Let me start by telling you a bit about the Work Reports. So at the end of each co-op term every student is required to write a Work Term report which is based on the work they’ve done on their co-op terms. These work term reports are supposed to show that we can critically analyze a problem we’ve been given in the work place.

As you know, Waterloo Engineering held an even during the March Break (Women in Engineering Applicant Event) to promote Women in Engineering, because there has always been a lack of women in engineering and more recently, there has been a decline of women enrolling into engineering.  There could be many factors as to why engineering is such a male dominant profession. By holding this WiE Event we had hoped to encourage women into enrolling into engineering and address any questions, concerns, or misconceptions. Overall, the event was great and we got a lot of positive response from the high school girls!

ANYWAYS…. The reason why I had to explain all that was because I’ve decided to write my report on the lack of women in engineering….

During my research I came across an interesting truth, diversity in the workplace is essential. Since men and women tend to approach a problem very differently, it’s important to have both genders collaborating to come up with solutions to any type of problem!

At first, I thought that writing this work report would be a total drag, but this topic is kind of interesting! Especially because I am a woman in engineering, it’s cool to know why there is a lack of us in engineering.

C’MON GIRLS LET’S IMPACT THE WORLD. ENGGIRLS ROCK!

INTERESTING FACT: Women have four times as many brains cells (neurons) connecting the right and left side of their brain. This supports the observation that men rely easily and more heavily on their left brain to solve one problem one step at a time, whereas women have more efficient access at both sides of their brain and therefore greater use of their right brain.

Interesting Fact Brought to you by…

(Understanding The Difference Between Men and Women)– Micheal G. Conner 1999- 2000

Check out Waterloo Engineering’s new faculty BRAG SHEET ….. it’s worth the read! My quote is on the second page =]

It was just last year that I was trying to make one of the biggest decision any student could make in their life, choosing what post-secondary institution I wanted to go to. I knew from when I was little that I wanted to become an engineer, so that narrowed down my list a little. Mom says, “Go to Carleton, you can stay home!” Friend says, “Go to Queen’s, you can get a great education and have the best parties of your life there!” There were so many options to consider! What is a girl to do?! Teacher says, “Go to Waterloo, it’s a great school for engineering!” Then I thought to myself, why is Waterloo so great? One of the biggest reasons why I came to Waterloo was because of their co-op program. I think engineering is such a competitive career, companies hire people not only based on grades, but mostly on past experience and personality. Waterloo is the only university that can offer 2 years of work experience that count towards your 4 years needed to become a professional engineer. Through co-op you gain skills through the interviewing process and resume critiquing. Engineering is the type of career that demands practical and analytical knowledge. Secondly, I know a lot of universities that have first year classes of like 500 people! To me that seems ridiculous, because in high school we are all used to such a small setting, the abilities to ask questions, and have a one on one experience with teachers. The transition is so difficult as it is! At Waterloo, the class sizes are much smaller, which gives you the abilities to ask questions and actually get to talk to professors. You can practically touch them! Haha joking. I remember my first day of physics class; I was like wow this guy is awesome! Everyone was so engaged in his lecture and he actually wanted people to come up to him after class and ask him questions. He made a strong effort to actually know everyone’s name! Now how many people can say their Prof knows them as a real person, rather than a number?! Haha I can’t say it was like that for all Profs though! Even though this is a huge decision to make, just weigh your options, and remember nothing is written in stone! Anyways, those are the major reasons why I chose Waterloo. I hope it helped you in your choice! Stay tuned for next week’s blog.

During my first semester at Waterloo I lived in Residence, UWP to be exact. UWP is a unique rez because it’s an apartment style rez, so you have some roommates, in my case, 2, that a share a bathroom, kitchen, and common room with you. I know what you’re thinking! THAT’S AWESOME, you can meet new people and you have lots of freedom. All of which is true (Late night coffee breaks and hangout sessions), but all this new found freedom has its downs, like no moms to make any home cooked meals. I know it doesn’t seem like it’s not that big of a deal at first, but after a few weeks of PLAZA food, a girl could kill for some home cooked grub!! Also, I realized that food doesn’t magically appear in your fridge! Haha! I’ll give you the low down on the hot places to shop! Number 1, on a day that is great for walking, go to VALUMART! It’s much cheaper than sobeys and you get to pass by a petting zoo on that way there ( YES THERE IS A PETTING ZOO SUPER CLOSE TO UWP!! But don’t worry there’s no smell coming from those animals … ). Number 2, you can catch a 5 min. bus ride on the Ixpress to Conestogo mall, where you’ll find Zehr’s! It’s even better than Valumart, because they have a few sample food stands and I find they have better deals on fruit and stuff.

I would suggest setting up a chart to distribute cleaning tasks to each roommate, because I didn’t have one first semester and it was a TOTAL MESS, it was gross. One the last day, my roommate and I cleaned up together and the place looked GREAT! So I know it can be done! With all the stress that engineering students have to endure, a clean living quarter will give you some piece of mind. Another great thing about living in res is that you are super close to your classes, so you can sleep a bit more!

Also, frosh week was great, because I lived in res. As me and my roommate were walking back home from an event we saw these weird looking purple people! THEN I REALIZED IT WAS TIME, TO.GET.PURPLELIZED, so we ran back home put on some raggedy clothes! It was SOOOO awesome, by far the highlight of my frosh week! After getting purplelized, there was an awesome foam party, so everyone I touched had a bit of engineering spirit dyed on them! I could go on and on about my experiences in res, but its different for everyone and it’s an adventure you’ll have to experience for yourself!

Another important thing to remember when living in res is why you came to waterloo in the first place, which is to get a great education. A lot of people can get caught up in all the partying and lose sight of the reason why they chose Waterloo. Everyone wants to make everlasting friendship with people they meet in res, but creating a balance between school and your social life will enable you to stand beside all your new found friends 5 years from now and throw your grad caps together!!!

When I came to Waterloo I knew I wanted to get involved in one of the student teams, but I was kinda scared because I had no experience in machining or any knowledge of cars. It was awkward enough not knowing these things, being a woman in engineering, and to top it all off, being in mechanical engineering. But I’ve learned that if you want to do something, just try it out, who cares if you’re not good at it, because you can learn, and who cares what other people think!

One day I was walking through CPH, an engineering building on campus, and I saw a flyer for the Midnight Sun Solar Car team. It said, “Looking for mechanical engineering student, no experience required”! What a great opportunity! So I went to their office and right away they gave me some small parts to machine. I was super nervous at first because I’ve never touched a machine in my life. It went alright though, because there was a man in the machine shop that was there to help newbies like me and believe it or not, there are a lot of people like me, just looking to learn! That great thing is that it looks great on your resume. Joining a team demonstrates initiative and it shows the employer that you have special skills in your related field!

So don’t be nervous, just get out there! Like the saying goes, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained!”

9 times out 10 times, I was stressed, so I had to find some ways to get my mind off school for bit. There are 2 fitness facilities on campus, the PAC (Physical Activities Complex) and CIF (Columbia Icefields Fitness Centre). I like going to CIF because they have the kinds of equipment that I personally like, such as treadmills, medicine balls, and weights. I usually rent out skipping ropes. It is a great way to relieve stress and have balanced lifestyle. Healthy heart and mind. Also, intramurals are a great way to meet people. I was too late in the season to join, but I for sure will next semester. Even if you don’t have a team, you can sign up as a free agent and get assigned to a team. There are also many clubs you can join! Just visit the UW fitness facilities site.

Also, i find reading a novel that is notschool related is also be helpful. Sometimes when my and friends are
too tired of studying or doing homework we take a coffee break at Tim Horton’s or Williams. I think engineering is one of those programs where you’re always going to get tough problems to solve. It is so much easier when your working in a group where you can bounce ideas off each other and learn from your mistakes. Just remember to always stay on task, if your team isn’t, GET NEW STUDY FRIENDS hahah joking ;p

Co-op life is pretty awesome! It is such a change. Co-op life is so chill and school life is so stressful, but that doesn’t mean I have forgotten about school. My advice would be to try to prepare for next semester by sharpening your skills learned last term and if possible, try to learn somethings you’ll learn next semester, like programming. It’s very difficult to try to have a relaxing break and think about school, but that’s life that Waterloo, in my opinion. I think the key to success at Waterloo is preparation, but never ruin your break by trying to study too much.

Co-op is soooo freeing, I can hit the gym, read, join teams, and have “me” time, which is near impossible during school. I find that I can eat better during co-op, because I have time to cook! The best thing about the co-op life is that I CAN SLEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPPP! I’ve already had so many awesome sleeps on co-op, because I can sleep longer and sleep stress free.

The one thing that my co-op life right now has in common with my school life is the lack of my mother =[ haha it’s was kinda of hard, because I only got to see my mom and friends during Christmas break. Since I got my co-op job in Waterloo, I’m going to be seeing my mom even less because I have school again in the summer. I’m just prayyyinggg for a co-op job in Ottawa next co-op term, because it will be BIRTHDAY TIME for me, and to be able to spend it with my friends and family will be the best b-day gift! BUT even if it’s not, I’m sure I’ll meet new people and have a great co-op term, just like I am now!

Anyways, I really like the co-op at Waterloo, because it gives me the best of both worlds. I get the academic knowledge in school and the practical knowledge from co-op. Check out the web site to understand more about how the co-op system works at Waterloo.