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Lifelong Friendships Formed Through Women in Engineering

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Women in Engineering (WiE) is a common society within university engineering faculties, providing female engineering students with networking opportunities and exposure to the workforce. While joining WiE seems like an obvious choice for students hoping to develop their professional skills, the group is also an important resource for female students to build a community for themselves in a field where they may feel isolated.

Meet Stella (right) and Chikodili (left), two Mechatronics Engineering students at Ontario Tech University whose lifelong friendship was formed through their school’s Women in Engineering society.

How did you both discover Women in Engineering?

Stella and Chikodili both credit university advisors for introducing them to the Women in Engineering society on campus. They were told that joining the group would give them a way to get involved on campus, meet other female engineering students and participate in fun meetings and events.

How did you two meet?

The two girls first met in the fall of 2019 at the first WiE meeting of the school year. It was almost like a meet and greet party – there was food, music and plenty of opportunities to meet other WiE members in a light-hearted environment. Once the two girls realized that they were in the same program, their friendship blossomed.

Later, through WiE’s Peer Mentorship program, Stella and Chikodili were coincidentally paired together as mentor and mentee. They both share that they are grateful for the stronger connection they got to form as time went on, which was fostered by WiE’s emphasis on meaningful female connections.

What is your favourite part about being a member of Women in Engineering?

Stella’s favourite part about being a member of WiE is the career exposure and connections to industry professionals that members get through their monthly events. One of her favourite memories has been touring ABC Technologies, a world leader in automotive systems and components manufacturing, and getting exposed to the working life of an engineer. Stella also says that being a part of a community where you feel welcomed and like you belong only makes the experience even more amazing.

Chikodili’s favorite part of being a WiE society member is the engagement events, career workshops and outreach programming. She really enjoys meeting new people, developing professional and interpersonal skills, and the sense of community that is present at each event. She also says that it is hard not to enjoy an event when there is food present, which is a WiE staple.

If you could give advice to any future female engineering students who are nervous about finding friends in university, what would you say?

Don’t be afraid and just put yourself out there! There’s a whole community waiting for the awesomeness that you have to bring. Step outside your comfort zone because baby steps do take you a long way. The Women in Engineering society is a great place to start. Not only do you get to meet amazing people, they are experiencing the same student life that you are and serve as a great wealth of knowledge.

Stella and Chikodili both wish you all the best in your future university journey and want to remind you to shine bright like the star you are!

engHERO: Amanda Marshal

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What is one thing you wish you knew about engineering when you were in high school?

When I was in high school, I wish I had more knowledge on the various disciplines beyond the generic answer that civil builds bridges, mechanical builds cars, mechatronics builds robots, etc. The disciplines are all so much more than that and even have specialties within themselves. I think this is important as regardless of what path you take you will specialize at some point and that will determine your long-term career. Engineering itself is very broad and it is crucial to understand the interworking’s of it.

What made you want to pursue engineering?

What I love about engineering are the vast opportunities and options that it offers. A career in engineering is challenging, everchanging, and fast-paced, I personally find that interesting and intriguing. A career in engineering is also reputable as it is a well-respected field and therefore is a profession to be proud of. Also, I knew I would enjoy learning the application of the material as it can be applied to explain how everyday things operate.

What branch of engineering is your major and how did you decide on it?

I chose to major in Electrical Engineering. The decision came after lots of questions, considering countless pros and cons, and a few coin tosses. That said, what it really came down to was what I could see myself doing. While considering all the majors that my university offers, I couldn’t imagine myself 10 years down the road doing anything else.

What do you plan on doing with your engineering degree?

After I graduate, I hope to apply my skills somewhere that I can be challenged while working on something that I enjoy. I hope to eventually end up in a role where I can lead my own team and motivate them to complete meaningful projects.

What advice would you give to a young female who is considering the field of engineering, but isn’t sure if it’s right for them?

If any young female has an interest in math and a field of science, I encourage them to pursue engineering. The variety of disciplines within engineering allow for specialization in an area of specific interest and it is a highly rewarding career path. Within the engineering community, there are many resources and support systems for females in engineering, I would recommend using these resources to meet other females in engineering and to get involved within the community.

5 Ways to Help Reduce Food Waste

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In the past couple of decades, food waste has been identified by a major issue in many countries. According to a study in 2014, the amount of preventable food waste discarded annually in Canada amounted to over $31 billion in losses, with approximately 47% of food waste produced by consumers. 

Food waste food has many environmental, economic and social impacts. For example, when food ends up in the landfill, a greenhouse gas that is 21x more potent than carbon dioxide is produced and enters the atmosphere and it is estimated that these emissions make up 7% of all of the greenhouse gases produced globally. When you waste food that could have been eaten, you are also wasting the natural and human resources that were used to grow, produce, process and transport that food. Therefore, it is important to practice sustainable eating habits to help reduce the effects of food waste. Although there may be larger scale solutions for engineers to design, below are five solutions you could try to incorporate into your lifestyle to help reduce your food waste at home:

  1. Don’t over buy. Keep track of what you’ve bought and used. Check your fridge and cupboards often to remind you of what’s there so you can use your products before the ‘best-before’ dates. 
  2. Eat produce of all shapes and sizes. There have been new produce brands, such as No Name’s ‘Naturally Imperfect’ that sells items that may not appear perfect but have nothing wrong with the taste at a lower cost. This helps eliminate food waste by consuming the misshapen produce that farmers would typically throw away. You can also use ‘imperfect’ foods in products like drinks, jams, hummus, and spreads! 
  3. Plan ahead. Think about what you’re going to cook and how you’ll use the leftovers. If you don’t think you will be able to go through the food in the week, buy it another time!
  4. Food Donation Programs. Sending food to a food donation program can put your surplus of food to good use by helping address food insecurity rather than going to waste. 
  5. Use your freezer. Freezers are a great way to preserve food to eat at a later date! If you don’t think you can use your food in a timely manner, save it for later by using your freezer. 

References: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/how-reduce-food-wastehttps://changeforclimate.ca/story/the-problem-of-food-waste

3 Lessons that 2020 Taught STEM Fields

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source: eSchool News

2020 has been an eye-opening year for many of us, teaching us how to work remotely, attend school virtually and communicate with our loved ones from a distance. STEM fields also learned lot this year as they adapted to the global pandemic. Here are a few of the biggest lessons that the world of STEM learned.

The Interdisciplinary Approach

The pandemic has shown us that when we have people of different perspectives and skills coming together, our work is stronger. Take the COVID-19 vaccine, for example. It wouldn’t have been possible without the work of biomedical engineers, chemical engineers, epidemiologists and researchers (to name few!).

We are Adaptable Beings

To think of ourselves in April, when the seriousness of the pandemic was intensifying, we wouldn’t have been able to imagine adapting to this new normal. Whether you took classes from your bedroom, worked from your living room, or attended meetings online, you adapted to a challenging situation in a very short amount of time. You should be proud of yourself!

Why Wait? Start Now.

If you have ever had an interest in STEM, why wait to explore it? The online resources are more abundant than ever (check out ONWie or VEX Code for inspiration), and the importance of science and technology has never been greater! There is an incredible STEM community waiting for you to join.

Saving Lives Through Warmth

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Reference Article

For many of us, it’s hard to imagine going through the winter without your favourite sweater or coat – the things that keep us warm! Being exposed to really low temperatures for a period of time can result in a condition called hypothermia. Did you know that 1.5 million babies die from preventable and treatable causes every year according to the World Health Organization? And, that one of the preventable causes of death babies face around the world is hypothermia?

Grace Hsia, a materials science engineer, noticed this issue which led her to create Warmilu, a company dedicated to saving lives through spreading warmth!

The heating pack technology she worked on could produce heat by pushing on an activator disk, operating like a thermal battery and using stored heat. Unfortunately, it was prone to overheating. Grace and her team solved this problem by adding a thermal layer to act as a buffer. Once the heating pack is activated and placed within a pouch in a Warmilu blanket, it heats up, and can maintain a preterm baby’s body temperature for 5-8 hours!

This has the potential to save tons of lives.

Infant fatalities caused by preventable hypothermia across the globe are normally the result of a lack of access to resources like electric incubators. Incubators are small enclosed beds that warm up babies to the temperature they should be. Newborn babies, especially premature ones, have difficulty regulating their own temperature so these devices provide the warmth they need to stay alive. In areas with limited access to incubators, infants occasionally have to share the device, with multiple babies in one machine, which is far from ideal.

Grace and her team’s flagship product is thus a warming incubator blanket for infants, which is now distributed in 30 hospitals in 11 different countries.

Grace and Warmilu exemplify how you can use engineering to build a better world. Combining science and technology with social issues you care about is an incredibly powerful way to create change!

References

https://www.cake.co/conversations/9g8BY7f/grace-hsia-ceo-cofounder-of-warmilu-and-inventor-of-its-warming-technology-stops-by-for-a-cake-panel

https://warmilu.com:

https://warmilu.com/about-us/

Infant Warming
Tech
Why are incubators important for babies in the NICU?

engHERO: Zarana Bavishi

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Q#1: What are you doing these days?

I work as a stress analyst in a landing gear place — it’s called Heroux Devtek. Basically, my job is to make sure that the landing gear we design is structurally strong, and it’s good for any kind of landing. I’m not sure if you remember the time the aircraft had to land on the Hudson River in the United States? So, we have to make sure the landing gear is intact and that it doesn’t cause any problems. 

Q#2: When did you know you wanted to be an engineer?

I actually knew in around grade 10. I was a part of this team that was called Formula 1 in school where we had to design tiny wooden cars that were propelled using carbon dioxide canisters. It would have to propel down 20 metres of track, and the challenge was to complete that in less than a second. Obviously, we couldn’t finish it in less than a second, but we were pretty good. We went through nationals, even an international competition [after] that. So, that was an eye opener, and I absolutely loved my time working on it, so I wanted to be an engineer. 

Q#3: How does your work contribute to society? 

I think it helps make sure that people are traveling safely, because these days it’s not just a car or a train; there’s more to that then traveling. I also think it’s very important that engineers know what they’re doing because if a doctor messes up, I mean I’m sure it happens, but that is one life. If an engineer messes up, there [are] millions of lives at stake. I think me doing my job would really benefit society in that way. 

Q#4: Why do we need more women in engineering?

Honestly, I just think that shouldn’t be a question to be asked these days because women should be everywhere. We’re in no comparison to guys, we’re equal! We’re in a world where everything [has equal value], where equality is something we shouldn’t have to fight for. So, honestly, if a woman wants to be in engineering, she should be! 

Q#5: Do you have any hobbies/passions that give you a unique perspective in engineering?

I do some puzzles here and there, but I don’t really have a specific kind of hobby that gives me an edge to engineering. Engineering is my passion and my job but I do things outside of that as well to make myself a little bit well rounded — still not there yet.

Q#6: What advice would you give to young girls who are thinking about pursuing a career in the STEM field?

Don’t get overwhelmed by who you talk to or who you see. Just think, what’s going to make you happy. [What] if 20 years from now, your fear stopped you from doing something, or actually enjoying what you do? If you want to delve into [engineering], try different things like solving puzzles or playing games that stimulate your mind. And if that still inspires you, you should go into engineering! Don’t get scared or overwhelmed by anybody you talk to who sounds like they know everything. No, we don’t know everything!