More female engineers wanted

[metalslug]

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/414987/1/.html

More female engineers wanted
By Ong Dai Lin, TODAY | Posted: 13 March 2009 0711 hrs

Photos 1 of 1

An engineer from a microelectronics company


SINGAPORE: Twelve-year-old Laura Ong has several ambitions: Writer, doctor, engineer. The Greenridge Primary School student told Today: “I’m attracted to engineering because my father is an engineer.”

On Thursday, she got a little help to decide on her future path. She was among some 100 female students from five schools given a glimpse into what it would be like working as an engineer — a male-dominated career.

Agilent Technologies invited the students, aged 12 to 14, to its “Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day”. The company noted how, in 2007, more than 33,000 males enrolled for engineering sciences courses in polytechnics and universities, but just 11,000 women did so.

Female engineers, it added, are essential to the industry as they look at problems in a more holistic view, considering both internal and external factors before delving into the problem — a finding revealed at a Stanford University conference last year.

Agilent’s general manager, Rob Young, said: “Having more women can bring more diversity to engineering design, and is helpful to push the engineering industry forward.”

Besides talks by female engineers at Agilent Technologies, the students took a laboratory tour and played games that promote electronic concepts.

The event to mark International Women’s Day was in collaboration with the National University of Singapore.

- TODAY/yt

 

[singveld]

depend on their looks.

good looks - mean no engineering.

 

[snrcitizen]

depend on their looks.

good looks - mean no engineering.

That's why Ho Jinx is an engineer. Only one mai hum person in the whole world sees beauty in her.

She engineers the loss of tax payers' money but still reports healthy annual returns. That's what engineering is all about.

 

[johnny333]

That's why Ho Jinx is an engineer. Only one mai hum person in the whole world sees beauty in her.
.

I thought it was an arranged affair

LKY made the choice & the filial son LHL did the deed. Much like the old, old days when the marriages of royalty was arranged

 

[singveld]

ho ching is engineer no doubt

she engineer the demise of the sovereign funds

 

[makapaaa]

Dun be fooled. They are looking for more FTrash!

 

[scoobyhoo]

don't waste tax-payers' money on those who get a degree for fun and turn out to be housewife or taxi drivers!

 

[VeryWise]

Do not be fooled by the advertisments and the TV show recently. Engineering isn't a very glamourous job for most. Reparing machines and "looking after" equipments are pretty boring jobs. Even in so called R and D department, > 80% of the engineers do not involve in research but more on development. A lot of time, your job scope is to ensure that the product can meet customer's specifications and pass the government regulations. That's why we have yet to see cutting edge technology breakthrough in Singapore 'cos the innovation is done mostly in the MNC's home country.

 

[The_Latest_H]

Until the local SMEs, and local(and future local) entrepreneurs are given the rocket fuel to fly, there won't be much chance of any breakthrough in cutting-edge technology.

Even current MNCs were once SMEs, restricted to their home countries. If our own, and future ones are given the corporate, income and payroll tax cuts instead, and if GIC and Temasek are to withdraw gradually from the local private sector, we might start seeing different things happening.

That's why focusing on MNC's well being is sometimes so short-sighted. I mean its nice having an Apple factory producing Macs and software in SG(as a metaphorical example) ..but as long as the research is being done at Cupertino, and not here, what boost will we get in the long term in aspects like jobs, wages, economic growth, personal and skills development?

Not much.

 

[johnny333]

That's why focusing on MNC's well being is sometimes so short-sighted. I mean its nice having an Apple factory producing Macs and software in SG(as a metaphorical example) ..but as long as the research is being done at Cupertino, and not here, what boost will we get in the long term in aspects like jobs, wages, economic growth, personal and skills development?

Not much.

Apple used to have a development centre(building next to factory) in Spore but closed it in the late 90's & sold the building to NCS.

A few year latter after the development centre was closed, Apple ceased all manufacturing in Spore. The Apple factory is still there but its an empty shell & if you need to rent office its available.

 

[The_Latest_H]

Apple used to have a development centre(building next to factory) in Spore but closed it in the late 90's & sold the building to NCS.

A few year latter after the development centre was closed, Apple ceased all manufacturing in Spore. The Apple factory is still there but its an empty shell & if you need to rent office its available.

That's why I said "metaphorically". I had a feeling that Apple now has factories in China, and not here, because of costs. But the same point also applies to tech firms like HP, and Dell who has factories here. They are producing a lot of laptops, and desktops but as long as their researchers are in the US and Europe, these production won't bring us anywhere long term.

And like what Apple did by moving to China, these jobs probably won't last forever. Besides, I'd bet that Americans won't spend as much as they did after this recession ends; this recession is a major one and will be highlighted as a major world history event in history books produced way after you and I are gone.

So we cannot just focus on manufacturing jobs; unlike what the PAP did and still wants to do, despite compelling evidence to the contrary.

 

[johnny333]

And like what Apple did by moving to China, these jobs probably won't last forever. Besides, I'd bet that Americans won't spend as much as they did after this recession ends;

Before the crisis I heard rumours that Apple might be repatriating some of the manufacturing back to the US.

When you consider the price of oil(transportation) & the advantages of better process control, there are more reasons to do so at least for the higher end portables.

With the push for buy America, I think its going to happen. The chinese are in for harder times

 

[snrcitizen]

I thought it was an arranged affair

LKY made the choice & the filial son LHL did the deed. Much like the old, old days when the marriages of royalty was arranged

You mean she engineered rapes on mai hum to get the off-springs? So he is human after all.