International Women in Engineering Day
This week we are celebrating International Women in Engineering Day, a day dedicated to honouring women in the field of engineering. INWED celebrates the work and achievements of women engineers, and the organisers want to provide a clear call to women to shape the world. Their website states “The day provides an important opportunity to raise the profile of women engineers and highlight the amazing career opportunities available. Engineering shapes the world and helps make our planet a better, safer, more innovative and exciting place to be.”
With INWED hoping to encourage more girls into engineering careers, today we wanted to share some of Emmanuella’s insights into the world of engineering and her time with the SOLID team. Emmanuella is our 2022-2023 placement student. She will be with us until she returns to her studies at the University of Bath in September.
Q: What Have You Learnt Whilst Working at SOLID?
A: I'm both grateful and proud of the valuable experience I've gained as a placement engineer at SOLID thus far. From the fundamentals of designing elements in accordance with Eurocodes to communicating my designs efficiently through drawings executed in Bluebeam and AllPlan. I've been able to pick-up on the collaborative nature of the construction industry by attending design meetings. Throughout these meetings I've observed how the SOLID Engineers highlight potential structural issues during the construction process whilst also providing solutions to them. Personally, I've taken great value in the confidence growth of my engineering capabilities. Encouragement from the SOLID Engineers around me pushed me to vocalise my thoughts and ideas on project designs as well as taking on more responsibility as the months have gone by. Even before fully concluding my placement, I'm thrilled to see the formation of strong foundations that I can build my engineering career from.
Q: Why Did You Choose SOLID as Your Placement Destination?
A: What had initially drawn me to SOLID as a potential placement was the strong 'can do' spirit that radiated from the company's profile. Projects such as AMA Mosque and the Paragraph 80 House have such intricate and complex features. This seemed to act as fuel for the engineers' want to create innovative ways to actualise architects’ designs. Now being part of SOLID, it's clear to see that innovation is a large part of the culture. Through collaborative efforts, the SOLID team always aim to achieve the client's requirements while also keeping SOLID values at the forefront of the design. With the construction industry being the largest contributor to CO2 emissions, I wanted to be part of a company that was very conscious of this. The 1% Better initiative makes way for SOLID to take responsibility in making decisions, however small, that mitigate the negative impact on the environment. This is reinforced by every member of the SOLID team as it is engrained in the company's culture which has made me more vigilant to adopt the 1% Better mindset into the execution of every engineering project that I'm a part of.
Q: Why Did You Choose a Career in Engineering?
A: Whilst my choice of pursuing engineering was initially a stab in the dark, my decision was cemented during the completion of my Extended Qualification Project during my first year of Sixth form. The aim of my project was to design an improved high rise building that rehoused the victims of Grenfell tower. The deep dive into the horrific event that had taken place just a few months prior, ignited an aspiration to design innovative solutions to problems people face by critiquing and analysing methods currently in place. Engineering provides a great synergy between analysis, design, and community service. As an aspiring Structural Engineer, it's important to me to work on projects that keep the surrounding community as an integral part of the construction process. I had the opportunity to get a glimpse of this through our 16 Market Place project; a renovated community centre backed by the local charity The Branch who aim to serve and impact the surrounding community for generations to come. The client was determined to invite students from the local secondary school to site to possibly inspire a new interest for them. Taking this on, I’m eager to continue down a career path that offers the chance to influence various cultures and communities worldwide via palpable results.
Q: What Challenges Have You Had to Face so Far?
A: Overcoming challenges by problem solving is part of what it is to be an engineer, but some challenges I've faced are still holding me back today. Being part of a minority in most spaces in the UK, I am hyperaware of the conscious and subconscious preconceptions of me. Displaying my passion for things is read as aggressive and in expressing any strong opinion in the setting of university group projects I was often told to "Calm down!" Asking for help somehow led to the gaps in my knowledge being mistaken for having no knowledge. As a result, I'm very self-conscious of how I am received by people around me which often comes at a detriment to me. I developed a bad habit of doubting myself regularly as well as being hesitant to ask for help for fear of looking weak. The engineers I've worked with at SOLID have unknowingly helped in cracking this by consistently encouraging me to share my opinions and ideas as well as being eager to answer any questions I have in as much detail as possible. As I'm heading to the last few months of my placement, it's not only the technical knowledge or experience I look forward to taking back to my final years at university but also a greater sense of self-assurance.
A huge thank you to Emmanuella for her honest account of her engineering journey to date. We have loved having you on the team Emmanuella and wish you all the best in your career which, we don’t doubt, you will excel at!