Couple hope to see more females take up engineering

A NATIVE of Cork city and a self-confessed Ballincollig ‘ blow-in’, Victoria’s work on the Cork City and Ballincollig drainage network projects are of great interest to her.

Having studied in CIT, her research into the evolution of Cork’s drainage network and the piping of old waterways, which now form the main thoroughfares of the city centre, sparked a real interest in the water services aspect of civil engineering.

“Surveys and CCTV footage of sewer networks reveal the incredible workmanship of those who culverted the waterways back in the early 1800s.

“They have even revealed some unusual ‘rebel’ residents, like a seal who made a home in one of the outfalls to the River Lee,” said Victoria.

“My work involves collaborating with colleagues in technical design companies, as well as with local authority staff, caretakers and surveying contractors across the country. I work on projects from Cork City to Monaghan town and many towns and cities in between,” she added.

Through her work, Victoria addresses issues such as flooding, climate change, protecting Ireland’s environment, as well as social and economic development.

Tom hails from Tipperary but is an honorary Cork man, having lived over the county bounds for many years.

His work involves looking to the future and deciding where capital investment is made, while considering the environmental, social and energy impacts, as well as the range of technologies available.

“My role allows me to meet (online) and discuss challenging issues with a wide range of colleagues every day. I collaborate with colleagues across Irish Water and Local Authorities to deliver improvements where they are needed most. It’s always interesting and no two days are ever the same,” he said.

Victoria and Tom agree that the variety of projects and challenges they encounter daily make engineering an interesting and rewarding career choice.

They want to inspire young people, especially girls and young women, to consider a career in engineering. Irish Water is committed to highlighting the achievements of its female engineers and promoting engineering as a career choice for girls.

“When I graduated in 2002, there was only one other girl in our class of 40. Having immersed ourselves in home-schooling our son and daughter these past few months, we are delighted to see Science Technology Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects on a par in both the all-boys’ and all-girls’ schools they attend.

“It is really encouraging to see how the gender balance in engineering has changed for the better over the past 20- years. Long may it continue.”