Promoting Opportunities for Women in Engineering

POWE

Executive Team
Co-Presidents	Taylor Lynn Curtis
Website

Promoting Opportunities for Women in Engineering (POWE) is a McGill student-run organization with a vision to increase the presence of women in the engineering classroom and profession. To achieve this goal, POWE reaches out to future engineering students and supports current students through professional development activities.

Mandate

Promoting Opportunities for Women in Engineering (POWE) is a philanthropic group at McGill University under Engineering Undergraduate Society (EUS). POWE’s main goals are:

• To promote awareness for female students in engineering
• To encourage young women to join this field of study by exposing them to the many career opportunities that an engineering degree offers
• To enlighten others about the important contributions and general role of women in the engineering field
• To create a positive and friendly environment where fellow female engineers can socialize and seek support

Main Events

Speed Mentoring Event

Speed-Networking

One of the largest and most successful events that POWE organizes is Speed Networking. At our Speed Networking event, we invite professional engineers to share their experiences. The evening is always extremely successful and gives students the opportunity to learn from, connect, and network with engineering professionals. In the past year, the event has always filled quickly and has drawn 80 students and 25 professionals. Due to its success, POWE also hosts a Fall Speed-Mentoring, where we invite 10-15 professionals.

POWE Conference

By far POWE’s largest event, the Conference for Future Women in Engineering has been an annual event at McGill for over a decade. The event is so successful that we always fill to capacity months prior. During the conference, over 135 high school students from the Montreal and surrounding area come to McGill for a day to experience a microcosm of what it means to be a McGill Engineering student. The full day conference involves a keynote speaker, lab tours, student and professor panels, and concludes with a design competition. Year after year, we receive enormously positive feedback from both teachers and students.

Industry Tours

POWE visits many industries throughout the year. These tours aim to expose students to a wise variety of possible career paths with the hope of encouraging female students to remain within the discipline after graduation. In the past, POWE has visited Medtronics, CSA (Canadian Space Agency), Pfizer, Pepsi Co., IREQ (Hydro-Quebec Research Institute), and l'Oreal Canada.

POWE Delegation at WISE 2014

Conferences

One of our major initiatives is in sending a strong delegation to represent McGill at national science and engineering conferences, particularly the Conference on Diversity in Engineering (CDE) as well as WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) and SWE (Society for Women Engineers). These conferences allow selected applicants the opportunity to participate in the conferences and, equally importantly, connect with industry, academic, and student representatives from across Canada, and internationally.

Outreach

POWE’s outreach and mentoring program helps elementary school, high school, and CEGEP students learn about the many wonders of engineering. In addition to POWE’s annual conference, select engineering academic advisors, POWE student representatives, and professors participate in the McGill CEGEP Caravans. These McGill-dedicated visits to targeted Montreal CEGEPs (French and English) promote our engineering programs, services and opportunities to CEGEP student and counsellors. In total, ten visits are made, beginning in September and ending in mid-February.

History

POWE McGill was created in October 1989, six weeks prior to the Polytechnique Massacre! The first POWE Speed-Networking took place in 2010.