CIGRE Brazil - Second annual Women in Engineering Forum
Energy, strength, equality, competence, challenge, intelligence, love, commitment and lightness were the words that defined the Second Annual Women in Engineering Forum. Prior to event, WIE Brazilian Organizing Committee polled Cigre Brazilian members and these were the main responses from the women about how they defined their numerous social roles (mother, professional, leader…) and, specially, the art of combining them.
Belo Horizonte, Brazil
13 November 2019
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) shows that women only occupy 22% of the energy sector jobs overall. We must encourage them so that the women skills, talents, and views may contribute more together with the men in supporting the growing industry during a transition towards a more sustainable energy system, benefiting people all over the world.
These were the main points of the Second forum that took place in 13rd November 2019, gathering around 200 participants, during our major energy seminar in Latin America – XXV SNPTEE – Electrical Energy Production and Transmission National Seminar.
Brazilian Women Organizing Committee split the meeting in four parts. First, Saulo Cisneiros (Brazilian National Committee President) welcomed the audience. Cigre WiE Chair Khayakazi Dioka delivered a welcome speech by video. Second, there were four women speakers’ testimonies. Third, there was a debate among speakers and participants and finally, a delicious brunch was served.
The four invited speakers were Elisa Bastos Silva, National Electric Energy Agency Director (ANEEL); Solange Mendes Geraldo Ragazi David, Vice President of Energy Trading Chamber (CCEE); Patricia Teixeira Leite, Professor of ABC Federal University (UFABC), and Adriana de Castro Passos Martins, Minas Gerais Transmission and Distribution Utility (CEMIG) Specialist Engineer and Convener of the Brazilian Study Committee D1 (Materials and Emerging Test Technics). The debate mediator was Carla Damasceno Peixoto, current CIGRE-Brazil Corporate Matters Director and Brazilian representative at WIE.
After the speeches, a panel discussion allowed questions by the audience to the speakers about their professional lives in a sector where the presence of men is the majority, despite all of the women’s achievements.
CIGRE Brazil received interesting feedback from two young II WIE Forum participants and concluded that it was relevant to share their experiences, showing that CIGRE is moving in the right direction.
The first feedback about II WIE Forum was from a young woman named Priscilla Teixeira Dornelas graduated in Electrical Engineer since 2005, post graduated in Project Management in 2011 and Business Technology (AI, Data Science and Big Data in 2019). Her activities were planning, construction, management and supervision of electrical power ventures from 2005 until 2012. Since then, she has dedicated her energy to power plant maintenance management. Priscilla married 2 years ago, and this year became a mother.
“I am dedicated to transmit knowledge through practical and constructive actions. Always looking for ways to integrate and to build a more loving and harmonious world”
Hereafter she continues: “First who would start a serious report with the title My Diary? This probably would not interest anyone if the subject were not so relevant and contemporary! Then I decided to keep the title and look a head, writing few notes about so special moment at II WIE Forum organized by CIGRE Brazil, with care and touches of engineering. Neural networks, analog and digital theories, family, industry 4.0, human perception, artificial intelligence are things that make up my life and therefore bring words that help me with my story telling. On November 13th, I participated with a large audience, and the urgent aim was to enjoy the debates and to share my experience with that public, and perhaps help them with future interpretations about WIE. However, full of curiosity to listen to the scheduled presentations, I got lost in time and became enthralled by the presentations done by the excellent women speakers in this scenario. I was worried that the expected time would not be enough for all participants to share their good ideas. Their own personal experiences could be expressed with emotion and talent about the theme and how pleasant it is to live with the challenge to search for convergence among men and women”.
Carla Damasceno Peixoto, current CIGRE Brazil Corporate Matters Director talked about the harshness of the term “empowerment” and trying to be analogical, concluded: “This expression used by media vehicles did not represent what we women are looking for in our experiences”. Meanwhile I observed a prominent professional woman in the engineering world with a beautiful orange princess dress, speaking solidly to guarantee the voice that would motivate all of us in that moment.
She was followed by Saulo Cisneiros, Brazilian National Committee President, who shared with the audience the professional achievements and pioneering spirit of her mother and we understand: His mother reached relevant life breaking personal and professional barriers due to her own competence, fighting for the goals and producing good quality results.
After, Elisa Bastos, Regulatory Energy Agency (ANEEL) Director, talked about her trajectory. She noted that she never worried about men’s labels directed to women, and she highlighted that terms that qualify male behavior such us ‘mansplaining’, ‘manterrupting’, that those behaviors need to be revealed like bullying, so that we can identify, discuss and eliminate those practices.
The next speaker was Solange David, Energy Trading Chamber Administrative Council (CCEE) Vice President, demonstrated that social, human, and exact sciences could be complementary and so integrated to one’s life of family, affection, and professional performance.
The third speaker, Patricia Teixeira, professor and researcher from Federal University of ABC, in São Paulo State, presented the steps of her trajectory. She spoke about one of her research areas in full development, inspired by bio techniques, which could translate analogical life in practical digital one with simple applications.
The last speaker, Adriana de Castro Passos Martins, our host from CEMIG (Utility organizer with CIGRE Brazil of the XXV SNPTEE) and convener of Brazilian SC D1, gaveh many intuitive images as industry 4.0 proposals, demonstrated how true feelings move and motivate us more than an article of innovation technology.
CIGRE Brazil became happy to receive a young man feedback too.
Andre Themoteo, participant of II WIE Forum, gave us another point of view about the meeting. He proved CIGRE WIE aim in motivating the integration of women and men in this Forum. He wrote to us:
“Even belonging to male part, I had the honor in participating of II Women in Engineering Forum during XXV SNPTEE 2019. Of the four great women who shared their experiences on this day, two of them have influenced my life: Professor Dra. Patricia Leite, besides my friend, is one of the best professors with whom I studied, providing knowledge, analyses, and relevant discussions about the energy sector. The second one is Solange David, who is the vice president of the Energy Trading Chamber (CCEE), where I worked, and takes part of CIGRE Brazil Administrative Council too.
Brazilian II WIE presented us with speeches full of emotion, with a call for greater female participation in the various sectors and companies of our society, especially in decision-making positions.
Throughout the presentations during that afternoon, could remember the first woman who was and is an example in my life, my mother. I had the privilege to listen her teachings since I was a baby, as she gave lessons in the first cycle of state and municipal public schools. Example of hard worker woman, my mother accumulates two jobs. As my teacher in the early years of school, it was thanks to her that I had an exemplary literacy.
Until the end of high school, I can say that the teaching staff of the schools was mainly women. Among my great examples of bravery and dedication are these women who have passed through my life.
I leave here many thanks to all these women, especially my dear mother, for having taught and helped me to become a better son, man and husband.
Therefore, I finished this small contribution, thanking you for the opportunity and congratulating the Organizer Committee of CIGRE Brazil for the excellent initiative - Brazilian Women's in Engineering Forum”.
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