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Aston University Professor Patricia Thornley elected Fellow of The Royal Academy of Engineering
• Professor Patricia Thornley joins a total of 69 leading engineers from around the world to the Fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering • Each individual recognised for their outstanding and continuing contributions to their profession • Patricia Thornley is the Director of the Energy and Bioproducts Research Institute (EBRI) at Aston University Professor Patricia Thornley from Aston University has joined the Royal Academy of Engineering as a Fellow. The Director of the Energy and Bioproducts Research Institute, which is based at the University, joins a total of 69 leading figures in the field of engineering and technology to the Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Engineering this week. The group consists of 60 Fellows, four International Fellows and five Honorary Fellows, with each individual having made exceptional contributions to their sectors in their own way, as innovation leaders, inspiring role models, or through remarkable achievements in business or academia. This year’s new Fellows are the first to reflect the Academy’s Fellowship Fit for the Future initiative announced in July 2020, to drive more nominations of outstanding engineers from underrepresented groups ahead of its 50th anniversary in 2026. This initiative will see the Academy strive for increased representation from women, disabled and LGBTQ+ engineers, those from minority ethnic backgrounds, non-traditional education pathways and emerging industries, and those who have achieved excellence at an earlier career stage than normal. These new Fellows will be admitted to the Academy, which comprises nearly 1,700 distinguished engineers, at its AGM on 22 September. In joining the Fellowship, they will add their capabilities to the Academy’s mission to create a sustainable society and an inclusive economy for all. Sir Jim McDonald FREng FRSE, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, said: “Our Fellows represent the best of the best in the engineering world, and we welcome these 69 excellent and talented professionals to our community of businesspeople, entrepreneurs, innovators and academics. “This year’s new Fellows are the most diverse group elected in the history of our institution. The engineering profession has long suffered from a diversity shortfall and the Academy is committed to changing that, including by ensuring that our own Fellowship community is as inclusive as it can be. It is well established that diverse organisations tend to be more agile and more innovative, and as the UK’s National Academy for engineering and technology, we have a responsibility to reflect the society we serve in addressing the shared challenges of our future.” Professor Thornley added: “It is such an honour to be admitted to the Academy and be able to represent Aston University, EBRI and females within engineering, and I look forward to working with the Royal Academy of Engineering in the future.”
The Case for Career Advocates: An Organization Is Not a Meritocracy
This blog post is the first in a three-part series by Renee Dye 94PhD, associate professor in the practice of Organization & Management that summarizes the key messages she delivers to students in the hopes that it can catalyze and support the career success of a broader group of ambitious employees who aspire to make it to the C-Suite One of the paradoxes of the GenZs and Generation Alphas is their intuitive understanding of the phenomenon of social media…at the same time they maintain an almost ideological conviction that the workplace – apart from systemic biases – is otherwise a meritocracy, where talent is perfectly and objectively evaluated – and the best and most deserving rise to the top. Surely a cursory exploration of Instagram and TikTok would convince even the most skeptical of the fundamentally idiosyncratic nature of success in a networked world? The Real World is likewise characterized by outcomes in which success is imperfectly correlated with capability level. Someone whose capability level is less than yours may lap you in the race to the top of the organization. That may seem unfair, but that’s because you’re making the mistake of assuming that career success is predicated purely on capability. A survey of MBA graduates from Emory University's Goizueta Business School a few years ago produced a startling insight: of all the skills that we provided to our students during their MBA tenures, our students felt most unprepared to navigate “organizational politics” in their careers. The reason that I found this fact so astonishing is that today’s students, who are Digital Natives and in part Social Media Natives, are the most connected and self-promoting generation the world has ever seen. Yet today I find that my students continue to exhibit little practical understanding of how career success is forged…so much so that I now devote an entire class session in my core Strategy class to demonstrating the importance of relationship management and advocacy cultivation. Capability is not unimportant; far from it. As I tell my students, though, capability is table stakes these days as the level of education and skill sets continues to advance among individuals. If you’re not smart and capable you’re not getting in the door. But once you’re in, your career path and ultimate career success will be more determined by (1) your level of aspiration and unflagging commitment to achieving your goals; (2) your performance outcomes in your individual roles; (3) your work ethic and conscientiousness; and (4) the relationships you have with other people within your organization. And the relationships that matter the most are the individuals with influence and power over your future career opportunities. Let me put it starkly: without career advocates (notice the plural), it will be much, much harder to make it to the senior management ranks. Full stop. Some facts to bear this assertion out: • People with advocates are 23% more likely to move up in the careers • Women with advocates are 22% more likely to ask for a stretch assignment to build their reputations as leaders Ultimately, having an advocate confers a career benefit of 22-30%, depending on who’s doing the asking and what they’re asking for. That’s increasing your odds of making it to the C-Suite by nearly a third! If anecdotal evidence is more your thing, here are a couple of quotations for you: • A lot of decisions are made when you are not in the room, so you need someone to advocate for you, bring up the important reasons you should advance” (Catalyst Survey, as quoted in Elizabeth McDaid, “Mentor vs. Sponsor,” September 3, 2019) • When you get to the level in your career when decisions are not just being made by an individual manager, feedback from other leaders becomes crucial. Rosalind Hudnell, Chief Diversity Officer, Intel. As quoted in Hewlett, Sylvia Ann, Melinda Marshall, and Laura Sherbin. “The Relationship You Need to Get Right,” HBR 2011) • “I was great at building businesses and had tons of cheerleaders, but I had that typical Asian keep-your-head-down-and-you’ll-get-taken-care-of mindset.” My boss had to take me aside and tell me that if I didn’t actively cultivate her as my sponsor, I would never progress beyond senior associate” (quoted in Hewlett, Sylvia Ann, Melinda Marshall, and Laura Sherbin. “The Relationship You Need to Get Right,” HBR 2011) To reiterate: an organization is not purely a meritocracy where talent and hard work speak for themselves; and it’s much, much harder to advance within an organization without effective advocates. "This blog post is the first in a three-part series that summarizes the key messages I deliver to my students, in the hopes that it can catalyze and support the career success of a broader group of ambitious employees who aspire to make it to the C-Suite,” writes Renee Dye 94PhD, associate professor in the practice of Organization & Management. “Most of my lessons are derived from my own unlikely personal journey from literary scholar to top-tier management consultant to C-suite executive for a publicly traded company, but they are also heavily informed by leading researchers like Sylvia Anne Hewlett. In the final blog, I discuss the impact of remote work on career success.” For more insight and to continue reading this article and series, please visit Dye’s blog. To arrange an interview – simply click on Dye’s icon now to book a time today.
The Olympics have come and gone. As the world watched top athletes from across the globe compete, one key takeaway was not a new world record or a perfect 10 on the floor – but that Black female athletes faced unfair scrutiny and an obvious double standard when it came to issues of stress and mental health, policies and protocol, uniforms and hair, and more. UMW Assistant Professor of Communication Emily Deering Crosby's previous research has focused on how the media has portrayed Black female Olympians like Lolo Jones and Gabby Douglas. Here's what she had to say: There were numerous instances this summer of world class women athletes being sexualized, penalized, mocked and dismissed for a variety of issues from uniforms to motherhood to naturally occurring testosterone levels to mental health to archaic policy. This was particularly salient for Black women athletes, which is worth highlighting, since racism and sexism often function in tandem ways that many people misunderstand as “normal” or “insignificant” since it can be pervasive. My work aims to root out, point out and amplify why these practices are wrong, why they keep women from being appropriately valued, and how sports culture can be better and thus enhance communication scholarship and everyday practices by media, fans and athletes themselves. The silver lining in the most recent Games is how digital culture, particularly social media, gives athletes themselves a voice. Further, fans and athletes alike are becoming more knowledgeable of these problematic policies and are bravely and creatively calling them out. Thus, athletes such as Simone Biles, Naomi Osaka, Sha’Carri Richardson, Allyson Felix, Norway’s women’s beach handball team, etc. are key case studies to understand these communication and structural phenomena more deeply and ultimately bring more critical awareness and justice to women’s sports.” If you’re a journalist looking to know more about this important topic – then let our experts help with your questions and coverage. Assistant Professor of Communication Emily Deering Crosby is a rhetorical critic of popular culture with research concentrations in feminist criticism – and she’s a go-to expert on this topic for national media. Dr. Crosby is available, simply click on her icon now to arrange an interview today.
The use of swear words declines by more than a quarter in the UK since the 1990s – new research
Aston University’s Dr Robbie Love compared the use of 16 of the most common swear words between 1994 and 2014 He found the amount of swearing has fallen by 27.6 per cent during the 13-year period The study also found that the f-word has overtaken 'bloody' as UK's most popular curse word Researchers from Aston University have found that the use of swear words in Britain has declined by more than a quarter since the 1990s. Dr Robbie Love, based in the College of Business and Social Sciences, looked at how swearing changed in casual British English conversation between 1994 and 2014. As part of the study, which is published in Text & Talk: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Language, Discourse & Communication Studies, Dr Love used two large bodies of transcriptions to analyse the use of language, including: The Spoken British National Corpus gathered in 1994 and the same corpus from 2014. Both texts include over 15 million words, although it was found that swear words accounted for less than one per cent. In total, the amount of swearing was found to have fallen by 27.6 per cent, from 1,822 words per million in 1994 to 1,320 words per million in 2014.The research findings also suggest that the f-word has overtaken 'bloody' as the most popular curse word in the UK. In the study, Dr Love compared the use of 16 of the nation's most common swear words, including p***, c*** and s**g, from the 1990s to the 2010s. He also found that trends in the type of swear words used have changed over the last few decades , with 'bloody' being the most common curse word in the 1990s and the f-word taking precedent in the 2010s. The analysis suggests that this is largely down to a big decline in the use of 'bloody',while the f-word has remained relatively steady over the years. It was also found to be the second most commonly used swear word in 1994, followed by s**t, p***, b****r and c**p. Other key findings of the study included: Over a twenty year period b****r had fallen from the fifth most common curse to the ninth, while b*****d dropped from seventh to 10th. The big climbers include s**t, from third to second, a**e, from eighth to sixth and d***, from tenth to seventh. T**t also rose from the 16th most common swear word in the 1990s to 13th by the 2010s. Dr Love then analysed demographics and discovered that, although swearing is more common in men than women, the difference between the genders has decreased notably from 2.33 times more frequent in men in 1994 to 1.68 times in 2014. Another change concerned how much people swear as they age. In both data sets, swearing is most common among people in their 20s, and then declines with age. However, the decline was less steep in the 2010s, suggesting that people continue swearing later in life more than they did in the 1990s. Dr Robbie Love, lecturer in English at Aston University, said: “This research reinforces the view that swearing plays a part in our conversational repertoire, performs useful functions in everyday life and is an everyday part of conversation for many people. “Despite this, it is relatively under-researched precisely because it is considered to be taboo. “Swearing performs many social functions including conveying abuse and humour, expressing emotion, creating social bonds, and constructing identity. “The strong social conditioning around swear words makes them more psychologically arousing and more memorable than other words, and something different happens in the brain when saying them compared to euphemistic equivalents, such as saying "f***" compared to ‘the f-word’.” You can read the full study, Text & Talk: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Language, Discourse & Communication Studies, HERE If you want to explore how the written and spoken word works in society, Aston University's innovative English language and literature degrees are for you. We emphasise practical applications, linking your studies to the real world through professionally relevant modules in areas such as Language and Literature in Education, The Language of the Law, Psychology of Language and Communication or Language at Work.
UCI experts can discuss unfolding crisis in Afghanistan
UCI faculty members Dr. Heidi Hardt, associate professor of political science, and Dr. Mark LeVine, professor of modern middle eastern history, are available to speak about the crisis in Afghanistan. Dr. Heidi Hardt Dr. Hardt can talk about NATO's contribution to Afghanistan, implications for NATO's legitimacy, security concerns for Afghan women and provide broader context on military interventions and operations. She can address more specific questions related to the two decades long allied operation. About Dr. Hardt: Dr. Hardt has expertise in transatlantic security, national security and European security and defense, including NATO, the EU and OSCE. Issue areas include transatlantic security cooperation, collective defense, crisis management, military operations (e.g. Afghanistan), coalition warfare, strategy, learning, adaptation, organizational change, gender and diplomacy. She's the author of two books: NATO's Lessons in Crisis: Institutional Memory in International Organizations (Oxford UP, 2018) and Time to React: The Efficiency of International Organizations in Crisis Response (Oxford UP, 2014). She's the recipient of a 2021-2022 Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellowship and will soon be working as a foreign policy fellow for the Office of Congresswoman Katie Porter. Contact: hhardt@uci.edu Dr. Mark LeVine Dr. Levine was in Kabul in 2019. His point of view on Afghanistan includes: • “Why did the US abandon the embassy when the agreement with the Taliban specifically allowed to diplomatic staff to remain in Afghanistan and there was no imminent threat by the Taliban to the embassy and in fact the US was coordinating with them. They could have certainly kept the lights on and not looked like cowards running, which set the tone for everything else.” • “It seems pretty clear that there was an internal military coup. The Taliban did not just waltz into Kabul without coordination with senior military people who are already handing over parts of the country to them in the days before. Some kind of deal had been worked out behind the scenes and without the knowledge of the president, which is why he felt he had no choice but to flee.” About Dr. LeVine: Dr. LeVine completed his Ph.D at NYU’s Dept. of Middle Eastern Studies in 1999, after which he held postdoctoral positions at Cornell University's Society for the Humanities and the European University Institute's Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, in Florence, Italy before coming to UCI. His research and teaching focus on the following issues: histories, theologies and political and cultural economies of the Middle East and Islam in the modern and contemporary periods; Palestine/Israel; cultural production, revolution and resistance in the Middle East and Africa; modern and contemporary Iraq, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco; art and conflict in West Africa (especially Ghana and Nigeria, but also Senegal, Mali and Kenya); comparative studies of imperialism and colonialism, urban planning and architecture (history and theory); critical theory and globalization studies with a comparative focus on popular cultures and religion in Europe and the Muslim world; peace and conflict studies; and comparative nationalisms. Contact: mlevine@uci.edu
The Taliban returns - what's next for Afghanistan?
As the era of occupation ends in Afghanistan, it was with record speed and precision that the once defeated Taliban have returned to cease near total control of Afghanistan. The Taliban has begun the process of forming a government in Afghanistan, after taking control of the capital Kabul and declaring that the war is over as Afghan forces surrendered and President Ashraf Ghani fled the country. Despite two decades of U.S. military presence in Afghanistan, and a war that cost more than $1 trillion, Taliban insurgents arrived at the gates of Kabul on Sunday and took the capital, including the presidential palace, with little resistance. “Today is a great day for the Afghan people and the mujahideen [Taliban],” said Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naeem. “They have witnessed the fruits of their efforts and their sacrifices for 20 years. Thanks to God, the war is over in the country.” August 16 - The Guardian For many, there is much speculation about what the country faces in its short and long term future. Is it possible for a peaceful transition? What will happen to all of the advances for women that occurred over the last two decades? Will the punitive measures taken against those who worked for or assisted of coalition forces? And how will these recent events alter how foreign policy and how America engages in the rebuilding of countries? This is news and events that are unrolling in real time and if you are a journalist covering this topic - then let us help. Robert Rabil, Ph.D., is an expert in political Islam, terrorism, U.S. foreign policy, and U.S.-Arab relations. He is available to speak with media about the current situation in Afghanistan, simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview today.
Three Aston University STEM pioneers shortlisted for Women in Tech Awards
• Three finalists from Aston University shortlisted for prestigious Women in Tech Awards • Two academics are up for the award which will be announced in October • A degree apprentice has also been nominated in the category Three STEM pioneers from Aston University are celebrating after being shortlisted for the prestigious Midlands Women In Tech Awards. Aston University’s Reham Badawy and Lucy Bastin have picked up nominations for the academic category while Jessica Morgan has been put forward for the apprentice category for the awards. The Midlands Women in Tech Awards are an opportunity to highlight and recognise the ongoing contribution of women in the tech sector. The aim of the awards is to raise the visibility of women in the tech space and enable the next generation to ‘see it and therefore aspire to it’. Jessica Morgan is studying a Digital Technology Solutions apprenticeship with Cap Gemini and Aston University, with experience working on projects within the public sector. She is in the final year of her degree apprenticeship and has been balancing work, studying and volunteering, while being on track for a first class honours. Reham Badawy is part of the Undergraduate Teaching Team at Aston University. Her research work has used smart tech to detect and monitor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. She is a strong advocate for women in STEM and is a UK Ambassador for Women are Boring. Lucy Bastin has a Masters in GIS and a PhD in Urban Ecology. She is a senior lecturer in Computer Science and was recently on secondment to the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission. She developed web-based biodiversity information systems that support accessible and user-friendly reporting by the international community against policy and conservation targets such as the Sustainable Development Goals. Professor Kate Sugden, deputy dean for the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences at Aston University said: “We are delighted to see so many Aston University shortlisted candidates for the Women in Tech Awards. “In our eyes they are all winners and are great examples of our ongoing commitment to making significant contributions to the region and wider society.” Voting closes on August 20 and more details about the finalists can be found here: www.womenintechawards.co.uk The ceremony takes place on 7 October where the winners will be announced.
Covering World Breastfeeding Week? Our experts are here to help
August 1-7 is World Breastfeeding Week, and the University of Mary Washington has the ideal expert for any journalist looking to learn more or cover this important topic. Did you know that breastfeeding is one of the top maternal priorities for many organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)? Assistant Professor of Communication Elizabeth Johnson-Young has done extensive research on women’s intentions to breastfeed and how the communication they receive during pregnancy and postpartum from various sources such as doctors, lactation consultants, friends and family, magazines, books and parenting groups can impact the decision to breastfeed. She's also explored the connections between breastfeeding and body satisfaction. Dr. Elizabeth Johnson-Young is a published expert on health communication, especially maternal and family health. She is ready to help if you are looking to cover this topic - simply click on her icon now to arrange an interview today.
Fat: why are we so confused about whether or not we should include it in our diet?
You’d be forgiven for being confused about whether or not you should eat fat. For a long time, people were told to stay well away from it entirely. But lately, fat seems to be back on the table – but only certain types of fat. With so many conflicting messages about which types of fat to eat, it’s no wonder many people are confused about whether or not they should it. Here are just a few reasons why the advice about fat is so confusing – and how much fat you should really eat. Some fat is essential in our diet as it gives us energy and helps us absorbs certain vitamins, including vitamin A, D and E. But there are many different types of fats and eating too much of certain types can be harmful to us. Unsaturated fats (also called monounsaturated or polyunsaturated) are known as “good” fats and are important for helping us lower cholesterol and keep our heart healthy. Unsaturated fats can be found in foods such as avocados, olive or peanut oils, and fish. But saturated fats can be bad for us when eaten in excess, and can raise cholesterol and increase risk of heart disease. Trans fats can also increase cholesterol levels. Foods that contain saturated and trans fats include butter, cheese, bacon, biscuits and fried foods. Fat is important Many health authorities worldwide agree fat is an important part of a healthy diet – but that we should only get so many calories daily from fats. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends people get no more than 30% of their daily calories from fat – of which only 10% of daily calories should be from saturated fats, and less than 1% from trans fats. The UK’s recommendations are much the same, limiting saturated fats to only 10% of our daily calorie intake – around 30g per day for men (around 270 calories) and 20g for women (around 180 calories). But in Europe, health recommendations suggest fat should comprise between 20-35% of our total daily calories. There’s also no recommendations for how many calories should be from saturated or trans fats – just that these should be limited. In the US, people are only advised to limit saturated fat intake to less than 10% of daily calories. So while there seems to be agreement in how much fat people should eat, the slight variations in these recommendations – as well as variations in how much of certain types of fat we should eat – might explain the confusion over whether or not we should eat fat and how much of it we should eat. Misleading advice If all the different recommendations weren’t confusing enough, there’s also a lot of information out there that’s either too simplistic or incorrect. This makes the recommendations about eating fat all the more complicated. For example, the Joint British Societies (which publishes recommendations to help people reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease) recommends that only around 10% of a person’s total fat intake should come from saturated fats. As typically we consume 30-40% of our calories from fat, and international and government bodies recommend that around 30% of daily calories should come from fat, limiting saturated fats to 10% of this would mean they’d make up only 3% of our day’s calories. This would amount to little more than about 7g of saturated fat -– around two teaspoons of butter. This differs from many other recommendations – such as from WHO – which states 10% of all the calories people eat daily should come from saturated fats. It’s also unclear whether such a strict restriction of saturated fats would have any benefit and would be difficult for many people to achieve as a variety of healthy foods – such as olive oil – can also contain saturated fats. There’s also a lot of advice that’s too simplistic, which can be inadvertently misleading. For example, one tip the British Heart Foundation recommends for swapping saturated for unsaturated fats is to use a spray oil or measuring oils, instead of just pouring it straight from the bottle. But this doesn’t account for the fact that different types of oil have different saturated fat levels. Sunflower oil, for example, is already low in saturated fat, so using less would significantly reduce calories but only modestly reduce saturated fat levels. Other advice from the British Heart Foundation includes avoiding frying foods and switching to semi-skimmed milk. But focusing on methods that have a minimal effect on saturated fat levels can make it more confusing to know which foods (and fats) to avoid. The easiest way to avoid saturated fats is avoiding foods like pies, cakes and biscuits. These foods are high in saturated fats and tend to be the greatest sources of them in most peoples’ diets. Getting the right amount Research suggests that we should get around a third of our energy from fat – two-thirds of which should be unsaturated fats. Of course, certain food sources will contain different types of fats, and different levels of fats. For example, avocados and pies are both high in fat. But avocados are high in healthy monounsaturated fats, which are good for heart health and can lower cholesterol. Pies, on the other hand, are high in saturated fats, which can be bad for your heart and cholesterol levels. The easiest way to make sure you’re eating enough of the right fats is to avoid foods that contain saturated and trans fats – such as butter, hard cheeses, pies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, processed meats and crisps. These foods are also high in salt, carbohydrates and sugar, so can also have other health harms such as increasing risk of high blood pressure. Instead, try including sources of healthy fats – such as avocados, olive oil, nuts and fish. This will ensure that you’re not only getting enough fat in your diet, but that you’re getting the right kind of fats (around 75g a day for women and 90g for men).
Aston University – inspiring more women into engineering careers
• Aston University is celebrating International Women in Engineering Day • College of Engineering and Physical Sciences photography campaign of females as #EngineeringHeroes • Campaign aims to encourage girls into engineering careers A team of female engineering heroes from Aston University’s College of Engineering and Physical Sciences has banded together to encourage girls into STEM careers. As part of International Women in Engineering Day (INWED), the world’s largest initiative to celebrate the achievements of women in engineering, Aston University’s very own team of engineers have shown themselves to be the very best STEM superheroes. Aston University Mechanical Engineering Student and STEM Ambassador Olamide Olabode Dressed in capes and taking selfies for the event on Wednesday 23 June, female ambassadors from the College, in collaboration with the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Institute of Technology, have also put together video content to show off their engineering skills and become ‘heroes’ for girls wanting to do the same. Also launching on the day will be a competition for participating schools linked to Aston University. Girls are being challenged to come up with their own superhero gadget / gizmo idea. Professor Sarah Hainsworth OBE FREng, Pro-Vice Chancellor and Executive Dean of the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences at Aston University, said they were proud to be a part of INWED2021. “It is so important to us to encourage more girls into STEM subjects. Our hope is that through our teaching, and our partnership with the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Institute of Technology with its focus on technical skills for advanced manufacturing and giving students a clear route to technical employment, many will follow in the footsteps of our incredible team and be the STEM leaders of the future. “At Aston University, we work on sustainability for the environment, bioengineering, robotics, machine learning, sensors, communications, artificial intelligence, technologies for future vehicles and the issues that shape our future. On International Women in Engineering Day (INWED 2021), our College of Engineering and Physical Sciences celebrates the amazing contribution of our women colleagues who represent the cutting edge of engineering who are making vital contributions to our health and wellbeing, our society and our planet,” she added. Katy Lewis, marketing manager, said schools invited to take part were from the Aspire to Aston progressive programme, which works with 10 schools in and around Birmingham from areas of high deprivation. “At each of these schools there are up to 40 pupils per year group who have the academic ability to aim for university but lack the knowledge and confidence to do so and are selected for the programme. Our aim is to raise aspirations and normalise the idea of going into higher education, which is why us doing challenges like this one is so vitally important, so we can’t wait to help find the STEM female stars of the future,” she said. Currently the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences has 25% female academic staff (the UK STEM staff benchmark being 17 – 19%). The amount of female students studying the engineering subjects at Aston University has also grown over the past five years from 22% - 27%, above the UK STEM benchmark of 17% – 19%. To find out more about engineering at Aston University, visit ww.aston.ac.uk/eps For more details about the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Institute of Technology, visit this link: http://gbsiot.ac.uk/