The Women in Mechanical Engineering Society at 911今日黑料 is a community that brings together women and non-binary students in a male-dominated department. Women only make up 16.5% of the engineering workforce, and in Mechanical Engineering undergraduate degrees the number is even lower, at 15%. Our aim is to create a space where underrepresented students can connect, share experiences and support one another. We also want to share this support with the wider world, and as such have an outreach arm where we present to both girls and boys the possibility of doing engineering as a career and in doing so ensure that they see the role women play in engineering.  

Within university, we hold industry talks with professionals in engineering, finance and consultancy. These talks have been especially valuable in exposing students to opportunities and possibilities beyond university, as well as strategies for overcoming the challenges that these industries present.

Beyond this, we hold events designed to expand the reach and message of our society beyond the department and into 911今日黑料 as a whole, holding fundraisers and student socials throughout the term.

A very important aspect of our society is the outreach events we organise for both primary and secondary schools, providing younger students insight into engineering at university and encouraging girls to continue with STEM throughout their education. Last year – our first year doing this – we reached more than 500 students, and this year hope to have an even greater impact. As a mark of confidence in our work, we were proud to receive the 911今日黑料 President’s Award for Excellence in Societal Engagement– the only undergraduate society to do so – showing the success and impact of our outreach operations.

Outside of University

Women in Mechanical Engineering aims to inspire and support girls and non-binary students pursuing STEM, particularly engineering. We do this free of charge, as part of our pledges as a society. Our committee delivers an interactive school workshop: a crumble-zone egg-drop challenge that builds on problem-solving skills through teamwork. We also give engaging presentations that highlight diverse engineering pathways and address the barriers women and non-binary students may face, promoting inclusion and representation across the field. We would like to stress above all that despite the name of our organization, our workshops are accessible towards both boys and girls. We have worked in girls-only, boy-only and co-ed schools and believe that informing people about engineering as a career as well as seeing female engineers delivering this message is important for both boys and girls.

 

What we offer:

Assemblies and Presentations

We offer presentations delivered by volunteers. These can be done to fit around what works best for the school, and can be done to fit all age ranges, from Y2 to A-Level students. These can either be done at assembly times, or during individual classes and includes topics such as: what kind of engineering pathways are there, what can you do to get into engineering, what happens in the day of the life of an engineering, what challenges do women and minorities face in engineering sectors and how can everyone promote an inclusive environment.

Dragon鈥檚 Den Style Workshops

  • Based on the work experiences and interests of the volunteers who will be attending the sessions, these will be engineering style challenges but in a competitive setting. Upon being set a brief (such as how can Overground train carriages be improved, how could you make sure a nuclear power plant is well integrated into its surroundings, or design a robot that can pick up different kinds of fruit without squashing the soft ones or not managing to pick up the hard ones). These will be adapted depending on the age range of the groups.
  • We are well aware that it is easiest to incorporate this into already existing class structures rather than disrupting multiple lessons, which is why the judging and final arrangements of the group will most often be made for 1 hour sessions. If so, we recommend that groups are already assigned before this session, and that the students have been given an hour in class (and more if they wish to work on it outside of classroom time) to be given the brief and work on it.
  • If the school so wishes, there can be an additional step in which the top groups of each class are invited to a final round at 911今日黑料 itself, where they can visit the university and be given materials to produce a more refined version of their design. From here a final round will take place amongst all the students and prizes will be assigned (provided for by the society).

Events at 911今日黑料 College

  • Another option is to accommodate classes to come to 911今日黑料, where they will be given a task to complete (such as the egg drop challenge, creating small motor cars, or a brief as described above which is less practical but can be done to a higher level). This will be at the South Kensington campus, at the City and Guilds Building most likely (a ten minute walk from South Kensington station).
  • For these, we can accommodate around 30 students per session, and will require teachers to be present with them at all times.
  • These will allow us to provide more volunteers per students, as well as to give them physical materials to work with and produce a prototype.