This year’s “Women in Engineering Day” is recognising the amazing work that women engineers around the world are doing to support lives and livelihoods every day; and on this day, St Hugh’s is delighted to be able to celebrate our past and present students: alumna, Rebecca Fathers (Engineering Science, 2010) and undergraduate student Tracey Saber (Engineering Science, 2021).
Rebecca studied Engineering Science at St Hugh’s from 2010 to 2014. Ten years on, she works as a Bridge Engineer at Jacobs. She currently manages a team reviewing Technical Approval documentation on behalf of HS2 for all structural and geotechnical assets across Phase 1 of the project. She’s also applied her engineering skills to bridge design, bridge inspections, supervision of construction works, and even some jetty design since she graduated.
Rebecca said, ‘I loved my time in Oxford, both at St Hugh’s and in the Engineering Department. Engineering degrees at Oxford are broader than at many other universities. This has made me better able to apply engineering principles to different challenges, and work effectively with other disciplines on large projects. At a more basic level, I’ve even had to refer back to lecture notes a few times! I like to engage in a bit of engineering tourism outside of work as well – the photo is of me doing some bridge-spotting in Scotland last year.”
Tracey, who is a third-year Engineering Science student, tells us about her experience of studying at St Hugh’s: ‘Engineering is an exciting and rewarding field, where you get to understand complex concepts from the inner workings of digital clocks to the design of rockets.
‘Studying Engineering Science at Oxford has been an eye-opening experience for me. One of the best parts of studying here is the freedom to explore different areas of engineering without having to commit to a specific type. We also have small class sizes and close interactions with our tutors, who are always eager to help and support us along the way.
St Hugh’s College, in particular, has been my home for the past three years. The supportive friends and tutors here have allowed me to explore who I am beyond my studies, and do what I am passionate about. Each activity has shaped the person I have become, but not without the challenge of balancing all of them with studying! I’ve served as Co-President of the Engineers Without Borders Oxford and as a student representative for both the engineering department and the MPLS division. I’ve also had the honour of becoming an Oxford Blue for Basketball in my first year.
