Professor Beverley Gibbs, Chief Academic Officer at NMITE, comments on #makesafetyseen: 

"We know that safety only really works when it works for everyone. From safety signage that works for colleagues with colour vision deficiency, to PPE that fits the shapes and sizes of women's bodies, inclusive safety practices that protect all engineers as they go about their important work is non-negotiable. Engineering is about making the world a better and ultimately safer place." 

Professor Gary Wood, Academic Director at NMITE, comments on #makesafetyseen: 

"We need everyone involved in engineering - including the hidden figures such as Dorothy Vaughan - if we are to succeed at improving the wellbeing of the public and engineers themselves."

Two of the student respondents, Finlay Neate and Elise Cummings, are both part of NMITE’s founding ‘Pioneer Cohort’ who will become the first NMITE Engineers when they graduate in 2024. They are also part of NMITE’s Women in STEM society which is currently being developed with the aim of enhancing students’ experience. Its mission is to support, empower and facilitate women to succeed and advance in STEM fields. 

Finlay Neate, MEng Integrated Engineering, NMITE and Communications Officer of the NMITE Women in STEM Society:  

“This year’s theme for International Women in Engineering Day is #makesafetyseen and as our degree is focusing on integrated engineering solutions to problems, we spend a lot of time considering how we can best solve challenges for clients. One of the ways we can help with #makesafetyseen is by improving the gender balance in Engineering, ensuring more women are part of the design teams that keep us and our environments safe and secure. That’s something NMITE works hard to champion, and I am an active part of its Women in STEM society where we aim to provide a fun and safe space for women and other underrepresented groups, through a variety of activities and regular opportunities to learn from successful female engineers. 

“An engineer I admire is Stephanie Kwolek who invented Kevlar in the 1960s. Kevlar is a lightweight fibre that is five-times stronger than steel relative to its weight. Thanks to her work in materials development, Kevlar is now used in about 200 different applications, including bulletproof vests, helping to keep people safe.”

Elise Cummings, MEng Integrated Engineering, NMITE and Vice President of the NMITE Women in STEM Society:

“When I consider what has inspired me most recently in engineering, I would say attending the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) Annual Conference and learning about the work being done in engineering around security, and what specifically is being done to consider the impact on women who are disproportionally affected by the issue.

“For me, the most exciting thing about being an engineer is the problem solving and being able to see how your work improves the lives of others, making it feel like you can make a difference in the world. I am currently exploring this as a student, through NMITE’s model of always working towards a goal with an industry or community partner in our modules.”

Habiba Rashid, MEng Integrated Engineering, NMITE and President of the NMITE Women in STEM Society: 

“My hopes and ambitions for the future are to work in a wide range of industries such as automotive, construction and space. I would like to take the role of someone who is making a great impact on a large scale. Studying at NMITE has served me well, because of the scholarship opportunities and being able to express myself as an engineering student. NMITE is very proactive in encouraging female students in engaging and participating at various events and activities that boost their portfolio, in my opinion. Since I started, not only have I developed many skills in engineering, but in communication as well. Being the first female of south Asian descendant and Muslim, I was able to be myself and progress with time.”

Charlotte Williams, MEng Integrated Engineering, NMITE: 

“The woman engineer I most admire is Dorothy Vaughn who worked at both NACA and later NASA, working at NACA under Jim Crow laws (segregation). When she saw that machine computing was the future, she spent time teaching her co-workers how to code, later contributing large amounts of work to the Scout rocket program.

“The most exciting thing about being a woman engineer is that there is always something new to learn and in future I would love to work in renewable developments in aviation.”

Ryan Kenyon, MEng Integrated Engineering, NMITE: 

“Margaret Hamilton is the woman engineer I admire the most. Mrs Hamilton was in charge of the team that was responsible for programming for NASA’s Apollo guidance systems. What makes her even more admirable is the fact that she was self-taught and got the role in a predominantly male industry.

“The benefit of having women engineers is bringing a different perspective to a male-dominated industry and my plans for the future involve making a more inclusive and robust society. I have definitely come across this on my course at NMITE because we are a diverse group, and I really enjoy hearing things from an alternative point of view to mine as it broadens your thinking.”