Provincial Engineering & Geoscience Week

GROW WITH US IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY Many Engineering graduates work at FWS on complex projects such as the export terminal featured above. We are currently hiring Structural, Mechanical and Agricultural Engineers. | LEARN HOW careers@fwsgroup.com fwsgroup.com/careers 4 SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2021 PROVINCIAL ENGINEERING & GEOSCIENCE MONTH MARCH 2021 SPECIAL SECTION D r. Friesen's university career, straight through to her doctorate, was taken at the UofM. She had a plan. Before finishing the rest of her education, she "wanted work experience first", Dr. Friesen said. In true Manitoba style, she is humble when talking about accomplishments. She described her path as weaving her profession and education with having her family. And she laughed when I jokingly called her "lazy". When asked why Dr. Friesen took engineering, she said "I don't have a special story, like taking apart toys or toasters". Instead, she said that it was "a teacher who encouraged me". In hindsight, she recalled doing math problems as a hobby and "enjoyed playing school and teaching invisible students," she said. It seemed to have been a prelude to what is happening during the pandemic. The university has had to adapt quickly to not being able to see their students in person. Adapting to the pandemic is something about which Dr. Friesen is proud. She said, "we didn't consider whether to adapt, but how this would occur". When speaking about the university's response, Dr. Friesen added, "we wanted to lead by example". Because Dr. Friesen is the first woman dean of engineering at the UofM, the topic of underrepresentation of women and other diverse groups was broached. She explained that the engineering department currently has "23% women, 16% international, and 7% Indigenous students". But things are changing. The UofM's numbers of underrepresented students are "increasing", noted Dr. Friesen. And this growth "will filter on into the practicing community", she added. One statement Dr. Friesen said was stunning. She recalls "being struck by a statistic cited at a conference many years ago. That at a very early age, by age 10, girls' self- perception of liking, or being good at, math is set". She added, "and it often doesn't match reality". This is another reason why Dr. Friesen is proud of the university's WISE program. It is a "K-12, outreach to youth in schools. Most children have experienced the WISE program in Manitoba at least once during their education", she said. Dr. Friesen added that it addresses a "diversity of opportunity". A huge fan of life-long learning, Dr. Friesen shared how proud she is of the Internationally Educated Engineers Qualification (IEEQ) program. Geared to engineers who have an international degree and work experience prior to immigrating to Canada, IEEQ allows qualifying students to study at the UofM. The UofM website notes that, for some, the degree can take as little as a year. According to Dr. Friesen, the UofM and Ryerson University were the only two universities to create an IEEQ program. She hopes their experience is seen as a "difference not a deficit', she said. A key area where IEEQ can help is "language", noted Dr. Friesen. For her, programs such as these are less about offering economic benefits and more about "addressing human rights issues", she explained. IEEQ offers another benefit to applicants. It is the process of "self-assessment". Students can reflect upon where they need to improve and it can "build self- confidence", she said. In examining Manitoba's immigration numbers, 60 percent are engineers who were trained internationally. In light of that number, the IEEQ program is a true Manitoba resource. Programs such as IEEQ, demonstrate the importance of life-long-learning – for all of us. Embracing programs which allow people to adjust their education to their life situation is vital. Inspiring others with practical resources in education seems pivotal to societal success to this newly appointed dean. It makes sense. Afterall, it was a teacher who first inspired her! Dean Dr. Marcia Friesen is a success story for Manitoba's educational system. Having spent the bulk of her life in Winnipeg, Dr. Friesen, the new Dean of the Price Faculty of Engineering at the University of Manitoba, considers herself a Winnipegger at heart. ENGINEERING MATTERS Employers hire Price Faculty of Engineering Co-op/IIP students because: • Students are skilled and motivated • They're able to work flexible contracts from 4 to 16 months • More hiring incentives are now available engineeringcoop@umanitoba.ca HIRE A STUDENT GET AN ENGINEERING CO-OP/IIP STUDENT WORKING FOR YOU. umanitoba.ca/engineering/co-operative-education

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