CELEBRATING MENTORING @BRUNEL

June 2023

Message from our Interim Executive Dean College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences

As the 9th year of mentoring draws to a close at the end of the summer, would like to personally thank all participants – mentors and mentees for your commitment and participation.

The enormous ramification to face to face delivery of study and work opportunities as a result of the pandemic has left its scars. We are so grateful to all our volunteer mentors for their encouragement and support. Our students need resilience and confidence to succeed and the mentoring support enables them to meet the challenges they face. The relationships established do in many cases continue to flourish as can be evidenced by our own WiBEC Alumnae. Thank you one and all for your continued support over the summer and as we look forward to our 10th year of Mentoring @ Brunel.

Prof Stephen Langdon

Reflections

Giselle Hayward, Women in Engineering Manager

Message from Prof Stephen Langdon, Interim Executive Dean, College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences 3

The theme for International Women’s Day 2023 aimed to get the world talking about the difference between equality and equity and why equal opportunities are no longer enough. Equity can be defined as giving everyone what they need to be successful – indeed, this is what WiBEC has been offering our students since 2014. We recently celebrated our positive action with our wonderful WiBEC community at our first ever Skills Conference in March. Gaining inspiration from the array of workshops and seminars our current mentees made lasting connections with the 38 WiBEC Alumnae who attended. These professional women are exceptional role models. Hearing their journeys, successes and dreams as well as the challenges they have overcome as they transition to the next stage of their careers was humbling. I can see that the strong community of WiBEC needs to continue to support our alumnae to ensure they are able to shine, challenge and make strides as Women in STEM. Some of this year’s highlights

• 87 matched pairs successfully on their way to completing the mentoring relationship

• Gather Town virtual launch and first meet

• Nissan #BreakTheBias WiE Seminar and Assessment centre workshop

• Record numbers attended WES Student Conference in Manchester – 22 sponsored tickets

• Making the Most of You workshops, jams and coaching with 77 participants utilising the sponsored code to discover “how to work in your strengths”

• Conscious Leaders delivered Imposter Syndrome workshop and Mindfulness techniques session

• The Motivation Experience - Smash that Interview

• Colt Data Centre Services - Presentation skills

• Heathrow Airport Ltd - Learning to Wow at assessment centres and opportunity to apply for work experience

• Co-Innovate collaboration with mentees to support small local companies

• Winter Networking with Innovia and first meet for our January cohort @ Denham Grove Hotel

• Skills Conference @ Denham Grove Hotel

• Intel, Swindon – 20 mentees attended this site visit

• Culture Cuppa’s Cultural Communication Confidence seminars for mentors and for mentees

• 10 Mentor Circles facilitated by STEMAZING Ltd to share best practice and support each other

• F2F and virtual attendance offered in 4 training sessions for Mentees and Mentors

Support

I have known Luana since 2017, first as a mentee and then more recently as my amazing Mentoring Assistant for the last 2 years. Creative, diligent and totally dependable, an amazing support to me and to the programme. She has curated and attended every event we have delivered – whilst juggling EPSRC PhD researcher deadlines, presenting at conferences and working all-nighters in the lab. am delighted to showcase her talents as she joins Imperial College London linkedin.com/in/luanaosorio

Welcome to our newly appointed Mentoring Assistant Avnee Jain, Undergraduate Researcher at University of Cambridge and coming back for her final year’s study. linkedin.com/in/avneejain