Women in Engineering Day occurs annually on June 23rd and is an international event to celebrate and recognise the contribution of women to engineering.
The University of Sheffield is one of the biggest UK providers of engineering research and education, with nearly 7000 students.
Dr Julia Carrell has been a teacher in the university’s Mechanical Engineering department for the last four years. After a mechanic apprenticeship with BMW, Dr Carrell entered the engineering field following an interest in how and why things work.
Dr Carrell completed a degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Sheffield as well as a PhD in bio-lubricants for automotive applications.
She said: “It’s important to recognise the work of women in engineering because we need to promote the profession to more diverse groups, it’s a very white, male profession at the moment, which is an issue for two reasons.
“Firstly, everything engineers do to improve people’s lives; if only one group of people is creating new technology, you can’t guarantee they’ll have done that considering the perspective of other groups.
“Secondly, we have a huge engineering skills shortage in this country, so we really just need as many people as possible to come into the profession.”
The University of Sheffield also has its own Women in Engineering society that Professor Elena Rodriquez-Falcon founded in 2012.
The society carries out STEM activities in schools in the hopes that introducing girls to STEM at a young age will encourage them to pursue a career in the field.
Vice-President of the Women in Engineering society, Ioni Kalospyrou, said: “Even in 2021 only 1 out of 10 engineers in the UK is a woman. Hence, we believe that it is crucial to introduce STEM to girls from a young age and encourage them to pursue a career in engineering regardless of the stereotypes and prejudice around the field.
“We strongly encourage all girls and young women to pursue the career of their dreams because gender should never and cannot be the barrier to whatever the mind can achieve.”
For International Women In Engineering Day, the society has been celebrating its members and all of their contributions to the field.
