Passing on the baton
Published on the 02 Mar 2018
Sarah Coull started as the new Women in Engineering Manager in November 2017. She took over from Dr Alex Bannigan who ran the program since its inception in 2014. Alex, whose drive and commitment has positively impacted the lives of 100s of female students, is moving on to new challenges within the Faculty, but says she couldn’t be more pleased to pass the baton on to so worthy a recruit.
With the award-winning program going from strength to strength, and a momentum that is palpable, we caught up with them for a debrief and to get Sarah’s take on where the program is going in the future.
Sarah, what did you do prior to joining UNSW and why were you interested in the Women in Engineering role?
Sarah:
I worked for an organisation called Inspiring Rare Birds that helps female entrepreneurs grow their businesses. My role was to develop mentoring and engagement programs and I worked with communities of female entrepreneurs throughout Australia. What really attracted me to the Women in Engineering Program is that it is all about inspiring, motivating and exposing young women to a range of incredible jobs that they might never have thought of pursuing. I was really impressed to see the University taking the underrepresentation of women in STEM so seriously.
Alex, you’ve grown the program from its very beginnings, has it been hard handing the reigns over?
Alex:
Yes and no. It has been an amazing experience building the program from scratch and I feel very proud of what we’ve achieved, but after four years I felt I’d given it everything I had. I didn’t want it to stagnate, so I felt it was really important for the program, as well as for me, to get some new blood.
It’s great that Sarah has such a different background to me. She is already looking at things differently and has some great ideas for complementary activities that will create a more integrated, rich and valuable program.
What advice do you have for Sarah in growing the program even further?
Alex:
My focus has always been on creating a self-sustaining community. Much of this program has been reliant on the formation of strong relationships, with the young women taking part in our program; with the high school teachers encouraging their students to check us out; with our industry partners; our alumni; our academics around the Faculty; and with our current students each year. These relationships are what is keeping it vibrant and alive. In the end it is all about people.
Sarah:
I’ve been blown away by walking into a role with such an amazing community feel. Particularly the connection and commitment from industry. This is something I’m very conscious of nurturing in the future.
UNSW has a target of 30% female enrolments in Engineering by 2020. How are they looking for this year?
Sarah:
So far this year, 28% of our first-year enrolments are female, which is massive. At the same time last year it was 22%, and five years ago, in 2013 before the program started, it was 19%.
Interestingly, if you look at the head count rather than the percentage, it’s even more impressive - the difference between 2013 and 2016 is 45%! The number of male students starting has also been increasing, which masks the increase in the number of women when you only look at percentage.
I’ve been blown away by walking into a role with such an amazing community feel. Particularly the connection and commitment from industry. This is something I’m very conscious of nurturing in the future.
Sarah Coull, UNSW Women in Engineering Manager
Sarah, what are your focus areas for 2018 and beyond?
Sarah:
I’m going to continue focusing on increasing the cohort percentages year on year as this is a major university priority, and will do this through further developing initiatives such as our Women in Engineering camp and STEM career week, as well as implementing some new activities. I’m also looking at our marketing strategy, and how we can extend our reach throughout NSW, interstate and internationally.
I also want to ensure the strong sense of community is sustained and nurtured, and make sure our current students as well as our new ones are well-supported, particularly our Women in Engineering Society and their key events.
Alex, what was a highlight for you and how do you feel about the impact you’ve made?
Alex:
Wow. There are so many. Working individually with the girls and finding out that I’ve been able to positively influence them is always an amazing feeling. Seeing the enrolments increase year on year has also been hugely satisfying. And we’ve been fortunate enough to win a whole bunch of innovation and diversity awards too. That recognition of the importance of the program is very rewarding.
Do you have a message for anyone reading this story about what they can do to help the program in the future?
Sarah:
Please contact us if you’re interested in getting involved in any of our Women in Engineering programs or events. We have also recently launched an industry partnership program, which provides organisations with lots of valuable opportunities to connect with our students.
Alex:
We also love hearing from our female alumni about their lives and careers because we’re always looking for role models and inspiration for the young ones. If you have a great story to tell, don’t be shy, please get in touch.
Interview and article written by Penny Jones