February 11 marks the International Day of Women and Girls in Science (IDWGIS), an annual observance adopted by the United Nations General Assembly to promote the full and equal access and participation of females in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics fields.
Within Hatch, we’ve been on our own journey toward bringing gender equity to our professions. Among the ways we continue to bring positive change to this initiative is through our ongoing focus on building the pipeline of women entering the STEM professions.
We must work together to change unconscious biases and demonstrate the meaningful and fulfilling careers that women can have in the STEM fields, and with this in mind, here’s a look at what Hatch colleagues around the globe are doing to break down barriers and provide role models:
Australia
- FIRST® Robotics is an international program with a mission to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders and innovators by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering, and technology skills. In addition to Hatch’s sponsorship of the FIRST® Australia program in 2023, over a dozen Hatch volunteers are involved in the FIRST® Robotics Regional Competition to be held in Wollongong, New South Wales in March 2023.
South Africa
- In partnership with Kumba Iron Ore, Tshepa Basadi (Pty) Ltd, and Lula Technologies (Pty) Ltd on the Sishen Koketso project in the John Taolo Gaetsewe District Municipality, Northern Cape, we are sponsoring bursaries for 11 female youths from the local communities to participate in a multidisciplinary drafting program. This collaboration between the African Academy and Kathu College will create job opportunities by equipping students with tangible technical skills in the drawing and design field.
Canada
- In Canada, Hatch is a platinum plus sponsor of FIRST® Robotics. This initiative supports twelve teams from schools across Canada, including coaching and sponsoring two teams from all-girls schools in Ontario and British Columbia.
- Hatch supports the Canadian Engineering Memorial Fund (CEMF) with the Hatch Undergraduate Engineering Ambassador Award. First partnering with the CEMF in 2017, Hatch offers an annual CAD$10,000 undergraduate award along with a summer internship for scholarship winners.
- Hatch has invested in the Chair for Women in Science and Engineering (CWSE) in Québec for a five-year period. The goal of the CWSE is to increase the recruitment, retention, and advancement of women in this field.
- Through a donation to the Fondation et alumni de Polytechnique Montréal, Hatch provides scholarships for women in leadership, which will be awarded to female students attending École Polytechnique to support them in their engineering journey.
- Hatch employees act as mentors for the University of British Columbia’s Women in Science and Engineering, which strives to create supportive networks for the student body to encourage equity, diversity, and inclusion.
- Hatch was a Gold partner in the first annual #femmeengenie conference, organized by Génie au Féminin, whose mission is to promote the role of women in the field of engineering. The conference brought together students, professionals, and companies for the purpose of encouraging and supporting young women currently studying engineering or planning to study engineering.
- Hatch sponsors Camp Engies, which aims to inspire young women in grades five through eight to connect and unleash their potential in engineering. The camp experience includes a weekend packed with engineering-focused workshops designed and run by women from the Canadian engineering community. Camp Engies hosts a wide range of campers from refugee programs, Big Brother Big Sister affiliations, First Nations communities, and other underserved communities.
“Over the past two years, Hatch Ltd. and its employees were pivotal to the success and expansion of Camp Engies. Hatch generously supported Camp Engies through both financial and in-kind support in 2021 and 2022. Ultimately, Hatch provides Camp Engies with the funds to accomplish our mission virtually and in-person in British Columbia and Ontario. It’s evident that Hatch is fully aligned with and supportive of our mission to educate the next generation of women engineers, and Camp Engies witnessed this through both the business’ and employees’ support,” shared Camp Engies president and founder, Cassondra Fonseca.
India
- We provide scholarships to 12 female students studying in the fields of STEM at NorthCap University in Gurugram, India. “Hatch is committed to a better world through positive change, and I am very proud that we are able to assist those from underserved communities to fulfil their potential and follow their dreams, and in doing so, also uplift themselves, their families, and their communities,” shared Ruby Rajvanshi, country manager for Hatch India.
Colombia
- Hatch sponsored a team of Colombian students from the University of Antioquia who developed an experiment that optimizes welding processes in microgravity environments. The Barcelona ZeroG Challenge, organized by the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, the Barcelona-Sabadell Aeroclub, and the International Student Association Space Generation Advisory Council, called on participants to propose and design an original experiment that can be performed in zero gravity. The team, who call themselves Vera Gravitas, developed an experiment titled "Deposition of tin drops on electronic components in the absence of gravity," which looks to modify the behavior of tin in the absence of gravity, and therefore optimize the welding processes in these conditions.
"We are very grateful to Hatch because I feel it is the first company that has trusted us," said Paulina Quintero, a member of the project.
Brazil
- Formed by engineering students from Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, “Solidarity Engineering” is an extension project with the aim of inspiring engineering students to build a more humane society through social actions. As part of Hatch Brazil's involvement with the universities, a conversation circle was held in 2022 in a partnership between the institutions, with the theme "Diversity and Inclusion in Engineering.” The workshop focused on the participation of women in science with the aim of invoking conversation and momentum on the subject in the university environment.
- In Belo Horizonte, junior entrepreneurs gather in an institution called the Central Nucleus, comprised mainly of (cis and trans) women. In 2022, Hatch participated in an event for program participants, with a lecture given by Thais Carreira, a senior engineer in Hatch’s mineral processing group. Her involvement in this action reinforced the importance of female leadership in engineering and in the business environment.
Chile
- Our office in Santiago, Chile, led by the Diversity and Inclusion group, has been working on several STEM Talks with secondary students, with the goal of encouraging them to pursue STEM careers in the future.