International Women in Engineering Day 2023
Last week, Brimstone celebrated International Women in Engineering Day (INWED). Taking place on 23rd June, the day recognises and celebrates the amazing work of women engineers around the world.
INWED was first launched in 2014 by the Women’s Engineering Society. It gives women engineers around the world a profile when they are still hugely under-represented, with 2021 figures indicating that in the UK, only 16.5% of engineers are women.
To get involved in the celebrations, we spoke with a couple of our engineers to learn about their experiences of working as engineers in the UXO sector and to ask what their advice would be for budding female engineers.
Dr Sumana Basu – Geophysicist
Dr Sumana Basu is our in-house Geophysicist. Her role at Brimstone involves looking at the information gathered during UXO surveys and checking for data characteristics against signatures for unexploded ordnance.
Q: What do you find most enjoyable about your job?
A: “In my day-to-day work, I deal with real field data which, in most cases, are unpredictable and unique in their own way. I enjoy looking at the data and seeing things down within the subsurface which would otherwise not be visible. Working in the UXO industry is directly related to making the world safer, so that makes my job even more enjoyable and satisfying.”
Q: Are there any particular challenges or unusual aspects of your role?
A: “Anyone who has worked with real field data knows how challenging it can be at times. In the UXO sector, we work with data which can directly impact human safety, so being confident in what you do is extremely important.”
Charley Hayler – UXO Engineer
Charley is one of our UXO engineers. Her job involves going to sites across the country to mitigate the risk of UXO by conducting services such as UXO surveys, watching briefs and search and clears.
Q: What advice would you give to budding female engineers?
A: “Be confident. It can be quite daunting but working in engineering is exciting and you can learn so many skills. Just be confident and hold your own. Go for the goal just like anyone else would.”
Q: What inspired you to become an explosives engineer?
A: “It’s hard to transition from the military into civilian life but being an explosives engineer meant I was able to put the qualifications I’d gained in the military to use. It’s also a gentler transition, as you are still working with like-minded people and others who are ex-military.”
Harnessing the power of engineering
Engineering is an integral part of our work at Brimstone. From our explosives engineers out on sites across the UK to our in-house geophysicist and our EOD trainers, engineering is essential in all areas of our business.
You can learn more about Brimstone by exploring our website.
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