Q&A WITH engHERO: Ololade Sanusi

Ololade Sanusi is a current PhD candidate in Electrical Engineering at UOIT. She previously completed a Bachelor of Engineering in Aerospace Engineering from Carleton University and her area of research is in ‘Novel Antenna and Integration Technologies for Embedded Wireless Sensors”. Her biggest passion is to continue motivating and encouraging girls to venture and carve a niche for themselves in various branches of engineering.

What made you decide that you wanted to be an engineer?

It all started with being fascinated with the airplanes that flew past my house as a child. I always wondered about the persons that were part of the design and assembly of flying machines.

As I grew up, I began to observe more engineering feats. Engineers were part of designing skyscrapers, they were involved in medicine and the list goes on. When it was time to decide on what career to pick, engineering automatically became my choice.

Which branch of engineering is your major? How did you decide on that specialty?

I now major in Electrical Engineering at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT), Radio Frequency and Microwave Engineering to be specific. I did not always know I would end up in this field, a series of events got me here. During my undergraduate degree (Aerospace Engineering), I enrolled in two courses that sparked my interest in antenna design and wireless communication. Engineering has come a long way.

For instance, many homes used rotary dial telephones for communication, now, we have thin stylish smartphones that can do more than just call and send messages. The world of electrical engineering has paved the way for smarter and faster devices with applications in telecommunications, medicine, defense and sensing.

What do you plan to do with your engineering degree?

Good question! I plan to work in the Research and Development industry and teach part-time, this way I can make a significant contribution to the advancement of adaptive antenna technology.
Although I don’t know what the future holds, I hope and strive to be a solution in whatever I partake in.

What advice would you give to someone who’s considering engineering but doesn’t know if it’s right for them?

I believe the image an average person has of an engineer is narrow. Engineering is vast and engineers can be found in different settings from Pixar Animation Studios to Bombardier Inc. So, I would start by asking a few questions:

Why did you consider engineering in the first place?

Have YOU done your research on engineering and its different branches?

Why do you think engineering might be wrong for you?

If you were to design something that would make your home (community, town or earth) more livable, what would it be?

If you have answers to all of these questions, I know you can determine whether or not engineering is right for you. My number one advice is to do YOUR research. Secondly, evaluate your strengths and weaknesses. And lastly, have a genuine reason for pursuing engineering, it doesn’t have to be groundbreaking.

In your opinion, how do you feel about the lack of women in engineering? What are some ways you have positively contributed to inspiring more women in engineering?

Firstly, I do not agree there is a lack of women in engineering. However, I would say women are underrepresented and this is sad.

During my undergraduate years, I experienced the issues gender gap creates for women in engineering. There were times of isolation and loneliness that sometimes prevented me from participating in activities. My experience is not unique. After chatting with various females, I realised many had notions that even prevented them from considering engineering as a career.

Nonetheless, the number of initiatives that promote and inspire more women in engineering is growing. I have been fortunate to be a part of some of these initiatives. In the year 2017, I was selected as a John Evans Champion by the Canadian Engineering Memorial Foundation. From award reception, I have been presenting to junior-high and high-school audiences in a bid to promote engineering as a career for women. I also serve as a mentor to undergraduate engineering students through the Women in Engineering Peer Mentorship program at UOIT. I find these experiences rewarding and eye-opening.

They give me opportunities to share my experiences – failures and successes – as a source of encouragement for women considering engineering and those in undergraduate programs.

What are you up to this summer?

This summer I have been focused on my research. I am working on the design of flexible antennas for wireless sensor applications. Apart from research, I am exploring Ontario and taking French classes at a local college.

Q&A WITH engHERO: Sam Hazell

Q: What’s one thing you wish you knew about engineering back when you were in high school?

I actually started my post-secondary education in Business at York University before switching to Engineering at UOIT. When I was in high school there wasn’t a strong focus on encouraging females to pursue education and careers in STEM. I didn’t realize the opportunities that engineering could offer until I took a first-year intro to computer engineering course as an elective. After that semester I applied to Engineering at UOIT and the rest is history!

Q: What is your proudest accomplishment as an engineer?

Working to design a low-cost portable heart monitoring system to assist doctors in developed nations to diagnose and care for patients in developing countries as part of my Capstone at UOIT. For me, the opportunity to use my technical knowledge to help people is the most rewarding part of my engineering education.

Q: Tell me about a time in your career when your work has been about discovery or curiosity?

My first job after university was working on hybrid vehicle controls for GM. As part of the thermal diagnostics calibrations team, I was responsible for testing battery performance under different thermal conditions. From the Badlands in Death Valley, California to the mountains of Denver, Colorado I was constantly travelling to new places to conduct field tests. It was an amazing experience full of curious moments.

Q: Do you feel your work contributes to society? How so?

I think that everyone’s work contributes to society in one way or another. In my current role, I am working to help develop a strategy to reduce carbon emissions and promote environmental sustainability.

Q: Why do we need more female engineers?

Females bring a different perspective to engineering. Our emotional sensitivity and compassion help us approach problems in a unique way.

Q: Is there a person who influenced your decision to become an engineer?

My grandmother. She always encouraged me to make the world a better place. After seeing how much her life was affected by Parkinson’s disease I decided to become an engineer so that I could have the knowledge to develop technical solutions to world problems.

Q&A WITH engHERO: Gabrielle Rochino

From left to right: Alexis Basantis (Think Like a Girl CCO & Co-Founder), Gabrielle Rochino (Think Like a Girl CEO & Co-Founder), Megan DeGeorge (Think Like a Girl COO & Co-Founder).

Q: What’s one thing you wish you knew about engineering back when you were in high school?

In high school, two of my interests were engineering and art. I took a lot of advanced art electives, but also my dad and uncle, who are both engineers, made me take a Computer-Aided Design (CAD) elective, because of my dad and uncle, who claimed that CAD could help me become a good engineer. Even though I was one of the few girls in that course, I soon became one of the top students. I always viewed art and engineering as two different sides of a spectrum. I thought that they used two completely different sets of skills. After going through several years of my drafting course, as well as all of my classes in my engineering school, I now know that engineering and art actually work symbiotically to create the best possible solution. A quote that really resonates with me and the realizations I have is: “Art without engineering is dreaming. Engineering without art is calculating.” – Steven K. Roberts.

Q: What is Think Like a Girl and where did the inspiration for the project come from?

During my junior year of college, I took “Thermal-Fluid Sciences I and II,” each 6-credits that combine Thermodynamics, Heat Transfer, and Fluids. Because of this class, it was, without a doubt, the most challenging year of our mechanical engineering program. The challenge of this class definitely brought down my self esteem and really made me doubt my abilities to do engineering. Also, during this year, I also took “Entrepreneurship & Innovation,” a business class that’s also required in our mechanical engineering curriculum. One of our projects was to write an elevator pitch for a new product. I used the difficulty I was facing junior year in my engineering program, turned it around and used it to inspire Think Like a Girl: Engineering Kits.

I never want girls feeling like there are limitations on what they can achieve just because of their gender. I never want girls to feel like how I felt sitting in my Thermal Fluid Sciences class looking around the room doubting myself because I couldn’t relate to any of my classmates. I want to empower girls to achieve great things. I submitted my idea for Entrepreneurship & Innovation and after an online judging process, I was picked as one of the top 10 ideas out of over 85 students who submitted pitches. This allowed me to present my idea to the Rohrer College of Business 2015 Elevator Pitch Competition on April 17, 2015 in front of a panel of judges and I won first place! During the following summer, I wrote a proposal to the Rowan Innovation Venture Fund to have my own section of Engineering Clinic and to receive funding. My proposal was accepted and I was able to develop a team of students to work on developing my idea into a real product and I also received some seed funding from my engineering college.

Q: Tell me about a time in your career when your work has been about discovery or curiosity?

During my junior year of college, I was on my school’s SAE Supermileage automotive competition team on the aerodynamics team and I was also the primary driver for the 2015 Competition in Marshall, Michigan. Now, I did not particularly have any interest in cars or engines, nor did I have any experience on an automotive competition team, but I was always willing to learn more. While on the aerodynamics team, my primary role was to somehow take the overall shape of the shell of the car that was designed in a CAD software and design a way to fabricate it. The team wanted to somehow create a hard skeleton and then stretch a synthetic plastic fabric over it.

Using my background and skills in CAD software, I independently designed a mold for a fiberglass shell, which the fabric would be sewn onto and then heat shrunk. In addition to my technical background, I also used my creative side to fabricate the shell. When I was younger, my lola (grandma in Filipino), taught me how to sew. As I grew up, I sewed my own clothes, stuffed animals, and purses. I used my sewing skills to nicely sew the fabric onto the car skeleton, making sure that it was as aerodynamic as possible. My entire experience on the Supermileage team helped me become a better and more creative engineer. I learned so much about fuel-efficient, aerodynamic vehicles and the process to build one. I also learned how creative skills are just as important as technical skills when it comes to engineering.

Q: Do you feel your work contributes to society? How so?

In the past few months, we performed several focus groups and outreach events with local non-profits, Girl Scout troops, and schools. These events are probably my favorite part about everything that’s happening with Think Like a Girl right now. I love seeing the students’ eye light up when I explain to them all of the cool things that engineers can make. They’re especially amazed by how much engineers are involved in things in their daily lives. Even just educating kids about engineering and having them consider engineering as a possible career choice makes all of this work worth it. The things that I remember the most are when kids ask me more questions about engineering or when they tell me that now they want to be an engineer.

Q: Why do we need more female engineers?

Female engineers offer a unique perspective to the table. A story we usually like to share related to this is the creation of the standard “soccer mom” minivan. When it was first designed, it only had one sliding door. This design was created by a male engineer. A female engineer identified that typically, women with shorter arms could not reach across the seats when loading the car from the one sliding door. She redesigned it with an additional side door and now you never see any minivans without two sliding doors.

Additionally, girls need to feel empowered. Encouraging girls to pursue technical fields, such as engineering, will show demonstrate to them that they can aspire to be whatever they want, regardless of their gender. Nothing should hold a girl back from dreaming to do what she wants.

Out of all the engineers in the U.S., only 14% are female (American Society of Mechanical Engineers). The most upsetting part is that this percentage is not expected to increase dramatically in the next decade (Scientific American). I really do love studying engineering. I get to think creatively, but I am also challenged to optimize my designs to be the best they can be. A lot of girls, though, don’t believe that engineering is meant for them. According to an in-depth study done by the Girl Scout Research Institute in 2012 entitled, “Generation STEM: What Girls Say about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math,” two of the main reasons why girls don’t go into engineering are because of lack of female role models and the misconception of what it is to be an engineer. Additionally, 92% of girls want to be in a career where they can help people.

Most of the time, girls envision an engineer as someone who drives a train or a nerdy guy on a computer. Girl don’t see that engineers actually helps out a lot a people, animals, and the environment. Engineers accomplish so many amazing things and so many girls have the potential to thrive in engineering, but just are not exposed to and educated about what engineers do.

Q: Is there a person who influenced your decision to become an engineer?

My dad, who is an electrical engineer, as well as my uncle and grandpa, who are both mechanical engineers, played major roles in encouraging me to pursue engineering. They challenged me to take higher level math and science courses, as well as a Computer-Aided Design elective, but they also encouraged my creative side.

Q&A WITH engHERO: Samin Eftekhari

Q: What’s your proudest accomplishment as an engineer?

Ever since I was a child, I was interested in the creation of new things. Being trained as an engineer, gave me the ability to advance in my professional career based on my interest and passion. My patented novel biomaterial for bone repair applications is my proudest achievement.

Q: Tell me about a time in your career when your work has been about discovery or curiosity?

While I was doing research for my Master’s degree, I was working on developing a new material to be used as an artificial artery, and trying to modify its blood coagulation capability. The process was full of hurdles and obstacles, but I did not give up because I wanted to have my contribution in making the lives of the patients with heart-related conditions, including my father, easier. For my PhD project, I decided to do research on the common ways for treating bone fractures and finding new solutions and ways to alleviate the pain of patients with bone injuries. Whole my life, I’ve tried to make an impact in people’s lives for a better future.

Q: What are you doing these days?

I am working on a project that came out of my PhD research. I have developed a novel orthopedic material that mimics natural human bone. Using this patented technology, we are in the process of developing personalized orthopedic implants with customizable shape, strength and absorption rates for each individual patient with bone injury. Artin Biomed, is a start-up company that I have founded to develop these implants and brings them to the medical market.

Q: Why do we need more female engineers?

I believe engineering transforms students into future entrepreneurs. I feel it is important to train more female engineers because engineering skills empower women, so that they will have the required abilities to change the lives of everyone around them.

Q: When you were becoming an engineer, were you nervous and stressed out about all the math and science? What made you push through and become an engineer? Were you sure that you wanted to become an engineer when you were in Grade 12?

In some regions of the world, girls face double discrimination and unique barriers to development, simply because they are female. My passion and courage to break social barriers helped me cope with all of the challenges related to the technical difficulty of the field that I chose.

Q: Do you have any hobbies/passions that give you a unique perspective in engineering?

I exercise every day and swim every weekend. As an engineer, I know that in order to operate functionally and productively, we have to take care of the most important and amazing machine of life: our bodies!

Q: Tell us about your Norman Esch Engineering Innovation and Entrepreneurship Award idea, and what motivated you to get started?

I was privileged to receive Norman Esch Engineering Awards. I used the award money to fund market analyses for my business idea, build a business model, and test it out. I believe that through this ongoing experience, I became much more familiarized with business and management skills such as budget management and business planning. I developed a business plan for my idea, which stems out of my PhD research. Through this opportunity, I have been able to hone in on a great deal of skills which I believe are valuable assets in order to be a successful entrepreneur in the future.

Q&A WITH engHERO: Laura Smith

Q: What’s one thing you wish you knew about engineering back when you were in high school?

I wish I knew that Software Engineering could be a career for me! I was intimidated by technology and programming so I didn’t consider it a viable option for me. It wasn’t until my first year programming class that I tried programming for the first time. I then realized that Software Engineering combines math, problem solving and logic, which were all things that I loved!

Q: What’s your proudest accomplishment as an engineer?

My proudest accomplishment has been building my startup Pout, and then getting acquired by a great company! As the sole technical team member of Pout, I learned how to build solutions to constant challenges. I also saw the product I was creating being loved by our users, which was very gratifying!

Q: Tell me about a time in your career when your work has been about discovery or curiosity?

Programming languages are constantly changing so I am constantly discovering new ways of architecting and building apps. At my current job, I’m on a great team where there is a culture of curiosity and humility. We all are open to learning from each other and excited to build great products.

Q: Do you feel your work contributes to society? How so?

Yes, I get to see millions of people using the Everalbum iOS app and specific features that I built, which is very rewarding! The Everalbum app allows people to better organize all of their photo and video memories in one place. Solving this problem is very valuable to people as they struggle to keep track of all of their memories from various places on their devices and the internet.

Q: Why do we need more female engineers?

More than 50 percent of users of apps are female, so it only makes sense that we also have females contributing to and building these apps! Teams with diversified perspectives make better decisions so having females on the team is hugely important!

Also, there is a massive deficit of software engineers, which will only continue to grow. If the same number of females became Software Engineers as males, this would be a game-changing boost to our economy and the speed and quality of technology innovation.

Q: When you were becoming an engineer, were you nervous and stressed out about all the math and science? What made you push through and become an engineer? Were you sure that you wanted to become an engineer when you were in Grade 12?

I always enjoyed math and science, but I didn’t see myself working as an engineer. I was especially intimidated by Software Engineering, after watching too many Hollywood movies highlighting “genius hacker kids”. Having never done programming until my first year, I thought I was far behind my classmates who had tried it in high school. However, I really enjoyed my first year programming course and all of its projects. With my professor’s encouragement, I followed my interest, despite being intimidated!

Q: What are you doing these days?

I am working as a Software Engineer on the iOS team at Everalbum, the company that acquired Pout. My day-to-day work involves programming new features, analyzing how people are using our app, and using this information to decide what features to build next.