NZ Manufacturer profiles women in engineering, supporting The Diversity Campaign and those who come forward. This profile on Lydia Frater, is a recommendation from HERA. –Doug Green, Publisher. Contact me to take part.

What inspired you to pursue engineering?

I was inspired by a trip with the rotary national science and mathematics forum. I took my first look into real-life engineering at work and fell in love with the environment and skill set, once this idea came into my life.

I took the advantage to learn more about engineering disciplines and talked to engineers and students taking engineering to get a full view which inspired me more.

I was mostly inspired by the people and how welcoming and fulfilled they were with their career choice.

Civil/Structural engineering – does this mean large projects for you to work on?

Being accepted into a Civil/Structural engineering degree at UC I hope in the future to work on large projects and to fill my career with challenges, large accomplishments and teamwork. I particularly  enjoy using  my people skills, which come in handy with large projects.

What is an example of a completed project you admire?

I do admire the Sky Tower in Auckland as it has a lot of character. And also the Ngāi Tahu building Te Whare o Te Waipounamu as I work part-time there and am amazed by it inside and out.

What would you like to specialise in?

I hope to specialise in structural engineering and pursue static and dynamic buildings as I enjoy using creativity with logic and building for the environment.

How would you incorporate creativity? 

I enjoy structures that have character and stand out as a statement. I would like to bring in creativity, using ideas and knowledge already taught, but setting a goal of making it into something more personal.

During the education phase of learning how to be a good engineer, creativity is lacking and I hope to bring my culture of being Tangata Whenua which will allow for more differences in New Zealand. This skill can also be brought to other cultures around the world.

Do you see these as transferable skills you could use overseas?

Yes – I agree that these skills I obtain during my degree will be transferable to every part of the world’s  structure building. Knowledge of dynamics will be used for any condition and area of the world, I hope to travel sometime after completing my degree and gaining work experience to further expand my work post-grad.

Does climate change affect the way you think about engineering?

It will definitely affect the way I think about engineering, as the discipline I am wanting to pursue heavily takes into consideration the environment around one’s project.With climate change, engineering will need to change with it.

Building with the environment will be more impactful and long-lasting. As well as being an engineer who is mindful of the impact of large structural projects on the environment.

Your choice is not about an office environment. Better off in the outdoors?

I never intended to have a career solely in an office environment I enjoy being outdoors and seeing the world around me. I  prefer a career where I can learn and work in new and different places.

Women are not highly represented in engineering and you obviously see opportunities?

I noticed in my first experience seeing engineers at work that there is a huge gap between the number of women and men employees. This has only inspired and given me more drive to become an engineer as opportunities will only grow, and being a role model is important to me.