2017 Salma Zein

She the Scientist

As a young girl, I was particularly interested in science. I remember picking up one of my teacher’s books about great scientists in the history of humanity; however, I was dismayed because all the scientists mentioned were men. I felt very discouraged: could I not be a great scientist one day only because I am a girl? My teacher, noticing my discouragement, directed me to the last few pages, the ones about Marie Curie. I was in awe over all her accomplishments: the discovery of two new elements, two Nobel Prizes, volunteering during World War 1; to this day, Marie Curie has remained my absolute favourite scientist, the one that proved to me that stereotypes do not define who you are. Many girls turn away from science simply because they have no one to look up to; however, Operation Minerva aims to change that by connecting girls with a successful female mentor who can spark motivation to continue STEM as a career. I believe that in order to truly encourage young females to continue with their scientific passions, it is necessary for them to have a role model to nurture such interest.

When my science teacher, Mrs. Shoults, first told me that she had selected me to participate in this program, I was overjoyed. Life and health sciences are my passion, and so I hoped I could get to experience a day in the life of a medical researcher, a path I aspire to take. When I got my match however, I was a little disappointed. I was matched to the Alberta Electric System Operator, or AESO; it was not really what I was expecting, but I decided to keep an open mind. Who knows: maybe this experience will give me a different view of engineering!

From the moment the Operation Minerva bus took us to downtown to the large building the AESO was located, I knew the day would be wonderful. I and 14 other bright girls were taken up 25 dizzying levels by an elevator with one of our mentors, and when the elevator doors opened, I was in awe. The first thing I noticed however, was a large screen with colourful line charts splattered neatly all over it. I thought they were stocks originally, but AESO was a not-for-profit organization. What were those lines? Curiosity struck me like an electric lightning bolt right from the beginning. We met another one of our mentors, Colleen Doylend, who is the Learning and Development Manager, at the lobby, too. We were told to sign in one by one at the desk, for security purposes at the AESO.

We were directed to a large meeting room, and there everyone introduced themselves. We had a scavenger hunt where we had to talk to each other afterwards, and all our mentors were super friendly and enthusiastic. I could clearly tell how passionate they all were about their work in the electrical industry! I had the opportunity of talking with an Engineer in Training, or EIT, where she patiently answered my questions about nuclear fusion as a source of energy for Alberta in the future.

Afterwards, we learned that in Canada only 25% of those in the electrical industry are women, but at the AESO, a third of engineers and leaders are women. The AESO really does encourage women in STEM careers! We were given a brief introduction of the basics of electricity, and it was much more interesting than I originally thought it would be. Something as simple as flipping a light switch is possible only because of the complex work going on at the AESO. I was still wondering what those lines in the lobby were, but the next activity enlightened me on the subject.

We were split into two groups, and in my group, we were setting pool prices for electricity. My partner, Katie, and I sat at a computer spreadsheet, with all these strange boxes and words we did not understand. Our mentors then explained to us that we were going to set pool prices for the electrical market based on supply and demand, and our goal as competing generators was to profit as much as possible. There was plenty of strategy that went into setting the prices as my partner and I, the ones from the gas generator, soon realized. We managed to make a lot of profit at the last hour ending, but we lost to the coal and hydro plants. It must be a tough job to have!

After lunch (the food was amazing), the two groups separated again, but this time, we were making circuits with fruit. Nino, one of our mentors, explained to us how batteries and circuits work. You need both the positive and negative ends of the battery connected in the circuit in order for it to work. My partners, Reina and Trish, and I were supposed to make a circuit with fruit (apples, oranges, lemons, and potatoes) in order to reach the highest voltage. Reina and I soon found out lemons were best to use as batteries because they are the most acidic. We were able to produce 2.7 volts by our circuit, but I would say the most amusing part was poking the fruit with the wires and watching the juice of the fruit leak out. It was such a great opportunity to be able to experiment with other passionate girls!

Back at the meeting room with the other girls and mentors, we were invited to have some vanilla cake. I was pretty full, but I tried to have some anyway, because cake is almost as good as science (not quite, but almost). Three of our mentors then talked to us about their career paths and what led them to electrical engineering or economics. It surprised me to learn that most of them never actually planned to become engineers. One of them actually wanted to become a microbiologist! I learned that it is alright to change my mind about what I want to do, because in the end, it is important to find something I will truly enjoy.

At the end, I asked one main question that had been burning inside of me for quite some time. I asked: what is one sentence you would give to someone who does not want to become an engineer to love engineering? I got an answer that quite satisfied me: engineering is not all about math, there is also a level of creativity and communication involved. I actually thought that engineering was only math. At that moment, I could not help but imagine myself as a biomedical engineer, or perhaps a nuclear engineer. There are so many possibilities! At the AESO, learning and planning for the future takes high priority. What if I end up working at the AESO as a biomedical engineer, researching ways to turn the energy produced by living organisms into electricity? What could I do as she the scientist to further innovation in a world hungering for more female innovators?

I walked out that meeting room feeling a little more enlightened as I looked over at the “stocks” and watched as they kept moving steadily. The twinkling lights on the black ceiling of the lobby were winking at me, reminding me of the picture of the electric grid at night we were shown. As we went down 25 levels on the elevator, I hoped that my mentors knew that the time they spent with us was appreciated by me and the other girls. I wanted them to know that because of this, I did get a different view of engineering and my future, a more open view. I hope my mom and teacher know that I appreciate everything they do to encourage me to pursue a STEM career, despite the stereotypes. Most of all, I hope that one day in the far future my daughter will be able to look in a science book of great scientists in the history of humanity and see female scientists who were curious and inquisitive, just like her. I hope that she will realize that it is a different world she lives in, a world where she has every opportunity to be a she the scientist.

Thank you so much to all my mentors and the Operation Minerva team for giving me the great opportunity of exploring such a great organization!