As a high school student, Eve Visser was told by a career advisor that she shouldn’t consider university. However, Eve was determined not to let this dissuade her. She took it as added motivation, going on to receive a scholarship to study at the Australian National University (ANU).

Currently in her third year studying Engineering and Science with a major in Climate Science, Eve is passionate about sharing her experiences and knowledge with prospective students. This interest in outreach inspired her to start volunteering with EWB’s ACT Chapter, running workshops to encourage students to pursue a path in engineering.

Path toward engineering

During high school, Eve always liked science and had friends  who were considering studying engineering. However, it was only at university that she really got a clear sense of what engineering was like as a field and future career path. 

Eve is now in her third year of study and is living university life to the fullest, juggling a job as a receptionist in college along with volunteer work with EWB and as an ANU student ambassador.

A priority for Eve was to make the most of university by getting involved in extracurriculars, following the advice she received from her mother, who stressed that university was important not only for academic work but for getting involved in clubs and making friends. 

“I’ve been trying to do everything I can while I’m here.”

Highlights with EWB

EWB ACT Chapter members during a Regioneering trip on the south coast of NSW.

Eve began volunteering with EWB’s ACT Chapter in her first year at university after hearing about EWB’s outreach program, which sparked her interest.

Eve’s first outreach trip was to the south coast of NSW, which involved visiting two or three schools every day and running workshops. The focus of the trip was encouraging students to consider engineering as a career path, and specifically humanitarian engineering, which students may not have been aware of. 

A highlight of the trip was a workshop with homeschooled students, which Eve says was a valuable opportunity to see how the students learned and how this differs from traditional schooling. This workshop was a change from the usual style, run in a backyard with 10-15 students of varying ages. 

Eve also participated in the ACT Chapter’s Local Design Summit earlier this year, visiting a native grain farm in Yass. This was an exciting and informative opportunity for her to learn more about the native grain industry and the principles of sustainable community development. She found it valuable to see different ways of working with the land, acknowledging its local characteristics and drawing on Indigenous knowledge to improve farming practices.

For Eve, a highlight of volunteering with EWB is meeting the people in her Chapter, and being inspired and guided by what they’re doing.

“I love seeing what they’re doing with their degrees, the projects they’re doing and the things they’re involved in.”

Outreach and advice

Reflecting on her own experiences, Eve stresses the importance of role models and guidance when following a path in engineering. She says that knowing an engineer or engineering student would have been a great help for her, and that their advice would be invaluable.

This belief drives Eve’s volunteer work, which focuses on outreach and connecting with high school students who may be thinking about studying engineering.

As well as volunteering with EWB, Eve is an ANU student ambassador, contributing to outreach for schools around Canberra and working on open days and outreach programs aimed at high school students. 

Eve volunteering with the Engineering Student Association (ESA) at ANU’s Market Day.Eve encourages aspiring students to learn more about the field, keep up their maths and technical skills and persevere with a path in engineering. 

“If you’re thinking of it, don’t let anyone tell you no.”

About the ‘Futur-neers’ program: This series is funded by the Australian Government Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources through the ‘Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship’ grant program. The program focuses on deeper support and amplification of EWB’s Youth Outreach volunteer network, with a particular focus on empowering women in engineering.

To read about our other incredible ‘Futur-neer’ role models in the EWB Chapter network, click here.

The post Meet our Futur-neers: Eve Visser appeared first on Engineers Without Borders Australia.

From Busselton on the southwest edge of Australia to the Torres Strait Islands in the far north, EWB Australia’s Regioneering program sprung well and truly back into action in 2022.Through week-long road trips, Regioneering inspires students in regional and remote areas, a cohort that often misses out on STEM outreach initiatives, to engage with STEM and consider the possibilities of a career in engineering.

For many EWB Australia Chapters, these trips have been on hold over the past few years due to pandemic-related restrictions. With road trips and incursions possible again across the country, EWB Australia’s Regioneers have enthusiastically returned.

Travelling far and wide

In 2022, more than 100 volunteers from EWB Australia’s University Chapters packed their bags and took to the road, and air, to inspire the next generation of socio-technical engineers.

They engaged with more than 4,200 school students, taking them through hands-on workshops that explore real-life scenarios; like creating water filtration systems, appropriate housing and renewable energy systems.

The workshops are designed to be a fun experience for students to reflect on how engineers contribute positively to society and the possibilities that could exist for them in a STEM profession. Facilitated by diverse groups of engineering university students, they showcase a wide variety of engineering disciplines – sharing what an engineer can look like and what they can do – particularly the positive impact engineers can have on people, communities and the world.

With support from RS Group, a global solutions provider, the volunteer facilitators delivered workshops in schools in the Illawarra, Central Tablelands, Central Coast, mid North Coast, and Hunter regions of New South Wales, in Victoria’s Gippsland region, in the Torres Strait Islands, South West Western Australia, and South West and Far North Queensland.

“[The trip] has made me recognise the importance of programs like these to rural areas. For these kids, this might be the only [chance they have to explore] engineering before leaving school, so these programs are super important in showing the students the possibility of a career in STEM,” reflected one of the EWB Chapter volunteers.

Students testing their floating structure during the appropriate housing activity.

Showing that engineering is for all

Along with a focus on reaching students living in regional or remote areas, the program also aims to engage other cohorts that are underrepresented in STEM professions, such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, women, and people from lower socioeconomic areas. The results from this year’s participants were heartening.

14.2% of students who participated in South West WA identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. Following the workshop, those students reported an average increase of 17.4% when asked to rate how interested they are in science or engineering as a career, compared to their response before the workshop. An increase of 18.1% was recorded for the same question for students identifying as female – both above the average increase for all students (16.3%).

One student from that South West WA trip commented, “I like that you guys told me that not just men can be an engineer.” Another said, “I know now what I want to grow up to be – I want to grow up to be an engineer, one that makes the big fans that produce energy for the world.”

Connecting with purpose

Along with the impact on school students, Regioneering provides an environment for engineering university students who are passionate about making a difference in the community to connect with like-minded peers. It also provides the opportunity for volunteers to develop their skills in facilitation, public speaking and leadership.

“This trip provided me with amazing opportunities to interact with kids from different backgrounds and share my experiences and love of STEM with them. It allowed me to develop my confidence in running workshops alongside a fantastic and enthusiastic team. This trip has empowered me to do more outreach, volunteering, and become more involved in EWB!” – EWB Chapter Regioneering Volunteer

RS Group’s support of the Regioneering program has also provided the opportunity for University Chapter volunteers to gain important skills for working with diverse communities before embarking on their Regioneering trips. Enabled by RS Group, a training course was developed in 2022 which guides Regioneers through topics such as challenging assumptions and biases, creating positive relationships and engaging inclusive, accessible and effective ways.

Planning is currently underway for the next round of Regioneering trips, which take place in winter 2023.

To learn more about EWB Australia’s Outreach programs and to see how you could be involved, click here.

EWB Australia would like to thank RS Group for their support of Regioneering.

The post Regioneering on the road again appeared first on Engineers Without Borders Australia.

Growing up on a boat in the Torres Strait until she was 14, water was an integral part of Erin Hughes’ childhood. Today, it’s the focus of her work as an engineer.

After completing a Chemical Engineering degree at the University of Queensland, Erin is now a Surface Water Engineer at Hydrology and Risk Consulting in Victoria. She works in flood engineering and hydrology, working with emergency services to manage flood risks and providing technical input to dam operators across Australia.

Alongside her engineering job, Erin leads EWB outreach initiatives in remote communities that educate students about the possibilities of a career in engineering. 

Path toward engineering

A young Erin on a fishing boat with her family in 1992.

Erin grew up in the Torres Strait on her family’s commercial fishing boat. Throughout much of her early childhood, her family lived in very remote areas, sometimes spending up to 5 months of the year in almost complete isolation. 

“It was an absolutely wonderful upbringing. I pretty much didn’t wear shoes until I was 14, when I went to boarding school.”

Erin and her siblings were homeschooled by their mother, whose approach prioritised hands-on learning and connecting their education to their Torres Strait community and the world around them. It wasn’t until she started attending boarding school in Brisbane that she first sat in a classroom. 

When Erin finished high school, she wasn’t immediately sure of her career path, initially considering a TAFE course in mechanics. She instead travelled overseas on a Rotary Exchange program for a year, where her experiences cemented her desire for a career that could enable community-led change. 

Erin then commenced a Chemical Engineering degree at the University of Queensland. She found it challenging – studying heavily theoretical engineering subjects, it was difficult for Erin to understand the purpose of her studies when it wasn’t grounded in a real-life context. To date, she says her degree is the hardest thing she’s ever done. 

However, when she started a graduate job working as an engineer for her local council, Erin loved seeing what engineers were capable of doing and knew it was the right career path for her. 

“I adored the work, and knew that this was the right job for me, and I just had to get through the degree.”

Improving Youth Outreach

While Erin had come into contact with EWB during her first year of university through the EWB Challenge, it was during her professional career that she started volunteering with EWB through the Youth Outreach program. Erin supported projects targeting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, running knowledge hubs and partnerships with communities in South East Queensland.

While delivering Youth Outreach workshops, Erin was seeking ways to improve the program. In particular, she realised the need to target students with outreach efforts at a younger age. While the Youth Outreach program was aimed at Year 11 and 12 students, Erin found that targeting this later stage of students’ education was often too little, too late to make lasting, systemic change. To spark an interest in STEM, she realised consistent engagement all the way from primary school was crucial.

Erin refocused her efforts towards outreach workshops for primary school students in the Torres Strait, aiming for consistent, long-term engagement from prep to year 6. These workshops continued over the course of the students’ primary school education, with the aim of embedding knowledge and interest in engineering through continuous engagement. 

“It needed to be recurring. We needed to build trust within these communities, we wanted to re-engage the same students every year.”

Erin’s aim was that students would come away with improved understandings of who engineers are, what they do and what they are capable of. 

Erin on a Regioneering trip with volunteers from the EWB University of Queensland Chapter.

Measuring outreach impact

In 2019, Erin’s passion to see change in the Youth Outreach program led her to secure a grant from MECCA M-Power, which focuses on supporting educational opportunities for women and girls. Erin used this funding to conduct research measuring the impact of EWB’s outreach programs on communities in the Torres Strait. Her goal was to determine whether the workshops were achieving their aims, and provide solid evidence of the program’s impact.

Her research method involved interviewing 30 primary and high school students, who had varying levels of engagement with EWB over a period of up to 5 years. Students were asked questions on what they thought an engineer did, and whether they could apply this knowledge to what engineers could do in their own community.

Her research showed that students had a deeper understanding of engineering following the workshops, and that they were able to connect it to their local community. As part of Erin’s research on representation and challenging stereotypes, children were asked to draw a picture of an engineer. 

“We were really interested to see whether they were identifying someone who looked like them, whether that was of a different ethnic background, whether it was female or male.”

Erin found the results were promising, with students who had been engaged previously generally drawing engineers from different backgrounds and genders instead of the “typical white male”. 

An engineer for everything

Erin’s unique upbringing gave her an ongoing connection to her community, which continues to shape her professional and volunteer work. Growing up in the Torres Strait, Erin gained a first-hand awareness of diverse forms of learning and knowledge, and the importance of place-based approaches. In her engineering work today, she emphasises that solutions to problems must be tailored to their specific environment and value local expertise.

“No matter how amazing a solution might be to a problem, if it’s not actually tailored to the community and working with that culture and that community… it’s not going to work.”

This approach also feeds into her outreach work, where she stresses to students the value of their own local knowledge and sense of place. It’s this diversity of experiences that Erin believes is what makes engineering a great career path.

“There’s an engineer for everything, and as an engineer you can create a job that’s just for you.”

In 2024, Erin will embark on a trip to Antarctica with Homeward Bound, a leadership initiative for women with a background in STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths and Medicine). Homeward Bound’s vision is to equip a 10,000-strong collaboration of women with the skills to demonstrate a new model of leadership and proactively contribute to a sustainable future. Erin was selected as one of only 103 applicants globally to participate in this program.  

Erin is seeking support to enable her to take part in this initiative. You can learn more about Erin’s journey to Antarctica with Homeward Bound by visiting her page here.

About the ‘Futur-neers’ program: This series is funded by the Australian Government Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources through the ‘Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship’ grant program. The program focuses on deeper support and amplification of EWB’s Youth Outreach volunteer network, with a particular focus on empowering women in engineering.

To read about our other incredible ‘Futur-neer’ role models in the EWB Chapter network, click here.

The post Meet our Futur-neers: Erin Hughes appeared first on Engineers Without Borders Australia.

“I’m quite motivated by doing things other people don’t. Being one of the only female students in my engineering classes didn’t bother me. I proved that I could be there.”

Long-term EWB Chapter volunteer Emily Chung has never been one to stick to the status quo. Back in 2011 when she applied to study a double degree in Civil Engineering and Architecture, it never worried her that choosing a career in two male-dominated industries may come with challenges. 

Not only did Emily graduate from The University of Sydney in 2016 with flying colours, but she was also later awarded 2021 Female Engineer of the Year by the Association of Consulting Structural Engineers NSW in recognition of her involvement in unique and technically challenging projects, and impressive volunteer career with organisations such as EWB Australia.

Emily on-site at Wynyard Place in her role as a structural engineer in 2017.

First Taste of Being a Socio-Technical Engineer 

Emily first came across EWB Australia in her second year of university when she took the EWB Challenge, a curriculum-integrated project-based learning opportunity for undergraduate engineering students. In a group, Emily’s team designed a modular, early learning centre for a village in Timor Leste. It was through the EWB Challenge that she first saw how human centred design can have a transformative influence on not only individual lives but society as a whole. 

“After doing the EWB Challenge, that’s when I really saw how engineers can have an impact and how technical skills can be used in a beneficial way.”

A year later after taking part in the EWB Challenge, Emily joined her local EWB Chapter. Inspired by EWB’s vision of a world where technology benefits all, Emily was excited by the opportunity to volunteer her time with an organisation that aligned with her values and aspirations. 

Emily later became Co-President of the University of Sydney Chapter in 2014, where she helped organise EWB’s second ever Regioneering trip. Alongside her fellow Chapter volunteers, Emily visited 14 high schools over 3 days in Central-West NSW. During these visits, it became clear to Emily that engineering wasn’t well known or understood as a potential career option for many of the students at these schools. Through the Youth Outreach workshops, Emily not only introduced the students to the possibility of being an engineer, but also showed them how engineering has the capacity to improve the lives of others. 

After graduating from the University of Sydney Chapter, Emily started volunteering as the Local Partnerships Coordinator with the NSW Chapter. In this role, Emily helped formalise partnerships and develop programs, such as the successful employment support program for migrant and refugee engineers in partnership with Metro Assist.

Emily ended up volunteering with EWB for a total of 7 years, where she was able to take her learnings from this period and use them in her professional life. Emily found this experience extremely rewarding. She was able to advocate for the social and environmental issues that matter to her while simultaneously inspiring the next generation to be part of the solution to these problems.

Emily volunteering with Habitat for Humanity alongside her colleagues at TTW in 2018.

Spreading the Volun-cheer!

Whilst continuing to volunteer her time with EWB, Emily began working as an intern with structural engineering consultancy firm, Taylor Thomson Whitting (TTW) in 2015. Soon after joining TTW, Emily noticed the firm didn’t have any community based programs for employees to take part in. Drawing upon her vast volunteer experience with EWB, Emily took it upon herself to create a community based initiative. And with that, The Community Engagement Group was formed! 

Through this initiative, Emily created ongoing impactful opportunities for TTW staff to participate in helping the community and creating inclusive and meaningful activities for all. Some of the rewarding volunteering initiatives Emily led staff to participate in included assisting with renovating women’s crisis accommodation with Habitat for Humanity, cooking meals for people in need with Our Big Kitchen, and helping remove rubbish from the Sydney Harbour through the Sydney Clean Up Kayak program. 

The Community Engagement Group initiative not only enabled Emily to continue her passion for volunteering, but also inspire her colleagues and drive cultural change within the organisation. 

From all this, it isn’t hard to see why Emily won the ACSE Female Engineer of the Year award in 2021. The award is given each year to a leading female engineer who is a role model for other women in engineering. Emily acknowledges that it was because of her previous volunteer experience that she was able to contribute to TTW in a meaningful way.

“Make sure that you take advantage of all opportunities because you never know where they might lead.”

Every opportunity has the potential to open new doors; Emily is proof of that.

Video produced by Olivia Hough.

About the ‘Futur-neers’ program: This series is funded by the Australian Government Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources through the ‘Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship’ grant program. The program focuses on deeper support and amplification of EWB’south Outreach volunteer network, with a particular focus on empowering women in engineering.

To read about our other incredible ‘Futur-neer’ role models in the EWB Chapter network, click here.

The post Meet our Futur-neers: Emily Chung appeared first on Engineers Without Borders Australia.

Growing up in Cambodia, David Sea never imagined he would one day be teaching children in rural Australia how to build floating houses like those on the Tonle Sap.

Now, in his final year completing a Bachelor of Engineering degree at The University of Queensland (UQ), David draws on his love of learning and science to teach school students about the wonders of engineering in his role as the UQ Chapter’s Youth Outreach Regioneering Coordinator. When he’s not studying for exams or volunteering his time with EWB Australia, David works as an undergraduate Process Engineer at Metso Outotec, an international manufacturing company servicing the minerals processing and metals refining industry. 

However, his journey was not without challenges.  

Moving to Australia at 12 years old

David in Kampong Phluk Floating Village, Cambodia at 15 years old.

As a child, David saw first-hand the devastating and enduring impact of poverty. David’s parents were children during the horrific Khmer Rouge regime of the 1970s and were not afforded the same prosperous and educational opportunities as David and his two siblings. 

David’s father worked hard to complete a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering and a Master of Public Administration, all whilst supporting his family. David’s mother lost her father during the Khmer Rouge regime due to limited access to sufficient healthcare. She lived with her mother in a small village under difficult economic circumstances without her father supporting the family, and as such, completing her education was not an option. 

Although David’s mother was unable to complete high school, she was a powerful influence on David and his siblings and inspired in them a dedication to their studies. David credits his parents for his love of learning; a passion that he brings to the classroom in his role delivering Youth Outreach workshops. 

“I truly believe in the value of education and I will continue to promote the power of education through any work that I do.”  

When David was 12 years old, he waved goodbye to his family and stepped onto a plane to Australia to pursue an education at a high school in Brisbane. Although he faced many challenges along the way – culture shock, language barriers and difficulties acclimatising to high school – David looks back on this time with pride. 

“I wouldn’t be where I am today without that experience.”

Why engineering?

David and fellow UQ Chapter member Anh Van accepting the UQ Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology International Student Award in 2019.

Now in his fourth year of study at The University of Queensland, David is close to finishing his degree in Chemical Engineering. When he was younger, David was convinced that he was going to become a businessman. He envisioned himself completing a business degree and then returning home to Cambodia to work in the bustling hospitality and tourism industry. 

Ultimately though, this didn’t feel like the right fit. Instead, David wanted to use his creative thinking and love of chemistry to help solve problems for those who didn’t have the same opportunities he had growing up. 

This is what initially drew him to EWB in 2019. 

When David was in his first year of university, he discovered EWB’s Humanitarian Design Summit program. The program offers students the opportunity to travel overseas to learn about human-centred design and sustainable development in a real-world setting. David dreamed about returning home to his family and helping improve the lives of communities in Cambodia, one of the locations for the program. 

Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, the Humanitarian Design Summit was put on hiatus and David was unable to take part in the program. Despite this, David was inspired by EWB’s mission and work in Cambodia, so he decided to join his local Chapter as the Regioneering Coordinator. 

“One of my goals was to give back to EWB for all that they have done for my home country and utilising my skills, I wanted to influence the next generation of engineers,” explained David. 

As Regioneering Coordinator, David is responsible for planning trips throughout the year to schools in remote and regional Australia. During these Regioneering trips, Chapter members deliver innovative, practical and inspiring engineering-based workshops to children in rural areas.  

Regioneering in far-north Queensland

Lewis, Amy, Jess, David and Thien from the UQ Chapter at Barron Gorge in Queensland on their regioneering trip in 2021.

David’s latest Regioneering trip saw the UQ Chapter visit five schools in regional far-north Queensland over a five day road trip. Each day, the Regioneering team visited a different community to present workshops on clean water, appropriate housing and access to better health. This experience opened David’s eyes to the many local challenges experienced by Australia’s remote communities. 

One of the communities visited by the UQ Chapter was Ravenshoe, a small town in far-north Queensland with a population of less than 2000. During the height of the pandemic, people living in Ravenshoe waited up to 3-4 weeks for a doctor’s appointment. As a result, many school children who were waiting on medical appointments had to stay home and miss out on class. 

A highlight for David on this trip was seeing how much fun the students of Ravenshoe had learning about engineering. One teacher mentioned to David how wonderful it was to see the students connecting and bonding as teams in the hands-on activity after months of limited student interactions due to the pandemic. 

David’s advice for the next generation

David running the ‘Appropriate Housing’ workshop with students from Kuranda District State College. This workshop explores the importance of developing appropriate housing solutions in the context of floating villages in the Tonle Sap region of Cambodia.

Reflecting on his journey, David’s advice for the next generation of changemakers is to not be afraid of failure. 

“Growing up, I remember I always pressured myself and I was scared to do anything slightly outside of my comfort zone… I thought failure was a bad thing.”

Now David’s advice is, “Go try as many new things as you can. Fail and try again. Because at a young age, that is how you learn.”

Whether it be in his job as a Process Engineer, or through his time spent volunteering with EWB, David hopes to promote the value of education, diversity and inclusivity in all that he does. He hopes to help young people realise their untapped potential and become changemakers in their own community, whether that be in STEM or otherwise! 

About the ‘Futur-neers’ program: This series is funded by the Australian Government Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources through the ‘Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship’ grant program. The program focuses on deeper support and amplification of EWB’s Youth Outreach volunteer network, with a particular focus on empowering women in engineering.

To read about our other incredible ‘Futur-neer’ role models in the EWB Chapter network, click here.

The post Meet our Futur-neers: David Sea appeared first on Engineers Without Borders Australia.

The importance of in-person connection

“I absolutely loved meeting the people that I had spent hours with on Zoom!” 

Kuthur Sriram, Global Manager- Education Program – Bentley Institute at Bentley Systems gave the welcome speech to delegates

Socialising and networking with others is something we’ve all missed during the Covid years, and EWB’s Chapter network is no exception. The official launch of the Futur-neers Forum held on the Friday night, was cited by attendees as a highlight. Held at EWB’s Melbourne headquarters, it was shaped as a social evening to welcome delegates, with drinks, grazing plates, a two-piece band, and plenty of time to mingle. As part of the welcome formalities, Kuthur Sriram, Global Manager- Education Program – Bentley Institute at Bentley Systems (the Friday night event sponsor) shared how inspired he was by the people in the room – EWB’s Chapter network – that are aligned in their passion and focus to create positive impact. It was just the welcoming inspiration needed, and a great kick-off event to ground these important Chapter connections before the weekend sessions ahead. 

Connection to EWB

“It reinforced to us why we’re here and doing what we’re doing. In a degree like engineering it’s easy to lose track of your values towards engineering. This event helped me get back on track.”

Delegates at the Futur-neers Forum

Many of the attendees were relatively new to EWB, having only joined their EWB Chapter in the past year. The Saturday sessions at the Futur-neers Forum provided an opportunity to share some of the foundational elements of EWB, including EWB’s strategic focus to 2030, how volunteering for EWB works outside of their Chapter network and EWB brand messaging. Delegates felt these sessions enabled them to feel part of the larger organisation of EWB, and expanded their understanding of the organisation they are a part of. Many of EWB’s Australian national staff were also in attendance, and delegates welcomed the opportunity to speak with staff directly to gain deeper insights into how the Australian office works and how staff are activating the EWB mission and strategy.

Solidifying relationships

“It was great meeting a wide range of Chapter reps from all over Australia”

As a network, the EWB Chapters are a great resource for each other. Initiatives and sessions during the forum provided lots of opportunities for good discussion, and for Chapter members to learn from others as well as share their own experiences and insights. Attendees commented on the high level of enthusiasm, engagement and excitement, and felt inspired to continue the work in their Chapter. They also reflected on how they enjoyed meeting other like-minded individuals who share the same values and vision. 

Understanding the evolution of EWB’s Youth Outreach program

EWB was fortunate to receive a grant from the Australian Government Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources through the ‘Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship’ grant program. This grant has been critical in enabling EWB to focus on deeper support and amplification of EWB’s existing School Outreach volunteer network, with a particular focus on empowering women in engineering. The grant not only supported the convening of the Futur-neers Forum. It also enabled EWB to update the content and materials used in the Outreach program. The first of these new modules were unveiled at the Futur-neers Forum.

As part of this refresh, the program has been renamed – changing from ‘School Outreach’ to ‘Youth Outreach’. This name reflects both the existing delivery of the program into primary and secondary students (through innovative and practical hands-on workshops, mapped to the Australian curriculum), other ways we engage with young people, as well as provides a context to activate broader opportunities to share and deliver STEM learning for young people.

Developing a story of self

“The Story of Self provided a really interesting framework to speak on EWB”

Delegates had many opportunities to share their stories

A part of being a Chapter representative is being able to share the story of EWB. And of yourself. These two stories are interconnected – we know that people within our Chapter networks are inspired to join peers that are like-minded and share their own experiences, motivations and passions. A session at the Futur-neers Forum focused on understanding how a story of self is constructed and took delegates through a workshopping process of developing their own story. Several attendees then took to the microphone to share these newly crafted stories back to their peers, and even integrated them into their own presentations later in the Futur-neers Forum program.

Gaining ideas and sharing knowledge

“I feel inspired by how other Chapters run.” “I gained ideas for how I can better lead the Chapter”

Through casual opportunities to network, formalised presentations, and the Sunday ‘chat sessions’ focused purely on delegate connection, attendees had lots of time to share their Chapter insights. This resulted in loads of learning and ideas for new initiatives and better operations. The following were just some of the reflections from delegates:

• “The innovation challenge meeting was really inspiring and gave me a lot of new ideas”
• “I had prompts that made me rethink how I run my programs”
• “I now know how to update the club’s activity plans, grants info etc. And how to seek help to start EOC  events and info sessions”
• “It was great to get to share information about how each chapter runs and I gained many valuable insights into being a better Youth Outreach Coordinator”
• “I loved hearing everyone’s stories and motivations”

What’s next?

“(The event) helped me assess what our Chapter was doing right and what more we must do.”

It’s important to reconnect. To learn. To share. But then what? Delegates were encouraged to reflect on their experiences at the Futur-neers Forum and determine how they would convert these learnings into action at their Chapter level. Here are some of the outtakes of what Chapters delegates determined is next for them:

• Collaboration: more active comms and discussion with other Chapters; communicate with other chapters to get event ideas/opportunities we can translate to our region; Interact with national committee
• Youth Outreach: implement updates to the workshop kits; expand youth outreach capabilities by introducing new workshops
• Fundraising: redefine budgeting and sponsorship procedures; apply for RS Components regioneering grants; organise more funding and partnerships
• Story-telling: Write a ‘write to self’ as it will help engage others to join EWB so they can see what value they will get after joining – I will try to say it at O Week and our events; promote humanitarian engineering as a path in engineering to pursue rather than just being an engineering club
• Improved systems and processes: Use Volaby; organise flow of information so that when people come and go, knowledge will not be lost; rethink my idea of how the Engineering on Country program should be run
• New initiatives: I plan on implementing the high school innovation challenge – inspired by Melbourne Uni; organise hackathon, tiny house project; conduct Regioneering trips
• Recruitment: create new events with the goal of boosting engagement and volunteer recruitment; get more people involved in Regioneering; get more first years on board.
• Non-attendees: Share back all the learnings from this event to the Chapter

Futur-neers Thank you

The Futur-neers Forum was made possible through the Australian Government Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources through the ‘Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship’ grant program and delivered alongside other collaborators, EWB staff and volunteers. 

Friday night welcome event

• Event sponsor: Bentley Systems
• Catering: Nonna Chong
• Music: Daniel Watkins & Justin Vilchez

Futur-neers Forum

• Venue sponsor: Engineers Australia
• Welcome to Country: Wurundjeri Gunnai Kurnai Elder, Uncle Ringo 
• Catering: Asylum Seeker Resource Centre 
• Session Presenters: Aimee Ryan (UWA Chapter), Elise McCaul (UNSW Chapter), Charlotte Radel (UQ Chapter), Nicole Sandow (UTS Chapter), Kevin Ambosta and Chelsea Hayward (Volunteers -EWB Australian Office), Eleanor Loudon, Alison Stoakley, Erin Wicking, Farhiyo Bear, Llawela Forrest and Melanie Audrey (Staff – EWB Australian Office).

Content Capture

• Photographer: Dan A’Vard
• Videographer: Rachel Tierney
• Editor: Tess McArthur-Dowty

Chapters

Thank you to the 45 delegates who represented the following EWB Chapters:

• ACT Region Chapter
• Curtin University Chapter
• NSW Region Chapter
• Macquarie University Chapter
• Monash University Chapter
• Queensland University of Technology Chapter
• RMIT Chapter
• SA Region Chapter
• University of Melbourne Chapter
• University of NSW Chapter
• University of Queensland
• University of Technology Sydney Chapter
• University of Western Australia Chapter
• University of Western Sydney Chapter
• Victoria Region Chapter
• WA Region Chapter

To find your local Chapter, learn more here!

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Nurse. Farmer. Social worker. Athlete. Biomedical scientist. These were just some of the many careers that Chelsea Hayward dreamt of when she was younger. It wasn’t until Chelsea realised her passion for problem-solving and helping others that she decided on pursuing a career in engineering. She saw the value in its capacity for helping not just one person but entire communities with a single solution.

Now working as a water engineer with Jacobs, Chelsea highlights how engineering is deeply embedded within the infrastructure of our society. It is engineering that facilitates much of the provisions that are taken for granted. As she works to tackle the water crisis in Sydney, it is part of her job to ensure that the people of Sydney can turn their taps on and have access to clean water. It becomes obvious that engineering isn’t only working with abstract concepts but instead is an integral part of day-to-day life. 

Where did she begin?

In 2011, Chelsea began studying Chemical and Environmental Engineering at The University of Queensland. Her studies not only taught her the technical skills and knowledge required of an engineer, but also opened the door to a number of rewarding opportunities that allowed her to see just how much of a positive impact she can make.

During her first year at university, she took part in the EWB Challenge where she worked on a project to develop a water purification system for a rural community in India. The project cemented Chelsea’s belief that engineering can be utilised to improve the lives of those who are disadvantaged. Vastly inspired by this experience, she was prompted to take up a volunteer role with EWB.

(Out)reaching For The Stars

While still at university, Chelsea ran numerous EWB Youth Outreach workshops for primary and high school students. This program inspires younger generations to consider a career in engineering and related STEM positions, with a particular focus on supporting female and First Nations people. Embracing diversity is high on the priority list for Chelsea. She recognises that in order for solutions to be suitable for all, the voices of people from a range of backgrounds are needed.

“Engineers are at the forefront of shaping our world, we create solutions for a better way of life for our communities. So it makes sense that engineers should be as diverse as the communities they are creating solutions for.”

Reflecting on her own high school experience, she noticed how females weren’t often encouraged to explore a career in STEM. She knew that being a female in a male dominated field could offer inspiration to young girls thinking of pursuing engineering. In her own work, she recognises how impactful it can be to see yourself represented in a field that you want to excel in. 

“I’m really lucky to have a reporting line of mostly women above me and I hope that this is something that becomes more common in the engineering industry. It makes it so much easier to be able to see myself in those leadership roles in the future, when there are other women to look up to.”

Chelsea acknowledges how her role in the Youth Outreach workshops is influential in the way that it allows young girls to see themselves being actively represented in engineering. Bringing it full circle, Chelsea returned to her high school recently to conduct a workshop, empowering girls to feel motivated and have the female inspiration that was lacking in her own schooling. 

Chelsea became increasingly engaged with the Youth Outreach program and broadened her scope to the Regioneering program in her final year of university. This initiative aims to introduce students in remote areas to careers in engineering. Chelsea was actively engaged in this and being a principle organiser, has spent weeks on the road visiting numerous schools across South-west Queensland, Northern Queensland and the Torres Strait Islands. 

In the town of Roma, there was one moment that struck Chelsea when mid-workshop a young girl called out, “Ugh engineering, I would never do that”. However, by the end of the workshop it was a different story: “My dad is going to faint when I get home, because I’m going to tell him that I want to study engineering!” she said. This is exactly why Chelsea does what she does. 

Learning Through Living

Chelsea with her homestay family, Humanitarian Design Summit participants and an EWB facilitator in Chong Koh Village, Koh Traeng Island, Cambodia in 2015.

During her final year of university, Chelsea travelled to Cambodia for a two week Humanitarian Design Summit study tour with EWB. This program focuses on human centred design, with a particular emphasis on learning from and designing for communities. This two week trip allowed Chelsea to gain exposure to the ways in which engineering can positively impact and uplift the lives of others. 

Throughout the first week, Chelsea was immersed within the culture and people of Cambodia. Learning through workshops, she began to form an understanding about what the day-to-day activities of the locals entail. In a group challenge she was tasked to find a Tuk-tuk driver and discuss with them possible improvements to their vehicle. The driver they spoke with had completely embellished his tuk-tuk, adding fake grass and cool floral designs. She recalled that her group got a little sidetracked throughout this challenge as they chatted and got to know the driver and his family. 

For a few nights, Chelsea lived with a family located along the Mekong River, experiencing first-hand the daily life of rural Cambodians. Chelsea and her group were also asked to problem-solve, through exploring a solution to prevent the erosion of the island. After collating research, they proposed that a cluster of native flora should be planted in a specific manner to add support and impede water erosion. 

The EWB Humanitarian Design Summit gave Chelsea direct, immediate and valuable skills within a diverse learning environment, where she was able to apply her knowledge in a real world setting. 

From Having Role Models, To Being a Role Model

Chelsea delivering a Youth Outreach workshop to the Northern Peninsula Area College – Injinoo Junior in Far North Queensland on a regioneering trip in 2016.

Chelsea started as a student volunteer with EWB when she was freshly out of high school. Her ability of making the most and never shying away from an opportunity, as well as having a deep passion to inspire those around her, enabled her to progress and become the EWB National Outreach Coordinator, which she has held for the last two years. In this role, she develops resources and empowers children, teenagers and young adults to explore how human-centred design can contribute to positive social impacts, and expands their perspectives on the world to more empathetically strive for a better future.

Chelsea stresses that although engineers are characteristically technical people, in order to see the change and diversity in the industry, they need to become better storytellers to allow people to better understand and appreciate the importance that engineering plays in daily life. Chelsea implements this way of thinking into her personal and professional approach, with the hopes to inspire the next generation of engineers. 

Video editing by Rafid Choudhury.

About the ‘Futur-neers’ program: This series is funded by the Australian Government Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources through the ‘Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship’ grant program. The program focuses on deeper support and amplification of EWB’south Outreach volunteer network, with a particular focus on empowering women in engineering.

The post Meet our Futur-neers: Chelsea Hayward appeared first on Engineers Without Borders Australia.

RS Components (RS) has partnered with EWB Australia to support EWB’s ‘Regioneering’ and ‘Pathways’ programs. These programs are designed to inspire students from First Nations backgrounds in rural and remote regions of Australia and the Torres Strait Islands to explore how they can contribute to creating a better world through STEM-related vocations.

The EWB and RS three-year partnership aims to strengthen relationships with First Nations communities; to inspire, educate and train students, practitioners, advocates and leaders of engineering; and to contribute to meaningful and lasting social change.

EWB CEO Eleanor Loudon said,

“RS Components multi-year commitment to EWB is significant. It ensures that our highly impactful programs can reach and inspire even more First Nations young people. This work is key in shifting the perception of what engineering is, communicating the role engineers play in the world with a focus on real-world examples in their own backyard, and portraying diverse examples of what an engineer looks like. We do this with hands-on activity based learning. This is critical in ensuring that the people creating solutions to some of the world’s most wicked problems represent all voices in society.”

EWB Regioneering workshop in the Torres Strait

Regioneering and Pathways is a focused part of EWB’s Outreach program, which commenced in 2015. Over the past year, this program has been delivered by over 190 university volunteers from the likes of RMIT, University of Sydney and Monash who have facilitated 266 workshops, inspiring more than 6000 students at 88 schools across Australia’s six states and territories as well as the Torres Straits.

RS Components, as part of parent company Electrocomponents plc, has a strong company commitment to ESG globally. Their recent partnership with the Washing Machine Project is supported locally through the ANZ region and this new agreement with EWB aims to build on this charitable commitment within the Australian community. 

As well as a financial commitment to continue the remarkable programs which EWB runs, the RS paid volunteer leave program will actively involve their wider team in these community and life changing Regioneering trips. 

Managing Director of RS Components ANZ, Scott Phillbrook said,

“We are incredibly excited about the partnership with EWB as it will allow us to make an impact with the engineers of tomorrow whilst also increasing our engagement with the Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander community. The EWB partnership is a significant step in our commitment as a business to create long standing ties with this community.”

Find out more about our School Outreach program here. 

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The EWB Futur-neers Forum will bring together exceptional young leaders from across Australia who are committed to engineering a more equitable world for the planet and its people. 

 

Representatives from EWB’s 20+ volunteer-led Chapters will assemble in Melbourne for a two-day series of inspirational speakers, social gatherings, professional networking and two-way knowledge sharing of the successes, the opportunities and the fresh ideas that abound amongst the EWB Chapter network.

The EWB Futur-neers Forum is supported by

About the Futur-neers program: This event is funded by the Australian Government Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources through the ‘Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship’ grant program. The program focuses on deeper support and amplification of existing school outreach volunteer network, with a particular focus on empowering women in engineering.

The post EWB Futur-neers Forum 2022 appeared first on Engineers Without Borders Australia.

Andria Zanotto is an EWB volunteer and second year engineering student from rural New South Wales. Growing up she didn’t have much exposure to STEM or Engineering. Where she was growing up,  girls weren’t encouraged to take STEM subjects or consider careers traditionally perceived to be male oriented. 

“Somehow, I always knew engineering was the right fit for me because I loved solving puzzles and working with people. Any opportunities, workshops, engineering camps which were at my disposal, I seized, as I knew I needed to make those strides for the life I envisaged. I was not going to let something as trivial as my geography be a barrier any longer,” she said.

EWB-Bentley Systems Innovation Challenge

Andria is part of the EWB Melbourne University chapter organising team producing the Innovation Challenge – an annual STEM outreach initiative taking place on 26th – 28th November 2021. The Innovation Challenge aims to inspire and empower future engineers, primarily from backgrounds currently under-represented in the engineering sector.

Designed around a series of ‘mini-challenge’ workshops, guest presentations from current students and industry professionals, and a larger ‘Design Challenge’ team activity. The workshops are hands-on, creative, and draw on EWB’s existing portfolio of engagement activities – designed to illustrate the humanitarian nature of an industry often misunderstood as purely technical. 

Human-centred Design Process

In the ‘Design Challenge’, teams are guided through a human-centred design process by Bentley staff and current university students affiliated with EWB who act as ‘design mentors’, supporting and connecting with participants as they work through the process of developing an engineering solution to a relevant real-world challenge.

Vinayak Trivedi, Vice President, Bentley Education – Bentley Systems said, “Bentley Systems is pleased to sponsor the ‘Innovation Challenge’ program, which aims to empower students who are underrepresented in our sector, such as girls and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. 

This program truly aligns with Bentley Education’s values of helping students from all backgrounds transition into the professional world and create world-class talent to improve their quality of life and positively change the world.”

A decade long partnership 

Engineers without Borders has partnered with Bentley Systems since 2011. The  partnership began with a focus on society, environment and professional sustainability. In later years the partnership focussed primarily on impact through education with specific focus on Regioneering and Schools Outreach, EWB’s flagship STEM outreach program.

“We are grateful to Bentley Systems for the continued support and sponsorship of the Innovation Challenge.  Together with our volunteers we will be igniting a passion for human centred engineering in future engineers who will go on to have a positive impact in communities both in Australia and overseas. Without our corporate partners it would be impossible to bring such programs to life,” said Enrica Longo, EWB Partnerships and Philanthropy Manager.

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