(MENAFN- The Peninsula) By Fazeena Saleem | The Peninsula
DOHA: Women in the country are set to take over engineering, a profession that until recently, was considered to be a men's stronghold. It is clearly indicated with women making almost 50 percent of engineering students at Qatar Foundation's (QF) partner university.
The number of female students enrolled in engineering courses at Texas A & M University at Qatar (TAMUQ) has reached an all-time high this academic year. Women at the campus make 49.7 percent of the student population. It is an increase from 45.7 percent in 2017-2018.
The increase in female intake, from 203 women in 2017-2018 to 228 in 2018-2019, indicates TAMUQ's success in narrowing the gender divide to a point where the male-female student ratio is almost 1:1.
This achievement reflects QF's and the university's efforts to encourage girls and women to opt for higher education courses in subjects related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Dr Ghada Salama, Professor of Chemical Engineering at TAMUQ, said that the increase in the number of women in engineering is a positive and inspiring development.
'TAMUQ offers programs and clubs such as the ‘Women Mentorship Program' and ‘Society of Women Engineers' to support female students when they join the university. These programs help women learn more about the various engineering courses on offer at TAMUQ, and allow them to acquire practical experience both within and outside the university, Dr Salama, told The Peninsula.
'These, in turn, help them apply what they have learned in the classroom, and give them the confidence to grow, and achieve more, when they leave the university and take up a career.
Dr Salama said that the presence of women in TAMUQ is not merely significant because of the number of female students, but also because of their academic performance.
'This year, female students make up 74 percent of the class strength of one of the modules I teach. In most instances, the passion, curiosity, and drive of these students help them excel across all specialisations and majors, she added.
The last two centuries have seen the teaching of engineering evolve from being a field dominated by either civil and military engineering, to one that offers four basic options — chemical, civil, mechanical, and electrical. And, with dozens more specializations for engineering graduates to choose from for further studies, the profession is no longer about physical effort or the ability to withstand the elements.
'Many people think that engineering requires physical stamina, when, in fact, it requires mental aptitude, perseverance, curiosity, creativity, and the ability to come up with innovative solutions to address numerous technical and lifestyle challenges, said Dr Salama.
The increasing number of women who have graduated from the TAMUQ have gone on to work in various engineering-related professions in Qatar.
Heba Al Saffar, a graduate of TAMUQ, said that women should never doubt their ability to succeed as they are capable of achieving any goal they set their mind to. She added that when she joined her current workplace, Total Qatar, as a Planning and Development Engineer, she faced several challenges.
'As the only female engineer in the team, I was often the only woman at meetings and on field trips, she said. 'But this reality never affected my conviction that engineering is suitable for women.
Al Saffar, who graduated in 2011 added, 'Choosing engineering was a personal choice for me because I love challenges. It is a dynamic and ever-evolving area of work, and despite being in this field for seven years, each day brings me a new challenge.
Reflecting on her experiences as an electrical engineering student at TAMUQ and in her workplace, Al Saffar said, 'Times have changed and today many women are playing key roles in the field of engineering, especially in oil and gas. I encourage girls to pursue this major. The experience they will gain will help them throughout the course of their lives.
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