Tshepo Tshambane, a postgraduate student studying an MSc in Geotechnical Engineering, writes about what its like being a female engineer in a male dominated field and gives advice to young women interested in pursuing a career in STEM.

I think as a female engineer in a male dominated field I have always felt or anticipated that I would feel intimidated at times but I have never let that stop me from studying/working in a field that I have grown to love. With women like Bridgette Radebe – the first black South African deep level, hard rock mining entrepreneur, Claire Carr and Kate Hall who are listed under ’35 under 35’ both from the civil engineering sector or Dervilla Mitchell who lead one of the largest construction projects in Europe once upon a time, Heathrow’s Terminal 5- women who are achieving what was once considered unimaginable there truly is never a shortage of female inspiration and definitely plenty of room for more in engineering and its related fields.

Having studied Mining Engineering at undergraduate level and now Geotechnical Engineering at Master’s level I can say that there has been a positive change to the ratio of female students to our male counterparts in the lecture room; 1 in 10 and 1 to 5 respectively-not by a skyrocketing change but a change nonetheless. A study in the US once indicated that there was approximately only 11% of women studying geotechnical engineering compared to 15-17% in structural engineering for example. I would like to say that I am not disheartened by these statistics, to me they say “Hey, at least WE ARE THERE!”. Of course more can be done to increase these figures, not only by us women but by men too! We can encourage young girls to think bigger and not be afraid of what they can accomplish, especially in areas that have never been touched by a female hand.

During my time I have come across numerous organisations that encourage women to be a part of the science and engineering world. Through Newcastle University I was able to become a member of Women in Science and Engineering (WISE). WISE does what is says on the tin; it is a “campaign that promotes women in science, technology and engineering” through the sharing of events, training courses and advertising of STEM roles … a true platform that boosts women interaction and inspiration in the world of engineering. Newcastle University has and continues to receive prestigious Athena SWAN awards. The University’s School of Civil Engineering (CEG) received a Bronze Award status for their efforts in creating one of the largest diverse academic units in the United Kingdom. Studying under such a dedicated body has inspired me to not be discouraged at being one of two or three female classmates but to fortify my own efforts to be successful and inspire others.