January 10, 2014
Launch for five-day Women in Engineering Summit
A five-day summit begins at the University of Wollongong on Monday (13 January) aimed at encouraging young women to consider a career in an overwhelmingly male dominated area – engineering.
This year’s sixth Women in Engineering Summit has attracted 32 female students in Years 10, 11 and 12 from throughout NSW. The students will learn about the various engineering disciplines and find out how engineers affect each and every person’s daily lives.
Ten volunteer group leaders sourced from within UOW and the summit sponsors will guide the participants through the program that includes off-campus site visits to Transport for NSW Seacliff Bridge and Signalling Complex, BlueScope Steel Plant tour of coal handling and coke making as well as the Springhill Plant. Transgrid will also be taking the young women to the Yallah Substation.
UOW will conduct a range of activities as well through its School of Mechanical, Materials and Mechatronic Engineering, School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering and School of Electrical, Computer and Telecommunications Engineering.
The summit will be an opportunity for the participants to meet industry leaders, academics and other women with similar interests including recent female engineering graduates.
Sponsors for the summit are BlueScope Steel, Transport for NSW, Transgrid, Hume Coal, Adelaide Brighton, Illawarra Coal and Defence Force Recruitment. Representatives from each of the sponsors will be present.
Media please note
The event begins at 4pm with a photo/filming/interview opportunity at 4.45pm on Monday 13 January.
Where: Room G45 in Building 35.
Guests attending: Among guest attending the event will be the Shadow Minister for Vocational Education and Skills and Member for Cunningham, Ms Sharon Bird; Plate Rolling and Roll Shop Operations Manager for BlueScope Steel, Ms Jillian Noads; UOW Vice-Chancellor, Professor Paul Wellings; and UOW Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Judy Raper.
For further information: Contact Dr Montse Ros, a Senior Lecturer in the School of Electrical, Computer and Telecommunications Engineering, on 4221 3133.