ... 14 Christmas Dinner ...18 Industry Site Visit ... 20 Kayaking / Family Day... 21 Student Scholarship ... 22 Event Calendar ... 23 Contact ... 23
Sydney Women In Engineering Annual Report 2011
Eminent Speakers Breakfast
Morning Event -2nd Thursday in October By Julie Mikhail, Chair
On 13th October 2011 Women in Engineering Sydney Division held their highlight event of the year, the Eminent Speakers breakfast. Proudly sponsored by Abigroup, the event was once again held at the Four Seasons Hotel and was attended by more than 200 people. Three speakers addressed the theme of “Humanitarians – Engineers – Women Going Places”. To start off, Ms Emily Mudge, Project Engineer with Bovis Lendlease, whose humanitarian engineering experience took her to Sri Lanka, spoke of her work as a housing advisor for the United Nations. Her work assisted in the reconstruction of post tsunami Sri Lanka, where she found one of the greatest challenges being the application of commercial practices in the humanitarian environment. Ms Mudge found that the most important investment was in the people as the rewards and outcomes were invaluable. To add a touch of difference to the speaker line up, Dr Naomi McClure-Griffiths, CEO CSIRO Astronomy & Space Science, presented what she referred to as the “ethereal humanitarian” perspective, providing a lively presentation about how her role increases our knowledge about the greater world we live in. Specialising in the use of radio telescopes to understand the galaxy, Ms McClure- Griffiths, an astronomer, has had the opportunity to travel extensively for the purpose of using the various radio telescopes scattered around the world, and says one of the greatest aspects of her job is in taking astronomy to the people. Ms McClureGriffiths also highlighted the importance of a close working relationship between
2011 Event Facts Sponsor Abigroup (Gold) & Resmed (Silver) Speaker: Captain Clare O’Neill, Dr Naomi McClure-Griffiths & Emily Mudge Venue:The Four Seasons Hotel No. of Attendees: 220
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Ticket Price: $40/$50 for EA members/nonmembers, $500 for a table of 10
engineers and astronomers to develop the radio telescopes and other equipment astronomers need to undertake their work. Having “fluked” her way in to engineering, the third speaker, Captain Clare O’Neill, a civil engineer with the Army, has never looked back on her original ambition of becoming a doctor. Captain O’Neill has been deployed twice to Afghanistan as part of the Reconstruction Task Force. The only female on the team, she assisted in the rebuilding of a hospital and spoke of the unique opportunity she had to assist the predominantly female nursing community, to address requirements of the female wards that had previously been neglected. One such example was the provision of a ‘baby pack’ that included essential medical needs for safe child birth that would encourage women to attend the hospital for the delivery of their child as opposed to the more common and unsafe practice of home births. Ms Elena Potenza, Abigroup representative, thanked the speakers and adequately summed up their presentations to state that humanitarian engineering “is all about the people”. The inspiring morning also included a stand set up by Red-R and Engineers Without Borders, giving breakfast attendees the opportunity to see what these two great organisations contribute to the humanitarian cause.
Abigroup WIE Annual Breakfast
Engineers ■ Humanitarians ■ WOMEN GOING PLACES Four Seasons Hotel, 199 George St, Sydney ■ 13 October 2011 ■ 7.00am – 9.00am The Women in Engineering Sydney Division (WIE) is a special interest group in Engineers Australia to promote the awareness of women engineers, to encourage young female students to study engineering in universities and support the retention of women engineers in the workforce. Join us at our annual breakfast and be inspired! CAPT Clare O’Neill Captain Clare O’Neill is a civil engineer in the Australian Army. In 2006 Clare was deployed to Afghanistan and completed reconstruction work in the areas of health, education and civil infrastructure. She returned to Afghanistan in 2008 continuing reconstruction work and the rebuild of vital bridges destroyed by the Taliban along Highway 1 from Kabul to Kandahar. In 2009, Clare was deployed on Operation Padang Assist for the earthquake recovery assistance in Indonesia. She is currently on secondment from the Army as the Aide-deCamp to the Governor-General. Dr Cathy Foley Dr. Cathy Foley is the Chief of CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering. Cathy has a world-class reputation in her field being a Fellow of the Institute of Physics in the UK, Immediate past President of the Australian Institute of Physics, Fellow of the Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ASTE) and the President of Science and Technology Australia where she represents 68,000 Australian scientists and technologists. She has worked in the Superconducting Devices and Applications Project which is developing superconducting systems for mineral exploration, detection of metal for quality assurance in manufacturing, electrode-less heart monitors and remote detection of contraband at airports, terahertz imaging, submarine and UXO detection and quantum computing. Emily Mudge Emily Mudge has worked interstate and internationally for Lend Lease across a variety of projects including ACT Prison and Indian Business Development. In 2007, Lend Lease sent Emily to Sri Lanka to work with the United Nations on a Post-Tsunami Community Recovery & Reconstruction Programme across 90 communities, building houses for 6,000 families. It is now recognised as the world’s most sustainable community re-development programme by the United Nations and the International Federation for Red Cross. Emily has been a recipient of national and state awards from the Property Council of Australia, NAWIC, AIM, Lend Lease, UTS and Telstra Young Business Women’s Awards. Fee: $45 incl. GST for EA members and students or $500 for table sponsor (sits 10 people) with company logo displayed; $50 for non EA members Date: Thursday 13 Oct 2011 Time: 7:00am registration for 7:30am start – 9:00am Venue: Four Seasons Hotel, 199 George St Sydney RSVP: Payment must be received by Wednesday 6 October 2011 Register here or email sydwie@engineersaustralia.org.au
Proudly sponsored by
Sydney Women In Engineering Annual Report 2011
International Women’s Day
Evening Event - First Thursday in March By Julie Mikhail, Chair On Thursday night 10th March 2011, WIE Sydney Division, hosted their annual International Women’s Day (IWD) cocktail evening at the Arthouse Hotel, Sydney. Proudly sponsored by Parsons Brinckerhoff, the night celebrated 100 years since the first IWD with a humanitarian theme in line with EAs Year of Humanitarian Engineering. Guests were treated with cocktails on arrival, and given a chance to mingle and network before the commencement of the program. The night started with a brief presentation on the History of International Women’s Day put together by UN Women and a word from the sponsor’s representative, Charlie Jewkes. This was followed by our guest speakers, Salma Farouque and Dominic Dowling, who both shared their contrasting humanitarian experiences with the audience. Salma Farouk, an electrical engineer with Vodafone, spent some time working on the World Food Program which took her to places such as Rwanda, Uganda and Mozambique in Africa. Her presentation highlighted the cultural differences in such countries and the need for generalist skills as opposed to just the technical to make the most out of what she says “was the most rewarding experience” in her life. One such cultural difference Salma pointed out was the role women played in African cultures, that being the backbone of the country’s subsistence economy. As such, Salma emphasised how in many cases a women’s presence alone empowers the local women. Overall,
2011 Event Facts Sponsor Parsons Brinckerhoff Speaker: Salma Farouk & Dominic Dowling Venue:Arthouse Hotel No. of Attendees: 150
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Ticket Price: Free/$10 for EA members/ non-members
“WIE celebrates 100 Years of International Women’s Day” Salma advised guests to be themselves and follow their own style, and when looking to undertake a humanitarian experience, they would have to be proactive in seeking out opportunities. On a different note, Dominic Dowling, an engineer working for Worley Parsons, shared his experiences on Earthquake response and reconstruction which he undertook in the Middle East, Asia and North and South America. In particular Dominic detailed his work on the strengthening of mud brick homes in an effort to minimise housing destruction caused by earthquakes, a subject he further studied when undertaking his PhD at UTS. One such example of this destruction was in El Salvador where an earthquake led to the destruction of 110,000 mud brick houses. Dominic spoke about a solution which reinforced houses with bamboo and twisted wire stating how engineering is all about tailoring a solution to each individual problem. Throughout his humanitarian experience, Dominic found working with local communities very rewarding and emphasised that the core elements of any humanitarian project needs to be based on Professionalism, Preparation and People. The night concluded with questions from the audience and a further opportunity to mingle and network.
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2011 Celebrating 100 Years
International Women’s Day is an annual event that celebrates the rich and diverse achievements of women.
In recognising the Engineers Australia ‘Year of Humanitarian Engineering’ in 2011, we are inviting two inspirational speakers to share their humanitarian engineering journey with us. Please join us for canapés and evening drinks to celebrate 100 years of International Women’s Day and to launch our 2011 program. Salma Farouk Salma completed an Electrical & Electronic Engineering degree at Flinders University of South Australia in 2001. After graduating she joined Vodafone in Sydney working in their Technology Design & Capability division. In 2009 she moved to East Africa to work for the United Nations World Food Programme. Since returning to Australia in 2010, Salma has been working on the Vodafone-Hutchison network consolidation project. A blog documenting her humanitarian experience can be found at http://www.worldofdifferencediary.blogspot.com/.
Dom Dowling Dom was first exposed to international development as a volunteer in Costa Rica in 1997. Since then he has worked on projects in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. His specific interest is in earthquake safety, and the development and implementation of low-cost, low-tech reinforcement systems for houses and schools. Dom’s PhD research included field studies in Latin America and experimental testing using the UTS shake table facility. In 2006 he was a finalist on ABC TV’s New Inventors program, with his innovation ‘QuakeSafe Adobe’, a bamboo and wire reinforcement system for adobe-mudbrick houses. In his presentation Dom will talk about his experiences working in India, Pakistan and El Salvador. Dom currently works with WorleyParsons in the area of sustainability.
Date : Time : Venue :
Thursday 10th March 6 – 8pm The Gallery Bar, Arthouse Hotel 275 Pitt Street , Sydney RSVP : 3 March 2011 EA members FREE, Non-members: $10 Contact : sydneywie@engineersaustralia.org.au OR CLICK HERE FOR ONLINE REGISTRATION
Women in Engineering Sydney 2011 Program
ENGINEERING A BETTER WORLD
Sydney Women In Engineering Annual Report 2011
Winter Gala Dinner
Evening Event - last Saturday in July By Gillian Pak, Publications Coordinator The second annual Women in Engineering (WIE) Sydney Winter Gala dinner, proudly sponsored by Abigroup, was one of the opening events of Australian Engineering Week 2011 and the glamour was, accordingly, taken up a notch. Held at the renowned Quay restaurant overlooking awe-inspiring views of both the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House, it showed that engineers can certainly scrub up well! Special guest and keynote speaker was Julie Hammer, retired Air Vice Marshal and former EA National President. The evening opened with introductions from Sandra Triulzi, from Abigroup, who emphasised the importance of Abigroup’s initiatives to support and promote women in their workforce, and Julie Mikhail, WIE Sydney Chair. After two delectable courses, including roasted sea scallops in lime crème fraîche and confit of Riverina lamb loin with smoked white carrot cream, there was mingling and photo shoots on the balcony before settling down for the main event: Julie Hammer. Julie gave a brief overview of her remarkable career, where she started out as a Physics graduate and entered the RAAF as an educational officer. She moved into Engineering and took the opportunity to study at obtained her Masters in Aerospace Engineering, which she said was a major career turning point as she could then claim an official Engineering qualification. She did not
2011 Event Facts Sponsor Abigroup Speaker: Julie Hammer Venue: Quay No. of Attendees: 100 Ticket Price: $80/$90 for EA members/ non-members, $900 for a table of 10
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“WIE Winter Gala Opens Engineering Week” dwell on what must have been a great many challenges involved with being a woman in the Air Force in the 70s and 80s, but did mention that when she started, there did not exist standard issue pants for women, and so she was forced to hitch up some men’s pants with a belt in order to carry out her work on aircraft! She addressed a few other key achievements, such as commanding the Electronic Warfare Squadron, a new branch of technology at the time and delivering badly needed new threat libraries for F-111s for an exercise in Darwin. In terms of advice for female engineers, she stated that professionalism was of the utmost importance, as women are often extremely visible in a maledominated industry. She also mentioned that being the ‘token female’ can at times lead to many extracurricular activities, greater opportunities and broaden one’s experience. Heavenly desserts of Quay’s seven texture chocolate cake and raspberries with vanilla mousse and meringue closed out a truly memorable evening that fixes the Winter Gala dinner as an annual event in WIE’s program.
Winter Gala Dinner Women In Engineering - Sydney Division & Abigroup proudly present the 2011
with special guest
Julie Hammer
Quay Restaurant Saturday 30th July 2011 time 6 for 6:30pm dress code Black Tie Price $80 - EA members, $100 - non members, $50 - EA student members or $900 - table of 10 register online or contact sydneywie@engineersaustralia.org.au registration close15 July 2011 location
date
proudly sponsored by
Julie Hammer AM, CSC Air Vice-Marshal Julie Hammer, an electronics engineer, served in the Royal Australian Air Force for 28 years in the fields of aircraft maintenance, technical intelligence, electronic warfare, and information and communications technology. She was the first woman to command an operational unit in the RAAF, the Electronic Warfare Squadron, and the first serving woman in the Australian Defence Force to achieve One Star rank in 1999 and Two Star rank in 2003. Within Engineers Australia, Julie served as Chair of the CELM Board in 2006-07 and was National President throughout 2008. She is currently a Director of the .au Domain Administration Ltd, the administrator of the Australian country code top level internet domain, and on the Council of the Australian War Memorial.
Sydney Women In Engineering Annual Report 2011
Panel Discussion
Lunchtime Event - June By Julie Mikhail, Chair On 23rd June 2011 Women in Engineering Sydney Division held a panel discussion focussed on the Career Break phase in a female engineer’s life. Steering away from the usual panel discussion topics, WIE with the support of Abigroup held this targeted event to address the issues faced by female engineers planning time off work, currently on a break or planning to return to work after a break. Attended by about 60 people, the panel discussion was held in the Harricks Auditorium at Engineers Australia offices in Chatswood. Four panellists presented the topic from varying angles: the recruiter, the HR manager, the careers advisor and the female engineer. The first presentation was by Kim Manderson, HR Manager from Railcorp who talked about the progressive programs Railcorp are currently implementing to ensure the retention of their female work force. Such programs included a range of flexible working arrangements and schemes to ensure the recognition of staff achievements. Jenny O’Donovan, Careers Advisor from Engineers Australia, followed Kim with a discussion which covered the three phases: planning your break, while you are away and planning your return. Jenny drew on both her personal and professional experiences to provide plenty of practical tips that included maintaining an up to date resume, filling out a skills
2011 Event Facts Sponsor Abigroup Speaker: Jenny O’Donovan, Kim Manderson, Shelandra Ranasinghe and Heidi Crawford Venue: Harricks Auditorium, EA Sydney Office, Chatswood No. of Attendees: 60
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Ticket Price: Free/$10 for EA members/nonmembers
“The Career Break” Panel Discussion matrix and overall enjoying being a working parent! The recruitment perspective was presented by Heidi Crawford, from Crawford Recruitment. Heidi covered the aspects to consider when looking for work such as researching appropriate agencies and using the Internet, and offered feedback she had received from clients regarding such topics as continuous training and part-time work. The final speaker Shelandra Ranasinghe, an engineering Manager from Abigroup, gave the real life experience, being a female engineer who took time out of her career firstly to follow her husband’s career overseas and secondly to have a child. Shelandra pointed out the importance of maintaining some flexibility with your long term plans and goals and in recognising the different skills that are acquired while on a career break. The session concluded with an opportunity for questions and some one– on-one discussions with the speakers. WIE Sydney wishes to thank Abigroup for their sponsorship of this event. Also please note that a video recording of this event will be posted on the WIE website shortly.
Abigroup Women in Engineering Panel Discussion
The Career Break Are you about to take a career break? Are you currently off work? Do you want to know what recruiters are looking for when you return to the workforce? Or get advice on which direction your career should take? Women in Engineering (WIE), with the support of Abigroup Contractors is holding a Panel Discussion focusing on the issue of a career break for female engineers. The panel consists of a recruitment agent, a careers advisor, a HR Manager as well as a female engineer who has taken an extended break from work. This is a great opportunity to ask questions and get some advice on how to plan for your career break and how to successfully get back into the workforce. Parents are welcomed to bring children along. For enquiries, email sydneywie@engineersaustralia.org.au
When Thursday 23rd June 2011 12:00 for 12:30– 2:00pm Where EA Auditorium, G/F, 8 Thomas Street, Chatswood (next to railway station & car park) Cost Free for EA members, $10 for non-members Lunch included RSVP Monday 20th June 2011 Registration essential Click here to register
The Panel Shalendra Ranasinghe is the Commercial Manager, Telco & Energy at Abigroup Contractors. She has 20 years of experience working in the building, infrastructure, oil & gas, power and telecommunications industries. She commenced her career at Transfield Construction gaining experience in procurement, quality management, contracts and general business administration. Prior to working at Abigroup, she was an Associate Director, holding the operational role of Executive Officer at Godden Mackay Logan, a leading heritage consultancy firm. Jennifer O’Donovan is currently the National Manager Careers for Engineers Australia a position she has held for more than seven years, and is located in the Sydney Division. In her role as the National Manager Careers, she provides career advice to members on subjects such as job searching, further study and career planning as well as giving advice to non-members on engineering careers and to generally promote the profession of engineering. Kim Manderson is a Human Resources Business Partner in RailCorp NSW where she provides assistance Jennifer hasand a Bachelor of Commerce in Management and Human Resources and worked overher seven years in delivery implementation of organisational HR Policies and Procedures. In 2008, Kimfor began in various human resources roles in the private sector for national and multi national organisations, employment with RailCorp as the Project Officer in the Grievance Advisory Service. She was also thebefore Equity joining Engineers Australia. and was involved heavily during the development of the current equity and & Diversity Unit Coordinator diversity management plan, receiving a HR recognition award for her contribution. Kim is an accredited mediator under the national mediation standards and is currently completing her Masters of Dispute Resolution at the University of Technology, Sydney. Heidi Crawford is a specialist engineering recruiter with 13 years professional working experience in this industry. She started her career with a global listed group who transferred her to Sydney in 2001. After her second child she joined a smaller, private group where she worked part time. Heidi established her own recruitment business after her third child where she works from her home office part time. She is an active supporter of working mothers in the engineering sector. Proudly sponsored by
Sydney Women In Engineering Annual Report 2011
Mentoring Events 2 events per year
By Mai Yeung, Mentoring Coordinator The Women In Engineering Sydney Division mentoring seminar was held on 5 May 2011 at the Swissotel sponsored by WorleyParsons. Robyn Howlett, HR Manager of WorleyParsons expressed the company’s view on women in engineering and spoke about the continual support that the company provides for career development of young and experienced female engineers. Dr Mark Toner and Gunilla Burrows’s seminar outlined the current problems as being a lack of women in middle and senior management positions, a lack of career prospects for women, a large pay gap between men and women, difficulty in women returning to the workforce and negative attitudes to women. This was partly due to the general male opinion that women were “complex”. Mark then explained some of the underlying contributing factors seen in the business world. From a business point of view, in an effort for business operators to achieve immediate financial performance, they tend to promote competitive organizational cultures that are results-orientated “macho” environments, with a 24/7 work culture. Other reasons included relationship-building based on “mateship”, hidden indirect gender biases. The seminar thenoffered some solutions to the problem: being aware of the issues that cause the differences, taking the initiative to do your own advocating and most importantly developing skills and competencies to play the “corporate
2011 Event Facts Sponsor Worley Parsons Speaker: Dr Mark Toner and Gunilla Burrows Venue: Swissotel Hotel No. of Attendees: 150
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Ticket Price: Free/$10 for EA members/ non-members
“How Female Engineers Can Improve Their Career Prospects in a MaleDominated Organisation” game”. Mark emphasized that there was more to success in the work place than just working hard and completing tasks, instead it is also important to have an ability to read the way your organization “plays the game” to understand where the power bases are, what the male/ female personality differences are and to decide what role you would like to take in this so called ‘game’. Other tips for success were to network and build relationships inside and outside the organization; find ways to become visible to management; play politics and lobby for yourself and your work; communicate effectively and ask for lots of feedback while performing well and producing results. Most importantly was to never underestimate the power of being ‘likable’. The 150 attendees took away with them tips on the unwritten rules of the corporate game, how female engineers can equip themselves with the skills that might help them to play the game should they choose to and how to obtain support and help from peers or mentors. Both speakers availed themselves to a queue of attendees wishing to discuss the topic further after the seminar concluded.
WorleyParsons Women in Engineering Mentoring Seminar
How Female Engineers Can Improve Their Career Prospects in a Male-Dominated Organisation Swissotel, Sydney CBD
■
5 May 2011
■
5:30pm-8:00pm
Women face unexpected gender bias in many male-dominated organisations, and because of their low numbers, female engineers are more likely to experience this bias than women in other professions. Mark and Gunilla will discuss the problems female engineers may face in maledominated organisations, and suggest a set of skills which women can develop to understand the following:
male-female differences in decision-making, communication and assertiveness the unwritten “rules” of the organisational game they are playing as employees leadership skills to increase their personal power, and how to “play” the game to enhance their career prospects. Mark Toner is a former CEO of Kvaerner Australia (now Aker Solutions), which was a successful but extremely male-run organisation. He is a management consultant and company director. He has developed a new argument for more women in engineering based on personality types in the engineering profession.
Gunilla Burrowes is Deputy Chair of Engineers Media, a past National Vice-President of EA and a company director. Active over many years in Women in Engineering programs, Gunilla helped instigate EA’s successful theme for 2007: The Year of Women in Engineering. She and Mark are members of EA’s National Committee for Women in Engineering Advisory Board and EA’s National CELM Board.
Fee: Free for EA members, $10 Non members Click here for registration
ICWES
YOHE
Information and Enquiries sydneywie@engineersaustralia.org.au Date: 5 May 2011 (Thursday) Time: 5:30pm for 6:00pm – 8:00pm Venue: Swissotel, Blaxland Room A 68 Market St, Sydney RSVP: 29 April 2011 Places limited so register early!
Proudly sponsored by
Sydney Women In Engineering Annual Report 2011
Mentoring Events 2 events per year
By Mai Yeung, Mentoring Coordinator Women In Engineering (WIE) hosted a training session on mentoring on 15 February 2011 at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel. This event was proudly sponsored by RailCorp and was well attended by 40 female engineers from consulting engineering companies, banks, defence, construction companies, universities and RailCorp.
In supporting this event, RailCorp presented topics ranging from their in-house mentoring program, their support to female engineers and a case study of two emerging female engineers in their organisation. Ian McCullough, GGM Engineering & Projects, spoke about strategies to improve employment for Women at RailCorp. Ian stated that the number of female staff in non traditional roles such as engineering is still quite low, similar to other engineering organisations. The effort that RailCorp has put in place to attract and retain female employees includes paid maternity leave, a “stay-in-touch” program (keeps the staff on maternity leave informed by means of an internal newsletter), scholarships and flexible hours. Kim Barkel, Manager Learning & Development, presented tips on successful mentoring based on the organisation’s self-directed mentoring kit. He emphasised the importance of setting up a mentormentee relationship that begins with defined objectives, timelines, and expectations with the key for a successful relationship relying upon active mentees. In closing, Kim raised the challenge to the attendees to find a
2011 Event Facts Sponsor Railcorp
Speaker: Ian McGullough, Kim Barkel, Hope Dilworth Kidd, Dorothy Koukari Venue:Four Points by Sheraton, Darling Harbour No. of Attendees: 40
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Ticket Price:Free/$10 for EA members/nonmembers
mentor or a mentee, use external mentoring resources, have a career discussion with their boss and prepare a life plan. Hope Dilworth Kidd, Senior Development Manager, Service Development, spoke about her career journey from being the only female engineer early in her career to her position now at RailCorp. She was the first female engineering graduate from the University of the West Indies and the only female postgraduate engineering student in Holland and USA. With the encouragement from various mentors in her career life in RailCorp, she was able to move around and up in the organisation. As she moved up the ladder, she experienced the challenge of finding a suitable mentor to guide her to the next level. Dorothy Koukari, Acting Group Leader Standards, spoke about her experience with the organisation since 1985. She highlighted the importance maintaining a work-life balance by taking part in the things she enjoys (baking and music) and spending time with her family. She shared her experience on moving sideways in order to move up and seized opportunities from different departments in the organisation. In summary, positive feedback was received from the attendees as they found the session provided by RailCorp informative, helpful and inspirational. During the networking drinks and canapés session following the formal presentation, the attendees were able to talk to the speakers and potential mentors and several new registrations were added to the program.
WIE Mentoring Program Leadership Training The WIE Mentoring Program provides advice and mentoring in all areas of career and personal development to WIE members. What are the benefits of being involved? -
Find out the career path in rail industry Find out the opportunities in RailCorp Further your education through shared experiences and knowledge
Information and Enquiries sydneywie@engineersaustralia.org.au www.engineersaustralia.org.au/sydneywie Click here to Register
Next event – Mentoring Training Date: Tuesday 15 February 2011 Time: 5.30pm for 6.00pm – 8.00pm Venue: Maritime Room, Level 11 Four Points by Sheraton Darling Harbour, 161 Sussex Street, Sydney RSVP: Friday 11 February 2011
Proudly sponsored by
Sydney Women In Engineering Annual Report 2011
Christmas Event
Lunchtime Event - late Nov / early Dec By Mai Yeung, Mentoring Coordinator The WIE hosted the Abigroup WIE Christmas Luncheon on 22 November 2010 at the American Club. This event was well attended by 80 attendees from engineering consultants and contractors. The guest speaker at the luncheon, Dr. Nancy Jan Davis, is a former American astronaut very inspirational. Her career is in no-doubt extremely challenging and amazing. Even though she was the only woman in the engineering class, and a minority woman engineer at NASA, she achieved her goals and got selected to join two space flights as the mission specialist, and the third flight as the commander. She started her presentation by mentioning her education from Bachelor to Doctorate Degree in Mechanical Engineering. This has shown the importance of basic qualification and knowledge in advancing in her career. She had emphasized on the importance of persistence in reaching her goals. She had seized the opportunities to talk to the astronauts and asked questions when she worked with NASA as an engineer. She was declined twice for the application to become an astronaut, at which there were 5000 applicants and about 128 applicants were interviewed and only a handful were selected. Dr Davis had to go through three years of basic training and specific training prior to the space flights. She had the opportunity of working with scientists with different cultural backgrounds and disciplines from
2010 Event Facts Sponsor Abigroup Speaker: Nancy Davis Venue: The American Club No. of Attendees: 80 Ticket Price: $70/$90 for EA members/ non-members, $700 for a table of 10
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“WIE Christmas Luncheon” Japan and Russia to complete the flight missions. It’s amazing to see the photos of her activities and experiments in the space shuttle and the pretty pictures of Australia taken from space. After three space lights, Dr. Davis knew that she wouldn’t be an astronaut for much longer as the work was very demanding. She started to take management courses and looked for management positions. She had also seeked advice from the people who had walked the career path that she wanted - the managers at NASA. She was then assigned to the NASA Headquarters as the Director of the Human Exploration and Development of Space (HEDS), Independent Assurance Office for the Office of Safety and Mission Assurance. Then she was transferred to the Marshall Space Flight Centre and took up positions as Director of the Flight Projects Directorate. After the Columbia accident, she was appointed the Head of Safety and Mission Assurance at Marshall where she assured the safe return to flight of the space shuttle. Dr. Davis retired from NASA in 2005 and she is currently the Vice President and Deputy General Manager with Jacobs Technology at Marshall.
Abigroup WIE Christmas Luncheon
Nancy Jan Davis is a former American astronaut. A veteran of three space ights, Dr. Davis has logged over 673 hours in space. Dr. Davis is now retired from NASA.
After graduating from Auburn University in 1977, Davis joined Texaco in Bellaire, Texas, working as a petroleum engineer in tertiary oil recovery. She left there in 1979 to work for NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center as an aerospace engineer. In 1986, she was named as team leader in the Structural Analysis Division, and her team was responsible for the structural analysis and verication of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), the HST maintenance mission, and the Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility. In 1987, she was also assigned to be the lead engineer for the redesign of the solid rocket booster external tank attach ring. Davis did her graduate research at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, studying the long-term strength of pressure vessels due to the viscoelastic characteristics of lament-wound composites. She holds one patent, has authored several technical papers, and is a Registered Professional Engineer.
Connecting Engineering Women Abigroup WIE Christmas Luncheon – Meet the NASA Astronaut Date: 22 November Monday Time: 12.00pm – 2.00pm Venue: The American Club Level 14, 131 Macquarie Street Sydney 2000 Cost: $70 for EA members, $90 for non-EA members, $50 for student members, Table (10 seats): $700
Please click here to RSVP and advise dietary requirement.
Sydney Women In Engineering Annual Report 2011
Industry Site Visit Day Event
By Sherry Moghadassi, National Committee Representative On Friday 19th August, 26 female “HMAS Success Technical engineers from various government Site Visit” and private sectors assembled at Sydney’s Garden Island Navy Fleet at sea. The RAS missions involve the Base. This group was invited to attend delivery of fuel, ammunition and food, a technical site visit, organized by which is vital to ensure the operational Women in Engineering Sydney Division success of the Royal Australian Navy in conjunction with the Royal Australian Fleet. The officer explained that the Navy. Despite the relentless rain and Cargo Control Room is the heart of the wind, there was no lack of enthusiasm operations. Furthermore, the Transfer as the group embarked upon the deck of Stations for cargo had the ability to the HMAS Success. transfer loads of up to approximately 2 tonnes. The loads are transported Upon arrival, the group of female using winches powered by hydraulic engineers was welcomed by Lieutenant transmissions, controlled electronically. Commander Neil Coysh, the Officer in The final area was the Officer Watch Charge for the site visit. The 26 engineers Room where the groups were briefed on were divided into smaller groups to tour the importance of communication and the vessel. Each group was escorted by message traffic. a HMAS Success crew member as they toured the Bridge, Cargo Control Room As the tour came to an end, there was and Officer Watch Room areas. a common appreciation for the value and importance of the roles which As the groups toured the Bridge, they technical officers and engineers play in were made aware of the importance of the Royal Australian Navy. The entire quality training and meeting competency group was extremely pleased with the requirements for officers. It was also professionalism, integrity and dedication fascinating to hear that despite the displayed by the crew on board the incredible technology that was onboard, HMAS Success. some of the controls were still manually operated. This is due to the fact that the ship was commissioned in the late 1980’s. The main operation of the HMAS Success is Replenishment at Sea (RAS) missions, which is critical in support of the Australian Defence Force operations
2011 Event Facts Venue: Garden Island No. of Attendees: 30 Ticket Price: Free/$10 for EA members/ non-members
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Sydney Women In Engineering Annual Report 2011
Family Day
Day Event - First Saturday in April By Julie Mikhail, Chair On Saturday 2nd April, Women in Engineering (WIE), Sydney Division, hosted a family day at Centennial Park offering an opportunity for a family bike ride as an alternative to the annual kayaking event. With the majority of WIE events held on weekday evenings, this weekend social gathering allowed for a more relaxed environment in which to network and socialise with partners and other family members. Although the weather looked ominous, the rain held out and those who turned out in the windy conditions and worked up a sweat cycling around the park, were rewarded with a free lunch consisting of Thai and Indian treats. Overall an enjoyable time was had by all.
2011 Event Facts Venue: Centennial Park, Randwick No. of Attendees: 20 Ticket Price: Free, BYO bike
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Sydney Women In Engineering Annual Report 2011
Student Scholarship August
By Gillian Pak, Publications Coordinator Each year, WIE Sydney Division awards two $500 scholarships to female students in their penultimate or final year of an undergraduate engineering degree or postgraduate engineering degree. Applicants are assessed in the areas of academic achievement, demonstrated leadership abilities and promotion of engineering and communication skills. This year again many high quality applications were received from students at universities all over Sydney and Wollongong, and the four most outstanding were shortlisted to present in front of a panel. There were two students completing combined degrees (Engineering/Law and Engineering/ Arts), one PhD student, and a student completing a Diploma of Engineering Practice as part of her degree. We saw impressive examples of promoting the engineering profession, in organising public speaking competitions, being student ambassadors and volunteering in engineering programs and challenges for high school students. The applicants were asked to provide their ideas to promote engineering to broader social groups, including women from non-English speaking backgrounds, regional, rural and remote areas and socio-economically disadvantaged groups. The ideas included hosting engineering projects or competitions via teleconferencing, improving marketing through partnerships with universities, forming network and peer-mentoring
2011 Event Facts Scholarship Prize: 2x $500 awards
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“Annual student scholarship for women studying engineering” relationships and sending out ‘roadshow’style demonstrations to remote areas. Based on the written applications and the presentations, Roslyn Florie-George and Jennifer Purwa were selected as the winners of the scholarship. They were presented with their certificates at the Young Engineers Gala Dinner at Cockle Bay Wharf. This year WIE introduced a new aspect of the scholarship – the winners would act as Student Ambassadors to the Committee for a year, improving links between the Committee and Universities as well as helping to promote engineering to high school students. We welcome Roslyn and Jennifer to the Committee and hope that together we can implement some of their fantastic ideas for taking Engineering to girls and to the world!
International Women’s Day First Thursday in March Family/Kayaking Day First Saturday in April Panel Discussion June Winter Gala Dinner Last Saturday in July Student Scholarship August Eminent Speakers Breakfast Second Thursday in October
Sydney Women In Engineering Annual Report 2011
Annual Event Calendar
Mentoring Events TBA Industry Site Visit TBA
Want more information?
sydneywie@engineersaustralia.org.au
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Produced by: Sydney Women in Engineering Engineers Australia Sydney Division Level 3, 8 Thomas Street Chatswood NSW 2067 Email: sydneywie@engineersaustralia.org.au Web: www.engineersaustralia.org.au/sydneywie