International Women in Engineering Day

On the International Day of Women in Engineering, we celebrate Temitope Pupuru, one of REMAP’s exceptionally skilled volunteers.

In her own words, she explains her journey to engineering and why it’s so important to have women in this field.

I’ve been volunteering with REMAP for about one year now. I signed up because I was looking for a meaningful way to apply my biomedical engineering skills to build some professional experience post-study. The opportunity to make a tangible difference in people’s lives with my professional skills was alluring, serving two purposes in one. REMAP stood out as the perfect platform where technical skill meets compassionate service, allowing me to directly improve the quality of life for people living with disabilities.

My career has been a transition from medical science to medical engineering. In retrospect, I could have studied engineering for my undergraduate degree if I had a mentor or role model but back in the day, there was that stereotype that engineering was for boys. I had always been a creator and had always loved medicine and its related specialties.

In 2019, I was working in a medical technology company when I stumbled on the profile of Dr Olubamiji, a Doctor of Biomedical Engineering, the first black female to graduate with the PhD Biomedical Engineering degree from the University of Saskatchewan, Canada. This was in line with my role at the medical technology company, and I was inspired by her, so I said “Why Not?!!!”. Fast forward to 2023, I started my postgraduate degree in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Dundee where I graduated with merit despite my non-engineering background.

It’s crucial to have more women role models in engineering to encourage more girls/women into engineering because this promotes diversity and gender inclusion in engineering. Representation matters. When young women see others like them thriving in engineering, it sends a powerful message that they belong and can make an impact too.

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If you’re interested in making a difference, like Temitope, find out how you can get involved.