women’s engineering society vol 18 • no 17 … engineer winter... · young people and margaret...

. I’ve returned fromBirmingham wherethe WES Student Con-ference: Engineering In-

spiration took place. Well, what aninspiration it has been. Over 100female engineering students gath-ered in one room. Can you imaginethat? Where do we see this manyyoung women being excited aboutand loving engineering. The feed-back was tremendous. I was toldhow much they liked the workshops,how it was so valuable for them toget advice on how to tailor theirCVs, what to expect from Assess-ment Centres, how valuable mentor-ing is and to aspire for leadershippositions. All this talk on Woman’sHour about women in power – wehave seen the future women inpower in action last weekend!I am delighted and greatly hon-

oured to be re-elected WES Presi-dent at the 93rd Annual GeneralMeeting held at Aston University on17 November and would like tothank everyone for giving me theopportunity to serve for anotheryear. I am touched by your endorse-ment and hope to use the last year’sexperience of leading WES to gooduse. None of the services WES pro-vides for its members, partners,stakeholders and wider STEM com-munity would not have been pos-sible without the dedication ofCouncil members and other WESvolunteers. They made it all pos-sible, whilst at the same time copingwith their work deadlines, familycommitments and hopefully not in-fringing too much on their leisuretime. There are many to thank butspace just for two.The WES Gillian Skinner Award is

given to a WES supporter who hascontributed significantly but invisiblyto the Society. Last year the awardwent to Jo Larmour of Arup whokindly gave up her Saturdays to en-able us to have Council meetings atArup’s London offices. This year’saward went to Dawn Bonfield whoprovided invaluable office support

president’smessage

the

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.....continues on page 2

The new face of the TUCThe new face of the TUCFrances O’Grady is to take overfrom Brendan Barber as TUCGeneral Secretary when he re-tires at the end of the year.

UPON HER APPOINTMENT asGeneral Secretary designate atthis year’s TUC, Frances said,‘This is a great honour. Never hasa strong responsible trade unionmovement been so needed. Withausterity policies biting hard andwith no evidence that they areworking, people at work need theTUC to speak up for them. Wehave the best opportunity in ageneration to help build a fair,productive and green economythat works for ordinary people.”

Writing about Frances in theGuardian, Beatrix Campbellsaid:“The labour movement has

always been aka (also known as)the Men’s Movement. But now, forthe first time in its 200-year his-tory, it can claim to be a People’sMovement. Women today out-number men among its 6 millionmembers, and this week theTrades Union Congress has cho-sen a woman, Frances O’Grady,to be its leader. We cannot over-state the importance of thiswoman and that metamorphosis.“Contrary to conventional wis-

dom unions are still the biggestmass organisations in Europe.Women’s membership is holdingup, though men’s is declining. Inhalf of Europe and in Scandi-navia unions are actually grow-ing, and 30% have more womenthan men.”

About Frances O’Grady

� Frances O’Grady has beenan active trade unionist and cam-paigner all her working life. Hergrandfather was the founder ofthe Irish Transport and GeneralWorkers Union, and her fatherwas a shop steward at the Ley-land car plant in Cowley.

� At the Transport & GeneralWorkers Union she worked oncampaigns for the introduction ofa national minimum wage andequal pay for women.

� In 1994 Frances was appoin-ted as TUC Campaigns Officerand ran campaigns for equalrights for part-timers and againstlow pay. In 1997, she was appoin-ted to head up the New Unionismcampaign and launched theTUC’s Organising Academyaimed to attract a generation ofnew ‘young guns’ into the tradeunion movement and shift the‘male, pale and stale’ stereotypeto a profile that better fits a sixmillion plus membership withmore women than men.

� Frances went on to head upthe TUC’s Organisation Depart-

ment in 1999 and reorganisedlocal bargaining for skills pro-jects into the unified nationalbrand of Unionlearn which hasgrown to help a quarter of a mil-lion workers into learning everyyear.

� Appointed Deputy GeneralSecretary in 2003, fair pay is acore ambition. She representsthe TUC on the Low Pay and theHigh Pay Commissions, and onthe Resolution Foundation’sCommission on Living Standards.

� Frances was born in Oxford,has two adult children and livesin North London.

WOMEN’S ENGINEERING SOCIETY VOL 18 • NO 17 – WINTER 2012

WE Winter 12:Layout 1 7/12/12 14:00

ON 3 NOVEMBER President JanPeters and Pip Ayton were inter-viewed on Women’s Hour on BBCRadio 4.

The topic was women engi-neers and their work clothes. Pre-senter Jane Garvey asked Jan tooutline the problem and whatWES was doing about this.

Jan explained that there wereover 65,000 women working in en-gineering, technology and con-struction, approximately 10% ofthe workforce. Women were ex-pected to wear the same protec-tive clothing as men. Womenwere built differently from menand many were finding theirworkwear unsatisfactory, and be-lieved that inappropriate and ill-fitting clothing could compromisetheir work.

Pip was introduced as a civilengineer who often had to go outon site to inspect bridges. Pip ex-plained that as a slight womaneven the smallest size of overallswere much too big for her. Shedescribed trying to scramble intoa cradle so that she could behoisted up to inspect the under-side of bridges in too large over-alls.“It always makes me feel

clumsy and awkward – not asnimble as I usually am,” said Pip.“I try to hitch them up with a beltbut then they tend to pull and tugas I bend over.”

Jan then told Jane about theWES Workwear Survey and theresponses that were being re-ceived.

“Some members have said

that it makes them feel aged 6wearing their dad’s suit,” saidJan. “This undermines their pro-fessionalism, self-confidence andself-esteem.

“We would like to work withfashion designers and manufac-turers to produce comfortable,well-fitting and stylish workware,”Jan concluded.

Jan Peters, WES

President reports on

the latest

developments

WHAT A FANTASTIC autumn andwhat an amazing range of engineer-ing and technical women I have metin the last three months. The confer-ence speaker programme was out-standing, thanks in part to Maria deMagalhaes and Emily Spearman.Thanks too to Carol Marsh for

making the Doris Gray event workso well. This is an integral part ofour student strategy of inspiring andconnecting women at the start oftheir careers. We are also workingwith the Engineering Professors’Council on a report about what is in

place in universities and to defineWES’ next steps. Members havealso organised two highly effectiveschools outreach events, inspiringover 200 girls and boys.The next year sees us building on

our 90th anniversary with improve-ments to the website, developmentof the student programme and part-nerships as well as beginning tosell work boots for women throughour website. Initially we have justone supplier – Dunlop – who hasresponded to our clothing survey ingreat style. We are also working onregional events with a list of ap-proved speakers/trainers andwould love to hear from you if youcan help to organise a company tohost the event – let us know!Don’t forget you can hear the re-

sults of the survey on 15 Decemberat the IET for our last celebratoryevent of 2009, connecting and in-spiring technical women.


the

“ Next year sees us buildingon our 90th anniversary withimprovements to the website,

development of the studentprogramme andpartnerships”

WES on Women’s HourWES on Women’s Hour

WES is organising a cross-net-work event for women in STEMand the built environment on 15December at the IET in SavoyPlace, London. Our partners inthis venture are Women andManual Trades, the Associationof Women in Property, Arup andthe WISE Campaign and theevent is sponsored by the IET.

Features of the evening willbe the presentation of the 2009WES Karen Burt Award and theresults of the safety clothingsurvey. A keynote speaker willtalk about managing a majorengineering project and the

diversity, teamwork and talentfrom across all the disciplineswho are needed to deliver suc-cess. You can also buy your ownpair of WES safety boots.

Registration commences at18.00 and the presentations willstart at 18.30. There will be abuffet serving hot food, wineand soft drinks. A registrationfee of £15.00 is requested as acontribution towards the cost ofthe event and will include entryinto a draw for great prizes.

To register for the event con-tact event manager Tanvi [email protected].

AS WES COUNCILmember MargaretAjibode continues hertravels courtesy of theWinston Churchill Fel-lowship, an article ap-peared in the Indianmagazine The Hindu inOctober on her work.

The article said:It is difficult to have

an uninspiring momentwith Margaret Ajibode.As a Winston ChurchillFellow travelling toIndia, the United States

and Australia, Mar-garet is on a mission topromote engineeringas a profession, espe-cially among women.Her eyes come alive asshe starts talking abouther work and her tripto India.

The WinstonChurchill Fellowshipenables her to travel toother countries, look atbest policies in organi-sations around theworld and interact with

women engineers. InIndia, she chose Delhi,Bangalore and Thiru-vananthapuram. She isespecially interested indocumenting bestpractices in organisa-tions that recruit andpromote women engi-neers.

In India, engineeringcontinues to enjoy astar status amongyoung people andMargaret is especiallydelighted to see thehigh number of womenengineers in Kerala.She has been meeting

with women engineersacross various levelsfrom several organisa-tions in Technopark.

UNESCO is workingwith Margaret on thismission and will re-lease her findings afterFebruary 2010.

MMaarrggaarreett iinn IInnddiiaa

Shape the Future: Step upto the Challenge

WOMEN’S ENGINEERING SOCIETY VOL 18 • NO 6 – WINTER 2009

WE Nov 09:Layout 1 1/12/09 23:46 Page 1

thewomanengineer – winter2012 www.wes.org.uk2

The Women’s EngineeringSociety is a charityregistered with the CharityCommission No. 1008913 anda company limited byguarantee registered inEngland No. 162096.

All correspondenceregarding membership andthe work of the WES shouldbe addressed to:

The SecretaryWomen’s EngineeringSocietyc/o IETMichael Faraday HouseSix Hills WaySTEVENAGE SG1 2AY

Tel: 01438 765506e-mail: [email protected]

The Woman EngineerEditor: Pat Battamse-mail: [email protected]

Editorial Board: EkpedemeAkpanudoh, Sonya Chan,Jacky Crook, RoseniDearden, Petra Gratton,Dianne Patterson

The Woman Engineer ispublished by the Women’sEngineering Society. It isdistributed free of charge tomembers of the Society andto selected professionalwomen engineers, scientistsand women undergraduates.

Printed by: A Local Printer,Robell Way, Storrington,Pulborough RH20 3DN

Subscriptions: the journal isavailable to non WESmembers in the UK at asubscription price of £25pa(inc postage). Please sendsubscription orders to WES.Cheques should be madepayable to: Women’sEngineering Society.

Overseas subscriptions:price by surface mail is

£30pa. Sterling cheques orbank drafts should be madepayable to: Women’sEngineering Society. All itemsfor inclusion in The WomanEngineer should be sent to theEditor at the same address.

The views expressed in thisjournal are not necessarilythe views of the Society.

© The Woman Engineer 2012

celebrating90 years 1919-2009

Insidethis issue

3 Dorothee Pullinger –pioneering automobile

engineer

3 What’s changed on theequality front in 25 years

4 WES Student Conference:Engineering Inspiration

6 2012 Karen Burt Awardwinner Kate Cooksey

6 Ada Lovelace Live! – acelebration of women in

technology

7 What WES can do for you– Jan Peters explains how

volunteering can help developyour career

7 Elizabeth Orchard is theUK’s most dedicated

STEM Ambassador

10 News – engineering andemployment issues of

interest

11 WES news – news ofWES members

11 New members

11 Diary

12 WES Annual GeneralMeeting

This issue celebrates the up-and-coming gen-

eration of women engineers. A lively gather-

ing of engineering students at Aston

University learnt about the job opportunities open to

them in a variety of industries and how to nail that

perfect job. They all enthusiastically took advantage

of the opportunity to chat with WES members about

their careers and to discuss with the companies rep-

resented what opportunities were open to them.

These girls are WES’ future and it looks to be in good

hands (see pages 4-5).

Further on along the career path this year’s Karen

Burt award for the best newly qualified chartered

engineer goes to Kate Cooksey, a tunnelling engi-

neer with Crossrail (see page 6). Last year’s winner

Gemma Whatling, after her year as an ambassador

for WES, has joined WES Council.

How her time on WES Council has benefited her is

described by Jan Peters on page 7. Jan explains that

volunteering can give you a wider outlook and

develop skills that are useful in your career.

Equal opportunities continue to progress in spurts

rather than leaps and bounds or a steady continuum.

Equality legislation has produced improvements but

overall women still earn less than men. The Wain-

wright Trust marked its 25th anniversary by conduct-

ing a survey amongst HR professionals and others

dealing with equality in the workplace. The conclu-

sion is that much has improved but the impetus for

further progress has slowed down (see opposite).

Finally on a positive note Frances O’Grady’s

appointment as TUC General Secretary is a very wel-

come move for all working women.

� Next issue contribution deadline: 10 January 2013

PatPat Battams – editor

Promising indicators for the future


the

cont.....when Council was left managingthe office and organising eventsremotely from Cardiff, Dorsetand Edinburgh. Dawn broughtexperience and organisation tothe office, conference, and co-ordinated our communications.It would be difficult to list all shedid for us during those few shortmonths before co-opting her tothe Council when she became aDirector and a Trustee of the So-ciety. I’m delighted she has beenelected WES Vice President.

The Isabel Hardwich Medal,our highest award for a member,has been awarded to Dr JanPeters, Immediate Past Presidentfor her services to the Societyand many significant achieve-ments during her tenure as Presi-dent of WES, the position sheheld for an unheard of threeyears. It is difficult to list all herachievements, there are toomany. She was instrumental inshaping the WES Strategy andBusiness Plan, website develop-

ment, safety clothing campaign... remember the purple boots?Our new WES literature and mar-keting material are largely herinitiative as well as technicalleader events, and much more.We are grateful to her for drivingthese initiatives that helped tomodernise WES and bring theSociety to greater attention of theSTEM community and variousstakeholders, such as govern-ment, educational and industrialpartners and media.

This year we have worked hardto raise our profile. We’ve heldregional technical leaders eventsin Glasgow and Birmingham andjoined with the Ada Lovelace Liveevent at which the Karen BurtAward was presented to KateCooksey. We’ve also held a net-working event with Airbus’Women’s Network in Bristol andhave just had our biggest everstudent conference at Aston.

I would like to thank our spon-sors, large and small. The IET,Jaguar Landrover and Aston Uni-versity have supported us gener-ously. Some others provided us

with meeting space, such asAston University, ConstructingExcellence in Wales, BRE andArup in London. Others, such asSelex Galileo, GE Energy, Arup,BBC, National Grid and othershave helped support our new lit-erature, sponsored students toattend our events and helped toprovide input and advice to gov-ernment policy. Many others pro-vided speakers and role modelsfor conferences and events.

There are many ways in joiningand supporting WES. We have awonderfully active Council, butstill have room for more. Pleasecontact Cath at [email protected]

and come along as an observerfirst. With the energy of the stu-dents I feel our future is assured,but we must do more, come andjoin us! Follow our activities onthe WES website, sign up for thenewsletter, get involved. Write anarticle, tweet, Facebook, registeron LinkedIn, tell the world aboutWES, tell them the world ischanging. Help us plan the nextyear’s activities for YOU!

Milada Williams


thewomanengineer – winter2012www.wes.org.uk 3

AUTOMOBILE ENGINEER DorothéePullinger’s name has been added to ScottishEngineering’s Wall of Fame at the organis-ation’s Glasgow headquarters.

Dorothée Aurélie Marianne Pullinger MBEwas born in Calais, France, in January 1892.Her father was an automobile designer,

At age 16 she was apprenticed to herfather, who was managing director at SirWilliam Beardmore’s Arrol Johnston car worksin Paisley. She was employed by Vickers dur-ing WW1 to supervise thousands of muni-tionettes at their plant in Barrow-in-Furness.She started a women’s apprenticeshipscheme and managed the female staff, estab-lishing their own football team.

After the war, Dorothée returned to ArrolJohnstons at their works in Tongland,Dumfries and Galloway. This was a new fac-tory, specially built during the war, as anexperimental effort to establish a ‘universityfor women engineers’ training women to beprofessional engineers.

This plant, and its women workers, weregiven the task of producing a small economi-cal car, designed by Dorothée Pullinger, forwomen. This was the Galloway car, whichremained in production until 1929. The car

design was based onan existing ArrolJohnston car, (10/20CV, 4 cylinders, and1528 cc capacity) butadapted for women.

It was a lighter,smaller versiondesigned for awoman of averagemodern height (165cm) with a bettersightline for thedriver, a more conve-niently situated handbrake, the first rear-viewmirror, better storage and a reliable, easilymaintained engine.

About 4,000 Galloways (shown above), in avariety of sizes, were built before the 1929slump ended demand. Dorothée was a suc-cessful participant in various time and relia-bility trials, driving her 10 hp Galloway aroundthe Scottish countryside, rarely losing anymarks against the other male and femalecompetitors.

There was hostility at the time to womenwho were perceived to be stealing a ‘man’sjob’, so she transferred her engineering skills

to establishing a huge modernistic steam-powered laundry, the White Service Laun-dries Ltd, in Croydon, with her husband. Themain establishment in Croydon had its ownsteam-driven power station and an on-siteartesian well. During the war it was onstandby to be a decontamination centre in theevent of a gas attack. In 1940, the NuffieldGroup employed her to organise womenrecruits to their munitions factories and shewas also the only woman on a post-war gov-ernment committee formed to recruit womeninto factories.

She died in 1986.

Dorothée joins EngineeringDorothée joins EngineeringWall of FameWall of Fame

THE WAINWRIGHT TRUST was set up in 1987to commemorate the life and work of equalopportunities pioneer David Wainwright,

Between February and July this year theTrust surveyed everyone on its database toask what changes they had seen in work-place equality over the past 25 years. Res-ponses showed that much progress had beenmade in specific areas of equality and diver-sity such as equal pay, flexible working etc.Achievements were observed in relation tospecific groups such as older people, peoplewith disabilities and those from black andminority ethnic communities.

Most respondents noted a clear change forthe better in terms of people’s attitudes, inc-luding a greater awareness, understandingand acceptance of the measures needed tobring about equality and about changing

norms of what is, or is not ,acceptable.

Respondents expressedconcern about the presentlack of progress in equalityand diversity and, many be-lieved that gains achievedover recent years are slip-ping back. Looking to thefuture, change wasexpected to come about as

a result of market forces or economic pres-sures rather than any commitment to equalopportunities from the government.

To celebrate its 25th anniversary the Trusthosted an evening at the Royal College ofPhysicians that was addressed by Linda Dick-ens of the University of Warwick, DoreenLawrence and Stephen Lawrence Inquirymember Dr Richard Stone (shown above).

Doreeen Lawrence described her continu-ing battle to open doors for young peoplefrom ethnic minorities into the professions.“Little pockets of things are happening in theprofessions but not enough across theboard,” she said. “Racism is not a wordpeople like to use today but it is engrained.”

Professor Dickens looked at key changesachieved for women at work over the past 25years. There have undoubtedly been consid-

erable improvements, she said, but genderinequality continues and the pace of changeis slow. Present factors driving change werepublic sector equality duty and the businesscase that in some companies was bringingabout change ahead of legislation.

Richard Stone said that there were now 2female chief constables, this would have beenunheard of 25 years ago. Yet at the same timesmart qualified young Moslems cannot findjobs. (see www.wainwrighttrust.org.uk for survey)

Equality: What’s changed in 25 years?

Website UpdateHave you visited the WES website

recently? Do go online and see therecently added role models page.

Ninety inspiring women engineers arefeatured, working in a variety of sec-

tors and at various career stages.Many thanks to Dorothy Hatfield,

Dolores Byrne and Dianne Stilwell forresearching and selecting

the role models and to Liz Carr forputting them online.

Are you LinkedIn to the WES group?There are some interesting discus-

sions going on in LinkedIn. Do sign up.



INSPIRING WORKSHOPS, exciting technicalpapers, the opportunity to meet 100 fellowwomen engineering students plus women en-gineers at different career stages – the WESstudent conference had it all. The enthusiasmand energy amongst the participants wasquite infectious.

How to build your career in engineeringwas the focus of the first afternoon. JacquiHogan led a workshop on the value that amentor could offer. The ideal mentor, Jacquiexplained, was one stage ahead of you on thecareer ladder. Often peer mentoring could

work quite well where a couple took it in turnsto be mentor and mentee.

Sparking your career off needed planning,Cara Morrison of Selex Galileo, told the stu-dents. Cara’s lively workshop offered valu-able advice upon how to write a standout CV

and how to impress at interviews. Then how tocope with an assessment centre – a dauntingprospect as assessment continued even dur-ing meal breaks. “Don’t drink too much,” shesaid.

Insights to leadership run by Jan Peters andAradhna Tayal of the BBC Academy encour-aged everyone to think about their keystrengths that they could contribute to anemployer. Jan explained that 80% of leader-ship is about communication. The idealleader creates a warm and caring environ-ment where people can grow.

Ample time for net-working was allowedduring a drinks recep-tion and dinner. Tableplans ensured that stu-dents shared tableswith WES members andguests from industry.Lively discussions en-sued as everyone got toknow each other better.

The next morningspeakers from differentindustries gave inspir-ing pre-

sentations on their work andhow they had developed theircareers.

His task was to design safeparachute and seat harnesssystems for ejection seat appli-cations, explained JamesLorbiecki from Martin BakerLtd. James started out as anuclear engineer in the USAbefore moving onto design ofautomotive seating systems.He moved to the UK and aero-

space industry in 1997.Gemma Whatling described what attracted

her to medical engineering and how muchshe enjoyed working with patients with arthri-tis to help improve their quality of life. Gemmainvestigates how movement and forces injoints are affected by osteoarthritis and moni-tors changes following surgical interventionsincluding total knee replacement and kneerealignment surgery. Her research providesevidence on the effectiveness of differenttreatments, and to develop improved surgicalplanning tools and rehabilitation regimes.

The acronym STEM should be replaced bySTEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering,Arts & Maths), said Adam Martin, senior lec-turer in games and interactive design at the

StStudent conference: Engineering Inspirationudent conference: Engineering Inspiration

� Students sponsored by Jaguar Landroverwith Danella Bagnall (front right);networking at the social evening (bottomright); delegates and speakers (top ofpage).

All photos by Pat Langford



University of Wales. This would reflect thecreative approach to technology that Adamencourages his students to develop. Hespecialises in mobile application develop-ment and new user interfaces. Currently heis exploring the impact of wearable tech-nologies, such as on-body sensors, willhave upon how we relate to technology infuture.

An engineering or science degree isuseful in all areas of manufacturing indus-try, including sales, finance and purchas-ing, said Laura Baker of Tata Steel. If youunderstood the product and process youwould get on in any industry. Curiosity, pas-sion, tenacity, good communications andattention to detail were also valuable quali-ties to help you succeed. She advised stu-dents not to be afraid of moving out of theircomfort zone and working in areas ofwhich they had no prior knowledge. Shehad spent time working in supply chainand it had proved invaluable in helping herunderstand her industry.

Jaguar Landrover’s first female seniormanager, Danella Bagnall, described herwork on the 4th generation Landrover.When customers were asked what theywanted in the next Landrover they said:“Don’t change it, just make it better.”Danella explained how her team hadworked on the bodywork and interior toachieve that. The aluminium bodywork was180kg (39%) lighter than a steel body. It hadbeen tested all over the world on differentterrains and at differ-ent temperatures.Danella was veryproud of the newLandrover. “It’s gor-geous,” she said.

Sixty-four per centof the Radar & Ad-vance TargetingGroup at SelexGalileo were engi-neers, said DaveWilson, Vice-president,and 10% of these werefemale. His company

was the world’slargest manufac-turer of airbournelasers, Dave said.Their first cus-tomer had beenthe US Coast-guard whoneeded to detectsmall objects infierce weatherconditions. TheCoastguards letthem know on aweekly basis howmany lives hadbeen saved using

their equipment. “Our equipment has to becompletely reliable as lives depend on it,”said Dave. “Work in engineering can bechallenging but is always rewarding. Nowis an exciting time for young engineers aslots of older engineers are retiring andcompanies are keenly seeking replace-ments. Women add balance, commonsense and communications skills to engi-neering teams.”

Julia Bowden, talent manager for GEEurope Recruiting Centre of Excellence,showed a 1954 video of women scientistsworking in GE Snectady. This rather patro-nising film did not allow the women tospeak for themselves, but at least GE waspromoting its women researchers. In 1994GE was rated by women engineers as theworst place to work. The company had re-sponded by setting up a women’s networkwith a women in technology subgroup andsetting up a scholarship campaign with theSociety of Women Engineers. In 2009 everysingle manager was given an annual tar-get for gender equality. It was now judgedthe best place for women engineers towork. She urged the students to look at theworld and see the problems that neededsolving. “Women bring something differentto technology. Believe that you can make adifference and keep on learning,” she said.

What we thoughtRabia MalikWhat I found useful was all the workshops andalso hearing from the industry speakers. It wasnice to hear from female engineers who are cur-rently working in the engineering industry and toalso know that female engineers are needed inmany engineering sectors. I also enjoyed meetingother female engineers who are at university orwho have just started in their careers.

The dinner gave me a chance to actually get toknow the people on my table and that has beenan invaluable experience as I have got to knowthe most amazing people.

The session I liked best was the final sessionwhere there was a panel of speakers. I got toknow about them and their company and alsothere was the chance to ask them questions.(2nd year Chemical Engineering, AstonUniversity)

Kashaf AliI thought the event was really good and inform-ative. What I found most useful was the dinnerbecause it gave everyone the chance to interactwith other women and learn about their experi-ences and how they got to where they are today.

The session which I found most useful was theone presented by Selex.(2nd year Chemical Engineering, AstonUniversity)

Marjorie AdriaenssensThe presentations were superb, the workshopsrelevant and the atmosphere friendly. This confer-ence is definitely a networking event I wouldencourage a friend to go to.

I really enjoyed the WES experience. (MEng, Warwick University)

Hanah KhanThe most exciting part of student conference wasmeeting everyone and learning more aboutcareer opportunities.

I enjoyed the Friday afternoon workshop onmentoring the most and I found the final ques-tions and answer session with the panel of profes-sionals very useful.(2nd year Chemical Engineering, AstonUniversity)

� Trying out the new Landrover(below); keen attention during aworkshop session (above)

� Hanah, Rabia and Kashaf



ADA LOVELACE DAY (16October) was celebrated at theIET by ‘Ada Lovelace Live!’ anevening of entertainmentapplauding women in STEM

A variety of women scientistsand engineers entertained witha light-hearted look at their par-ticular passion. The eveningwas compered by Helen Arney(shown right), comedian andgeek songstress, who writesscience-based songs andaccompanies them on herukulele. She has appeared onRadio 4 and 6 Music.

Suzie Sheehy got theevening off to a lively start byblasting soft balls representing

atomic particles at her audi-ence. Suzie is an acceleratorphysicist whose research fo-cuses on developing new parti-cle accelerators for futureapplications in areas such asmedicine and energy.

“It Is Rocket Science!” wascomedian Helen Keen’s debutshow. It won the Buxton FestivalFringe Award for Best ComedyPerformance and was featuredon BBC Radio 4. She looked atthe few women astronauts whohave made it into space plusthe Mercury 13 group ofwomen, who independently un-derwent the same astronauttraining as the Mercury Seven,but never met as a group andnever went into space. Wheninformed of women training tobe astronauts Lyndon Johnsonis minuted as saying: “Let’sstop this now.”

Games animator Tracy Kingtold us that by the age of 7 girlswere convinced that they ‘suckat games.’ Only 10% of gamesindustry is female despite thefact that women make up halfthe market.

But women were gettingangry at the gender stereotyp-ing in games. Games like Peg-gle and Farmville were basedon space invaders and civilisa-tion but were more appealing

Crossrail engineer winsKaren Burt Award

� Kate Cooksey (right) with last year’s Karen Burt Award winnerGemma Whatling

THIS YEAR’S Karen Burt awardwas presented to Kate Cookseyduring the Ada Lovelace Live!event on 16 October at the IET inSavoy Place.

Kate is a tunnelling engineeremployed by UK constructionand infrastructure businessMorgan Sindall, currently work-ing on the Crossrail project. Shehas had an outstanding career todate having been recognised ona number of occasions alreadyfor her contributions to engineer-ing. She was nominated by theInstitution of Civil Engineers

Kate was inspired whilst atschool by her art teacher who en-couraged her to look up at build-ings and she also loved geo-graphy. She originally wanted tobe an architect but then discov-ered civil engineering.

She studied civil engineeringat Cardiff University. Whilst a stu-dent she asked her (now) boss togive a talk on tunnelling. This led

to a placement at Morgan Sindalland a job when she graduated .

Kate has been actively invol-ved since her student days in theset-up of student and graduategroups to promote civil and tun-nelling engineering, notably set-ting up the British TunnellingSociety Young Members Commit-tee in 2008. She has also beeninvolved in setting up courses ontunnelling at the University ofWarwick.

In recognition of her achieve-ments, Kate made the 2012Management Today 35 WomenUnder 35 List, was a finalist of theWomen of the Future Awards –Science and Technology Cate-gory – in 2009, and a finalist ofthe NCE Graduate Awards 2008.

“You’re never too young tomake a difference, don’t leave itto others,” said Kate. “There is aplace for the voice of young engi-neers and our voice should beheard loud and clear.”

to women. Women would soonbe developing commercialgames for female customers.

Sarah Angliss delighted theaudience with a demonstrationof the theremin, an early elec-tronic musical instrument con-trolled without discerniblephysical contact from theplayer. Sarah is the founder ofhuman and robot band Space-dog. Her performance showedher love of defunct machines,faded variety acts and the dark-est English folk tales.

The shark lady Eugenie Clarkhas been an inspiration to mar-ine biologist, author and broad-caster Helen Scales. Marinebiologist Eugenie joined a USNavy programme in 1949 anddid pioneering work with sharksshowing that they could learnthings. At 90 she is still scubadiving and doing research.

We need to ask more ques-tions about science and tech-nology, said Alice Bell fromImperial College (shown left).Alice teaches science commu-nication and looked at the sim-ple but not-often-asked question‘why does the fridge hum?’

Gia Milinovich who co-pre-sented the BBC’s ElectricDreams series, questioned whythere were so few women doingscience and technical present-ations on TV and radio. “Whereis the female Brian Cox?’ shesaid. Such a person would needto be able to take time off work,have a supportive partner whowould look after children, walkdog etc and needed fans. Weneeded to make a loud enthusi-astic noise about female TV sci-ence presenters to get themnoticed, she concluded.

Ada Lovelace Live!Ada Lovelace Live!



BEING A MEMBER of WES is not about whatWES can do for you but what you can do forWES and future generations. It is by doingthese things that you will reap the personalrewards and growth.

Finding a quiet moment for reflectionbetween schools runs, student conferenceand business meetings is a challenge of pri-orities and necessities. Running another ‘in-sights to leadership’ workshop at the studentconference and revisiting my own report fromthe Strengthsfinder 2.0 tool reminded me ofthe advice for managing my strengths profile,and I see how WES has played a vital role forme in this respect.

I avoided ‘women’s groups’ as a student. Ihad a great social circle and unusually for thetime on my chemistry course over half the stu-dents were women. On my master’s course Iwas the only woman and encountered someunwanted attention but it wasn’t a problem,rather a time for learning some lessons.

My PhD research group in engineeringmaterials at Southampton connected me withwomen academics and after a visit to a WESconference, we started a WES student group.We were an active crowd and soon had anoutreach programme with local schools andset up a bursary programme for women engi-neering students that ran for several years,funding ten £1000 awards to women students.This is where I learned the importance ofdoing things to create a balance in life andthat it’s easy to just take the initiative and dosomething.

“It’s easier to ask forgiveness than seekpermission” Anon

I found research interesting but a bit slow.So was able to attend WES Council meetingsto report on our group activities (bonus: travelpaid to London followed by some shopping)and wrote articles for the journal after a bur-sary to attend conference. I also found time todo English A level but that’s another story.

� Tip 1: Doing voluntary work can lead tounexpected outcomes.

As a PhD student I became passionateabout promoting science and engineeringand was lucky to receive a Media Fellowshipwith BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour. I’m sure thatwithout my WES activities on my CV I wouldnever have stood out.

� Tip 2: Engaging with a charity broad-ens your experience and skills and expandsyour horizons

Being involved with WES I had early expo-sure to some senior and incredibly inspiringand delightful women engineers at WESCouncil, and I learned about committees,

memoranda and articles, agendas, minutesand patrons.

� Tip 3: Extracurricular work outsideyour job can fill the satisfaction gaps yourjunior level job leaves you.

Sometimes your job doesn’t quite matchthe things you like best! Sometimes thoughyou need to gain certain experiences to proveyou can do it, gain an understanding of a keybusiness area so you can obtain a promotion.Knowing my strengths now I understand mydrivers and why I have done what I have overthe years. I like to make things happen, I liketo create ideas and solutions to problems anddeliver them. I can see what needs to be doneand how. When I found my work being con-densed down into technical manual writing, Ibecame ever more frustrated. If only I hadknown why at the time rather than looking foranother job, I would have done some volun-tary work sooner. I’d been so busy working,windsurfing and playing tennis, the marketingcourse I had planned was cancelled and myCV felt a bit flat. A chance invite to the launchof the ‘Rising Tide’ report reconnected mewith WES and I joined Council, joined theEditorial Board and got involved in organisinga big conference.

� Tip 4: Within a charity you can make avisible difference

Instead of being part of a large machine atwork, in a small charity you interact and oper-ate with more senior people as equals – youcan be a big fish in a small and friendly pond.

Like many, in time my WES activities trailedoff. I was asked to rejoin WES Council in thelate 90s to help with some strategy work andbusiness planning. With my knowledge, expe-rience and contacts I was able to start puttingsomething back to build a stronger Society. Inever planned to do quite so much, but oursafety clothing drive, our new brand, studentconference and new literature are just andsatisfying rewards. And over the last six yearsit has been a privilege to work alongsideother passionate women, to find people withcomplementary strengths and to create anew vision for WES that we are now realising.

WES has never been short of ideas. Frus-tratingly, the more we achieve, the more ideaswe have. I have been involved in many dis-cussions about what benefits we give to ourmembers. I don’t believe it’s about memberservices – what WES offers to women (andmen) is the chance to be part of a biggereffort to inspire young people about engineer-ing and engineers and to support our peers.Above all WES offers the opportunity to makea difference and a way to expand your skills,experience and horizons by giving of yourtime and energy. So whatever your skills andstrengths we need them to make a difference.

Making WES work for youJan Peters was WES President from 2008-2011 and was awarded the Isabel Hardwich Medal at this year’s AGM. Here she explains the benefitsof volunteering.

Assistant civil engineer Elizabeth Orchardwas awarded the Most Dedicated STEMAmbassador in a ceremony at the House ofLords. Elizabethworks in infrastruc-ture design for PeterBrett Associates inReading. She isdedicated to helpinglocal students learnabout engineeringcareers and is col-laborating with threelocal colleges to de-sign a new curricu-lum for a UniversityTechnical College in Reading, due to openin 2013.

Elizabeth said: “I’m absolutely delightedand honoured to receive this award. I volun-teer as a STEM Ambassador because I lovemy job and want to share that with young

people. This award will motivate me to keephelping young people into careers in engi-neering, particularly through developingemployability-focused academic curricula,such as the one I’m contributing to.”

There were five winners at theNational STEMNET Awards 2012,supported by the Science and Tech-nology Facilities Council (STFC)and the Department for Business,Innovation and Skills. As part of theaward, all winners receive a trip toCERN.

Other prizewinners were LauraHarvey, a BT apprentice, who wonthe Most Inspirational Technicianaward, Robert Duddridge wasawarded the Most Dedicated

Teacher, Broxburn Academy in WestLothian, Scotland won the Most DedicatedSTEM Club, and ST Robotics, manufactur-ers of bench top robots, won the Most Dedi-cated Employer for developing a roboticsproject for schoolchildren in Cambridge.

An excellent ambassador




Every product launched. Every market explored. Every idea voiced and every boundary pushed. Throughout Jaguar Land Rover, people experience moments of inspiration and progress like these every day. Individually, they defi ne careers. Together, they’re driving our growth in over 170 countries around the world.

You could be part of our remarkable journey. We are now open to applications from ambitious, career-driven graduates and undergraduates. And we have unrivalled opportunities for women within our business.

Our exciting graduate programmes include Product Development Engineering and Manufacturing Engineering. Each area requires commercial thinking and a truly global perspective.

We recognise that a diverse workforce makes us stronger. So we’re passionate about supporting aspiring women engineers well before graduation. Our Women in Engineering Sponsorship Scheme is a unique training initiative that helps you develop your career while studying for your degree. We’ve also established The Engineering Network for Women, which enables you to connect with peers and infl uential women through inspiring events nationwide. You can join the network by visiting our Facebook page.

For so many reasons, Jaguar Land Rover is the ultimate destination for female graduates seeking to build a remarkable career. A career where you’ll be supported, encouraged and equipped to achieve. And a career full of defi ning moments. So take yours, and see where it could lead.

For graduate and undergraduate opportunities, visit www.jaguarlandrovercareers.com

Closing date for applications: 31st December 2012.

Find The Engineering Network for Women on Facebook. www.facebook.com/TheEngineeringNetworkforWomen

ULTIMATEDESTINATION

GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE OPPORTUNITIES

DEFINING MOMENTS IN EVERY CAREER

www.jaguarlandrovercareers.com



Lucy Stokes, Product Development Graduate, MSc Mechanical Engineering, Aston University

I wanted to work in an industry that valued the contribution engineers can make. One that challenged its employees throughout their careers. I needed an industry that was at the cutting edge of technology and produced complex, quality products. The automotive industry ticks all those boxes. At Jaguar Land Rover, there’s a fast pace and a real chance to make an impact. You don’t need to be a petrol head. We’re all just passionate about designing and manufacturing great products. And we get to see people enjoying those products every day.

There’s no denying that women are greatly outnumbered by men in most engineering workplaces. But that starts at university. We will always be in the minority until more young women are encouraged to study science and engineering in further education. Jaguar Land Rover is trying to encourage women into the sector. They’ve started The Engineering Network for Women, which allows students to meet with graduates and managers within the business. In my view, there can be both good and bad points to being in the minority. One thing’s certain – it makes you more memorable!

Lis Ace, Product Development Graduate, MEng Electronic Engineering, University of Warwick

I’ve always been interested in motorsports and used to help my father set up go-karts when I was little. My fi ancé and I love car shows and motorsports events. Working for an automotive manufacturer seemed like a natural progression.

After my fi rst year at university, I met a lot of people on the Jaguar Land Rover Graduate scheme at a summer course on hybrid technologies. They were all enthusiastic about the company as an employer, so I applied successfully for a summer placement the following year. I returned for the next two years! I was working on real, challenging projects, doing something that mattered. It was great to see my work applied to production cars.

Working with engineers from different backgrounds was massively benefi cial. Their wealth of knowledge is staggering. I relished the opportunity to put theories from university into practice and was able to feed things I learnt on placements back into my studies. I gained real advantages over other students, and developed marketable skills including project management and programming. I knew I wanted to be a part of Jaguar Land Rover. Now I’m back permanently, I’m already in charge of three large projects.

ULTIMATEDESTINATION

www.jaguarlandrovercareers.com

DEFINING MOMENTS IN EVERY CAREER


� Keep usinformed of thelatest news in yourarea – [email protected]

MARISSA MAYER, oneof the top executives atGoogle, has been

appointed as the latest chief ofYahoo, making her one of themost prominent women inSilicon Valley and corporateAmerica. Her appointment isconsidered a coup for Yahoo,which has struggled in recentyears to attract top talent in itsbattle with competitors.

Marissa, an engineer, was 6months pregnant when ap-pointed and returned to work 2weeks after having her baby.She is shown right with onemonth old Macallister.

Yahoo helped shape the inter-net industry in the 1990s, It isnow trying to remain relevantafter failing to adapt to changinginnovations like sophisticatedsearch technology and socialmedia tools. The company ismoving to lay off thousands ofemployees, in the face of slump-ing profits and a lacklustrestock. The big question iswhether Marissa Mayer – or any-one – can help Yahoo regain itsformer stature.Marissa said she had had an

amazing time at Google, whereshe has worked for the last 13years, but that ultimately it was areasonably easy decision to takethe top job at Yahoo. She saidYahoo was one of the bestbrands on the internet and thather strategy would focus on theinternet company’s strong fran-chises, including e-mail, financeand sports. She also hopes to domore with its video broadbandand its mobile businesses, tap-ping into its significant base ofusers.For Yahoo, the hope is that

Marissa and her discerning eyewill provide some much-neededdirection for what has been, asof late, a rudderless ship.

According to Chris Sacca, aventure capitalist, who previ-ously worked with Marissa atGoogle,”Yahoo finally has some-one who has both business acu-men and geek cred at the helm.

“She stands for a work hard/ playhard, product- and enginering-driven culture, and Yahoo hasbeen missing that for years.”

ENCOURAGING work-ers to take an afternoonnap could dramatically

improve economic fortunesacross the western hemisphere,according to leadership andbusiness experts, ProfessorsNada and Andrew Kakabadse.

Nada Kakabadse explains:“Having assessed employee per-formance and health studiesrecently conducted across theUK, US and Western Europe, webelieve offering workers the op-portunity for a brief nap providessignificant benefits in employeeconcentration, health and pro-ductivity.Andrew Kakabadse adds

some significant research facts:

� People napping at leastthree times a week for an aver-age of 30 minutes have a 37%lower coronary mortality thanthose not taking siestas.

� A group taking a 90-minutenap improved in their ability tolearn by 10%, while a non-nap-ping group did 10% worse.

� Many airlines allow pilotsto sleep during long interna-tional flights while colleaguestake over the controls.

The research clearly indicatesthat companies should considerand evaluate appropriate breaktimes for their workers.

THE QUESTION “WhyAren’t Women Workingin Technology?” was

discussed on Radio 4’sWoman’sHour. Only 18% of the IT work-force is female.

Maggie Berry, MD of Womenin Technology, felt that one of themain reasons was simply thatwomen don’t tend to apply fortechnology jobs.

A ‘Women’s Careers in Tech-nology’ report discovered that 90per cent of women would onlyapply for a job if they fitted all thespecifications – not recognisingthat most are mere ‘wish-lists’. Bycontrast men tend to apply for ajob if they only meet 40/50 % ofthe required skills. It wouldtherefore seem that women areselling themselves short.

Christine Ashton, chief infor-mation officer at BG Group, feltthat there is still a geek stereo-type when it comes to technologyjobs that needs to be overcomebefore more women enter theindustry.

A RESEARCH assistantat the University of Bris-tol’s Centre for

Nanoscience and QuantumInformation (NSQI) won theBritish Science Association’sStrictly Engineering challenge.

Dr Isobel Houghton (shownright), research assistant inquantum photonics, presented aposter about her research proj-ect at the British Science Festivalin Aberdeen earlier this year.

Speaking about her award,she said: “I was very pleased toparticipate in the challenge andshare some of the research ..... Ienjoyed speaking to the visitorsabout my research and poster,and I was delighted to win.”

Systems research engineerNatasha Watson, one of two run-ners-up of the challenge, is in hersecond year of the EngD in sys-tems programme at BristolUniversity’s Industrial DoctorateCentre, in collaboration with theUniversity of Bath School of Man-agement.

Her project involved using nat-ural materials as part of buildingconstruction to improve the sus-tainability of buildings.

Strictly Engineering chal-lenged UK engineers to turn theirwork into exciting, eye-catchingposters which would spark con-versation about the implicationsof engineering in our everydaylives and draw attention to theUK’s world-class activities.

A NEW BONE healingdiagnostic and measure-ment tool has been

recognised as the next progres-sive step forward in orthopaedicsurgery.

The SmartNail has been ac-knowledged by the Institution ofEngineering Technology (IET)winning two awards at the IETInnovation Awards. The Smart-Nail is designed for real-timemonitoring of broken bones,using wireless sensors embed-ded within a titanium nail, and isthe world’s first telemetricorthopaedic implant.

The SmartNail measures thebiochemical forces and tempera-ture changes associated withfracture healing. By monitoringthe degree of fracture stabilityand implant loading that occursin early phases of bone healing,it enables clinicians to providebespoke and effective rehabilita-tion programmes, responding tothe specific needs of the type offracture sustained. The technol-ogy has been recognised for itsrevolutionary potential, winningthe Healthcare Technologies andProduct Design categories.

It has been developed by aconsortium led by Smith &Nephew UK Ltd and UniversityCollege London. Upon receivingthe two awards, Stephen Taylor,lecturer at UCL commented:“ This innovation embodies bothmicroelectronics and healthcareand is the bridge between engi-neering and medical technology.It will hopefully save the NHSmoney in terms of managing pa-tients with bone fractures.”



� Keep usinformed of

the latestnews in yourarea – email:

[email protected] or

write to: theWomen’s

EngineeringSociety,c/o IET,

MichaelFaraday

House, SixHills Way,

StevenageSG1 2AY

Caledonian University from11:00-12:00. Seeiet.org.uk/events.

� 23 Jan Scottish Circle –Selecting the new Type 26frigate power and propulsionsystem at the Teacher Building,Glasgow. First WES lecture andnetworking event in Glasgow.Open to all. Contact Anne [email protected].

� 25 Feb–1 Mar NissanTechnical Centre Europe,Cranfield Technology Park isallowing 2nd yearundergraduates & PhDstudents a behind the sceneslook at its facilities. ContactLucy at [email protected].

Diary 12/13� 15 Dec IET Scotland –Family ChristmasPresentation ‘FromFacebook Friends toPostman Pat: Understandingour Connected World’ withDr Matt Pritchard, mathsand science lecturer,magician and stand-upcomedian at Glasgow

� Please sendall diary itemsby the nextissue deadline:15 Feb 2013.

Newmembers

� KatieAdamson

� SarahAshby

� ReinaCapus

� ShirleyCheng

� LouiseCooke

� LauraGallagher

� Rosie Jay

� TerriJackson

� Ji-Young Oh

� RushnaNawaz

� VickyNunney

� Uzo Nwamu

� DelphineRyan

� LydiaSantis

� PaulaTinkler

� NiccyTonge

Fiona Neads joined AtkinsGlobal in September as a devel-opment engineer on the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB programme.She went on maternity leave fromthe Ministry of Defence in April2008, which evolved into a careerbreak of over four years. Duringthis time she completed her MScThesis, graduating with an MScin Aerospace Design, Manufac-ture and Management from theUniversity of Bristol in July 2012.

“As I attended the first moduleof the MSc in July 2000, changedemployer and relocated duringthe course, this feels like quite anachievement,” Fiona said.

The photo shows Fiona withdaughter Lani.

Terri Jackson is recruitment of-ficer for Principia-Scientific Inter-

national(PSI). This isa new inter-nationalbody origi-nally con-ceived in2010 after 22internationalclimate ex-perts andauthorsjoinedforces towrite the cli-mate bestseller ‘Slay-ing the SkyDragon:Death of theGreenhouseGas theory’.

LegacyWES has received a paymentfrom the estate of Mrs MayMaple who died on 19 August2012. The Society is very grate-ful to May for her generosity.

Survey of WESactivitiesWES is conducting a review of itsactivities to ensure that we aredoing the most effective things toinspire more girls and women tostudy and practice engineeringand allied sciences, maths, tech-nology, construction, ICT etc.

It would be very helpful if youcould, please, fill in the web-based questionnaire to be foundat:www.surveymonkey.com/s/85S8TYK

We also have a Diversity Moni-toring Form which will enable usto check that we are reaching adiverse audience.

Filling any of this in is entirelyvoluntary, but please fill in asmuch as you wish:www.surveymonkey.com/s/85Z7Y5D

Gillian Skinner AwardDawn Bonfield(right) receivesthe 2012 Gillian Skinner Awardfrom President Milada Williamsfor her voluntary work inrunning the office whilst WESwas without paid staff.

Members’ news



OVER THE PAST FINANCIAL YEAR WES hada reduced income owing to fewer member-ship subscriptions and the loss of funding forMentorSET, Treasurer Grazyna Whapshotttold the AGM at Aston University on 17November. The Society had invested consid-erably over the last couple of years in projectsto raise the WES profile. This should pay divi-dends in the future and enable the Society toobtain more sponsorship and members.

Meanwhile, as Vice-President Jackie Long-worth explained, outgoings were at presentabout twice income and unless there wereradical improvements, funds would be dep-leted in 3 or 4 years. WES was currently carry-ing out a survey to find out what servicesmembers valued to see if savings could bemade, but also needed to look at generatingnew sources of income.

Motions passedThe AGM passed a motion in-creasing fees next year to £52for members and associateswith an agreement that sub-scription rates should be re-viewed every year. The studentrate remains at £10.

The introduction of a Fellow-ship grade was also agreed bythe AGM.

AwardsThe Gillian Skinner 2012 award was pre-sented by President Milada Williams to DawnBonfield and the 2012 Isabel Hardwich awardto Jan Peters.

93rd Annual General Meeting93rd Annual General Meeting

Little Miss GeekBridging the gap between girlsand technologyby Belinda ParmarThe book describes achicken-and-egg situa-tion whereby the tech-nology industry doesn’tmake an effort to bemore welcoming towomen, but that younggirls are also pro-grammed (no pun in-tended) from a youngage to believe thattechnology isn’t cre-ative and isn’t for them .

One example is that Lego tends to sitin the boys’ aisles of toy stores. LikeLego, computers should be seen as gen-der-neutral creative tools from an earlyage.

Price £11.99 from www.amazon.co.uk.

Metal Molly by WES member AriadneTampion

Wouldn’t it be fun to have a robotfor a friend? Isobel certainly thinksso. She thinks robots are reallycool. All her favourite books, filmsand television programmes haverobots in them. Then one dayclever Professor White brings hislittle girl robot Molly to learn atIsobel’s school.

Molly learns from Isobel how tobe a really good friend. Maybetogether they can teach class bullyEmilia too.

For everyone who loves robots, espe-cially girls aged 7-9 years.

Price £3.99. To buy go towww.lulu.com/gb/en/shop/ariadne-tampion-

and-laura-buckland/metal-molly. Check outthe Lulu home page before purchase fordiscount codes and free postage offers.

Books for Christmas

Two engineering students from Edinburgh NapierUniversity have won the top prize at this year’sWorld Skills UK event at the NEC.

Meghann Butler and Tim Graham, both 3rd yearstudents, excelled in the industrial control sectionof the three day technical challenge. They eachwon a laptop.

Meghann, from Alves near Inverness, said: “Iwas completely in shock I didn’t except to win atall.”

Top prize for engineering students

� Jan Peters receives the Isabel HardwichAward from Milada

� Joint Secretaries Estelle Barrois andAlex Walker, WES clerk Lisa Lazareckand Treasurer Grazyna Whapshott

Officers and Council 2012/13President: Milada WilliamsVice Presidents: Dawn Bonfield

Jackie LongworthCarol MarshSarah Peers

Immediate Past President: Jan PetersJoint Honorary Secretaries:Estelle Barrois and Alex WalkerTreasurer: Grazyna WhapshottCompany Secretary: Dawn Fitt

CouncilKayley Arthington Liz CarrPaola CuneoAniuska Dominguez Helen MonkhouseLucy RogersDaniela Romano Liane Sheppard Gemma WhatlingAnne Wiseman


women’s engineering society vol 18 • no 17 … engineer winter... · young people and margaret...

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