AMC student Saxon Schapel wins Engineers Australia scholarship

With her father and grandfather both engineers, Ms Schapel said she felt encouraged to pursue the career.

"I remember when I was quite young, going to a science expo and soldering an LED torch," she said.

It was a moment where I was like, 'Hey, this is really fun', and it sparked a lifelong passion for STEM."

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However, being a woman in engineering doesn't come without its challenges.

Engineering has a long history of being male-dominated, with the lowest female representation of the STEM professions.

Only 16 per cent of Australian engineering graduates are women and even fewer engineers in the workplace are women at 13 per cent.

The 19-year-old said while the industry was largely male-dominated, she hoped more women would feel encouraged to give engineering a go.

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"It can be a bit isolating at times, being the only woman in a room," Ms Schapel said.

"But I figure if I am there and I am present, then it may encourage another girl to be, and then it's a domino effect."

Ms Schapel was recently awarded the Caterpillar Driving Diversity for Women in Engineering scholarship.

"I was pretty shocked when I heard the news," she said.

"I think it's a great way to support women entering the industry."

Ms Schapel said opening the door to educational opportunities is key to closing the gender gap.

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"Women make up 50 per cent of the population, so we should promote engineering and STEM in general as a path for them," she said.

Engineers Australia general manager Darren Beattie said he hoped the scholarships would enable more women to study engineering.

"This year Hydro Tasmania and Caterpillar have scholarships of $5000 each for a young woman entering her first year of an engineering qualification," Mr Beattie said.

"Australia needs to increase the participation and retention of women in engineering.

"Research shows that diversity leads to improved decision-making.

"In engineering, these decisions can have significant impacts on society by leading to greater innovation, improved products and services, and solutions."

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