“Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow” – Anthony J. D’Angelo. I am an Electrical Engineering Graduate from Western University planning to pursue Masters studies in Power Systems Engineering. Aside from academics, volunteerism has been a very important pillar in my life that helped me shape my skills to become a better leader and advocator for causes that matter. I enjoy taking part in activities that encourage young students to pursue a career in engineering. For example, I was a mentor for three consecutive years at Western University for first year students. I also take pride in raising funds for causes to improve and better our society. Last year, my team raised $6,738 for the Heart and Stroke Foundation through the Big Bike Ride and won first place for raising the highest amount.

This year, I am proud to be the Vice Chair of IEEE – Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. As Vice Chair, I hold soldering workshops and Arduino tutorials. Recently, with the help of IEEE members, I successfully secured club funds of up to $3,000 to facilitate more initiatives and student activities. In early September of 2018, I attended the IEEE National Student Congress to represent Western University’s Student Branch and shared new initiatives with fellow IEEE affiliates

Taking part in volunteer work to build a better community did not detract me from my academic achievements. I have received the recognition in the dean’s honour list for the past four consecutive years. My first year design project focused on helping a rural community in India suffering from pre-mature infancy deaths. I designed a prototype of an easy-to-use portable incubator that runs on an electric energy source and it was a huge success in the engineering seminar. A project that I am really proud of is my graduation project called the “Smart Orthopaedic Implant”. The hardware involves a smart orthopaedic sensor that measures temperature, applied, forces and acceleration in order to store and transmit the collected data wirelessly. In addition, the software component involves a simple user-friendly interface for surgeons to access the database and track patient progress to minimize mechanical failures and treatments. It is currently patent-pending and has been recognized as the best overall graduation project by Western University for 2019.

These achievements would not have been made possible without the support of affiliations and organizations. I am grateful for those opportunities and I am inspired to continue to give back to my Engineering Community. I look forward for the next chapter of my life focusing on innovative solutions for real-world problems starting with developing “Sadeeq”.

I believe the future looks bright for creative women in STEM. The rise of support through new outreach programs inspires more women to take interest in STEM, but most importantly creates a culture of curiosity and discovery to make the world a better place.

Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fatma-zourob/