Promoting Girls in Research in Engineering and Sustainability (ProGRES 2017)

ProGRES & Beyond: Updates

• Support or join the UPEI Engineering team on October 1: http://www.supportcbcf.com/goto/UPEIengineering
• The quality of "being smart": https://hbr.org/2017/06/in-the-ai-age-being-smart-will-mean-something-completely-different

Week 1: Orientation and Introductions

Ali Ahmadi: In our group, we spent the first week on ideation. Once Alyssa and Melanie were introduced to the overall process and framework of the project, they started researching ideas. They were asked to choose a biomedical device that they would like to develop over the next couple of weeks using the processes that we have in the group. I was very impressed by the quality of the ideas that Alyssa and Melanie shared with us. Both ideas address very important problems, and I am very excited to see the developed prototypes in the upcoming weeks. We also take the game of bocce very seriously in our group, and I was also very impressed by the talent that Alyssa and Melanie showed during our lunch-time bocce games.

Failing to plan is planning to fail! Therefore, Alyssa and Melanie are currently planning their projects, and they will submit a brief project definition report. The following step will be getting training on degradable bio-material fabrication.

Katia Hughes: The first week was a great introduction to Engineering! It was really interesting to talk to the Engineering students about their projects, and to get an idea of what kind of work is done in the field. I also attended SPUR on Wednesday at lunch, and it was cool to hear about what other kinds of research is done on campus (especially by profs). So far in my project, I am in the beginning stages, as I am doing general research on my problem: wind turbine blade failure/leading edge erosion. We were also introduced to Onshape this week, and although I am very new to the program, I hope to design something cool and useful, and hopefully develop some basic design skills. I look forward to what the following weeks hold!

Erin Chiasson: The first week I learned about what the work environment was like here at SSDE. Working at UPEI has really showed me a lot about what "life beyond high school" is like, and I have also been introduced to the type of work which engineering entails. There are many more areas than just civil engineering (which is what people traditionally tend to think of engineering as). The student group I am assisting is focusing on precision agricultural engineering, which involves solving problems related to farm/crop management (use of pesticides, fertilizers, and their effectiveness and sustainability). I have learned about the background of how data is collected for this type of research- I even had the opportunity to visit an experimental soybean field and help with data collection! I have also been working with mapping software called ArcGIS which my supervisors use to show data they have collected in some of their experimental fields on soil samples, moisture levels, and the normalized difference vegetation index (indicates whether there is live green vegetation in a sample area). I was introduced to my specific project for the 5 weeks I am working here, which will be to design a device that can facilitate the transport of water to the rooftop garden. This is important for my group because part of their research involves growing potatoes on the roof of the SSDE building to test biochar against other various fertilizers.

Sydney Wheatley: My first week here at the new engineering building was a blast. After going through the front doors my very first time I was greeted with a friendly smile. I discovered shortly after that this friendly smile belonged to Nadja Bressan and that I would be privileged enough to work alongside her and her student Abbygale. The first week was a wonderful learning experience. I was exposed to all the branches of engineering offered here at UPEI and elsewheres, what advantages are associated with being an engineer, Onshape (CAD), how to make a tower out of spaghetti and marshmallows and how to play the beautiful sport of bocce ball. This friendly environment makes me feel very welcome and happy to call this beautiful building “home” for the next four weeks.

Week 2: Starting the Projects and Becoming a Life-Long Learner

Selected readings this week: Julie Payette is the next Governor General of Canada, http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/astronauts/biopayette.asp

The Art and Science of Cursive and Coding: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/coding-is-the-new-cursive-writing-and-we-have-to-embrace-it/article35776671/

Katia Hughes: These articles were very interesting to me, as they demonstrate the wide range of jobs and opportunities that come with pursuing Engineering. People like Julie Payette, who have done so much with their interests and had so many amazing opportunities, serve as inspiration and role models for me. By reading her biography, I am inspired to do what I love, and to hopefully have some life-changing experiences along the way! After reading the article about STEM skills, I was reminded of my love for technology that I have not engaged with much recently. Back in elementary and middle school, I learned how to use PhotoShop, design my own website with HTML, build models with Google Sketchup, and create videos and animations. Recently I have been introduced to Onshape, which has only reminded me of the skills that are necessary to thrive in this growing world. I hope in the future to learn more about the technologies that are important for working as an engineer or researcher, and to develop my skills.

Melanie Rodger: After reading the article titled “Coding is the new cursive writing- and we have to embrace it” I have a new perspective on the importance of STEM skills especially in younger people. This article has made me more aware of how needed these skills are especially upon entering today's workforce which I will be doing relatively soon. These types of skills are something that I am definitely interested and learning more about and now that I know how beneficial they can be makes me that much more excited!

Julie Payette’s biography was very inspirational. It is amazing how much she has accomplished over the years, proving that hard work does pay off. Her success has motivated me to work hard and to do what I love. Both this article and the ProGRES program have increased my interest in engineering and is keeping me eager to learn more!

Amy Hsiao: So much fun this morning, learning a bit about the design of wind turbines and harnessing wind energy (see photo above). I loved seeing the interactions between the ProGRES students and the high school students from Japan, your warmth towards each other and perseverance are to be commended. Communication, design-build-iteration-test-demonstration, managing project costs and time crunches, teamwork, creativity = Sustainable Design Engineering @ UPEI!

Katia Hughes: The second week has been very interesting, and I've definitely been more exposed to the engineering design process. While designing my CAD file, I got to know Onshape better, and asked the engineering students for help and tips when creating my design. I'm hoping that the 3D print will be successful, but if not, I have another chance! Just goes to show the importance of iterations when it comes to design, as sometimes it's hard to know what the defects of a design would be without trying it out. I definitely experienced this idea when creating our own wind turbines out of everyday materials, as without a background in design it was definitely a challenge to create a working turbine! However, we tried many different things and with perseverance, we managed to get it to work! We were really proud of our accomplishment and it felt great to create something that worked (despite the fact that it may not have been the most visually appealing turbine I've ever seen). Also, we attended a Thesis Defense for a Master of Science (chem), which was really interesting as I got to see what graduate research is like, and the kind of knowledge a person can gain through such intensive education and research experience. It definitely interests me, and I could see myself doing something like that in the future! It was also awesome to visit Sandy Rae farms on Friday and be able to talk to engineers and learn about the different paths an engineering degree can lead to.

Erin Chiasson: Week 2 has been another busy yet fun and educational time here at ProGRES. I finished my OnShape design and began 3D printing. I had the opportunity to attend several presentations; one by Dr. David Wood which was on the methods to detect damage to bearings & blades in wind turbines. Another very eye opening experience I had was seeing a defense for a Master's of Science degree. On Thursday morning, we worked with Japanese high school girls to design and create a wind turbine that could lift a teabag by converting wind energy to mechanical energy. It was a good introductory demonstration of the design procedures used by engineers, and also showed the importance of using teamwork to solve a problem. Today (Friday) we visited MacKinnon's SandyRae Dairy Farm in Montague. We toured the farm and observed the technology and all the different fields of engineering at work in a farm system.

Abby Lewis-Fox: My second week at ProGRES was just as amazing as the first. I finished working on both the first part of my individual project, building three robots, and my Onshape design. While the first two robots could be considered failures, seeing as the frame of one couldn’t support it’s weight, and the other started smoking whenever the batteries were put in, they were certainly both fun learning experiences and helped me successfully make the third robot. It required some modification, but eventually it worked like planned. I am excited to begin the second phase of my project; identifying a problem in the world and either creating a solution using robotics, or improving/modifying an existing solution. I finished my Onshape design of a flower box shaped like a house and I’ve already gotten started on the second version. Along with these two projects we did a few other activities that I loved, including attending a seminar on the importance of monitoring the condition of wind turbines and ways to identify damage, going on a tour of SandyRae Dairy Farm in Montague, and my favourite, working in teams with high school girls to construct a windmill capable of lifting up a tea bag using only household materials. Getting to meet engineers from all across PEI and listening to their stories about how and why they became engineers is one of the best things about this program, and I hope we get to meet more soon.

Both articles were interesting reads, but the story about coding being the new cursive writing is the one that really made me think. I don’t agree that coding is the new cursive writing, I think it’s far more important than that. The world, especially technology is changing so fast that the only way to keep up is to start learning while you’re young and build your skills from there, so I think that all children should be taught at least the basics of coding in school. Getting girls more interested in STEM is crucial to making a better future for everyone, and coding is a perfect way to do that. I also think it would be most effective when children are very young; before girls start hearing that the field of STEM is “a man’s world”.

Week 3: Projects Underway & Thinking about the Engineer's Impact on Society and the Future

Selected readings this week:

Jennifer Sidey is one of two selected to the Canadian Space Agency's Astronaut Training Program, http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/astronauts/bio-jennifer-sidey.asp

How Women Mentors Make a Difference in Engineering: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/05/women-mentors-engineering/527625/

Katia Hughes: These articles were extremely interesting to me, particularly the one about Jennifer Sidey. Never in my life did I consider being an astronaut as a realistic career path, but if I pursue engineering, it could be a dream come true! Being an astronaut was always one of those careers that I assumed were extremely unrealistic, but that I thought would be unbelievably interesting! Perhaps it could be a goal I can have in mind for the future, as it is an extremely cool and challenging career that an engineering background could give me. The article about women mentors in engineering also made me think, as I realize now how important this ProGRES program is, as I get to work with female engineering students and professors, and can see that engineering is for women too. Role models (like Jennifer Sidey) and mentors (like UPEI Engineering students and professors) are principal connections to have, as they allow female students to grow and pursue their dreams, despite the challenges they may face along the way. I am reminded of how thankful I should be for the opportunity to be a ProGRES summer student, and for the efforts that UPEI is making to encourage women in Engineering.

Melanie Rodger: The articles this week were inspiring, most notably the one about Dr. Jennifer Sidey. It was amazing to read about everything she has accomplished at such a young age. Being able to read about her success as an engineer has made me more driven to hopefully eventually become one as well. With the article I also found it interesting to see how Dr. Sidey used her engineering knowledge to branch out and become other things, like an assistant professor and astronaut. This really goes to show how diverse engineering skills can be. As for the article titled “How Women Mentors Make a Difference in Engineering” I also found it inspiring as it demonstrates the importance of women in the engineering field. It was really interesting to read about how women mentors preserve belonging and confidence in women engineers. With that being said, it was saddening to hear that women only make up thirteen to twenty-two percent of doctorates in engineering in the united states. However, I strongly believe that with programs like ProGRES and other improvements being made the amount of women in engineering will improve a lot!

Erin Chiasson: I thought that both articles were very interesting reads. I felt that "How Women Mentors Make a Difference in Engineering" was quite relatable for me. I think the study Dennehy and Dasgupta did was not only well-planned and effective, but the results were important to young women like myself considering a career in engineering. I was surprised by just how large the effect of not having female role models in engineering is on whether young women continue in engineering or not. Although after thinking about it, these results really aren't that surprising at all. I am lucky that in high school so far I have had a pretty even ratio of female to male science & math teachers, and in ProGRES I have also been surrounded with female role models in engineering. I can, however, imagine that if I never had female role models to look up to and think "I could be in that position someday", it might be more difficult for me to picture myself succeeding in engineering. The other article, about Jennifer Sidey, was also inspiring. It really showed that her many years of work and education lead her to specialize in a field she was passionate about, and be accepted to the Canadian Space Agency's Astronaut Training program.

Sydney Wheatley: I truly enjoyed the two articles, about women in engineering, this week. The biography of Dr. Jennifer Sidey was very inspirational for me, a high school student trying to decide what I want to become. I thought this article was a very good indicator that engineering is a great starting place for your career and it is relatively uncomplicated to branch out in different directions. The second article, dealing with “social vaccines” (female mentors), was very real for me at this point in my life. At my school, the majority of the teachers are male and I don’t consider myself at a disadvantage for being exposed to mainly males, but since I have started this program I have noticed a difference. The females in which I am surrounded by are extremely empowering. They are easy to relate to and I do consider them more of a role model than men due to the fact that I can envision myself following in their footsteps more so than those of a male.

My “proGRES” of this week consisted of organizing my experiments and creating many tables to insert my data. Other than that, Amy took us on a few field trips which were very amusing. First off, we went to Engineers PEI to talk to a few female engineers to get some more insight on what it’s actually like being a female engineer. I thought that their stories were good advertisement for engineering because they made it sound very attainable and enjoyable. We also had lunch at the Farmers’ market the next day before heading to Matlab which was a whole new experience for me. Never being exposed to computer programming before definitely made this lesson slightly harder to wrap my head around. Nonetheless it was still very interesting and made me want to learn more. The highlight of week two was getting to go on a road trip to Tignish. I found myself in awe the whole day, chin to the ground. I never imagined wind turbines being so huge. Carrie Houston, another female engineer, shared with us her story and showed us all of the different technology and work that is required to maintain such a magnificent sustainable creation. Finally, I was introduced to a mini project that I will be doing with Dr. Marya Ahmed. I am going to be creating hydrogels that react to a temperature stimulus and are capable of absorbing dye or drugs. I’m looking forward to what week 4 will bring.

Abby Lewis-Fox: Week three at ProGRES was just as if not busier than the two previous. Monday was a transition from part 1 of my project to part 2, and I spent the day cleaning up all the spare robot parts and doing some research on existing problems in the world and how I could help solve them. I also picked up my completed 3D print which turned out great. The majority of the week was spent working on my project, my blog, and my second Onshape design, but there was still time for some more exciting activities. At noon on Tuesday we ate lunch at the Engineers PEI headquarters where we got to meet several engineers with various different specialties, and learned about how they got to where they are now. After lunch on Wednesday we had our first of two MATLAB sessions, which I found interesting, fun and a bit confusing. Thursday was the day of the big field trip to WEICAN. We spent several hours driving up to North Cape, stopping along the way in Slemon Park to see some windmill blades being stored in a Vector Aerospace hangar. At WEICAN we were given a short presentation, then a tour of the site. Having the opportunity to be directly under and even inside a turbine was certainly worth the drive. Friday was a bit quieter, but we did have both a lunch with much of the engineering faculty and a photo op. All in all week three was busy, but a lot of fun, and I’m excited for weeks four and five.

I’ve never wanted to be an astronaut, I’d much rather be one of the people in the mission control center, but for all the little girls that do, Jennifer Sidey will be their role model and their inspiration. Her biography was very impressive, especially for someone so young. I think that she is the perfect candidate not just based on her background in engineering and her ability to meet all the necessary requirements, but because of her work with young girls interested in STEM. You don’t stop being an astronaut just because you retire, and I think that in the future, long after Sidey has left the Canadian Space Agency, she will do everything she can to promote careers in STEM to the next generation of girls. I also completely agree with the second article: it’s difficult to see yourself ever being someone or doing something if you’ve never seen anyone like you do the same. Today, many of the statistics on women in STEM careers are still disheartening, but compared to those of ten, twenty, or fifty years ago it’s obvious that much progress has been made. Initiatives like 30 by 30, the goal of having 30% of all newly licensed Canadian engineers be women, are really making a difference and I think we all hope that one day it will be closer to 50%.

Week 4: Full-Project-Mode & Learning about Self-Awareness and Leadership

Selected readings this week:

• Three Women Engineering Deans (Christina Amon - Engineering Dean UofT, Kim Woodhouse - Engineering Dean Queens, Mary Wells - Associate Dean Outreach, Waterloo) write a blog about Elsie MacGill, demonstrating the power of written and verbal communication as an engineer: https://www.therecord.com/opinion-story/7006019-the-next-canadian-woman-on-a-bank-note-should-be-elsie-macgill/
• Engineers apply and use math and science to solve real-world problems: http://mashable.com/2017/02/07/team-tactile-braille-display.amp
• Building your leadership skills begins with self-awareness: http://amp.weforum.org/agenda/2017/02/why-you-need-emotional-intelligence

Katia Hughes: The article about Elsie MacGill was very inspiring, as her story reminds me of the importance of perseverance not only in pursuing your dreams, but in pushing through difficult times. I think having her on a banknote would be a great way to commemorate her life and work as one of the first female engineers. The article about Team Tactile was very great to read, as it shows the importance of engineers (and diversity in engineering) to produce life-changing products. It makes me feel that perhaps someday I can invent something that may have a positive impact on the world. The emotional intelligence article was also interesting as it shows that stereotypical intelligence is not the only quality that makes a successful person, but a mix of different types of intelligence is necessary. This again underlines the importance of diversity in the engineering community, as perhaps women can present the emotional intelligence needed in the community.

Melanie Rodger: The piece on Elsie MacGill was a real eye opener. I was amazed by her accomplishments even through disabilities and being one of the only females in engineering at the time. I definitely agree with the article, she should be the next “bank NOTEable person” because her story needs to be shared more in order to spread the word that females can be engineers not only men. The second article about the six young women inventing the device to translate text into braille was another inspiring read. All this positive news about women making advancements in engineering is very good for the recruitment or more female engineers. The third article titled “Why you need emotional intelligence” was very thought provoking. I enjoyed how it talked a bit about personality because the ProGRES girls and I have all recently taken personality tests. The article also taught me a lot about what emotional intelligence is which I thought was awesome because I wasn't very familiar with it beforehand.

Erin Chiasson: I really enjoyed reading all three articles. The story on Elsie MacGill was very inspiring to see how she overcame adversity by continuing to stay dedicated to her work through recovering from illness. She was also the first woman to receive an electrical engineering degree in Canada, and the first female practicing p. Eng in Canada. It is fairly well known that Canada was advancing rapidly in aerospace technology around the time of WWII, but Elsie MacGill is not a name that is familiar to everyone. I couldn't believe that I had never heard of her before reading this article, since she played such a major role in Canada's aerospace industry at this pivotal time period. I agree she should definitely be the next "bank NOTEable person". Her story shows her strength of character, passion for her field, and ability to persevere through difficulty. From this article, I can tell she is not the type to stay "inside the box" but rather follow her passions and accomplish amazing, never-done-before feats in her life. She is truly a role model for all Canadian citizens.

The next article, "How Six Young Women Invented a Life-Changing Device In Less Than a Day", was another inspiring read. Events like these fuel my interest for science and innovation as a career. Creating new technology in today's world seems like such a daunting, unattainable task for young people when there is always someone who knows more about your chosen field than you do. However, throughout the last couple weeks working at ProGRES I have learned that there are many problems in our world without solutions, and that it isn't all about your background in a certain field but moreso about your perspective and the kinds of creative ideas that you can come up with to solve said problem. I love how "hands-on" engineering is as a field, and how you can use your skills to come up with useful solutions that can actually change the world and peoples' lives.

The final article, "Why You Need Emotional Intelligence", was also entertaining and informative to read. I have been working a lot on improving my emotional intelligence level throughout the past couple years as I am preparing to enter adulthood, however I did not know there was a name for this, or the importance of it. This was an intriguing concept for me to read about- I will explain more about how it relates to me personally on my personal blog section. I believe it is a very important concept especially for fields such as engineering where teamwork and collaborating with others is such a huge component of effective work.

Sydney Wheatley: Dr. Hsiao has really opened my eyes to the world of engineering with these articles. Team Tactile is a great example of how ordinary people can make huge waves in the lives of others. Their product is very innovative and it would be a great affordable tool for someone with vision problems. One of the other pieces on emotional intelligence really resonated with me because, although I may be biased, I think that females have higher emotional intelligence than males. Perhaps this is because we are perceived as more emotional than men, so it would only make sense that we have higher emotional intelligence too. A higher emotional intelligence would be profitable in the engineering field. From what I have learned, engineering requires teamwork and the one way to make a team cooperate is through your personal skills. For example, reading people's expressions to understand how they are feeling. Skills like these would make a group task seem not as daunting and make it easier to work as a unit. I think that emotional intelligence is extremely important and should be emphasized at early development stages for children (as well as STEAM). The article on Elsie MacGill was astonishing. I once read the book “Unbroken” by Laura Hillenbrand and the main character, an aircraft bomber in world war ll, stressed how imperative it was to get a “good” plane. To know that a canadian female engineer designed one of the most effective aircrafts and ran the whole operation of mass producing them is mind-boggling. Not only did Elsie succeed greatly through engineering but she persevered through sickness to be able to return to her career. She is a hero to not only female engineers, but a diverse group of people all over the world.

Abby Lewis-Fox: I’ve always been interested in history, and most of my role models are historical figures instead of people from the present day, so I’ve actually read about “The Queen of the Hurricanes” before. When I heard about the nominees for Canada’s new currency she was immediately my first choice, and although she lost to a woman as equally as deserving of the spot, it was still a bit disappointing when she was not selected. She played a massive role in Canada’s history, overcoming both prejudice and disability in order to do so yet very few people know who she was and what she did. I think it’s important as many stories as possible about great women, not just engineers, are told and never forgotten, and putting the face of one on an item we use every day is a fantastic way to do just that. In the future I hope to see more women being recognised for their accomplishments and have their stories told across the world.

For years there has been a lack of assistive technology and I think it’s great to see a group of ambitious, young women trying to change that. Though the article is very positive, there’s a lot of things that shouldn’t be the way they are. There shouldn’t be so little progress on technology that is so essential to living in a world where so much is in print, and the technology that does exist shouldn’t cost so much that it is inaccessible to the people who need it the most. Blind children should be learning how to read, same as any other child, and teaching them shouldn’t be seen as a pointless, time-consuming chore. These women are doing something incredible, and it would be in everyone’s best interest for people to follow their example and invent something not just because it’s profitable, but because it helps other human beings.

Emotional intelligence was never really something I had given much thought before both reading this article and discussing the Briggs-Myers personality types. Obviously it’s important to have a certain degree of ‘people skills’; to be able to express yourself and understand both your emotions and others’, but the skill is usually seen as something some people naturally have, and others simply don’t. Thinking of emotional intelligence as something that can be practiced and improved upon is a bit weird, because it’s something that cannot be seen or heard or measured. I think that emotional intelligence has a big impact on engineers, because a significant part of their job is bringing together multiple visions and suggestions from all kinds of different people, then creating one unified end result that everyone is happy with. To do that requires an immense amount of skill in compromise, teamwork, leadership, and diplomacy. I don’t think that women naturally have more emotional intelligence than men, but I do believe that they have far more practice in it from a young age, and is just one more reason why having the perspective of women is something that should really be more valued in the field of engineering.

Week 5: Project Wrap-Up and Final Thoughts

Selected readings (and video!) for this week:

• What does a woman engineer "look like"? The answer is: she looks like you and me, more than ever: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhE4cChhkkk
• "One-fifth of humanity" is too much: a compelling case, just one example, for *making a difference* through each of these words, Sustainable. Design. Engineering.: http://news.mit.edu/2017/deadly-heat-waves-could-hit-south-asia-century-0802
• #MenAsAllies: https://www.today.com/parents/we-re-unequal-engineering-student-s-humble-letter-praises-female-t48856

There are so many resources out there for and on Women in Engineering and so many current stories in the news (negative & positive), and I encourage you to keep your eyes and ears open, reflect on what you experience, decide what you believe, and think about your coaches, mentors, champions, those men and women who are allies...and one day becoming one.

Erin Chiasson: The video was well-done and meaningful to me. I also believe that it is important to educate young women and girls about what engineers do since it is a field that requires both critical thinking and creativity. This is part of the reason engineering appeals so strongly to me and to many others- it is a great career for people who love science but also have a strong artistic side. I always enjoyed dancing, drawing, and playing musical instruments growing up as forms of self-expression.

The second article was definitely of a more serious tone. I find it concerning that parts of the globe may become uninhabitable in the near future. It is unfortunate that these heat waves occur in an area with major poverty problems, so that most people who live there wouldn't have the means to relocate. Research on global warming is crucial, and engineering is what will actually hold the capability to solve the problem as much as possible.

The letter by Jared Mauldin was a refreshing read. I agreed with his message that women in male-dominated fields such as engineering often have to work harder to be recognized for their work. I believe that women are making a lot of "proGRES" in gender equality in the sciences, however. I hope that in my lifetime it will become as easy for women to enter engineering as for men.

Katia Hughes: After watching the video, I was reminded of the versatility of a career in engineering, as you don't necessarily have to give up your artistic side, but rather you need to be creative to be an engineer! I also was reminded of how little exposure the public has to engineering and what engineers do, as the young girls in the video couldn't describe an engineer and they didn't know what they did. To me, this demonstrates that more needs to be taught in schools about all different types of careers, as math and chemistry are taught, but engineering isn't. This lack of exposure may deter people from pursuing engineering, as they don't know what it is. That's why programs like ProGRES are so important, as I and other young women get to learn what engineering is, and get to explore our interests early on. The second article that dealt with the rise of global warming and intense heat waves that could cause death reminded me of the importance that engineering research has in today's world. Engineers can provide research and suggestions that can change the world. The third article was also inspiring as it is great to see men acknowledging the issues that women face and conquer in scientific fields.

Melanie Rodger: I found it really interesting this week that there was a video to watch. The video really displayed the importance of spreading the message that girls can be engineers too, to children. It was quite sad to see how little the young girls in the video knew about engineering and for them to be able to learn about women engineers is a great thing that’ll hopefully lead to more women pursuing it in the future. On the other hand, the MIT article about the heat waves was scary. It’s crazy how much our world is changing which makes it all that more important to have engineers to give their opinions on how to help with these kinds of problems. The third article about Jared Mauldin noticing some discrimination against his female peer Holly Jeanneret in engineering school was upsetting. It is not right that females have to work harder just to be accepted in the engineering field and I hope this issue improves in the future as I hope to take engineering. However, it was nice to see how Mauldin noticed this discrimination and brought awareness to it by writing a letter. People who help try to bring awareness to the gender issues in engineering and programs like ProGRES are all helping the problem and are getting women more comfortable to take engineering. Hopefully one day there will be equal numbers of both genders in engineering!

Abby Lewis-Fox: Of these three items, the first one I read was the article featuring a letter written by a male engineering student regarding the struggles of his female peers, and I was pleasantly surprised. As women, what we are trying to accomplish in terms of equality is to be respected, to be valued, and to be listened to the same was as men are. But it’s difficult when we are the ones trying to get our message across and the people who most need to hear it (ie. sexist men), are the ones who dismiss our points or are unwilling to listen to us in the first place. Unfortunately, that means that the best and in some cases only hope to ending sexism, is to have men spreading our message for us. Though this shouldn’t be the case, most of us are grateful for those who chose to defend us, like Jared Mauldin, the man in this article. Hopefully the men who refuse to listen to women will listen to other men that are willing to not just acknowledge sexism, but take a stand against it.

The study about heat waves in South Asia is one of numerous reports coming out about about the devastating possible effects of climate change. While it is a relief to see that in the low-emission scenario much of the worst can be avoided, it would be naive of me to believe that it is the most likely outcome. Right now, for many countries there are two options: let millions suffer in poverty today due to a lack of economic growth or continue consuming and polluting, leaving future generations to endure the repercussions. I can’t imagine how difficult the decision must be, especially for Third World countries who are the most at risk. Thankfully, with so much on the line, scientists refuse to simply let climate change happen, and still strive to warn the world of what will happen if we do not act now. Standing beside them, engineers are the ones devising the solutions, such as implementing renewable energy in the form of solar panels and wind turbines, redesigning products to use electricity instead of fossil fuels, for example electric cars, and making an effort to improve the sustainability of all designs. It’s incredible to see the impact that engineers can have on the world, and I sincerely hope that they can do enough to prevent these disastrous heat waves from ever happening.

Watching the video was interesting, because if I were asked to describe an engineer a few years ago, just like the girls I would have no idea what to say. I could tell you that a mechanical engineer probably worked as mechanic, a chemical engineer probably worked in chemistry, or a electrical engineer probably worked with electricity, but I didn’t know what the ‘engineer’ part meant. I’m glad that organizations like ONWiE are taking the time to show young girls what it means to be an engineer, and personally I’m thankful that the ProGRES program has done that for me.