I’m sharing this after keynoting the Accenture “Girls in STEM” event – where I got over a fear of public speaking long enough to share my passion for STEM subjects with 500 girls, plus their teachers and support staff from Accenture. I was grateful to participate in a brilliant day which helps to send a valuable message to the next generation. My talk was about TEV, but I also touched on the pressures girls face with today’s emphasis on appearances on social media, and how STEM subjects on the other hand have nothing to do with gender or looks.  The story was covered by a couple of publications but unfortunately neither are linkable, here’s our original press release.

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A female involved in the design of future road-based travel told an audience of 500 girls, aged 11-13, that technology is changing everything and they are the future for innovation.

Caroline Jones Carrick, director of the TEV project, a Scottish-based technology initiative was the keynote speaker at an event entitled “Girls in Stem” organised by Accenture in Newcastle on Thursday (15 March 2018).

She encouraged the girls to consider careers in STEM and outlined her work as director of the multi award-winning TEV Project, an international road technology initiative on road design for cars of the future, which will be computer operated and electric.

TEV, which stands for Tracked Electric Vehicles, is an advanced highway design which delivers direct power to conventional EVs while facilitating automated vehicle technologies, making it possible to have fast, on-demand travel with zero local emissions.

Speaking at the Newcastle event, Caroline said:

“Contrary to what you might think, STEM jobs are really cool.  No two jobs are necessarily alike and in my case, my work involves lots of lots of travel and meeting people.

“Women have come a long way in recent times but it is only 100 years ago that we got to vote and just a couple of generations ago, women weren’t considered good candidates for mortgages without a male co-signatory. There is still a lot of unfairness today, and girls are under so much pressure with social media and so much importance placed on appearance.

“STEM subjects and careers don’t care about gender; it isn’t anything to do with how you look, what you like or what the latest trends or opinions on social media are. They are all about whether something works or it doesn’t. If you find the idea of working on a better aeroplane wing, a more efficient engine or a code that makes an app work, then consider how honest and liberating it is to rise above the stereotypes of modern women and become your own person.”

The TEV project is developing TEV on an open-source basis with partners to transform road-based travel and make it greener, safer and more efficient for future generations. Caroline is a Parivartan Award ‘Sustainability Trailblazer’ finalist and manages the project from its office in Scotland.

She told the audience:

“I was lucky enough to grow up playing alongside my dad while he worked in his workshop so from the beginning, I was surrounded by technology and engineering and started to develop a real passion for it.

“Just because you might not understand a subject right away, and other people in your class, or course do, doesn’t mean you can’t still learn and thrive in the STEM industries. It’s all about looking at it from another way, and finding the best ways to learn.

“I think it’s just fantastic that Accenture is promoting STEM, and I hope some of you here today take home what I had to say, and get involved with what I think are the best jobs in the world.”