CSU has record number of female students in engineering

Engineering has been the preserve of males for decades, but a new wave of female students is changing the course of engineering studies. The 2020 CSU engineering intake will see almost a third of the students being female, an historic climb in female numbers, considering in Australia just 18 per cent of engineering graduates are female, with many not staying in the profession.

For Euan Lindsay, Professor of Engineering and Director of the CSU Engineering Foundation, the change in female interest is very welcome.

"It's changed the whole tone of the building (Building 1305 at the Bathurst campus), there's no longer "the women's group"," Professor Lindsay says.

It was once 10 per cent, now with six out of 17 first year students female, it's risen to a third.

"Young women show an interest in science and maths early on at school, they dream of being astronauts and the like, but is has been harder to get them tracking right through.

"They were more likely to fall off that tightrope towards engineering, especially if they didn't have those female role models."

Of course since the start of the course, things have changed dramatically, with social distancing requirements and the restrictions from the coronavirus crisis forcing the first year students to return home and take up online learning - that is going well, according to Mr Lindsay.

But the new engineering students were able to get four valuable weeks in to build up a team rapport.

The CSU course is very unique. It is the only engineering course inbetween the Blue Mountains and Kalgoorlie and after three semesters on campus the students enter a paid placement period where they work in regional areas in engineering "cadet" roles.

With a surge in engineering projects in inland NSW from rail to new water saving technology, the opportunities are arriving thick and fast for the five CSU engineering cohorts so far - in fact the placement opportunities outstrip the students.

Engineer Shara Cameron is the engineer-in-residence at CSU and is "very happy" more women are taking on engineering. "Some people still think when I walk in the door I'm the secretary," she says, thinking of how some of the profession is still greeted. Mrs Cameron has a long background in engineering consultancy and jumped at the chance to teach at the engineering faculty at CSU.

Gender diversity was critically important for engineering as it tackled some of the most pressing matters in the world, she says. Engineering is at the core of almost all of the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, including achieving zero hunger, sustainable cities, and clean water and sanitation. As Professor Lindsay says, the times have changed: "We want them to understand that engineering is about people, not about cool toys."

The unique placement of CSU students is seeing them earn their stripes very quickly as cadets and also receiving mentorship. Mrs Cameron caught up with some of the cadets when they attended a special afternoon tea to celebrate NSW Women's Week in NSW, with the NSW Minister for Women and Youth Bronnie Taylor also at the tea.

One of the cadets was enjoying working for Riverina Water involved in the design of two new reservoirs, while another two cadets were at Orange City Council, receiving mentorship from two senior female engineers working in the design area.

With the coronavirus crisis, just two of the cadets have been stood down by their employers, and their online studies have continued as normal.

The CSU students have come from everywhere, from Lightning Ridge to Hobart and Deniliquin. One of the secrets has been the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) program where Year 8 and Year 9 students are given advice on future careers and learn about the possibilities of an engineering degree. "It's an important time, because they then think 'I'll stick on this course'", Professor Lindsay said. The faculty also visits regional high schools to encourage females to consider engineering.

Women's Minister Bronnie Taylor presented $3000 scholarships to help two of the new female students with course costs.

"Young women in regional NSW should be encouraged to think big and pursue their dreams," Mrs Taylor said. "It's inspiring to see so many female trailblazers making their mark in traditionally male-dominated fields and I applaud CSU for making these scholarships available for women studying engineering."

The placement cadets are all paid award wages and it is one of the only university courses that offers a wage as part of a course. The students end up with a Masters of Engineering in Civil Systems and a Diploma of Technology in Civil Systems.

The first two weeks of the course offers a special introduction and a challenge that each year has been met admirably. The students design a Rube Goldberg machine that has to run right through the engineering building. The task this year was a little complex as it must involve water, refer to The Year of the Rat, and at some stage the mechanism must light a candle on a cake. They achieved that over two levels of the building, so hopefully the rest of the course will also be a piece of cake.

Mrs Cameron said she was enthused to see the older female students networking with the new students at the tea.

They also had an increasing number of female role models in business, including Coonamble's Jillian Kilby, an engineer based in Dubbo, and the 2018 NSW Rural Woman of the Year, who left a city job to set-up her engineering base in regional NSW - and the work kept flooding in.

Jillian wrote a special piece for The Land about her experiences and the reasons why women should consider a career in engineering based in the country.

What do Engineers do in regional NSW?

"During fires in South-Eastern NSW, my phone rang. The Office of Emergency Management and the Australian Defence Force needed a list of all affected infrastructure across eight badly affected Councils - that's an area about the size of Tasmania. And they needed the list of affected roads, bridges, landfill sites, and more - in 36 hours. (see explanation A below)

That's what engineers do.

When the town of Walgett ran dangerously short of town water over the past 7 years, the Local Council worked to design a bigger weir across the Barwon River. I call this "getting shovel ready". "If you can undertake the options study, complete concept designs, and get the planning approvals in place, you are more likely to get the funding". Over 30 engineers from private and Government organisations were involved over the 7 years, and when the town water supply was dwindling, Gladys Berejiklin tweeted from the Walgett Weir "In Walgett to see what is being done to improve water security. The NSW Government supports raising the Walgett Weir wall. This is a project which is ready to go and it will have an immediate impact. #watersecurity #Walgett" Jan 27, 2019.

That's what engineers do.

In 2017 there was an abandoned building in the main street of Dubbo that was in desperate need of a renovation. It wasn't just any building, it was the most important and beautiful building - a 133-year-old Clock Tower and post office. Negotiating, designing, budgeting, arranging contractors, and overseeing the work was all part of bringing the building back to life.

That's what engineers do.

When one Regional City wanted to plan to become a 100,000 person city, they called me to facilitate a workshop with the executive staff and the councillors.

That's what engineers do.

It's easy to let your eyes glaze over when engineers talk about their day job, so I like to keep it simple. Being an engineer in regional NSW allowed me to help clear roads during the bushfires. Being an engineer in regional NSW allowed me to help ensure your town has water in the tap. Being an engineer in regional NSW allowed me to buy and renovate a beautiful old building. Being an engineer in regional NSW allowed me to help a city like Tamworth, or Wagga, or Dubbo, grow to 100,000 people.

Being a woman and being an engineer does not take up a lot of my mind share, however, I have always said "you can't be what you can't see." I do hope parents and grandparents reading this article will share it with their daughters, in the hope that more women are at the decision-making table guiding and informing conversations that affect regional Australia.

(A) Local council staff weren't in a position to oversee the work at that time, because they already had all-hands-on-deck controlling the unfolding situation. To make matters worse, 50 per cent of Local Government employees at one Council were reported to have been directly impacted, losing homes, property and livestock. For most of us during the fires, we watched on with anxiety, wondering how to help. Those in a position to help, were at work wondering if their home and family were safe.

With an existing relationship with local Council Engineers, I was able to put the project list together from my office in Dubbo, including a map to show the location of the damaged roads, bridges, rubbish sites etc."