UTS Women in Engineering Alumni Event

It’s a rainy afternoon in Sydney, but the inside of the Powerhouse Museum is warm and alive with music and the smell of good food. Guests were welcomed in front of a giant 1920’s steam train and invited to take a look at the museum's Engineering Excellence Awards technology exhibition. Engineers from around Sydney, UTS alumni and staff were treated to canapés and drinks before presentations began.  
Themed, "Where have the flowers gone?",

the meeting is an invitation to UTS  engineering graduates to reflect on where they are now and share perspectives on the
experience for women in the profession today. 
The rate of growth of women in the engineering profession in Australia does not reflect even the small increases in university enrolments since the 1990’s. Reasons for leaving engineering uncovered by successive industry surveys include lack of flexible working conditions, workplace culture, lack of career development and pay inequity. At the same time, women are succeeding in engineering by adapting and by innovating and by finding progressive employers. What prospects are there for change that will better sustain and help retain women to succeed and flourish in their chosen fields and how can we collaborate to see it happen?
This topic was discussed by three panelists: Professor Marian Baird, Drenka Andjelic and Fiona Coe.
Professor Marian Baird has been a key policy advisor to government in the development of new legislation – Paid Parental Leave, Fair Work and the proposed Workplace Gender Equality Act.

Drenka Andjelic (Alumni) has put her values about work life balance into practice in the establishment of her project management company in the construction industry, and has won recognition for her innovation.

Fiona Coe (Alumni) has been a strong advocate for women in engineering as a student, and she has worked hard to make her professional workplace a more sympathetic environment. Now she is on a quest to find a way to resolve her passions with engineering practice.
After the speakers, there was a lively discussion  with many questions from the audience. Some interesting points of contention were raised and different view points discussed. You can view the entire presentation section of the evening by clicking here.

From left to right: Bronwyn Holland, Drenka Andjelic,
Fiona Coe and Prof. Marian Baird

readmore »»  

WiE&IT Semester Spring Lunch

Each semester, WiE&IT hold a special luncheon to celebrate yet another round of exams, internships and hard work. In 2012 our Spring Semester Luncheon on 12 September saw almost 60 students and Faculty of Engineering and IT staff members in attendance. 

After networking over food and refreshments, the Director of the UTS Women in Engineering and IT Program; Bronwyn Holland gave a brief welcome and an overview of the year’s events. Bronwyn also paid her respects to Joan Bielski, who was an influential and passionate advocate for gender equality in Australia and who attended the Spring Semester Lunch in 2011. Sadly, Joan passed away in mid August, but her achievements throughout her career and her support of the WiE&IT Program will not be forgotten.

Bronwyn then introduced the two guest speakers for the day. First was UTS Alumni, Jenny Bhuiyan (BE-software) who now works for the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. Jenny went through her story of transitioning from studying a double degree of Bachelor of Software Engineering at UTS, to entering the workforce and becoming a valuable member of several teams throughout her career. One piece of advice that resounded throughout Jenny’s speech was to embrace every opportunity you can. This is a motto that Jenny herself has stuck by, and it has helped her identify her strengths and weaknesses, as well as give her valuable experience in areas not generally expanded upon in Business and IT studies, such as customer service.

After Jenny’s inspiring words, we heard from Seline Hardy, a current UTS student studying Bachelor of Business and Bachelor of Science in IT. Seline reflected on her experiences at the Telecom Summer School in Paris in July this year. After making up her mind to go to Paris in 2011 and missing out on the opportunity, Seline made it her mission to attend the Telecom Summer School in 2012. Seline gave us an insight into her rural background from Parkes NSW, highlighting how much of a culture shock it was for her when she finally got to travel to France.

WiE&IT Program Staff would like to thank all students, staff and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia for their support, and we hope to see you all at the next semester lunch in Autumn 2013!

Our two lovely guest speakers: Jenny Bhuiyan, BE-Software Engineering (left)
and Seline Hardy, BBusBScIT (right)

readmore »»  

September Speakers Workshops at UTS

Between February and July this year, the Sydney Women in Engineering & IT (SWIEIT) Speakers Program have engaged with 25 schools and over 1000 school girls from years 8 to 12. This program is jointly sponsored by the Roads and Maritime Services (RMS), NSW and GHD professional services firm. More information can be found on SWIEIT Speakers Program by clicking here.

Being an active outreach initiative that WiE&IT single-handedly coordinate, speakers for our presentations and school visits are always warmly welcomed. That’s why on Wednesday 5 September and Friday 7 September, women studying either Engineering or IT at UTS were invited to come and participate in an intensive 3 hour workshop designed to improve public speaking skills.  These workshops not only gave participants an opportunity to assess and analyse their public speaking style and presence, but it also gave them an opportunity to get to know some of the other women studying in the Faculty of Engineering and IT. Principal Advisor for Workplace Diversity and Equity from RMS, Ann Pitkeathly, also attended the evenings giving some insight into the importance of public speaking skills in the public sector workplace. The workshops were open to both undergraduates and postgraduates, so there were quite a few fresh faces over the two evenings. Ian Colley from UTS Training and Development Services facilitated the workshops, giving helpful acronyms to help us remember some of the more important aspects of public speaking. Some of these tips were:

Visuals: enhance your presentation. Photos are always better than cartoons!

Audio:  Alter your tone of voice to drive home a point.

Kinaesthetic: moving and touching, getting your audience involved by asking them to raise hands. 

Head: knowledge. Knowing what you are going to talk about makes presenting easier.

Heart: emotions, try to establish an emotional connection and pull at peoples heart strings.

Feet: movement and purpose, moving around the stage but also giving your speech a direction.

Afterwards, all SWIEIT Speakers and workshop attendees were invited to the Great Hall balcony for the annual SWIEIT Speakers Party, to celebrate the years Outreach activities and acknowledge the efforts of all those who contributed to the program throughout the past few years.

WiE&IT Program staff would like to say thank you  to all the girls who have participated in the program, particularly those that have travelled long distances to reach schools in rural communities. 
Anyone who is a female studying or working in these fields, is a cadet or a cooperative scholarship recipient, or UTS female Alumni is encouraged to join the program, so they can share their story and inspire female high school students to consider engineering or IT as a career!

readmore »»  

Women in Engineering Winter Gala Dinner 2012

To celebrate the conclusion of Engineering Week, the Sydney division of Engineers Australia invited women from all over Sydney and surrounds to join them for their annual Women in Engineering Winter Gala Dinner. On 11 August 2012, several representatives of the UTS Women in Engineering and IT Program attended this spectacular black tie event. This year, the Winter Gala Dinner was held at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Circular Quay, with stunning views of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. After being greeted by waiters holding trays of drinks and told where we were sitting, we got an opportunity to mingle and appreciate the balcony view, as well as everyone’s extravagant clothing! A wonderful three course dinner was served, interspersed with speeches by the two guest speakers. 

First to talk was Sandra Triulzi, who is the National Diversity Manager at Abigroup. Sandra spoke about her experiences and about some of the things she has learnt over the years working as a female in a male dominated industry. One of her more prominent points was the need for there to be an industry wide paradigm shift away from emphasis on the ideal employee towards being an ideal employer.

The second presenter was the guest of honour, Professor Mary O’Kane, NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer. It was a truly special experience hearing Mary's address, which touched on many keen issues that affect women in non-traditional fields today. Everyone wanted a photo with Mary afterwards as a souvenir to remember her inspirational words. 

At the close of the speeches section of the event, everyone was encouraged to stay for tea and coffee and enjoy the venue. The night was relaxing and tasteful, and I can’t wait to attend again next year!

 WiE&IT Staff with Professor Mary O'Kane, NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer

readmore »»