Jarita Zeng joined the Power of Engineering team in April 2019 as the Project Manager for our Engineering In-A-Box education resource. We asked Jarita why she chose to volunteer with us.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

When I'm not working as Engineering In-A-Box's Project Manager, I work as an Environment and Planning consultant, helping to develop Australia's public infrastructure. I'm an engineer by training but not directly by trade. I studied to become an environmental engineer and while my role in planning does not require engineering, it does require me to consistently advise and collaborate with the engineers in my industry. By night and on the weekends, I'm an outdoor adventuring nerd who loves discovering new places through rock climbing and pretending to be a wizard/elf/merfolk playing Magic the Gathering with her friends.

Why did you volunteer with Power of Engineering?

I discovered Power of Engineering in 2016 through one of the cofounders, Felicity Furey, while I was still studying. She needed someone to fly to Brisbane (I'm Sydney-based) and project manage a series of West Queensland school events in Roma, Chinchilla and Dalby. Being an impressionable uni student with a lot of time on my hands, I leapt at the opportunity and I'm so glad I did. As a student who'd never been to Queensland, I got to visit regional schools, coordinate industry volunteers, run workshops, and most of all, validate my chosen career path of engineering as a discipline which could truly impact society. I have continued to volunteer with the organisation as diversity is one of my core values and I appreciate that Power of Engineering continues to explore the different dimensions of diversity as the word evolves with the times.

What would you like to achieve and learn as part of the team?

Everything! And roll out Engineering In-A-Box to all schools in Australia with holographic and virtual reality technology to boot! In all seriousness, while that seems like a pipe dream, I hope that Engineering In-A-Box cements itself as a widespread and credible STEM resource that continues evolving so that teachers may teach their students about engineering in the most impactful way. On a personal note, I want to continue exploring the facets of diversity within Australia's education industry. I hope to keep abreast of how STEM education and career pathways are evolving, and I hope to continue learning about building relationships with different stakeholders in the education industry and how to lead a team in this space.

Why do you think it is important to encourage rural and remote students to consider engineering careers?

Public and private infrastructure serve an important role in rural and remote communities, not just metropolitan ones. As such, it is important to develop engineering professionals who intrinsically understand the values and needs of rural and remote communities. These engineers will understand how best to communicate with stakeholders in rural communities and help ensure that development projects are appropriate and impactful.