12 The Woman Engineer – Spring 2005 WES MEMBERSHIP SURVEY Which discipline of engineering Which of the benefits on the list below encouraged you to join If you did not attend the confer - do you work in? WES? ence, was it because: low/no some high ❏ civil Importance importance importance ❏ too far away ❏ aeronautical ❏ not interested in topic ❏ mechanical ❏ ❏ ❏ professional networking opportunities ❏ too expensive ❏ environmental ❏ ❏ ❏ social networking opportunities ❏ not free those dates ❏ electrical ❏ ❏ ❏ meeting role models or mentors ❏ other ❏ chemical ❏ ❏ ❏ opportunities for personal development ❏ other ❏ ❏ ❏ joining an influential voice for women _________________________ ___________________________ in the field ❏ ❏ ❏ taking part in educational/outreach If you did attend the confer - Which subsector of this disci - activities ence, how pleased were you pline do you work in? ❏ ❏ ❏ attending WES events (conference etc.) with it overall? ❏ ❏ ❏ support from other women in the field ______________________________ ❏ ❏ ❏ careers advice ❏ quite pleased ❏ ❏ ❏ helping other women and girls ❏ somewhat pleased (eg railways, automotive, govern- ❏ ❏ ❏ promoting gender equality ❏ neutral ment, etc) ❏ somewhat displeased What stage are you in your other _________________________________________________ ❏ quite displeased career? How pleased were you with the ❏ student Which of the benefits on the list below have you gained as a result shorter (1.5 day) format? ❏ of WES membership? mid-career/manager ❏ ❏ mature student quite pleased ❏ low/no some high ❏ somewhat pleased senior/director benefit benefit benefit ❏ ❏ neutral newly qualified/graduate ❏ ❏ ❏ professional networking opportunities ❏ ❏ somewhat displeased retired ❏ ❏ ❏ social networking opportunities ❏ quite displeased ❏ ❏ ❏ meeting role models or mentors How did you originally hear ❏ ❏ ❏ about WES? opportunities for personal development Should WES hold one-day ❏ ❏ ❏ joining an influential voice for women regional workshops? ❏ another member in the field ❏ academic staff ❏ ❏ ❏ taking part in educational/outreach ❏ Yes, in addition to the national ❏ institution or professional activities conference organisation ❏ ❏ ❏ attending WES events (conference etc.) ❏ Yes, instead of the national ❏ employer ❏ ❏ ❏ support from other women in the field conference ❏ WES promotional literature ❏ ❏ ❏ careers advice ❏ No ❏ other ❏ ❏ ❏ helping other women and girls Do you have any other ___________________________ ❏ ❏ ❏ promoting gender equality thoughts/comments about last year ’s conference, or the nation - Which WES Circle, Cluster or other _________________________________________________ al conference in general? student group are you a mem - ber of? _______________________________ ______________________ Which of these WES activities If you have not participated, _______________________________ What is your prefer red method have you participated in during why not? of communication with WES? the past year? ❏ yearly conference _______________________________ ❏ letter ❏ social events _______________________________ Do you read The Woman ❏ phone ❏ local/cluster events Engineer? ❏ fax ❏ lectures _______________________________ ❏ email ❏ educational outreach ❏ yes ❏ no ❏ website opportunities THE WVolume 17,oman Number 7– Spring 2005 Engineerwww.wes.org.uk Young Woman Engineer of the Year pp 6-7 Karen Burt Awar d p 7 relationship with the UK Resource A roller coaster ride Centre for Women in SET (UKRC). We have continued to have a good rel- Senior Vice-President Dawn Fitt reviews WES ationship with the Institution of developments over the past year Incorporated Engineers (IIE) through Circle Christmas gathering p2 our support of the Young Woman ence plans were going swimmingly, Engineer of the Year Award and their the rug was pulled out from under help and support with the Lady our feet due to the closure of Finniston Award. The Institution of President’ s Whitehall College. It didn’t end there Electrical Engineers (IEE) and the message either, we had some inevitable Daphne Jackson Trust continued to like an changes to Council due to the fact work with us to run the Daphne exciting that people move on and work com- Jackson Lecture (which for 2004 was life, and mitments prevent them from being enthralling, my husband thoroughly I able to give WES as much time as enjoyed the presentation by Dr Claire it looks as they would like. Davis). The Verena Holmes Lecture though What I have learnt though from Series 2004, hosted by Ford Motor 2005 will last year is that WES is resourceful Company, was a resounding success probably and I don’t mean financially. Council (thanks to Ford Motor Company for manage had support and advice from many of their delivery of ‘Friction, Friend or to keep me amused. WES the members and advisors to WES Foe’). affairs continue to have their and, as a result, we were able to These are just a few of the good little ups and downs (let’s ased upon my experience as a overcome all of the issues highlighted working relationships that we have, hope no big ones). The member of Council for a num- above. but Council and members of WES are national climate will change Bber of years, I had expected We now have a permanent constantly forging ahead to further as the impact of the UK’s 2004 to be a year like any other year. replacement for Cathy, we are still at the aims of the Society, through work Now when I look back, I realise that Old Queen St (thanks to SEMTA for with many different organisations. Resource Centre for Women during my time with WES, I haven’t continued support) and we were able If at the end of 2005 someone asks in SET (UKRC) is felt, and experienced such a roller coaster ride to deliver a superb conference at an me what were the highs and lows of other organisations find their as I had last year. The year started on alternative venue (thanks to the 2004 that made it such a roller coast- positions around it. Our quite a high, with a promising out- School of Management at Cranfield er ride, I’m sure that I won’t remem- friends at DiverSETy in the DTI look for the rest of 2004, but how University). ber the lows. are also facing change. wrong you can be! I am positive that 2005 will offer Internationally, this is an In my day job (before settling down High points some very different challenges, but ICWES year – the conference to a career break as a wife and moth- this year I am going to spend more is in Seoul in August, and er of two young children), I had Despite all of the above, the high time contingency planning because, I INWES will naturally get imprinted in my mind the need points for 2004 have been numerous. know, if something can go wrong it boosted too. UNESCO is always to plan with contingency in We have developed a good working will. mind (if something can go wrong, it doing a major report on will). I was constantly reviewing RISK women in science, engineer- and what it would cost my employers ing and technology, and if a project was not delivered on time, European initiatives should be to budget and to the customers’ sat- happening under the new isfaction. Framework (and with a new I will always remember 2004 as the head of the Women and year in WES that if something could Science unit in Brussels). go wrong it would. Cathy MacGillivray left WES after 11 years We need to ease WES service and members of Council had along in various directions – to step in to cover most of the to reshape the responsibilities administrative work until we found a of President, Secretary and replacement. We then discovered that Council to ensure that the a firm supporter of WES, Dr Michael IN JANUARY the Institute of Physics who worked out the parameters of role of President is not too Sanderson, was retiring from SEMTA launched Einstein Year. It’s 100 years what was physicallypossible and heavy a burden on a busy and we had no idea about his intend- since the publication of Einstein’s tested this by computer simulation. mother (Dawn next year?) or ed successor, hence we didn’t know work on special relativity; the inspira - Ben launched himself off a 6 ft tion for which came to him whilst out high ramp and spun backwards what our future position would hold. someone hard-pressed by a cycling. To open his special year BMX through 360 degrees whilst folding demanding job (you in a few Due to the changes at SEMTA, we stunt rider Ben Wallace performed a his bike underneath him in a move years’ time?); to find new had to find an alternative means for specially devised feat called the known to BMX devotees as a ‘table - printing the journal and, on top of Einstein flip. top’. At one point he was upside sources of funding to that, when we thought that confer- Ben worked with Cambridge down, travelling at 15 mph, with his University physicist Helen Czerski, head 12 ft off the floor. Continues on page 3 2 The Woman Engineer – Spring 2005 The Women’ s his issue features achievements perspective on the differences Engineering Society by women in engineering and between working life and the experi- is a charity registered with the Charity Commission No. 1008913 Tscience. Both the Young ences of women engineers in the US and a company limited by guar- Woman Engineer of the Year Award and here (see page 5). antee registered in England No. winners and the Karen Burt Award This is your opportunity to apply 162096. winner are already proving excellent for a bursary to attend the 13th conducted four years ago and as a All correspondence regarding ambassadors for women engineers. International Conference of Women result of this: the journal was membership and the work of the Women’s Engineering All have busy lives but still find time Engineers and Scientists (ICWES13) in improved, MentorSET introduced and Society (WES) should be to try and inspire young women with Seoul, Korea in August on page 8.