International Women in Engineering Day
In celebration of International Women in Engineering Day and as part of the College’s ‘Women in Engineering’ campaign, Boston College’s engineering learners were treated to a live virtual question and answer session with Professor Saaj, Global Chair in Robotic Engineering from the University of Lincoln.
Taking place on Wednesday 23rd June, this year’s International Women in Engineering Day is a celebration of the amazing work that women engineers around the world are doing, with the College’s ‘Women in Engineering’ campaign running alongside this to promote and raise awareness of the opportunities and successful women within this stereotypically male dominated industry.
Professor Saaj joined the University of Lincoln in 2019 and is the head of Industrial Digitalisation and System Intelligence research group within the School of Engineering. She is a Visiting Professor at the University of Surrey, where previously, she was a Reader in Robotics, the Head of Robotics and Control research group and the Director of Post Graduate Research (PhD) at the Surrey Space Centre. Professor Saaj answered pre-prepared questions from the Level 2 and Level 3 engineering students and gave an insight in to her successful career within the Engineering industry.
Speaking of the live session and Women in Engineering campaign, Ben Webb, Curriculum Leader for Engineering said, “It was great to welcome Professor Saaj virtually to Boston College to talk to our engineers. We’re pleased to see growing numbers of women within our Engineering department and it’s so good to see high profile speakers joining us to enrich our learners experience.”
Maya Horry, Level 3 Engineering Learner said, “I found the Q&A session with Professor Saaj really insightful and helpful for my future career. It has given me more of an insight into what life is like as a woman in engineering and how to specialise in the sector, it was great!”
The promotion of International Women in Engineering Day also falls in line with the opening of the College’s new Institute of Technology which has recently been completed. Led by The University of Lincoln, the Lincolnshire Institute of Technology (IOT) is a landmark institution, with dedicated facilities in Boston, Grantham, Grimsby, Holbeach, Lincoln, Scunthorpe and Riseholme creating an integrated network of centres located at the heart of agri-tech, food manufacturing, engineering, energy and digital sectors it will serve. For more information, visit the College’s ‘Institute of Technology’ page.