Bull Products is marking International Women in Engineering Day 2020 (INWED) by celebrating the skills and contribution two of the Research & Development team make to the company.
Test Engineer Liliya Petrova and Product Development Engineer Jessica Faulkner are two of the R&D team of nine, which is currently developing a new wireless fire detection and alarm system for both the construction market and for use in permanent locations.
These are all industries where women continue to be under-represented, but Liliya and Jessica are part of the gradual increase in the number of young women in science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) industries.
Liliya graduated from Burgas University in Bulgaria with a BSc in Computer Systems and Technology. She is a key part of the R&D process of testing, fault-finding, and problem-solving for the new Cygnus fire alarm systems. She uses her skills and knowledge in both computer systems and manufacturing production to help identify issues and resolve them with the software and mechanical engineers. She also plays a key role in the rigorous EN 54 compliance testing before the systems are launched later this year.
Jessica Faulkner joined the Cygnus R&D team 18 months ago after graduating with a BEng in Mechatronics – covering mechanical, electrical and robotics engineering. She was one of only three women out of around 60 students on her course at Massey University in Auckland, New Zealand, but had always known that her strengths lay in STEM subjects. Although, she says: ““I’ve always enjoyed maths and science, but I also love making stuff so it’s great that my role at Cygnus has aspects that are both technical and creative.”
Bradley Markham, Director at Bull Products said: “In the UK, 11% of the UK engineering workforce is female – and we’re delighted that the Cygnus R&D team is double that! Liliya and Jessica both have excellent engineering skills and they are both valued members of the team that is creating what will be world-leading technology in fire detection and evacuation.”
INWED was launched by the Women’s Engineering Society, a charity begun in 1919 after the end of the First World War when women found it difficult to continue to work in technical jobs. Coincidentally Cygnus Systems is located on the Rotherwas Industrial Estate in Hereford, which was acquired by the Ministry of Munitions in 1915 as part of the war effort. Records suggest that about 8,000 women (77% of the workforce) worked in the ordnance factories of Rotherwas between 1915-1918, many with technical and engineering roles. Liliya and Jessica are continuing this tradition.