At Seequent, we know that our greatest assets are our people. Our staff bring together a diverse range of experience and expertise, which in turn, allows us to develop world-class solutions and products for our users.
So in recognition of International Women in Engineering Day, and the vital role women play in advancing science (and our own company), we’d like to highlight a few of our exceptional female engineering graduates.
“Each person has endless paths they can travel, but for some the travel will be undoubtedly harder.”
DR. ROSE PEARSON
Dr. Rose Pearson
Lead Research Engineer
Christchurch, New Zealand
Why did you decide to study engineering? I’ve always loved problem solving and making ‘stuff’, so when I found out about engineering at a ‘Women in engineering camp’ my parents signed me up for at age 14, I knew it was the profession for me.
What inspirational message would you give young girls to inspire them to pursue STEM? The door isn’t open, but it is there. Open it and see what’s on the other side! There are many, many women and men on the other side, who would love to give you the skills, knowledge and support you need to become a professional woman in one of the many vibrant, interesting and fulfilling roles in STEM.
Is there anything else you’d like to add? Many of the barriers that have historically held women back from entering STEM fields (and attaining equality elsewhere) are getting lower, but the proportions of women entering and remaining in STEM subjects are still way too low, and in some cases, going backwards. It is contingent upon all of us, male or female (whether we work in STEM or not), to make sure we are doing all we can to remove the barriers that remain, and to encourage the little girls of the world to dream just as big as the little boys.
Ruby Forrester
Customer Solutions Specialist, Civil and Environmental
Gerrards Cross, UK
How does your engineering background contribute to your success at Seequent? My first 4 years out of university were spent working for Geotechnical Engineering consultancies, who were trying to solve similar problems as our Leapfrog Works customers. This has meant that I’m able to use my own experience in the sector to provide solutions that fit our customer’s needs.
What inspirational message would you give young girls to inspire them to pursue STEM? If you’re inquisitive and like to ask questions like “why?” and “how?”, follow that curiosity. And don’t let anyone tell you that STEM subjects are only for boys!
Why do we need to have women in engineering? This is such a loaded question with so many answers! I’ve known some incredible female engineers, and being around these women confirmed to me that, even though STEM spaces are so male dominated, we belong here too. The more women in engineering, the more normalised it becomes- so hopefully one day, young girls don’t even question whether they belong in these spaces.
Sophie Audonneau
Software Engineer
Christchurch, New Zealand
Why did you decide to study engineering? Hum, that’s kind of a tough question. Maybe it’s because of how areas of studies are defined in France, but when you decide to study sciences you mainly either go for an academic and more research-oriented career or engineering. I wanted to solve problems and make things that could help people now, so I never really questioned it and went for engineering.
Why do we need to have women in engineering? I think we need to have them because we have no reason for not having them in the first place. Women are half of the population and are as qualified and as interested in science as men, so they should be represented. I was lucky enough during my study to always be in an environment where male-female parity was almost always respected. However, when I started looking for a job, I heard even from some of my friends, comments like “she got the job because she is a woman” or “you know you have more chances to get that job because they need women for their quota”. This made me really angry. The only way to make those comments disappear and recognize the actual value of women’s work is not to need to make hiring a woman an event anymore.
Hina Amir
Senior Software Tester
Christchurch, New Zealand
Why did you decide to study engineering? Coming from a family of doctors and teachers, I was the first lady in my family who decided to study computer science. My family, especially my father and husband, supported me in my studies and later in my career.
I remember I loved to play with my grandfather’s type writer and it always fascinated me how it prints a letter when you click a key. I think that was the first thing which led me to computer science as a career.
When I was in grade 5 one of my cousin’s husband had a Computer’s Academy. They lived in a different city and we were visiting them when I first saw him writing a program in C++. It was so exciting to see how a few lines of code made complex calculations so easy. I decided at that time that one day I’d learn computer programming.
Why do we need to have women in engineering? I think women are born engineers, thinkers, problem solvers and hard workers, if we look at our daily lives and the way we find solutions. Especially as a mum!
I remember the first day of University we had around 15 ladies in class of 100. But in 6 months, the number of students dropped to 45 with only one lady- who was me. So I always missed women representation in engineering. But I think the trend is changing now and more women are adopting engineering careers, which is good.
Michaela Crum
Customer Solutions Manager, Civil & Environmental
Denver, Colorado
How does your engineering background contribute to your success at Seequent? Engineering is essential for my success at Seequent. Understanding the technical side of our solutions makes it possible for my team and me to assist our clients and provide excellent support and user experience.
Clients get more than just our software- they’re getting a team of technical experts to ensure their overall success.
What inspirational message would you give young girls to inspire them to pursue STEM? Just go for it. Ask lots of questions and always keep learning.
Why do we need to have women in engineering? The more diversity we have in the engineering world, the better ideas and innovations we can achieve. If everyone thinks the same way, we will never think of something new.