The Women in Engineering Advisory Committee - Events

What do a playwright, a professor, a motorcycle enthusiast and a leading materials engineer have in common? They are all titles that aptly describe Dr. Caroline Baillie, the dynamic young keynote speaker at the 5th Annual Claudette MacKay-Lassonde Fall Forum, presented last month by OSPE’s Women in Engineering Advisory Committee (WEAC).

This year’s event, entitled “Professional Engineers: Living, Learning, Leading,” took place on Saturday, October 23, at the Bahen Centre, the new state-of-the-art engineering and applied science building at the University of Toronto’s St. George campus.

With more than 60 professional engineers, recent graduates and students in attendance, Dr. Baillie shared insights and experiences from her incredibly diverse career in England, Australia and Canada. Drawing highly entertaining examples from her own plays, poems and teaching experiences, she spoke about the challenges of integrating creativity and personal values into a profession that is often stereotyped as rigid and conventional.

“At a personal level we can each reflect on our own behaviours, choices and effectiveness,” Dr. Baillie said. “It is only at this point that we start to realise the constraints imposed upon us by the society in which we operate and that personal development is only one part of the picture. Transforming engineering to be inclusive of diverse values requires transforming engineers and engineering education.”

Dr. Baillie is currently serving as the first Dupont Canada Chair in Engineering Education at Queen’s University, a position that is allowing her to help engineering educators in Ontario address some of these issues in new and exciting ways.

Following Dr. Bailie’s address, Fall Forum attendees were able to choose two of four exceptional workshops on themes of mentorship, leadership, career building and career-life balance. All workshops were presented by members of the Association of Career Professionals International, one of OSPE’s professional development partners. Attendees also enjoyed a networking luncheon with colleagues at the Faculty Council Chamber.

This year’s WEAC Fall Forum once again honoured the memory of Claudette MacKay-Lassonde, the first woman president of Professional Engineers Ontario and the founder of Women in Science and Engineering (WISE). Throughout the year, WEAC participates in programs that foster networking and professional development among women engineers and encourage more women to consider engineering as a career choice.

“With a population of only 7% women, our profession is not as well rounded as it could be,” noted Catherine Karakatsanis, M.E.Sc., P.Eng., Secretary of the OSPE Board. “The Ontario Society of Professional Engineers is pleased to have WEAC working to develop strategies that can help improve our profession by making it more inclusive and balanced.”

Claudette MacKay-Lassonde, P.Eng., was the first woman president of Professional Engineers Ontario, a founder of Women in Science and Engineering, and a driving force behind the creation of WEAC.

Generously sponsored by:

For more information on WEAC and its activities, or to find out about volunteer opportunities, please contact Andrea Ritter at (416) 223-9961, extension 237 or aritter@ospe.on.ca.