Celebrating International Women in Engineering Day
Terrasmart’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) is evident in more than just words – it’s backed up by facts. As just one example, our leadership team is 40% women. In honor of International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) on June 23rd, we’re sharing insights about workforce representation of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and spotlighting two of our female employees with STEM backgrounds.
Now in its 11th year, INWED celebrates “the amazing work that women engineers around the world are doing to support lives and livelihoods every day.” The roots of INWED go back to World War I, when many women jumped into engineering roles, and a group of them formed the Women’s Engineering Society (WES). To mark its 95th year in 2014, WES designated a day to raise the profile of and provide a platform for women in engineering, and INWED was born.
Industry Progress, but More Work to Do
In the landscape of gender diversity in STEM, there is good news. Between 2011 and 2021, STEM-related roles in the U.S. grew by 5.9 million jobs, representing a 20% increase. In the same timeframe (2011-2021), the number of women in STEM roles increased 31%, as compared to a 15% increase for men.
In the renewable energy sector, a 2018 survey from the International Renewable Energy Agency reported that 28% of the women in clean energy are in STEM jobs.
Specific to engineering, however, in a workforce made up of nearly 48% women, females represent just 16% of the engineering sector. We’re pleased to see positive trends toward gender diversity in engineering, but there is clearly more progress to strive for.
STEM Spotlight
Terrasmart has an exceptional team across the board. In the spirit of raising profiles and providing platforms, we’re shining a spotlight on two of our female employees with STEM backgrounds – Clare Shaw and Katie DeVictor.
Terrasmart Profile: Clare Shaw
Degree: B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Ohio University
Role: Designer for the Wave and Tracker teams, on a learning track to become a project engineer and perform structural engineering
Mechanical engineering runs in Clare’s family – both her parents were mechanical engineers, and she grew up wanting to be one too. Lack of role models is one of the primary reasons young girls may not pursue careers in STEM, and Clare is fortunate to have grown up in a household where the concept of women in engineering was normalized and encouraged. As she headed off to college, she found herself torn between a math and science career or an art-oriented future. What she recognized was that engineering offered a great balance of technical knowledge and creativity.
At Terrasmart, Clare enjoys brainstorming ways to make her team’s workflow more efficient, including asking questions about current processes. Her contributions make her teammates’ jobs easier and help clients better understand Terrasmart’s breadth of product offerings. She points out that solar is a great industry for people who enjoy learning, because the technology is continually advancing.
On the industry side, Clare notes that there are still gender diversity hills to climb. She says she has felt the need to work twice as hard as male colleagues to gain the same recognition, and while this can be frustrating, she also views this challenge as an opportunity to open doors for women who will be in her position in the future.
Clare advises women in STEM to know their worth and stand firm in that knowledge, and to not be afraid to speak out and question the status quo. Questioning existing practices is an important way to identify areas of improvement and accelerate progress.
“Don’t be afraid to speak out and question the status quo. You may be surprised how often people do things just because they are told to, and do not question whether or not things can be improved upon.”
Clare Shaw, on diversity in STEM
Terrasmart Profile: Katie DeVictor
Degree: B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from University of Dayton
Role: Knowledge Manager on the Product Development team, recently promoted from a previous role as Terrasmart Designer
Katie was guided toward engineering through supportive family members and mentors. Her math skills were apparent at a young age, and she credits her older brother and father for nurturing that talent. She originally applied to college as a pre-physical therapy major, but after speaking to a number of engineering professors, she realized that engineering was her calling. During college she was part of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Biomedical Engineering Society, and the Society of Women Engineers. She received additional mentorship through these networks and from professors within her major.
She received additional mentorship through these networks and from professors within her major.
She began her career at Terrasmart as a Designer on the Wave product team, and points out that she was promoted within two years. In her current role, she is responsible for capturing, organizing, sharing, and managing the organization’s knowledge and information to enhance efficiency and foster innovation. Katie notes how deeply meaningful she finds her career in solar energy, and appreciates the opportunity to make a positive impact on both the environment and society.
As a woman in STEM, Katie has experienced feeling overlooked, ignored, or not taken seriously in the field of engineering over the years, and advises women considering an engineering career to focus on building a network of support. She also recommends letting go of other people’s judgments and opinions, and maintaining a belief that any achievement is possible. At Terrasmart, Katie notes that she has felt encouraged and supported as a woman in her department and as a member of her team.
“Working in the field of solar energy is incredibly meaningful to me. It allows me to contribute to a sustainable future and be part of an industry that is making a positive impact on the environment and society.”
Katie DeVictor, on working in the solar industry
To repeat one of our cultural mantras – DEIB is a journey, not a destination. We will continue to make actionable steps towards gender diversity in our organization and in the industry, and as part of International Women in Engineering Day, we celebrate all of the pioneers in women in engineering, past, present, and future.
This is one of a series of ongoing DEIB-themed blogs and updates we’ll be sharing throughout the course of the year. Please see our recent blogs on DEIB in Recruiting updates from our DEIB Action Committee, and Black History Month, and other posts on Diversity in PV Manufacturing and Women’s History Month.
