Almost every element of our modern lives is the outcome of work done by an engineer or someone from the construction industry: cars, planes, electricity, buildings and more. Humanity's engineering feats are astounding. Even more impressive are the contributions of female engineers, given that they comprise of only 13 percent of the engineering workforce.
Consider the impact of women such as Emily Roebling, the first female field engineer who helped build the Brooklyn Bridge, and Marilyn Jorgensen Reece, who served as the lead designer of the San Diego-Santa Monica freeway in Los Angeles. Beatrice Hicks engineered new technology for heating and cooling systems and Zaha Hadid was an internationally renowned female architect who pioneered the innovative use of computers in the design and building process.
In the 1980s, only 6 percent of engineers in the United States were women. While this percentage has more than doubled, there is still plenty of room for more women to enter the engineering workforce. Inspiring more women to pursue careers in engineering has become the mission of many companies to bring diversity to teams and balance the gender equation.
Following the lead of other industries, the construction industry is starting to understand the benefits of a diverse employee base. A recent study by McKinsey indicated that companies raking in the top quartile of executive board diversity were 35 percent more likely to outperform others financially. Two heads are better than one, and collaborating with more diverse perspectives clearly enhances the bottom line.
The concept of a true team with different skills and expertise coming together to construct a landmark building or iconic structure is no small feat, but it brings great rewards.
One engineer who leads a manufacturer of mechanical pipe joining systems helped develop a new mechanical pipe joint, known in the industry as a coupling, that can withstand the uniquely high temperatures generated from the rail systems at Hudson Yards.
Traditional methods of joining pipe such as welding would have been costly and would have added excess time to the project. The contractor was challenged with a tight project schedule and needed a durable, effective solution to join pipe faster, while being able to withstand the high temperatures generated from the rail systems. By listening, engaging and understanding the customer’s challenges, the manufacturer was able to work with material engineering, product technology and process technology to develop a ceramic-coated coupling solution to mechanically join pipe that would have otherwise been welded for the fire suppression system. Not only can this coupling withstand high temperatures, a requirement by the project engineers, it can be installed up to 10 times faster than other joining methods—enhancing jobsite productivity for the contractors. 
When not on a jobsite solving construction challenges, many female engineers are hard at work mentoring young women in the field of engineering. Having women identify a career in STEM as their passion should be encouraged and embraced, so they too may alter the landscape of the world we live in, one construction project at a time.
