Despite the growing number of female students registering for engineering fields, a relatively small percentage ends up working in this industry, according to Diana Kaissi, an advisory board member for the Lebanese Gas and Oil Initiative, who spoke at LAU last year.

At LAU’s School of Engineering (SOE), deliberate efforts are being made to change the status quo, with the help of faculty who are actively encouraging their students to become leaders in their fields.

Associate Professor Amne El Cheikh, who recently received the Education-to-Work Champion by the Regional Network in Energy for Women in the Middle East and North Africa (RENEW MENA) on behalf of the SOE, described a combination of factors that contributed to the recognition, including mentoring students and involving them in research projects, as well as exposing them to female industry leaders, who are often invited to speak at the school’s events.

Her colleague at the school, Assistant Professor Nagham El Ghossein pointed to the vibrant student life at the SOE, where many female students are leading and participating in student chapters and clubs. In the classroom, students’ capstone projects are getting recognized by leading professional societies.

Dr. El Cheikh, who attended the network’s third regional conference in Cairo last month, noted that “the hall was full of women from across the region, who all agreed that exposing young students to role models in the field is the key to encouraging women’s participation in the energy sector.”

“Female students gravitate toward female faculty when asked to join research projects,” said Dr. El Ghossein, adding that some of her undergraduate students went on to submit their papers to renowned journals.

In the workplace, LAU alumnae are working in the renewable energy fields at leading energy enterprises across Europe. “We constantly remind our students that the industry has a lot of job opportunities for women and men alike, contrary to public perception,” said Dr. El Cheikh. The RENEW MENA network, which LAU is a part of, facilitates collaboration between academia and industry, unlocking numerous internships and job opportunities for students.

A testament to the leadership’s strategic vision, noted Dr. El Ghossein, is that the gender gap is steadily closing among engineering students at LAU.

“The school has made sustained efforts to bridge education and leadership in the energy sector, particularly in terms of empowering women to transition from academic preparation to professional impact,” explained Dr. Michel Khoury, SOE dean.