Every year on June 23rd, people across the global engineering industry celebrate International Women in Engineering Day (#INWED). It aims to promote and raise awareness of the amazing work female engineers do across a wide range of companies and sectors.
Now in its 11th year, the theme for 2024 is #EnhancedByEngineering, and celebrates the fantastic work female engineers do to support daily lives. A-Gas is proud to have female engineers who use their commitment, passion and excellence to enhance the lives of our teams worldwide.
To mark the occasion, we are highlighting two of our female engineers who have had impressive impacts since beginning their A-Gas journeys. We asked them about their backgrounds, what their proudest achievements are and how they feel as women working for A-Gas.
Kat began her A-Gas journey in October 2023, bringing with her a wealth of diverse experience in engineering. She is an important member of the A-Gas Team, setting and delivering high standards and providing expert electrical design support to our teams across the globe.
For this #INWED, we asked her about why she was drawn to a career at A-Gas, and what the most valuable moment in her career has been so far.
Why were you drawn towards a career at A-Gas?
I really enjoy the chance to make a difference, so felt like I could do that at an evolving company like A-Gas. I also love the location!
What is the most valuable experience you have had as a woman in engineering?
Starting an apprenticeship scheme in my last company and seeing the 4th generation of apprentices starting, while the 1st generation of apprentices finished. When I did my apprenticeship, I had no female role models in engineering, and I’ve worked in two small companies where I’ve been their first female engineer.
So, to be in a position where I was head of my department, an engineering role model for my team, and was seeing young women and men go through the apprenticeship process and come out with skills, experience, and passion, was an amazingly proud moment.
Lissette Maingón Mora is one of the brightest young talents in our Engineering Team in the USA. Based at our site in Bowling Green, Ohio, she originally moved to America from Ecuador to study Mechanical Engineering at the University of Toledo (UT). She initially completed two internships with A-Gas in 2019, before being offered a full-time role after graduating in 2022.
She brings value to A-Gas’ sustainability initiatives every day, particularly regarding our efforts to reduce and minimise our company emissions. Below, she tells us more about her background and how she has been #EnhancedByEngineering.
Please tell us a bit about your background and how you came to work for A-Gas?
A-Gas is my first engineering job after graduation. Mathematics and engineering always interested me, as did studying abroad in an English-speaking country.
My degree at UT included Co-Ops/Internships, one of the many reasons I chose that school. Obtaining an internship as an international student was not easy, but A-Gas was one of the few companies that was open to interviewing students like me.
The Co-Op rotations I did with A-Gas in the Spring and Autumn of 2019, gave me a first look into professional engineering and a diverse view into technical branches I could explore. The experience cemented my decision to pursue engineering and move to the American Midwest as a whole.
How has your career been #EnhancedByEngineering?
Being so early in my career, there is much to learn still. At A-Gas, I have been coached and taught by great professionals and continue to be supported by those with experienced careers.
As a Co-Op, my skills were not only enhanced by the mentors on-site, but also by those in technical positions at companies we worked with. This allowed me to identify areas of interest, such as Controls – Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) technology specifically.
A-Gas also has recognised my skills and interests in this area, investing in two training sessions on PLC basics and programming. I am currently searching for another training session in 2024. Thanks to these sessions and the support of those with experience in the team, I have written programmes for some of our equipment in use at Bowling Green today.
Today, I am Project Manager for one of our emission reduction initiatives in Bowling Green. This has been a great learning opportunity in both technical and administrative areas, allowing me to strengthen new skill sets in my engineering career.
A-Gas is proud to announce the renewal of our sponsorship for the Institute of Refrigeration's (IOR) Women in Refrigeration, Air Conditioning, and Heat Pump (RACHP) Network.
The Women in RACHP Network is a group that aims to foster a supportive environment for women working in a predominantly male industry, while encouraging the next generation of female engineers and technicians.
It has recently expanded its reach significantly through training events and monthly blogs, and won the Diversity and Inclusion Award at the most recent ACR News Awards in April 2024. A-Gas’ sponsorship helps to fund a variety of the network’s initiatives, including participation in International Women in Engineering Day, the production of its podcast and other events throughout the year.
We are honoured to be part of this initiative and to contribute to a more inclusive and diverse RACHP industry.
