ARU goes global to encourage Women in STEM

Published: 9 December 2021 at 15:39

Women in a laboratory

British Council funding will see female students join from Brazil and Mexico

Anglia Ruskin University’s commitment to encouraging women into STEM (science, technology, engineering, and maths) subjects is going global thanks to new funding from the British Council Scholarships for Women in STEM programme.
 
ARU will receive up to £175,000 from the British Council to support five women from Brazil and Mexico to study fully funded Masters programmes in Engineering.  
 
The British Council Scholarships will cover the students’ tuition, living expenses, visas, and travel to and from the UK, and are open to females and those who identify as female.  Whilst in the UK, the students will also be able to access a career development bursary to allow further professional development.
 
The scheme, for a one-year Masters course starting in September 2022, is open for applications now.  The ARU courses covered by British Council Scholarships are MSc Electronic and Electrical Engineering, MSc Mechanical Engineering, MSc Engineering Management, and MSc Construction Project Management.
 
Globally, females account for only 8% of students in engineering subjects and the British Council Scholarships are specifically aimed at closing the gender skills gap in STEM fields, which is linked to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Five: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.
 
ARU has been assigned Brazil and Mexico based on the university’s previous work in the region and its expertise in Engineering, which is a specific area of focus for the British Council in these two countries.  
 
ARU’s Faculty of Science & Engineering has previously delivered successful student scholarships as part of Brazil’s Science Without Borders programme and works with universities in Latin America, including the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
 
Dr James Johnstone, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering, said:

 

“ARU is proud to be leading the drive to reduce gender inequality in STEM subjects, and the award of this British Council funding gives us the opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of female students from Mexico and Brazil.  
 
“The successful British Council Scholarships students will join a faculty that strongly values equality, diversity and inclusion.  We are proud to have Bronze Athena Swan status, recognising the incredible work we do in promoting gender equality, and the students will also benefit from ARU’s active Women in Engineering programme.
 
“One of the main ideas behind the British Council Scholarships is that after completing their courses at ARU, these students will go on to support gender equality in STEM in their home countries, which will hopefully deliver a positive, long-term impact.”