Raising aspirations for women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
Engineering wasn't always what I wanted to study. As an undergraduate, I studied Business Management in Nigeria and then went on to study Global Management as a Postgrad. It wasn't until I attended a meeting back in my home country in which a lecturer from the University of Portsmouth was giving a talk that I opened my eyes to a career in Engineering.
That meeting made me go back and do some background research on the representation of females in Engineering and I discovered that there is an alarming low rate of female representation in Engineering compared to other STEM subjects such as Science, Technology and Mathematics. That realisation along with my background as an advocate for gender equality I saw a huge opportunity for me to contribute to increasing the number of female Engineers. The aim of my research is to find ways of addressing the under-representation of females in the Nigerian engineering education system, by investigating the influences and impacts of sustainability themes/topics to attract female students to choose an engineering career.
The STEM campaign is a step in the right direction! Females in STEM bring diversity of thought and perspective that is required to solve an array of issues in the world. My hope is to build a school or develop an institution for girls back in Nigeria that will inspire girls to go into STEM fields. Girls need to know that there is no limitation for them when it comes to considering a career in STEM. I want to continue to spread the message that STEM isn't all about technical stuff, it will give them the opportunity to contribute to society and to also help others.
This blog post was written by Ibifuro Ken-Giami, Nigeria.