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engSPIRATIONAL

No more of this cheesy “inspirational quote of the day” business. These women and ideas are the real deal. We dare you to not be inspired by them (it’s impossible).

Musical Engineers

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Engineering is full of creativity! Though sometimes it’s easy to forget that when you only focus on STEM. There are new advances in creative fields all the time because of the hard work of engineers. The tech company Teenage Engineering is a perfect example of where creativity and engineering collide.  

Teenage Engineering are famous for their unique and design-forward synthesizers.

For anyone that doesn’t know, synthesizers are an electronic musical instrument that takes audio signals and converts them into sound. Synthesizers are also known for being able to generate/copy virtually any sound. The term “synthesize” means to make something new, and in this case, that is often done by putting old pieces together. Not only is this a place for musicians to buy instruments, but they recently launched their own record company under the name Teenage Engineering Records. 

This record label has two rules for musicians who want to have their music released. 

  1. It has to be a good song (who would’ve thought?)
  2. The song must use at least one Teenage Engineering instrument

The first release for this new record company came from a Swedish artist named Buster. The song was called “You’re in Love With Your Hair”, this artist is a newcomer in the music industry. One of Teenage Engineers Record’s goals is to shine a light on emerging talent. It will be exciting to see the new unique music that will be released because of labels like Teenage Engineers Records. 

The amount of opportunities for tech-savvy enthusiasts and musicians alike is growing, with additions like Teenage Engineering Records to the industry. Next time you think of engineering maybe it will be while listening to Buster’s new song on Spotify- give it a listen! 

The Wonders of Civil Engineering

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Civil engineers are changing and molding the world around us, so it’s no wonder that their creations and innovations are truly spectacular. Not only are the finished products of these engineers’ hard work often impressive, but they help save lives. Making accessible roads and bridges can alter the entire dynamic of an ecosystem for the better. Civil engineers have a heavy weight on their shoulders because they know what they create, will affect the livelihood of a community.

This weight also makes for a very rewarding profession because of the difference you can make. These differences can be seen and manifested in different structures around the world. Some admire them for their beauty, and others see the beauty in these pieces because of the impact. Either way, it is undeniable that civil engineers create magnificent things, so let’s take a look at some of them.

One of the stereotypes that follows engineers is the thought that they only build bridges. Which of course is 100 percent not true, but on the other hand, civil engineers do create some breathtaking bridges. An example of one of these creations is Millau Viaduct which is located in Millau France. Millau is a beautiful village in southern France, that has the Millau Viaduct which holds the world record for the tallest bridge.

The bridge is 343 meters tall and supports a road that is over the Tran river. This record-breaking bridge was built by the same construction company that was behind the Eiffel tower (Eiffage). The main reason why this landmark is a tourist attraction isn’t it’s height or the people behind it, it’s the breathtaking view of the valleys and river that surrounds it.

71 percent of the world is covered by water, that leaves less than 30 percent of the surface area for us to live on. Or does it? Well, building land on the water is not a new concept and is referred to as “Land reclamation“. The fact is that this idea has been around for centuries, but when it comes to doing this the most effectively the Palm Islands of Dubai, United Arab Emirates has got the rest of the world beat.

The Palms Islands literally looks like a palm tree from an aerial view and contains many luxury resorts. Surrounding this palm tree mass of land floating in the ocean, there is nearly a 7-mile long crescent. The Palm Islands is one of the most famous land reclamation projects in the world, because of its size and beauty. Who wouldn’t want to escape the world for a bit, and live it up on a literal palm tree island?

Clearly the world is made up of more water than land, so instead of building on top of it, why not try going underneath it? Well, France and the United Kingdom had the same thought all the way back in 1802, when they drafted the first plan for “The Channel Tunnel”. The goal behind this tunnel was to go underneath the seas and connection northern France and southern England. This ambitious idea was spearheaded by Eurotunnel, a company that transports passengers all around Europe. This, in theory, is a great idea, but in practice took until 1988 to begin construction. Then it wasn’t till 1994 when it opened for services. This monster of a tunnel is 50.45 km long making it the longest undersea tunnel. In fact, the Channel Tunnel is actually made up of three tunnels, two rail tunnels, and a service tunnel. This is a massive accomplishment in the history of civil engineering, because this innovation changed the way goods and services could be delivered and how people could travel.

Clearly civil engineers create some amazing things that really change the world, whether that is through positive social change or visual appearance. These are the people who are the minds behind the cities and communities we live in, and the wonders we travel from near and far to visit. Next time you are walking around your hometown/city it is worth thinking about the people who created the world around you.

Words From the First Woman in NASA’s Mission Control Centre

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Poppy Northcutt

Hearing from women in STEM is always encouraging and inspiring, but Poppy Northcutt, in particular, embodies that women’s success in engineering is limitless. She was the first woman to ever step foot into a NASA control room and was a return-to-earth specialist. This woman’s accomplishments are truly incredible and prove that anything is possible. Poppy took the time to speak at this year’s Girls in Tech Catalyst Conference. This conference is an annual event that takes place in San Francisco and continues to inspire future trailblazers in tech.

Nasa and Apollo 8

Poppy worked for NASA during the Apollo 8 program back in 1968. This program was the first crewed spacecraft to leave Earth’s orbit, reach the moon and return safely. Therefore this mission was revolutionary, and something everyone to this day looks back on with pride. She was working as a back-to-earth specialist, which meant that she worked with a team to create a plan for the Apollo 8 crew to get back from the moon. Being part of that mission was a big deal, Poppy remembers that at the time no one had ever seen a woman in the control room before.

A lot of people ask Poppy about the lessons she has learned while working for NASA. Poppy explained how as a woman she had to fight to have her voice heard, which lead to Poppy explaining that “I became a flaming radical women’s rights activist”. Instead of becoming discouraged and defeated by the lack of a woman’s perspective, she used that passion to become an advocate.

Sharing her Experience

When Poppy first got into the world of STEM there were very little resources for women in technology. It was nothing like it is today where there are conferences, books and talks offered to empower women in science. That is what drove Poppy to share her experiences and make it clear that women deserve a seat at the table.

When Poppy was working on Apollo 8 with NASA, Texas had a law that prohibited women from working with the same employer for more than nine hours. This was an issue since her hours for this project could have her staying at the office until 10PM. Her boss would come in at 6PM to tell her to go home. Poppy knew that leaving early when the rest of the team worked, would have a negative impact on her career prospects.

“Probably the smartest thing I figured out was that I should not go home,” Northcutt said. “I should pay absolutely no attention to that damn law.” All of her hard work paid off when she got promoted to an engineering position. Before this Poppy worked as a “Computress”, which in Poppy’s words meant “in the 1960’s we women who did math were considered androids and were employed as gendered computers”. This shows how far the STEM field has come, towards gender equality.

Poppy Northcutt is a perfect example of grit and resilience because it doesn’t matter what is holding you back, there is always a way to break through. Northcutt ended off her speech with these inspiring words “Your presence affects people,” Northcutt said. “Get out from behind the shadows. Don’t be hidden.”

ENGHERO: Sasha Gollish

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Sasha Gollish is a tremendous role model for her dedication to not only the world of engineering, but public speaking and athleticism. Her education started in 2003 at Western University when she began her degree in civil and environmental engineering. Today she is continuing her education to expand her horizons, by getting her PHD in engineering education. Sasha’s journey is unconventional and unique, but one thing remains true, she has a true passion for learning and helping society. 

When did you know you wanted to be an engineer? 

Sasha realized she wanted to become an engineer during her second year of university at UofT (at the time she was completing an arts degree). After finishing her arts degree Sasha went to Western to pursue her true passions and interests, which was engineering. Sasha noted that in high school she had no idea what engineering even was, but was excelling in both math and science classes. Perhaps if engineering was a career that was better explained in earlier education, she would have pursued engineering at an earlier age. 

What do you wish you knew about engineering in high school?

As previously mentioned engineering was not something that Sasha knew anything about in high school. She wishes that she had been exposed to female role models in the industry, while still in high school. If she had seen powerful female role models, it would have been easier to see herself in that profession and connect with the job. Exposure is a common theme that comes up when talking about the STEM field in high school. We need to have more real life discussions about what engineering is, and what pursuing a career in that field looks like. 

What are you doing right now?

At the moment Sasha is working towards her PHD in engineering education at UofT. Previously she has had jobs in road safety, specifically as the senior project engineer for Safe Roads Engineering Inc, and as the project environment engineer and sustainability expert at the Ministry of Transportation Ontario. 

What’s your proudest accomplishment as an engineer?

One of Sasha’s biggest accomplishments is when she worked with the Ministry of Transportation as an engineer working on their cycling strategy. The goal behind this project was to create safer roads. The strategy was to get more roads in municipalities because those are typically safer than provincial roads. Sasha’s passion for this project came from knowing these lanes would make it safe for more children to bike to school. This reminded her of when she was young and was doing the same thing. This project was also very rewarding because it blended all she had learned about engineering and used it in a way that would help better people’s lives.

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

Sasha believes that any engineer that operates under the “do no harm” principle has a great opportunity to contribute to society positively. She has done this through her work with road safety, and she didn’t even know that career path existed before studying at Western. Sasha wants to make clear that going into engineering may seem like a constraint, in which you are limited to what you can do and what your every day looks like. But, that is simply not true engineering can be whatever you want it to be, that’s why it is important to work on projects in sectors you are passionate about. 

Do you have any passions/hobbies that would give you a unique perspective in your career?

Sasha combines her professional career as an engineer, with her love for physical activity. Previously she has been an Alpine ski coach, which was an interesting experience because it too is a field that is typically dominated by men. This experience gave more time to work against stereotypes and challenge the way people see her professionally. She is also a professional runner, which is a skill Sasha is very thankful to have being an engineer. Professional running is one of the first industries in which the pay is equal for both men and women. Being able to take a step back from her work, and take a run is very useful and helps her gain a lot of perspective. Sasha knows that it is nearly impossible to solve a problem, by staring at it and only thinking about the issue for hours on end. Instead, it can help to participate in physical activity to clear your mind. In that way, her hobbies complement her career choice and provides a unique tool in problem-solving that anyone can take advantage of. 

Has your job ever involved curiosity and or discovery? 

The PhD that Sasha is currently working on is all about curiosity, specifically rethinking the way math is taught to engineering students. For example oftentimes students are given unrelated and close-ended math problems, which easily frustrates and stumps students. What Sasha is exploring is the idea of instead giving students open-ended questions that involved real-life situations. This way students will become curious and interested in discovering the answer or how to reach the solution. Therefore her entire PhD has been about discovery and curiosity, which has been very rewarding and educational. 

What has been the hardest part of being an engineer? And how have you overcome that?

The hardest part of being an engineer in Sasha’s eyes is gender inequality. She is tired of men asking if it is hard being a female in the field, and is looking forward to the day where there is no question of the gender roles in engineering. In an ideal world, there shouldn’t be, gender should not be a roadblock for anyone in any profession. Whenever faced with a situation where her qualifications are being questioned because of her gender, Sasha stays calm and explains herself. She finds it better to not get upset, or defensive. Instead of continuing to operate in a way that she feels out of place, she operates in a way that makes her feel like she belongs. “If you wear a super cape that says I belong, other people will believe it”. 

What are some stereotypes around being an engineer? 

Everyone seems to think that being in engineering means you are a math genius, but Sasha assures people that she is good at math but not great. She also recognizes that engineers are not only people that are interested in math and science, they are almost always very creative people that have the desire to create. In fact, she sees this as one of the best parts of hiring an engineer, they are very creative and forward-thinking people because of their interests. 

Why do we need more women in engineering? 

Having more women makes for “stronger teams, and a wealth of different strengths”. Sasha knows that having differing opinions and skills helps any project and will lead to finding new and exciting solutions to problems. In fact, if we only have white men, there will only be one viewpoint, “it’s not just about diversity it’s about having more robust teams to come up with more innovation and solutions”. Therefore it is clear that we need more women in engineering, to discover things that otherwise never would have been seen. 

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

Simply put, she is not too sure right now. One thing that she does know is that she will one day return to working in road safety, because of her passion for protecting people. Since Sasha has skills from coaching she hopes to one day merge that with engineering by bringing those strategies to an engineering firm. She also aspires to write a book, and maybe even teach. The future for Sasha is open, and she is excited to see what it holds for her because a career in engineering has infinite possibilities. 

What advice do you have for highschool students wanting to pursue a career in STEM?

Sasha recommends students to walk around the city and see what people do. In fact, take any opportunity you can where you can learn more about what life is like in jobs that interest you. This may look like taking advantage of take your kid to work day or join the co-op program at your school (if it is offered). Sasha wishes that there were more chances for students to be exposed to different careers because it is hard to figure out what you want to do all by yourself with no experience. Her final piece of advice is, to not rush university and not to rush into any career because you feel pressured to. It is more important to figure out who you are, and what you are passionate about because doing what you love is very rewarding.

Four Inspiring Female Inventors

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Women have made major contributions to science that have really changed the world, and most of the time they are barely talked about. It is important to highlight the achievements of these women, because they laid the foundation for future scientists! It’s time to add a few more names to your list of idols, because the impact that these inventors had on the world can still be seen today.

1. Shirly Anne Jackson

Shirley Ann Jackson is the great mind behind an invention we use everyday, but barely think about. Shirley is an American physicist who invented caller ID. It’s a good thing she did too, that way we know who’s calling us and how to put them on hold. 

That’s not the only thing Shirley Ann Jackson’s research has accomplished, she also had breakthrough studies that lead to inventions such as fibre optic cables and solar cells. Solar energy is increasing in it’s importance because its a renewable energy source. In fact, it is the most abundant energy source on earth, and is cheaper to use than fossil fuels.  

Shirley also made waves being the first African-American woman to earn a PHD from Massachusetts Inusite of Technology. She didn’t stop there she is also the first African-American woman to lead a top-ranked research university. 

2. Hedy Lamarr

Hedy Lamarr was a household name for her time on screen as a movie star, but she is known in the science community as “The Mother of WIFI”. Hedy was born in 1914 and had an interest in how things worked from the age of five. At this age Hedy would take a part her music box to understand how it operated. At the age of 16 her talent for performance was discovered, and from there she started her career as an actress.

The invention that Hedy Lamarr is known for was discovered during the second world war. This device contributed both to the war effort, and helped the entire world advance years afterwards. Her communication system was first created to guide torpedoes to their targets during the war. The system used radio waves, and involved the use of “frequency hopping”. The invention of this technology made an everlasting impact after the war, leading to such inventions such as wifi, bluetooth, GPS etc. 

I mean who can imagine a world without wifi? How would we be able to navigate our lives without Google Maps or Uber?

3. Stephanie Kwolek

Stephanie Kwolek’s hard work and research saved several lives. Stephanie was born in 1923 and she went to Carnegie Mellon University. She then spent most of her professional career working at the Dupont Company as a chemist. 

There she was asked to research new forms of cable fibres that could survive harsh weather conditions. This task lead to the discovery of Kevlar, which is a strong heat resistant fibre. Now you may be asking what is that? Why does it even matter?

Well Kevlar has many applications including being the fibre in bullet proof vests that have saved countless lives. This is just another example of the impact careers in STEM have on the world, and the importance of always being curious and pushing the boundaries.

4. Grace Hopper

Grace Hopper made serious moves and invitations on a technology you are mostly likely using to read this article. That’s right Grace Hopper was assigned to work on computer technology during the second world war. Then in the 1950s she was one of the leading minds and contributors in computer programming. 

The Compiler was Grace Hopper’s major contribution to technology at the time. Esentiality this device could translate instructions into code that computers can read. This was revoltanrty and lead to faster programming, and ultimately forever changing how computers work.

Grace is known as being one of the most hard working women in the industry, because she continued to work as a computer programmer in the navy until she retired at the age of 79. This making her the oldest serving officer. No wonder she was known as “Amazing Grace” because her contributions to technology have lead to many later innovations with computers.  

These women are perfect examples of all that you can accomplish with a career in STEM, but this doesn’t even scratch the surface. There are tons of other amazing female role models in the industry. Keep innovating, creating and stay curious. Who knows maybe your next discovery will change the world as we know it.

ENGHERO: Stephanie Hill

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Stephanie Hill is a recent Ontario Tech University graduate in Mechanical Engineering with Mechatronics Specialization. She also recently won the capstone contest at Ontario Tech University.

Tell us a little about your capstone project:

My capstone project was a 3-axis CNC (computer numerical controlled) milling/engraving machine that was able to mill and engrave plastic, wood, and wax.

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

Growing up I wanted to be an inventor or scientist. When I was in grade 7 there was a presentation about engineering at my school and since that day, I realized that I Engineering was a potential career for me that combined everything that I loved about being an inventor or scientist and was slightly more realistic for me. Then in grade 10 attended Go Eng Girl and after that day I knew I really did want to go into engineering.

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

I choose Mechanical with Mechatronics specialization because in grade 11 and 12 I took computer engineering courses and loved the units on robotics, electronics and programming. All three of these are major components of mechatronics.

What do you plan to do with your engineering degree?

I plan to go into the automation field to help create or improve robotics to increase the applications, especially where it is dangerous for a human to complete the task. Another way I would like to use my engineering degree eventually is to help indigenous communities.

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

I would suggest finding something in there that provides some type of experience, like a workshop or Go Eng Girl, to learn more about engineering and some of the things that engineers are responsible for.

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?

I feel that as a society we need more women in engineering, in recent years this has improved however there is more that needs to be done to help inspire more women to pursue engineering.  

Throughout my undergraduate degree, I have positively contributed to inspiring more women and other underrepresented groups to pursue engineering by volunteering each year for Go Eng Girl and Go Code Girl. I also have worked at engineering or STEM day camps to show that indigenous women can become engineers if they wish.

I also was a women in engineering mentor for female students in first year
engineering, helping them through the transition to university being.