Bridge building is hardly the most common dream job for school-age girls, but this was precisely the career path that Louise McCormick was inspired to pursue.

Now working in the field of structural engineering she has been involved with the design and construction of hundreds of bridges through Queensland and the NT.

Have a read of her profile in the Brisbane Times.

Engineers Australia and Chief Executive Women (CEW) have announced a scholarship to support and develop female engineering leaders. The scholarships are to be used for professional development for women who hold engineering degrees.

There are four scholarships available, one to be awarded to a female engineer in each of four regional groups: NSW/ACT, VIC/TAS, QLD and WA/NT/SA.

Scholarship

Each scholarship is for $5,000 towards leadership development activities or programs.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible to apply:

• You must be an Australian Citizen or have Permanent Resident status
• You must have a recognised engineering qualification and a minimum of five years experience post qualification
• You must be currently working in Australia
• You must be female

Submitting an application

To apply for this scholarship, you need to provide the following information:

• Your CV (maximum 2 pages)
• An essay addressing the topic of “Looking Forward, Looking Back”, as related to your engineering careers, previous experiences and leadership aspirations (maximum 2 pages)
• A proposal for the use of the scholarship funds to assist your leadership development (maximum 1 page)
• A reference from your current employer supporting your application (maximum 1 page)
• Specify which Regional award you are applying for

To apply, forward your application to: CEW WIE Scholarship Program, c/o The Executive Officer, Chief Executive Women, Level 12, 37 Bligh Street, Sydney.

Applications close:  31st May 2009

(Source: Engineers Australia | Image by LynasUK)

Like most organisations, we like to keep up with the current trends. My Grandmother tells me this new ‘facebook’ thing is the latest and greatest, so I figured we should get in on it.

Since there are no groups currently similar to Australian Engineering Students and Professionals, the EngVibe group goes by that name. We would like you to use the new group to give us feedback and to spread the vibe to others. Besides, not all the groups you join can be related to Chuck Norris, Borat or ‘Last one to post wins’.

Tell your engie buddies- invite early and invite often. The group is here.

Not news, not useful but remarkably catchy. This is a song by US band ‘Pharmasseuse’. See the clip on YouTube here. Recommended.

University of Queensland student Jenny Riesz has won the top achiever award for her work in understanding melanin pigments and the role it plays in the formation of melanoma skin cancers.

Jenny’s work has been published in a range of science journals and has contributed with researches in the UK and USA.

With her thesis recently submitted, she is off to work with Roam Consulting where she will have the opportunity to pursue her interest in climate change and renewable energy. ‘This position will allow me to look at the really critical big questions facing our generation, investigating renewable energy and possible solutions to global warming.’

Well, even if solutions to global warming aren’t found – she should be fairly safe from the skin cancer side. More from the UQ press release here.

A record was set this week, when the space shuttle Discovery docked with the international space station. The record: the first meeting of two spacecraft commanded by women. 

Pamela Melroy commands the shuttle, while Peggy Whitson is the first woman in command of the international space station. This meeting was just a coincidence according to NASA, with Melroy saying, ‘I think it is just indicative that there are enough women in the program that coincidentally this can happen. And that is a wonderful thing.’

The purpose of the mission is to deliver and install a pressurised compartment, named ‘Harmony’ which will become a docking port for future installations of European and Japanese labs. 

The story has been well reported on, notably a picture of the two astronauts embracing and a lot of wordplay along the lines of ‘one giant leap for womankind’. For more, the Daily Mail (UK) has some cool shuttle pictures and can found here.

AdelaideNow has a piece on one of the local competitors as part of the World Solar Challenge, Heidi McNamara, a mechanical engineering student from the University of Adelaide. 

The BioBike is Australia’s first biodiesel motorcycle and complies with Australian Design Rules.

Heidi said that participation in the World Solar Challenge while at school inspired her to study engineering. In a delightfully positive quote she says, “I didn’t really have any expectations about engineering but I hoped that some day it would get me back in the World Solar Challenge – and look at me now!” 

The World Solar Challenge showcases some great engineering, with a view to environmentally friendly processes. Good luck the BioBike team and others.

The AdelaideNow article is available here and the BioBike Team site is found right here.