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Princess Royal meets next generation of women scientists and engineers at WISE Student Colloquium(M2 PressWIRE Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) HER Royal Highness The Princess Royal will pay a special visit to the University of Huddersfield on Tuesday 8th April so that she can back a campaign to boost the numbers of women who study science and engineering subjects and make their careers in those fields. The event to be attended by Her Royal Highness is the WISE Student Colloquium 2014 staged at the University by the WISE Campaign, which has a mission to improve gender balance in the UK's Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, or STEM workforce. The goal is to increase the proportion of female employees from 13%, as it stands now, to 30%. WISE - of which The Princess Royal is a patron - was founded 30 years ago, following a major report on the state of engineering in the UK. The University of Huddersfield was an ideal location for the organisation's 2014 colloquium, because it has committed itself to increasing the numbers of women who take up science and engineering courses. The UK badly needs more qualified engineers, but approximately half of female engineering and technology graduates do not follow up their studies with careers in these highly varied professions. The WISE Student Colloquium is a key part of WISE's campaign to reverse this trend and The Princess Royal will show her support when she meets students and organisers who attend the event on Tuesday. The Colloquium - which is supported by ExxonMobil and will be attended by representatives of many leading companies - provides an opportunity for female STEM students from across the UK to meet employers, learn about graduate programmes and hear from women who have used their engineering qualifications to forge exciting careers. The line-up of role-model speakers includes Jo Carris. With a Masters in Environmental Technology and Energy Policy from Imperial College and a Chartered Environmentalist, she is Senior Sustainability Consultant at Useful Simple Projects, which she joined from the Olympic Delivery Partner's Sustainability Team. More recently, she has developed sustainability strategies for the 2014 Brazil World Cup and Rio 2016 Olympics. Jo won the WISE Excellence Award in 2013. Jo commented: "It is fantastic to be part of the first WISE Student Colloquium, to help promote and raise awareness about the exciting and varied careers associated with science and engineering. I hope lots of students leave the event feeling inspired to pursue careers in the sector." Students will also hear from the 21-year-old entrepreneur Ruth Amos, who is the inventor of the StairSteady, an aid to enable people with limited mobility to use their stairs safely. Her product was launched at the 2008 Naidex national healthcare show. As the MD StairSteady Ltd, Ruth has seen the steady growth of her brand, which is now a household name. Other speakers include April Feick, who is Director and Chairman of ExxonMobil Chemical Limited in the UK; Philippa Oldham, who is Head of Transport and Manufacturing at the Institute of Mechanical Engineers; and University of Huddersfield lecturers Dr Laura Waters, a scientist who is also a Principal Enterprise Fellow, and Dr Leigh Fleming, who is research engineer with a specialisation in surface measurement. The master of ceremonies for the Colloquium is WISE Board member, Dr Nina Skorupska, who is CEO of the Renewable Energy Association and was the first woman to run a UK power station for RWE npower. The panel discussion will be chaired by WISE Board member Gillian Arnold, who has extensive experience in the IT industry and is CEO of IT services and staffing company Tectre. "We are looking forward to a wonderful day!" said Nina Skorupska. "I feel privileged to be meeting so many extraordinary role models and hope to feel enthusiasm from the audience when they have heard the stories and taken part in the panel discussion. I hope that they are as inspired as I was and what an exciting career awaits any woman that chooses to work in STEM industries. I am grateful to HRH The Princess Royal for joining us - having her attend really emphasised to all how important the WISE Campaign is." Editors' Notes Please direct any press enquiries to attend the event on the day to John Ramsdin, PR Manager, University of Huddersfield 07931 17243307931 172433 and 01484 47269301484 472693 or via email to [email protected] NB: Press access will not be allowed without prior arrangement. Further information about WISE Campaign or the WISE Student Colloquium can be obtained from the WISE Communications Director, Sarah Shaw, on 07545 20853007545 208530 or via email: [email protected] Photos will be available the day after the event by contacting WISE Campaigns Assistant, Rebecca Winstanley, on 07912 582 02707912 582 027 or 01274 72400901274 724009 or email [email protected] The WISE website can be found at www.wisecampaign.org.ukCallSend SMSAdd to SkypeYou'll need Skype CreditFree via Skype . (c) 2014 M2 COMMUNICATIONS |