IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2009 - 38

trained as a marketing, business or art
person, but doing the opposite is much
harder, sometimes impossible.

Rare Air

Hassan tackles her first year
of aircraft maintenence

ing for the first year at aircraft maintenance directly and dealing with many of
the defects also doing troubleshooting
every day," she says. "The percentage of
females may be only 5% in this field, but
now after four years, I feel more comfortable as I'm familiar with the system
and know how to do my job as I should."

What information or advice would
you like to pass on to a young girl
Dalia Hassan is an engineer working at
interested in engineering?
Royal Jordanian Airlines in the planning
section since 2004. She enjoyed her stu"I would like to encourage any
dent life and participated in many of
young girl who wants to be an engineer
the student activities, with her most
if she has the full interest and ability to
important event being the establishbe involved in creating solutions. Workment of a Student Branch of the IEEE
ing in any of engineering fields from
inside the college to allow students
my point of view is not easy but on the
to become more involved in scientific
other hand you will develop your perevents in electrical and
sonality either in work life or personal
electronics. It also
life."
gave students the
opportunity to
learn from engineers in the field
by orga nizing
meetings with
graduates a nd
Alhaji enjoys
Dalia Hassan
v i sit i n g w or k
the evolution
places in Jordan. The process of setting
of society
up the branch took six months in planning and an additional six months in
R a pid tech no gathering the efforts from professors or
logical changes
students. After four years, the branch is
in communicafunctioning and many students are joint ion open up
ing the IEEE every year.
limit le ss pos"I was a member of my college stusibilities in life.
dent congress," Hassan adds. "Through
Communication
May Alhaji
this community we organized many of
in general, and
the charity activities, scientific semitelecommunication in particular, has
nars, and the environmental projects
become a way of life and not a mere
like recycling. As a result of my
means to live. A new theory
work life, I continued actcould lead to new pracing as an active employtices in communicaIf
ee and joined many
tion that could affect
you are
of the seminars and
a person's lifestyle
an ambitious
courses to develop
significantly. Being
young lady
my qualifications.
part of that change
I also traveled to
and the evolution
looking to expand
many countries like
of societies is the
your horizons,
Germany, Malaysia,
main reason behind
engineering is
and Dubai for busiMay Alhaji's passion
for you.
ness."
for engineering.
"My job actually is not
easy for a female, as workWhat information or advice

Passion, Preserverence,
Patience

IEEE womEn In EngInEErIng magazInE

june 2009

would you like to pass on to young
girls interested in engineering?
"If you are an ambitious young lady
who is constantly on the lookout for
new ways to expand her horizons, then
engineering is the right field for you.
Engineering is a great field that is filled
with many challenges. It requires a lot
of perseverance and patience. In addition to that, the dynamic and fast-paced
nature of this field requires an energetic
personality who accepts and can easily
adapt with change."

Management Material
Engineering offers control
for Al Awwad

Bashayer Al Awwad wanted to become
a computer engineer
since it is a challenging f ield.
For her, engineering means
management-
management of
time, resources, and every- Bashayer Al Awwad
t hing a round
you. Since you are in control, engineering shows you the best possible ways to
deal with your situation and that even
helps in one's personal life. Al Awwad
feels that engineering is a real changing
field with no routine whatsoever.
What information or advice would
you like to pass on to a young girl
interested in engineering?
"I always push young girls for engineering. It's a very nice and challenging
major that they can really innovate in
and be remarkable. And I really advise
them to do their best to become real
engineers where they can take responsibility. Never listen to people who think
you can't do something. You can and
should show that you can be good in
this field and change the old idea that
'engineering is a man's field.' You should
always be a positive, creative leader full
of ambition and optimism."

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2009