ABU DHABI // When Afra Alghaithi tells people about her choice of studies at university, their reaction is always the same – shock followed by intrigue.
But the 20-year-old Emirati, who is in her second year of aeronautical engineering at the Higher Colleges of Technology in Abu Dhabi, is used to it.
“I got interested in the topic because I love airplanes and I’ve always wanted to know how they were designed,” said Ms Alghaithi, who was attending a networking forum hosted by Northrop Grumman and AmCham Abu Dhabi in the capital on Monday.
“It’s going great so far and the number of students is increasing. But people do think it is unusual for a girl to study such a specific type of engineering.”
Ms Alghaithi, who is from Al Ain, said her goal was to one day design her own planes.
“My parents are very supportive,” she said.
“I am sure this forum will help to increase my knowledge of the industry.”
The networking event attracted a number of professional women and academics to discuss science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and the role women can play in these fields, as well as the power of innovation and the UAE.
“Innovation means doing things differently and thinking outside the box,” said Jameela Al Junaibi, vice president corporate marketing and communications at Abu Dhabi Ports.
“It means having your own fingerprint on your work and I love to have that uniqueness in terms of having my own idea. I have always loved to do things differently, ever since childhood.”
Half of Ms Al Junaibi’s department is made up of Emirati women.
“They deserve it,” she said. “Females are holding really powerful and high positions, whether operational or executional. They have proved they can deliver.”
She gave the example of Sheikh Zayed, the founding Father of the UAE, as one to follow.
“He would think 30 years ahead because he was a visionary and he thought differently,” she said. “My father is another good example because he was illiterate, but became a very successful businessman.”
For young students in the UAE risk-taking is key, said Rula Al Kayyali, the chair of computer and information science at Abu Dhabi Men’s College.
“Innovation is about power of mind, potential and believing in yourself. Education and innovation go hand in hand – education is about building the mind and innovation is about using the mind in the right way and in a different way.
“We need to inject self-confidence in students, to see how their ideas can materialise because it’s about having creative ideas in technology and making them happen.”
She said educators were crucial to nurture “fresh minds”.
“Educational institutions are not about telling you how to do things, they’re about telling you what’s needed and letting your imagination soar, and we see unexpected, beautiful things happening.”
Mary Petryzsyn, vice president international at Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, said the ability of women in the UAE to innovate was accelerating.
“The more we accelerate it, the more power we have to change lives for the better,” she said. “The power of the creative process is that spark that finds a solution to a need that is essential to our progress. The power of innovation is to bring new thinking and new solutions to the challenges of today and tomorrow.”
She said women were a driving force. “It’s a fact that women as innovators are growing with increasing momentum around the world. The growth is vital to the progress of mankind. The power of women is indeed building – they have been able to achieve more now than ever before.”
cmalek@thenational.ae
