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APEGS is very fortunate to have established strong working partnerships with STEM (science, technology engineering and math) organizations like the Saskatchewan Science Centre and the Children’s Discovery Museum in Saskatoon.
This year our relationship with the Saskatchewan Science Centre resulted in extending APEGS’s contact with the McGillivray Freeman IMAX film producers and DiscoverE through Dream Big and meeting the featured engineer Dr. Menzer, P.E. Pehlivan is a geotechnical engineer with a focus on earthquake engineering.
Pehlivan joined APEGS for the 2017 Annual Meeting and gave a presentation on Women in the Profession. Her presentation reminded us that the popular public perception of engineers is based on stereotypes. She makes the case that math and science are compatible with creative and artistic thought.
In the film, Pehlivan relates that her early-childhood ambition was to be an actress. It took a devastating earthquake in her homeland of Turkey to inspire her to pursue engineering because in a professional capacity she was able to help people survive natural disasters.
Pehlivan knows first-hand what it is like to be told by a teacher that “women don’t become engineers.” Fortunately, she ignored that advice. Women want to help their family and community and sometimes to do so means practising engineering.
Pehlivan is returning to Saskatchewan for the Fall Professional Development Days and to help APEGS host the next Girls’ Night Out event, aimed at high school students, at the Saskatchewan Science Centre on Monday, October 16.
Why is it important that Dr. Pehlivan come to Saskatchewan?
Because Pehlivan is an inspiring role model. Her story will resonate with young women who are deciding how to keep their options open as they think about their future careers. She encourages women to believe in themselves and their ability and encourages their parents to believe in their children.
Girls have so many career opportunities. Role models like Pehlivan can help, demonstrating that engineering and geoscience are great career options. Pehlivan is also happy to break stereotypes, even if that means wearing a dress and heels. Pehlivan knows that girls respond to positive images of women and make the connection that being female is not a barrier to pursuing engineering, solving problem and helping people.
So why do we need men and women engineers to be role models?
We all need positive role models! Sixty per cent of all engineers have a close family member or friend who is an engineer. Anecdotally, many women engineers have a father, brother, uncle or cousin who is an engineer.
PHOTO: Tara Zrymiak, P.Eng., FEC (left) and Margaret-Anne Hodges, P.Eng., FEC (right) host Dr. Menzer Phelivan, P.E. (centre) at the Kramer IMAX Theatre.