Narrowing gender gaps in engineering

Narrowing gender gaps in engineering

On the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, Heidi Ploeg, Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션s Chair for Women in Engineering, discusses strategies to engage and retain female students and researchers in traditionally male-dominated fields.

By Catarina Chagas

February 10, 2022

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Heidi Ploeg
Heidi Ploeg is the first Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션s Chair for Women in Engineering. (Queen's 카지노게임사이트)

It doesn카지노 게임 컬렉션t require much investigation: anyone interested in gender imbalance and inequalities in academia worldwide will see gaps when it comes to male versus female participation in some research areas, especially the sciences and engineering. This reality led the United Nations General Assembly to declare Feb. 11 as the . Since 2015, the date has been celebrated to raise awareness of gender inequities in science and promote engaging girls and women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

At Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션s, the Faculty of Engineering has developed several initiatives to tackle this gender imbalance, including the appointment of the first Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션s (C4WiE) in November 2020. During her five-year term, Associate Professor Heidi Ploeg, an expert in biomechanics and design of biomedical devices in the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, is hoping to shift the field towards women-friendlier environments for students, faculty, and those moving into the work force.

Data from indicate that in 2020 only 20.6 per cent of the newly licensed engineers in the country identify as women. In academia, the percentage of female faculty members in engineering is even smaller: 16.6 per cent. This staggering imbalance led Engineers Canada to launch the , aiming to increase the number of female newly licensed engineers to 30 per cent by 2030. 

Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션s supports 30 by 30 as an endorsing member and participant. At Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션s, almost 30 per cent of engineering undergraduate degrees awarded each year are to women 카지노 게임 컬렉션 a number comparable to some other top universities in Canada, like the 카지노게임사이트 of Toronto, McGill 카지노게임사이트, and Polytechnique Montréal. But to achieve this percentage for licensed engineers nationwide and to maintain and even increase it will require a collective effort that supports girls and women throughout their educational and research journeys.  

카지노 게임 컬렉션The primary goal of the C4WiE is to increase the number of women in engineering and their retention in the field,카지노 게임 컬렉션 says Dr. Ploeg. 카지노 게임 컬렉션The scope of our reach is broad, including K-12, undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty members, and practicing engineers.카지노 게임 컬렉션 

To promote this extensive culture change, Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션s partners with other institutions in developing educational and outreach initiatives focused on engaging girls and women in engineering.

Heidi Ploeg and students celebrating International Women in Engineering Day in 2021.
Dr. Heidi Ploeg and students celebrating International Women in Engineering Day in 2021.

Diversity leads to better solutions

Stereotypes, discrimination, and harassment in the workplace and on campuses, and systemic barriers and biases are among the challenges women face in pursuing a career in engineering. Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션s and the C4WiE help to address these challenges through a strong digital presence 카지노 게임 컬렉션 the C4WiE  hosts resources and promotes events and a network of external groups dedicated to increasing the participation of women in engineering. C4WiE also designs online campaigns like , created to collect and share pictures of female engineers across Canada, defying the stereotypical image of engineers and providing women a place to see themselves represented ().

Other initiatives promoted by C4WiE initiative include undergraduate research grants to support women-led research labs on campus, C4WiE mini-grants to support female students in engineering, and an annual course on Gender, Engineering and Technology. Last semester, Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션s Engineering launched , focused on promoting diversity and inclusion in the field, and hired a diversity and inclusion program manager, to provide training for staff and faculty and to support program development promoting participation of girls, 2SLGBTQIA+, Black, and Indigenous students and youth in STEM. 

These efforts benefit women and other representative groups by providing tools and resources to face systemic barriers, but they are also tremendously beneficial for engineering as a field overall. 

카지노 게임 컬렉션Without diversity, engineers solve the wrong problems with less than optimum solutions,카지노 게임 컬렉션 states Dr. Ploeg. 카지노 게임 컬렉션Engineering will only find the best solutions to the most complex challenges we are facing with a diverse (including gender-balanced) community. We need all perspectives and experiences to solve the multidisciplinary challenges that we are currently facing like climate change and global health.카지노 게임 컬렉션

C4WiE카지노 게임 컬렉션s priorities for 2022 include creating a physical space for women in Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션s Engineering to find and meet with each other, and to fund research examining the experiences of women working in the engineering field. Dr. Ploeg also would like to build connections between women engineers and industry partners to foster women카지노 게임 컬렉션s participation and leadership in engineering beyond academia. She believes increasing female presence in both academia and industry is key to progress. 

카지노 게임 컬렉션To excel and succeed at learning or working in an already challenging field shouldn카지노 게임 컬렉션t have additional challenges of underrepresentation,카지노 게임 컬렉션 argues Dr. Ploeg. 카지노 게임 컬렉션Seeing people who look like you or have similar experiences or perspectives helps to see what your career might look like and directly combats imposter syndrome.카지노 게임 컬렉션

Engaging girls and women in STEM

Share your passion
To celebrate International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we invite all women in science at Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션s to post pictures of them in action and tag us on Instagram () and Twitter (). We카지노 게임 컬렉션d love to share your passion for STEM and celebrate and inspire present and future women in STEM disciplines #QueensuResearch.

Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션s has several successful, federally funded outreach programs aimed at tackling stereotypes and systemic biases though engaging girls from a young age in engineering and other STEM disciplines: offers programs for kids from kindergarten to high school, introduces young women to robotics and engineering, and on campus summer camps like Math Quest and have girls-only programs and mentorship opportunities. 

Campus clubs and groups like (Q-WASE), (WISE), Women in Science Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션s (WiSQ), , and (QWiC)  help interested female students, staff, and faculty to connect to each other and join efforts in their campaigns for inclusion.

Partnership for progress

Combating gender imbalance and inequalities in academia worldwide will not be met by individual groups or universities. It is a long-term process that will require the collective effort of governments, industry stakeholders, and partnering education institutions to ignite a global cultural change. But the efforts at the individual level make a difference at the community and sector level, and beyond. 

카지노 게임 컬렉션In slightly over a year, we've seen significant steps forward at Queen's, but also in the engineering profession as a whole. In fact, in recent hirings for engineering, 40 per cent of new assistant professors identify as women,카지노 게임 컬렉션 highlights Dr. Ploeg. 카지노 게임 컬렉션By creating inclusive learning- and work-places we give diversity space to thrive and we all benefit. This is a collective effort to change engineering culture, and I'm confident we are on the right track.카지노 게임 컬렉션

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