Believing in design as a catalyst for improving human experience, valued partnerships and mentoring, I am most proud of being the co-founder of CityLab High School— the first public school of its kind with a design focus in downtown Dallas.

It was approved by Dallas Independent School District Board of Trustees in the fall of 2016, and today students engage with the city as their laboratory for learning, and develop critical thinking and creative solving skills via hands-on/real-world projects. This is all done in collaboration with organizations and professionals to prepare students for college and careers in architecture, urban planning and environmental science.

CityLab HS is the second pilot in the district with a goal of socioeconomic integration, via a lottery, to draw 50 percent low-income students and 50 percent middle-class/affluent students into the same classes. Simultaneously, CityLab HS is the first pilot in the district that offers geographic diversity by virtue of its location, with up to 30 percent of spots open to families outside of district boundaries, and attracting commuter families who work downtown. As its population continues to grow, the school will serve as an educational choice for families in this area.

About 40 percent of its student body is comprised of female students. This is already an improvement from what is typically seen in local schools that offer an architecture pathway, and the numbers continue to grow.

One of CityLab’s key components is to engage industry experts early on as mentors for students as an invaluable piece of their learning experience, and to build a strong network of advisors, advocates and collaborators.

ArchTam employees are active with the students and provide feedback on their projects, they also participate in the annual conference CityLab Summit! We’ve established “ArchTam Week,” which welcomes experts to present their current work via interactive presentations at CityLab.

We are looking forward to expanding these opportunities and celebrate Earth Day and CityLab’s Environmental Science Program this year, by inviting experts from its water and environmental groups in partnership with Big Thought.

As part for the founding team, my role included writing the original proposal, drafting the school’s curriculum and creating the CityLab Foundation, a nonprofit that enhances the school’s mission. I currently serve as a volunteer and mentor the students on a regular basis in partnership with the architecture instructor, co-founder Peter Goldstein.

Through my involvement in founding CityLab, I’ve been able to further my personal goal of increasing awareness of a career in design and to create opportunities for the next generation of leaders who are a reflection of the cultural, geographical and socio-economic diversity of North Texas —and a true reflection of the communities we serve.

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If any one of these pieces was not in play, I would not be where I am today.

As a transportation engineer, the idea of going to work every day excites me. There are real world challenges to be solved that impact people’s lives. The projects I work on are monumental, and the physical evidence of my decisions will be visible in our infrastructure for decades.

Finding my ideal career, one where I can make a difference, has been incredibly empowering. But I’m also deeply disheartened when I hear about the lack of women in our industry. It’s not because I expect every person to be excited by physics or want to pursue a career in engineering, it’s because I know many women and girls are simply not exposed to the possibility of a STEM career.

For the past two years, I’ve been an ambassador for Futureintech, an organisation that promotes careers in technology, engineering and science by bringing people working in STEM-based industries (such as myself) into schools to share career stories and run workshops. Futureintech helps raise the visibility of STEM in an effort to address the skills shortage, with a particular focus on increasing the number of women entering these fields. Run by Engineering New Zealand, Futureintech will be implementing exciting changes to the programme, with one of its priorities to look at how to target Maori and Pasifika students who tend to be under-represented in STEM education.

One of my favourite experiences of being a Futureintech volunteer was holding a Disaster Proof Roads workshop for female high-school students identified as high achievers in science. As part of the workshop, students were given cardboard cut-outs of bridges, roads, bus lanes and other infrastructure elements with a cost associated with each element. The task was to build a resilient network within a certain budget. It was incredible watching the girls’ faces light up as they solved problems and realized what they could be capable of doing.

Futureintech allows me and my ArchTam colleagues who also volunteer to share our experiences at a critical time in the lives of young people. I hope to return the favour one day and be that passionate and enthusiastic person who serves as a role model, sparking interest and uncovering new worlds.

This blog post is part of a series celebrating International Women’s Day 2018 and this year’s theme, #PressForProgress.

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My path to engineering was not a traditional one. Leaving secondary school at age 17, I was unsure of the career I wanted. With little knowledge of engineering, I began working for ArchTam as a receptionist, and this is where I was exposed to engineering and the incredible impact of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). A few years later, I was offered the opportunity to join ArchTam’s apprenticeship programme. I began a BTEC Level 3 in civil engineering at college, going to classes one day a week and working the remaining four days. I furthered my education in subjects such as surveying, science, and materials and health safety.

Since then, I’ve attended seminars, workshops and forums to discuss, present and showcase apprenticeships and how they can enhance a young person’s skillset and offer a well-defined career path. From this experience, I’ve taken a keen interest in sharing my own story as a way to encourage others to join the profession — or at the least, to understand that it’s a great possibility.

Although STEM subjects were taught in school, I never considered pursuing them as part of my career and day-to-day work. Stereotypes and preconceptions can be an impediment to believing you’re capable of anything, and your options can seem very narrow. This is why I began STEM outreach work, to change young people’s minds and show them different options that they may have thought beyond their reach.

Since becoming a STEM ambassador in January 2017, I work closely with SETPOINT Hertfordshire, and have visited more than ten schools and colleges to promote STEM, participating in career talks, practical activities to engage students, question and answer sessions, and speed events involving a brief five-minute synopsis of my role and career path. Connecting with young people directly gives them the opportunity to ask questions and listen to real-life experiences. The practical activities offer students insight into the day-to-day role of an engineer, and they’re able to apply principles and design ideas to create proposals suitable for scenarios in the real world.

Alongside external STEM activities, I lead in-house structured work experience for students from local schools. It’s extremely rewarding to see some of these students return for summer placements following their time at ArchTam, showing how one introduction can influence a person’s course in life.

The term engineer is extremely broad and covers a number of roles and areas of work for an enthusiastic and driven individual, therefore reaching out to as many students as possible is critical to helping them discover this diverse and dynamic world. It’s something I’m passionate about championing for future generations and, most importantly, the future engineers among us. Believe me, anything is possible!

This blog post is part of a series celebrating International Women’s Day 2018 and this year’s theme, #PressForProgress.

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Tyler Jones (right) presents a donation to STEM NOLA with Dr. Calvin Mackie on STEM Saturday.

I dedicate my personal time to STEM NOLA, an organization that introduces kids to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) through STEM-based learning activities, specifically focusing on underserved communities across New Orleans. I found a connection with the executive director, Dr. Calvin Mackie, who is dedicated to making sure these students have a pathway to STEM careers. I personally take great joy in seeing students discover the world of STEM and develop skills that will benefit their careers, their lives and their communities. It’s exciting to help inspire and teach the next generation of engineers.

Students work on using Pi to decode an encrypted message during a STEM Saturday activity with Tyler Jones (right).

The person who inspired me most in my career is Thomas E. Rodriguez, currently a vice president of Brown and Caldwell’s Private Sector Enterprise and who leads a multi-disciplinary team of engineers, scientists and construction professionals to address private industry’s biggest environmental challenges. Thomas gave me my first opportunity in Philadelphia, PA, to step into the consulting community and taught me that developing long-term client relationships is the most important factor in supporting corporate growth and building a successful career.

I’m grateful that ArchTam has given me the opportunity to apply the values Thomas helped me develop from the beginning of my career. Recognizing the different strengths staff members bring, building multi-disciplinary teams, and seeing them deliver work that improves quality of life for local communities are great sources of satisfaction for me.

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Worldwide, we are responsible for interesting kids in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. One way to inspire kids to consider a career in STEM is to show them that they belong. That’s why I recently organized an I Look Like A Civil Engineer photo booth at Discover Engineering Family Day, a free event in Washington, D.C. The goal of I Look Like A Civil Engineer is to inspire a new generation, especially girls and minorities, to become civil engineers and to invite all people to consider how civil engineering affects their lives.

Eleven civil engineer volunteers and I ran the photo booth where those 500 kids pictured themselves as civil engineers. Each selected a civil engineering project as their backdrop, such as a dam, bridge, sea wall, roller coaster, building or stream restoration project, and we explained how civil engineers are involved in each type of project. We frequently heard from both kids and parents that they had no idea civil engineers worked on such diverse projects that impact the environment and the world we live in. I believe once kids realize how society benefits from engineering every day, and that civil engineers are responsible for making our infrastructure safe, designing the cities of the future and protecting our natural resources, they will be more interested in civil engineering and STEM.

After selecting a backdrop and donning a construction hard hat, the kids proudly held “their” design plans for the photograph, which was then printed and emailed to them. It was amazing to see so many kids excited about being an engineer.

The photo booth is a small part of I Look Like A Civil Engineer’s efforts to change perceptions about civil engineering. We are also telling stories of civil engineers on our website and are raising funds to create a fun, interactive app that shows the public what civil engineers do and exposes kids to diverse teams of civil engineers. Contributors will be invited to join I Look Like a Civil Engineer at key milestones in the app development process, see the app get developed firsthand and be part of its design and creation.

I Look Like A Civil Engineer believes attracting students of all backgrounds to civil engineering as a career benefits both the students and society. Students benefit from working in a high-demand field where they can be creative problem solvers and do work that helps people. Society benefits from having more of our best and brightest helping to shape our future.

Civil engineers play an important role in designing solutions to the world’s most pressing issues. Globally, there are nearly 800 million people without dependable access to clean water and 2.5 billion more without access to modern sanitation, putting them at risk for disease. In order to bring people out of poverty, everyone needs access to clean water, proper sanitation and resilient infrastructure. Civil engineers plan, design and construct these basic systems.

Through the photo booth and our other efforts, kids get to see themselves as civil engineers and learn about civil engineering. I hope that in 10 to 15 years, some of the kids we inspired will be engineers with ArchTam, writing about the amazing work they’ve done to improve the world’s health, happiness and safety.

You can see more pictures on the I Look Like A Civil Engineer wall! If you are a civil engineer and want to make an impact on the next generation, tell your story at www.ilooklikeacivilengineer.com.

Lynn Mayo, project engineer, is ArchTam’s water resources technical practice leader, North America. She has worked as a civil engineer for 30 years and is co-founder of I Look Like A Civil Engineer, LLC. Civil engineers are invited to inspire the next generation of engineers by telling their story at www.ilooklikeacivilengineer.com.
LinkedIn: Lynn Mayo
Twitter: @ilooklikeaCE

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Whilst there is a proven business case for greater diversity, the need for diversity is more personal for me. At the tender age of 16, I was struggling to identify what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I had picked math and science subjects for my higher education because I enjoyed these areas of study, and I had a natural aptitude for them. I loved seeing tall, majestic skyscrapers and sweeping bridges, as well as the smaller things that made our everyday lives just a little bit easier.

I had a somewhat romanticised view of civil engineering, and never truly considered it as a viable profession. Research into the profession confirmed my suspicions — girls like me generally don’t do things like engineering. In the U.K., engineering was all about Isambard Brunel and James Watt — inspiring figures who all seemed to fit the same mold and, fundamentally, did not represent me. This was the catalyst for me; if I wanted to see a change, I would have to become that change.

With the pressure mounting from issues such as climate change, adequate global sanitation, and limited food and water supplies, there is a clear need for more engineers and more creativity. To put this plainly, to respond to the wide range of economic, social and environmental challenges of the coming century, we need more engineers and, inherently, we need more diversity.

It has been reported that, with the huge amounts of expected growth in infrastructure needs in the U.K., we need about 87,000 new graduate engineers each year, but we only produce around 25,000. Whilst I have provided U.K.-based statistics, this is a global problem. The U.K., however, does present a special case in terms of its lack of diversity.

In 2014, women accounted for only 14 percent of engineering graduates, despite the fact that nearly half of physics general certificate of secondary education pupils were female. Add to this that more than half of the end users of the projects we undertake are women, and you start getting a scale of the issue. Even worse than this, only 7 percent of the professional engineering workforce in the U.K. is women and 6 percent come from ethnic minority groups^[1].

As engineers, we all strive for that eureka moment of finding the optimal solution. For me, so many of these moments have occurred in the middle of a brainstorming session or a conversation with my peers and colleagues. We all generate ideas using our understanding of the complexities of a problem as well as our past experiences. As individuals, we are the product of our personal and cultural experiences. A more diverse group, whether this is in terms of gender, race or socio-economic background, will provide a richer tapestry of ideas and innovation. It is imperative that the people designing the solutions for the problems of tomorrow reflect the diversity within our communities.

Now, after spending eight years as an engineer, I can see the small flutters of change in the attitudes of our professionals and the wider perception of engineering. The benefits of diversity are obvious; we can develop more creative and innovative solutions to problems all over the world. I believe if we want to drive engineering as a desirable profession, we must appeal to a wider audience and attract talent from all walks of life.

At ArchTam, we are in a unique position to tackle the stereotypes and push through boundaries in terms of engineering and diversity.  Being the largest global engineering design firm gives us a platform to lead the way in terms of diversity.

^[1]http://www.raeng.org.uk/policy/diversity-in-engineering/what-is-diversity

Nayera Aslam is a principal consultant on ArchTam’s transportation team in Birmingham, United Kingdom. She works on the preliminary designs of local and national highway schemes, which has included the 2012 London Olympics. Aslam’s inspiration to become an engineer was her father, who made her believe that being female should never restrict her ambitions.
LinkedIn: Nayera Aslam

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