Engineers encouraged to ‘Shape the World’ for #INWED20

International Women in Engineering Day 2020 (INWED20) has been launched with the theme ‘Shape the World’.

The annual event, now in its seventh year, is an awareness campaign which raises the profile of women in engineering across the globe focusing attention on the career opportunities available to girls in the industry.

INWED brings together engineers and their supporters from across the world; joining to raise awareness of the opportunities and achievements of women engineers. For the past four years INWED has been celebrated in many countries including Panama, Canada, Rwanda, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Pakistan.

A regular event in the INWED UK celebrations is the Top 50 Women in Engineering (WE50) Awards. Also co-ordinated by the Women’s Engineering Society (WES), the awards recognise the top 50 women in a specific category. The 2020 awards celebrate the top 50 women in sustainability. Nominations open for the WE50 on 8 March 2020 with the winners published in a Guardian newspaper supplement on 23 June.

INWED was originally established as a national celebration in Great Britain by the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) in 2015. Within a short time, the day grew in popularity and its appeal spread across the globe, and in 2016 INWED was awarded UNESCO patronage for the first time.

Speaking of the importance of INWED, Elizabeth Donnelly, chief executive officer of the Women’s Engineering Society said, “INWED20 is an amazing campaign that recognises the careers available to women in engineering. The 2020 theme ties in with the challenges facing us in an uncertain future and invites engineers to share how they are tackling such topics as the climate emergency. We are also delighted to be celebrating the Top 50 Women in Sustainability for engineering and allied disciplines, as an inspiration to those who want to #ShapeTheWorld."

Sally Sudworth, chair of judges for the Top 50 Women in Engineering 2020 added, “Engineers have a key role to play in providing sustainable solutions in addressing the climate emergency and net zero carbon challenge. That’s why we are celebrating the top WE50 women engineers working in this field in 2020”.

To find out how to take part in INWED20 or support it through sponsorship, visit www.inwed.org.uk.