A research engineer at a Renfrew manufacturing institute has shared her experience on being a woman in science to celebrate International Women's Day.
Sairah Bashir works as a research and development engineer at the Lightweight Manufacturing Centre, part of the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) Group, operated by the University of Strathclyde.
To mark this year’s theme #BreakTheBias for International Women’s Day, Sairah has shared a personal view on the impact of misleading stereotypes on a career in the science, technology, engineering, and manufacturing (STEM) sectors, and why we must educate young people on the fulfilling career paths within each.
Sairah said: "I was recently asked what International Women’s Day means to me.
"As a female working in an industry that male workers have historically dominated, I am passionate about encouraging more women to follow their dreams.
"Tomorrow (March 8) marks a movement to empower that change.
"The theme for this year is #BreakTheBias; imagining a gender equal world, free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination, and it is upon all of us to create a space to allow for this."
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Sairah told how her love of science started at a young age at a time when most of the science classes were made up of boys.
However, not to be deterred, she went on to study a Masters Degree in chemistry at the University of Strathclyde.
She said the lack of women in the industry was a noticeable, and at one point she was the only woman in her office.
She is calling on more changes to be made to help support more women into the STEM industry.
She added: "When I was younger, I never imagined myself as an engineer. I was drawn towards biology and chemistry and at that time, physics was a subject where the classroom was mostly made up of boys.
"I went on to study a Masters Degree in chemistry at the University of Strathclyde and it wasn’t until my fourth year that I met PhD students who told me about their time in the engineering department.
"Nearing the end of my degree I began exploring career opportunities and found myself drawn to a PhD in engineering. At that time, I was the only female – not just within my research group but within the entire office.
"Still deemed a male dominated industry, it was a struggle to attract more females – we can still see this to this day, albeit to a lesser extent.
"It wasn’t until my third and final year as new researchers were welcomed in the group, that it become more balanced.
"There has been a lot of investment in recent years to try and break that bias. A report by Engineering UK last June found that women make up 14.5 per cent of engineers.
"This represented a 25.7 per cent increase in women in engineering occupations since 2016 and I am proud to be one of the female engineers who has contributed to that increase. Yet, more must be done.
"Women are still underrepresented in these roles globally and to create an industry that is truly gender equal, the engineering sector as a whole must take a joined-up approach to educate young people, no matter their gender, on the vast number of fulfilling career paths.
"There are already more than 30,000 STEM ambassadors across the UK, from a range of disciplines in engineering, design and science, who are working hard to debunk the myths of these sectors and shed light on what a career can really look like.
"Engineering as a profession is often perceived as the sole role of a ‘mechanic’ and is notoriously associated with being a position more apt for a man, with the workload deemed as hard, dirty and laborious.
"However, this is simply not the case.
"At school, I never imagined that studying biology or chemistry would lead to me becoming an engineer.
"I thought that the subjects were distinct and that there wasn’t much crossover, however as a research and development engineer at the Lightweight Manufacturing Centre (LMC), part of the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS), I believe that my background in chemistry has enhanced my role.
"My job doesn’t look like the stereotypical ‘mechanic’ – I study the materials and testing that comes before manufacture and my chemical understanding brings a lot to the table.
"I get to work on projects that my younger self wouldn’t believe, and I am currently leading a collaborative research and development project called FutureFibre.
"Here we are combining the experience of academics and industry professionals to provide the environment, infrastructure and resources to delve deeper into alternatives to the traditional fibre manufacturing process.
"We are aiming to develop sustainable ways of making fibre composites and our end goal is to use these within sectors such as automotive and aerospace.
"It is an incredibly exciting project to be a part of and most days my hands do not get ‘dirty’ at all.
"At the LMC, four out of the team of seven are women, while in wider NMIS, women make up nearly 30 per cent of the workforce.
"Within NMIS senior management, three out of the team of seven are women who have carved out successful careers in the manufacturing space, which sends a positive and inspiring message to us all.
"So, what does International Women’s Day mean to me? I was given the space to develop my experience and try new things to follow my passions and I think it is about ensuring that all females are encouraged to do the same.
"It is about inspiring the next generation and educating them on their choices.
"As we look to #BreakTheBias this International Women’s Day, I am proud to be a young, female engineer at the beginning of my career, striving to unlock a movement for change."
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