Women engineers for renewable energy, kilalanin!
Women engineers for renewable energy, kilalanin!
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00:00 In the world of technology and engineering,
00:02 women's deep involvement is not unknown,
00:06 especially in the field of renewable energy.
00:08 Women engineers are the instruments of change
00:12 for a more stable and prosperous future
00:16 in the field of engineering from the future.
00:18 That's why it's a great honor for us to have
00:22 the project manager of Women Engineers here in the studio
00:25 as instruments for sustainable engineering
00:27 in renewable energies, Oweiser,
00:30 Engineer May Rose Imperial.
00:32 Engineer Rose, good morning. Welcome to Rise and Shine.
00:34 Good morning.
00:36 Good morning.
00:37 She's an electronics engineer.
00:38 Yes, she's a good one.
00:41 What was the highlight here
00:44 in the 7th Philippine Women Engineers Summit?
00:48 What is the purpose of this? Tell us.
00:51 The purpose of this is to have
00:55 an opportunity to gather all the women engineers.
00:59 This is not something that is done regularly.
01:03 We only do this once a year.
01:07 We had a summit last Thursday and Friday.
01:11 It's a hybrid since we use technology already.
01:15 We have face-to-face, about 200 women engineers attended.
01:20 We have a global online participation.
01:26 In fact, we have a lot of female engineers
01:30 from other nations.
01:33 Our colleagues from ASEAN, Women Engineers,
01:38 also attended online.
01:40 This is so nice. You're gathering all the women engineers.
01:44 What is the connotation of engineering men and women?
01:47 It's surprising that you have so many women engineers.
01:50 How many are there in the Philippines?
01:52 There are a lot.
01:55 There are thousands.
01:57 This is the advocacy of women engineers.
02:01 When they work and get married,
02:06 they are no longer in the engineering circle.
02:11 So now, our advocacy to women engineers
02:14 is to keep them in the engineering field.
02:17 We are also encouraging more girls to be women engineers.
02:23 Engineer May, we saw that this organization is not just a mere organization.
02:28 It also has its international presence.
02:31 Under your Philippine Technological Council,
02:35 Women Engineers Network, or PTCWIN,
02:38 you have guarantees from USAID, Energy Secure Philippines.
02:42 Tell us about this guarantee.
02:46 First of all, I'm really very proud to say that
02:52 Women Engineers Network is the current president
02:57 of the Asia Pacific Nation Network.
03:01 It's Asia Pacific, an international network of women engineers and scientists.
03:06 We are very proud that the president is a Filipino.
03:13 So that's our international exposure and participation.
03:20 At the same time, we are active in ASEAN Women Engineers as an association as well.
03:27 Now, they saw our advocacy of encouraging girls to do STEM
03:35 and later on, after STEM, to do engineering.
03:39 Yes.
03:40 Especially now, we need a lot for renewable energies.
03:46 We thought, they said, we need more involvement of women engineers for renewable energies.
03:56 And we said, how can we have more women engineers
04:01 if we are getting less engineering girls?
04:07 Okay.
04:08 So, when we started it out, just us, as an organization,
04:13 but when USAID called for a grant, we said,
04:19 let's try to apply, maybe they will see our advocacy.
04:24 And that's it.
04:25 When we applied for it, they liked it.
04:29 They said that we are trying to encourage more girls, really, to enroll into engineering.
04:35 At the same time, young as they are, they have the opportunity to understand what is the need.
04:41 And we know that all engineering fields can really help in creating the renewable energies that we need.
04:50 Okay.
04:51 Speaking of renewable energy, the current administration is very supportive of this.
04:55 Yes.
04:56 We heard this from President Ferdinand R. Barcos Jr.
04:59 So, do you have collaborations with different government agencies?
05:03 Yes, right now, we just had a meeting with the Undersecretary of the Department of Energy,
05:10 Usec Ruena Guevara, who is also a women engineer, an electrical engineer.
05:17 And they are very open to support the project.
05:21 This is just the beginning. Maybe it will be better if we can have a branch here.
05:27 But we're still excited, really, to join.
05:30 Of course, even DEPED, which is also a government agency that we want to tap,
05:37 because our target is really senior high school STEM.
05:42 Okay.
05:43 So that they can take a college engineering course.
05:46 Yes.
05:47 But on the side of the USA, given the grants that are being given here,
05:52 how is the distribution, or what is the specific project that they're going to invest on?
05:59 What are we working on here?
06:01 It's really more of a career mentoring program.
06:04 Okay.
06:05 So, on our part as women engineers, we have volunteers to become career mentor champions, as we call it.
06:14 So they are the mentors in the chosen schools.
06:19 And USAID has a key city development that has been identified.
06:27 It's eight cities, from Batangas, Tagbilaran, Legazpi, down to Zamboanga.
06:36 Those are the most far away.
06:38 But we added two more, Manila and Baguio.
06:43 Because there's not much north, so we said we'll add two more cities.
06:49 So all in all, we'll cover ten key cities.
06:53 Okay. How do you encourage the students?
06:55 Do you have immersion? Do you expose them to the world of engineering?
06:59 In a way, yes.
07:00 But we won't be able to bring them all to the plants or sites.
07:07 But we will be giving out seminars and trainings.
07:13 We will also develop a mobile app that will be downloaded via iOS and Android.
07:21 It's free for senior high schools.
07:24 It contains review materials for math and sciences, so they can at least be encouraged.
07:30 And of course, renewable energy. It's all about renewable energy.
07:35 Alright. It's not because we say that engineers are men.
07:39 But why are we focusing on women when it comes to this project?
07:44 Although, of course, there are men who want to join this.
07:47 Is there a surplus when it comes to male engineers?
07:50 That's a good question, sir.
07:53 This project in USAID is in the bucket for women.
07:59 Okay.
08:00 So it was really just intended for that.
08:04 We don't have inclusivity.
08:06 Actually, when we go to senior high schools, there are no women and no men.
08:12 It's just us who will gather data for the girls.
08:16 But when we go there for career mentoring, it's for all.
08:20 There's no inclusivity.
08:22 Although, of course, it's good to have diversity in the workplace.
08:26 Yes, of course.
08:27 And representation, of course, from the women's sector.
08:31 So for us, there are parents who want their daughters to be involved in this project.
08:38 Or even for the women students out there, how can they be part of this initiative or project?
08:44 Well, I can only say to the parents, no matter what choice your children make,
08:51 I hope they support it.
08:52 Because sometimes, the parents say, "Oh, take this course. Take this course."
08:57 But at least they will like it through our initiative of introducing them to the engineering fields,
09:04 various engineering fields.
09:06 I hope the parents will support it.
09:09 Yes. If your child wants to do engineering, you will be proud because it's hard to learn.
09:14 Of course.
09:15 There's science in that. Engineering is very challenging.
09:18 No. Sometimes, even for me, in high school and college, the girls are better.
09:22 Even in high school, I was really better.
09:25 I told them, "Let's do engineering."
09:27 My dad is an engineer.
09:29 Same. Civil engineer. We're both engineers.
09:32 But no one followed his children.
09:35 But you can still catch up.
09:39 I have hope for my nephew. He's in science high school.
09:42 Okay.
09:43 So he will also do STEM.
09:45 So hopefully, that's also in his heart.
09:49 Thank you very much for your time.
09:52 Thank you very much.
09:53 I hope your project will be successful.
09:56 And we can encourage more women out there to take engineering.
10:00 We have again with us, Engineer May Rose Imperial.
10:04 Thank you very much.
10:05 Thank you, Rene.