The Women's Engineering Society is delighted to announce the winner of the Karen Burt Award 2017 as the candidate nominated by the Institution of Chemical Engineers, Madeleine Jones of Sellafield Ltd. 

This prestigious annual award for a newly chartered woman engineer, now in its 19th year, recognises the candidate's excellence and potential in the practice of engineering, highlights the importance of Chartered status, as well as offering recognition to contributions made by the candidate to the promotion of the engineering profession.

Madeleine Jones - Winner of the Karen Burt Award 2017

Prof. Isobel Pollock-Hulf giving the Caroline Haslett Lecture

The Karen Burt Award 2017 was presented to Madeleine Jones on 5 October at the WES Caroline Haslett Lecture, held at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in London, given by Professor Isobel Pollock-Hulf OBE. This year's lecture was entitled 'Measuring Success'. Four other prizes were also presented at the awards ceremony, including the inaugural Men as Allies Award.

With men holding the majority of roles within engineering and applied sciences, it is crucial that they are involved making the cultural changes needed to attract and retain women in engineering and applied sciences. The WES Men as Allies Award, new for 2017, seeks to celebrate a male engineer, or professional male working within the engineering, technical and applied sciences sectors, who has gone above the call of duty to support his female colleagues, and address the gender imbalance within engineering and applied sciences in general.

Kirsten Bodley presenting Dr Will Whittow with his Men as Allies Award

Kirsten Bodley presenting Dr Alice White with her Award

"Our 2017 Amy Johnson Award winner, Dr Alice White impressed us with the impact of her work as Wellcome Wikimedian in Residence. Her wikithons have taught hundreds of people how to get the stories of women in science and engineering online and making significant changes to Wikipedia content." The winners of the Gillian Skinner Award and Isabel Hardwich Medal are very active members of WES and the awards are in recognition of their huge voluntary contributions to the organisation.

Karen Burt Award 2017	Madeleine Jones - Deputy Operations Manager, Legacy Ponds & Silos for Sellafield Ltd.
Men as Allies Award	Dr Will Whittow, Senior Lecturer in Electronic Material Integration, Loughborough University
Amy Johnson Inspiration Award	Dr Alice White, Wikimedian in Residence, Wellcome Trust.
Gillian Skinner Award 2017	Dr Jo Douglas & Adriana Vargas
Isabel Hardwich Medal 2017	Milada Williams and Linda Maynard

WES YMB member Khadejah Begum took part onTuesday 10 October in TfL's Women's Staff Network Group activities in celebration of Ada Lovelace Day. As part of the celebrations TfL had stands at three underground stations (Charing Cross, Victoria and Southwark) where volunteers gave out information on Ada Lovelace as well as Apprentice and Graduate opportunities within the company.  Khadejah herself joined TfL as a Highways Technician Civil Engineering Apprenticeship in 2013 and is now working on transport planning schemes across London to help improve bus reliability, she also supports new apprentices joining the organisation. "Today is about supporting TfL and the Women's Staff Network Group into getting more women into STEM careers and apprenticeships are a great way to get into them."

Last chance to volunteer!  We're still looking for volunteers for #LottieTour! Over the next couple of weeks engineers will be taking pictures of Lottie to show all different aspects of engineering and posting them on twitter during Tomorrow's Engineers week. For more information and to sign up follow this link.

WES London Cluster

The WES London cluster coordinators met up in early October to discuss an exciting plan of activities to be developed during the rest of 2017, and Q1-Q2 of 2018. A proactive committee is being set up and the first committee meeting will be held on Tuesday 14 November. 

To attend the committee meeting or to get in touch with the London cluster email Adriana or Francesca at [email protected].

WES@UH welcomed new members at the University of Hertfordshire Freshers Fair! 

On Friday 29 September we showcased our ideas and activities for the Women's Engineering Society Student Group based at the University of Hertfordshire. After a successful summer with guest speaker talks and bike rides, our plans for this academic year include activities such as; school visits, special guest events, careers fair trips and even creating our own Robot Wars team! Supported by WES our stall attracted many different engineers and generated conversations about the exciting future of technology.

Our first event of the academic term will not only be a great social opportunity to meet our new members but will also be a fantastic opportunity to highlight what members want from WES@UH. Benefits from a strong network can range from forming friendships, to new career opportunities and furthering skill development.

Want to know more? Interested in joining?  Please see the Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire Facebook page for future updates.

FISITA has welcomed the Women's Engineering Society (WES) as its first Strategic Partner.

FISITA Strategic Partners are stakeholder organisations engaged in promoting excellence and diversity in the advancement of automotive, mobility systems engineering and associated technologies.

FISITA has also become a Company Partner of WES and to celebrate this new partnership, a new web area dedicated to women in engineering has been published on fisita.com - this resource, which is set to grow, as additional stories and case studies are submitted to FISITA, is available here.

Roseni also coordinated, with help from Dr Alice White, Wellcome Trust and Ann Locker, IET archive, a Wikipedia India Editathon as part of the global INWES communication strategy. This event has contributes to the Wikipedia India target to increase the number of Indian women scientists and engineers participating in information sharing and to promote more women engineers and scientists on Wikipedia.

Links made at the conference are likely to lead to programmes and projects supported by WES to grow engineering capacity in other countries, and to strengthened links to other UK collaborators. But in addition, the participants had a great deal of fun meeting new and old friends! And we won't forget the conference dinner - wonderful indian food, hennaed hands, gifted jewellry and scarves, Indian dancing and music throughout.

A final mention should be made of Dr Georgia Kremmyda, also a WES Trustee but who attended as a representative of her employer Warwick University. Georgia is the lead for the next ICWES18 in 2020, to be hosted at Warwick University with WES as a partner. The university's presentation promises much - but we are not sure that Morris dancing can compete with the colourful dances from Gujarat, Assam and the Punjab!

WES members young and old, partners, friends and guests attended the annual IESIS James Watt Dinner in Glasgow on 6 October. 

The event brings together engineers from all fields of engineering and includes the celebration not only of James Watt but also this year's inductees into the Scottish Engineering Hall of Fame. This year included the second female inductee: WES member Anne Gillespie Shaw CBE, motion study expert and production engineering consultant.

At the WES table was Nina Baker's guest, 95-year old Netta Harvey who was one of only four women who were trained and worked as electrical engineers in the Clydeside shipyards during World War 2. WES and IESIS members were delighted to honour this amazing lady for her service to the country.

WES Member Kim Everitt, who is completing her final year in Automotive Engineering with Motorsport BEng at the University of Hertfordshire, has been awarded an IET Undergraduate Grant of £1000. 

More information on the IET Undergraduate Grant here.

WES Cluster Co-ordinator wins STEM Leader award

Suzanne Smith of Soteria Asbestos won Midlands STEM Leader in the Forward Ladies National Awards, sponsored by HSBC. The awards took place on 29th September before an audience of senior and influential business leaders. Suzanne said "I am honoured and delighted to have been recognised for my work in STEM."

Suzanne will now take part in a judging day in November, before a distinguished panel of business leaders, where she will join winners from regional events in Yorkshire, North East and Scotland; London and the South East; and the North West, Wales and Ireland. The overall national winner will be announced at a grand finale on 1 December 2017.

Visiting Professorship for WES Member Dawn Bonfield

Dawn Bonfield MBE, former CEO of WES, has been appointed Royal Academy of Engineering Visiting Professor of Inclusive Engineering to the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Aston University. Dawn, one of the country's most passionate champions of encouraging women into the "incredible industry of engineering" is to embed inclusive engineering into the curriculum at Aston University. The appointment will run for three years.

13-19 October 2017 [£9 (£7 conc.)]
Bertha DocHouse, London

This debut feature from Swedish director Theresa Traoré Dahlberg follows a group of young women as they tweak machines and hammer away at a school for auto mechanics in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. In a country with youth unemployment at 52 percent, jobs are a hot issue for these young girls who have dreams and hopes for the future yet are confronted with opinions, fears and society's expectations of what a woman should be. Director Theresa Traore Dahlberg depicts their last school years in this poetic story about life choices, sisterhood and the endeavour to find your own way.

Further information about the film, including a trailer, can be found here. 

London Build - a Festival of Construction & Design 

25 - 26 October 2017 [Free]

Olympia, London

London Build is the leading & largest construction and design show for London and the South of England. Free to attend it features:

150+ Speakers CPD Workshops Business Meetings An Exhibition Feature Areas An Oktoberfest Recruitment Opportunities Entertainment and More!

25 October 2017, 10:30 - 16:00 [Free]

Roundhouse, Derby

The UK's only national event dedicated to Apprenticeships in Engineering

• Are you interested in a career in engineering?
• Are you looking for Apprenticeships?

Join over a thousand students meeting some of the UK's most prestigious engineering employers under one roof at The Apprentice Engineer Show. With lots of fun things to do on the day including simulators, a virtual reality zone, competitions, prizes and a packed presentation agenda. It provides the perfect opportunity to explore the possible careers in engineering.

2017: Mars - Man or Machine? 8 November, 18:00-22:00 [Free- advance booking required] University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield Wednesday NASA are planning to put a human on Mars by 2030 and Elon Musk's company, SpaceX, are working to revolutionize space technology, with the ultimate goal of enabling people to live on other planets. The EMSTA 2017 seminar intends to explore the technical and human challenges of extended space travel and how to survive on Mars, a distant hostile planet.

"For young people looking to begin a career, this will provide a unique opportunity to gain valuable insight and contacts. Mars exploration could be as exciting as when man first walked on the moon, so imagine being a part of the team that makes that happen."

Book your ticket and find out more here.

Arcadis - Faith, race & culture in the workplace

16 November 2017 Arcadis House, London During Interfaith week, Arcadis Race and Faith Diversity & Inclusion teams will be hosting a Panel meeting in London with Clients and stakeholders to explore the issues and opportunities in relation to faith, race and culture in the workplace - and how faith, race and cultural awareness can drive value in the built environment.

Find out more and how to register here.

Future Female Engineers! Various dates and locations [Free]

TARGETjobs are proud to present Future Female Engineers!, an exclusive event for female students who are looking to build their professional network of like-minded female students, meet with key industry professionals and how they can sculpt their dream career!

It's a fantastic opportunity to network with and be inspired by other future female engineers. Are you an innovative team player, who's ambitious, eager to learn and looking for a varied and exciting career? Then this is the event for you!

• Build your network
• Hear from inspirational or empowering women
• Boost your CV

Further information on the companies attending each event and how to apply here.

17 - 18 January 2018 [Cost £380 + VAT]

London

This two-day training course for women on the autism spectrum, is for those who are currently in employment and want to increase their understanding of the potential complexities of the workplace, with a specific focus on the challenges women face and the skills that they have. As an employee, you will have the opportunity to explore work-related challenges alongside other women on the autism spectrum. The course ( developed and delivered by autistic women) aims to increase your confidence and skills in the workplace, and will cover the following topics:

• Diagnosis, and the impact for autistic women
• Disclosure - why, when and how
• Personal relationships and safety, for well-being at work
• Workplace relationships, and expectations
• Managing sensory sensitivities and anxiety

For further information visit the website. 

To find out about these previously advertised events visit the WES website:

• Women in Engineering and Technology, Science Museum London
• The History of Women in Engineering in the UK

FISITA offers student engineers the opportunity to apply for a travel bursary, of up to EUR 2,000, to help with the costs of taking part in placements (internships, exchange programmes, work experience etc.) in automotive companies and research institutions overseas. FISITA is one of the world's leading advocates for the education of future automotive engineers. In today's global automotive industry, experience of working as an engineer in another country is extremely valuable. When it comes to applying the scientific knowledge learned in the lecture theatre, there is no substitute for experience: real vehicles, real people and real problems to solve. Apply here before 31 October 2017.

EU Prize for Women Innovators First run in 2011, the Prize aims to encourage more women to exploit the commercial and business opportunities offered by their research projects and to become entrepreneurs.

Europe needs more innovators to stay competitive and to spur economic growth, and yet a large number of well-educated women researchers do not consider entrepreneurship as an option, either through lack of awareness or for other reasons. The Prize is intended to increase public awareness of the contribution of women researchers to entrepreneurship - and to encourage entrepreneurial women to become innovators.

The Prize is open to women who have founded or co-founded their company and who have at some point of their careers benefitted from EU funding related to research and innovation. Contestants must be residents of an EU Member State (or a country associated to Horizon 2020).

The following prizes are on offer: 1st prize - €100,000; 2nd prize - €50,000; 3rd prize - €30,000; Rising Innovator Prize of €20,000. The deadline for entries is 15 November 2017 (17:00 Brussels local time).

Further information and apply now.

Placer - NCUB's work placement matching app for university students - is open for business!

The National Centre for Universities and Business (NCUB) has partnered with Jisc and Unite Students to launch their Placer Mobile App at the end of October. Placer seeks to ensure that every student, regardless of social background, has access to opportunities that will increase their employability on graduation.

Employers are encouraged to post as many opportunities as possible immediately and all the way up to - and beyond - the launch. Head to the  home page and then click 'sign up here' in the employer section, to get registered and start publishing work experience opportunities. Importantly, NCUB also have a bureau service, handling the upload for those with many opportunities.

Visit NCUB's Placer Content Hub for more information including reasons to sign up.

Arup achieves national equality standard

Arup has become the first engineering consultancy firm to receive certification from the National Equality Standard (NES).

The NES is independently assessed by EY and supported by the Home Office, the CBI and the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Arup was assessed against criteria across seven standards which encompass 49 competencies. In order to achieve certification, EY undertook a comprehensive evaluation of Arup's processes and practices, interviewing staff, undertaking site visits, and reviewing documentation and internal systems. 

Get ready for International Women's Day 2018

March 8 will see significant worldwide activity aimed at raising greater awareness about women's equality and forging change. Order your International Women's Day 2018 Event Packs - banner, bunting, wristbands, balloons, ribbon - everything you need to celebrate the big day.  Register or login to your IWD account at  www.internationalwomensday.com  for details. Or join the IWD Speakers Register as organisations around the world look to secure thought-provoking speakers. 

And remember to publish and promote your IWD event via the IWD website.

The Access Project works with high-potential students from disadvantaged backgrounds, providing in-school support and personalised tuition to help them gain access to selective universities.

Use your subject knowledge to work one-to-one with a student to help them achieve the grades they need to access a selective university. Spend just 1 hour per week during term time tutoring a student at your place of work or study, or at a suitable public location. Tutor in your degree subject to an A-level student or alternatively, in a subject you studied to A Level yourself to a GCSE student.  95% of tutors agree that volunteering with The Access Project gives a sense of accomplishment. Training and support provided.

 Register your interest for the academic year 2017/18 and further information here.

The Gatsby Charitable Foundation has launched the Good Practical Science report, outlining ten benchmarks to transform practical science education in England. 

The report details recommendations to help secondary schools achieve world-class science education, even when facing tight budgets.  Looking at more than 400 secondary schools in England to gauge the status of practical science, the report also involved visits to world-leading nations including Finland, Germany and Singapore to learn what was done differently internationally.  It was led by Sir John Holman, Emeritus Professor of Chemistry at the University of York, founding director of the National STEM Learning Centre and a former head teacher and science teacher. 

Please vote now for Trelay to have funding for a battery system! They want to build an inspiring project linking their PV and heat pumps using batteries.

Trelay Cohousing is a vibrant community of twenty-two adults and nine children; an educational facility which has hundreds of visitors. The community was founded in 2007 when a group of people bought a small farm in North Cornwall. They aim to live together cooperatively, with comfortable housing for young and old; growing some of their own food; developing new, small-scale rural businesses; and caring for nature.

Have you and two friends got the basic mechanical skills to rebuild a car? If you can build it and start it before the other team do, you will get to keep it!

For the pilot we are looking for contestants with a passion for classic cars such as CAPRI, BMW 3 SERIES (1ST GEN), TR7, SPITFIRE, OPEL MANTA, MG BGT, STAG, SCIMITAR

• Do you have a personal story as to why you want to win the car?
• Do you want to win the car for a family member or friend?
• Are you outgoing and up for a challenge?
• Do you want to put your mechanical skills to the ultimate test by competitively rebuilding a car, head to head in one day?
• Are you free for two days on the week of October 23rd?