july 2009 issue
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Member Profile
Powley’s Progress
In many ways, the education and career of Gail Powley, P.Eng., track the progress of women across the country in science and engineering. A Mentor of the Millennium named by the Alberta Women’s Science Network, she discusses the successes and challenges that come out of workplace diversity
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SUCCESS IN SCIENCE |
Editor’s Note: Gail Powley, P.Eng., recently completed her stint as vice-chair of Women in Scholarship, Engineering, Science and Technology. The Alberta Women’s Science Network, meanwhile, named her a Mentor of the Millennium. A profile on this influential Edmonton APEGGA member follows.
BY BARBARA CHABAI
PEGG Contributor
Poet Maya Angelou once said, “It is time to teach young people early on, that in diversity, there is beauty and there is strength.”
One group taking up the charge is Women in Scholarship, Engineering, Science and Technology. For 25 years, it’s been focused on the attraction, retention and advancement of not only women but all populations underrepresented in its areas of concern. The mandate of WISEST includes strengthening science and society through the power of diversity.
That’s something that Gail Powley, P.Eng., knows about first-hand. An Alberta Women’s Science Network Mentor of the Millennium, Ms. Powley recalls the challenges and rewards of her engineering career.
“I was a university student 25 years ago when only 10 per cent of first-year engineering students were female. Despite the fact that the environment was made up mostly of men, they didn’t really give me a hard time,” recalls Ms. Powley, who served as the WISEST vice-chair from 2007 to 2009. “The challenges came out in the field when I was the new kid in town — the new and different kid in town.”
Upon graduating from the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering at the University of Alberta, Ms. Powley was hired to work at a refinery in Alberta. She went on to work for several years at advanced control engineering firm Treiber Controls (based in Toronto) and later served as director of advanced applications and vice-president, strategic initiatives, for Matrikon.
From there, she moved on to the Alberta Research Council, before taking on the WISEST position. Ms. Powley now leads the business development department at ATCO I-Tek, the information technology division of ATCO.
Ms. Powley notes that the men she worked with earlier in her career were not so much concerned about her ability to get the job done. They were more worried that her presence threatened their “guy” culture.
“More of their concern was that they couldn’t be themselves anymore; they needed to be polite or watch what they said around me or else they’d get into trouble. It’s the girl joining the boys’ baseball team,” she says. “They don’t like to think that their life is changing, not because of anything they’d ask for, but because of change being imposed on them.”
Once Ms. Powley was able to assure her co-workers that they didn’t have to curb their language or tuck in their shirts around her, they relaxed and may have even learned a thing or two.
“This was a man’s world and I was OK with that. I had expected to work in a male environment. As they accepted me and I was able to build good working relationships with them, they saw that I had something unique to add — I was interested in their perspectives and working as a team — and they were able to benefit from that too.
“That is what happens when you bring diversity into an environment.”
Making a Difference
The field of engineering is gradually correcting its gender imbalance, although not at a rapid rate. Nationwide, 17 per cent of the people enrolled in first-year engineering are women. The rate is slightly higher in Alberta, with nearly 23 per cent.
The national figure is up a mere seven per cent since Ms. Powley graduated a quarter of a century ago. The sluggish statistics prompted her to accept the position of vice-chair of WISEST.
WISEST really is making a difference and the research proves it. The dean of engineering at the U of A has all his first-year students fill out a survey on what initially attracted them to the profession. In the latest poll, about 20 per cent of the female respondents stated WISEST programs helped motivate them to become engineers.
WISEST hears from young women who had their interest piqued in the Grade 6 CHOICES program, for example. CHOICES brings over 600 Grade 6 girls and their teachers to the university for a day of hands-on science and engineering activities, and provides them the opportunity to meet female science and engineering university students and role models. The group also hears from those who participated in WISEST high school programs — the SET Conference and Summer Research Program.
These are women who went on to become scientists and engineers, and then came back to volunteer with WISEST after they graduated. “That whole cycle is so powerful,” Ms. Powley says.
Today, WISEST continues to address topical issues, such as the disconcerting number of women leaving engineering after they enter the work world. A retention study by the Society of Women Engineers found that one in four women who enter engineering leave the profession by age 30, compared with just one in 10 males.
“When you’re working in a field where people are constantly testing you — and this can happen to men as well as women, but when you’re a visible target it is sometimes worse — you start to wonder if your job is really worth the hassle,” Ms. Powley says. “If you’re able to find a supporter, whether it’s your boss or a network of professionals who understand your challenges and can act as your light at the end of the tunnel, you might be willing to hang in there and push on.”
A Better Balance
WISEST is focused on working with industry to plug in to the power of diversity. Ms. Powley praises forward-thinking companies such as energy provider Enbridge and consulting giant Stantec for instituting flexible policies — thereby recognizing the importance of a healthy work/life balance for their employees.
“It can be a misconception that a woman professional spends more time with family than a man. These days, everyone sees family as a high priority and both women and men take time off to be with their kids,” says Ms. Powley, a mother of three. “Although it’s still interesting that when a woman takes time off, people usually assume it is for family reasons; but when a man takes time off, people assume he must be going away for business purposes.”
The time demands put on engineers in what many see as a work-centred lifestyle may also be impeding the overall growth of enrolment, Ms. Powley says.
“Many people think engineers put in a 70-hour work week at the sacrifice of social life and values, and that’s not necessarily the case. Engineers are very hard working, but they want a quality home life — and many make spending time with family a priority,” she says. “The profession needs to start showing that it is able to offer a balanced lifestyle for both men and women, or else it is in danger of losing both.”
WISEST is also championing industry leaders to be more supportive and to value the contributions of all — regardless of gender, age, race or even personality profile.
“If managers used more inclusive practices, they would get so much more out of their teams,” Ms. Powley says. “In the boardroom or at meetings, it’s often the loudest person who gets their ideas heard — while someone who is on the quieter side may not share their good ideas as they feel the environment is not supportive.
“We need to be aware that everyone has something to offer and practices like going around the room for comment can give all an opportunity to be heard. If the workplace was more inclusive, just imagine how productive and positive it could be. When we work together, we become so much stronger.”
More Info
WISEST
www.wisest.ualberta.ca
www.apegga.org
The PEGG Online
November 2007
Stepping Stones to Science Success
AWSN
www.awsn.com
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