Who said engineering is not for females?

[gallery td_select_gallery_slide="slide" size="medium" td_gallery_title_input="Who said engineering is not for females?" ids="107881,107882,107883"] By Shahd Alhamdan For some women, working in a stable environment is acceptable, yet Mashaiel Al-Nifay chose her career path differently by being a safety engineer at King Abdullah Port. Al-Nifay is in her late 20s, and has a bachelor’s degree in physics from Duquesne University, another in science from the University of Pittsburgh and a master’s in Civil Engineering from Pitt University. After returning to Riyadh in May 2014, King Abdullah Port’s recruitment department contacted Al-Nifay and offered her a job. Her family has been very supportive of her decision to take the opportunity that will have a big impact on her career path. She said one of the benefits of working in her job today is the growing insight that women can be effective and efficient in such a tough field. “Even though the nature of my job is somehow organizational and administrative rather than executional and decision-making, my experience has exposed me to work in my field of specialization as part of the engineering team that designed and constructed the infrastructure of King Abdullah Port. I was also able to learn a lot about ports operations and functionalities,” she said. Al-Nifay said ports and shipping are one of the oldest industries in the world. However, the challenge is in enhancing such industry by building a port that caters to modern times with technology to save time and energy, and provide sustained services, which will positively influence the regional market and eventually the international market. When she was asked about her daily life in King Abdullah Economic City, Al-Nifay said, “In my opinion, KAEC combines the culture of a coastline city with the confidence and tranquility of the desert. No doubt, KAEC is one of the most valuable and specialized cities that cater to modern needs in terms of job creation and economic growth. It efficiently contributes to the Kingdom’s social and economic development.” She said her daily life in KAEC is limited to the needs of her job but for a few hangouts now and then with friends and neighbors. This is due to the limited entertainment options, shopping centers, cosmetic care or any activities other than walking the coastline at the beach and engaging in weekly activities conducted at KAEC, she said. “To be fair we need also to acknowledge that t this city is still very young compared to other cities in Saudi Arabia and the team behind this project is putting in extra efforts to build a sustainable modern community yet respecting our culture and traditions,” Al-Nifay added. She said two other women work in her department and each one of them has a different role and responsibility. There are other women working at various departments in King Abdullah Port, such as information and technology, human resources, operations and terminal control and planning. For her, transportation is a major issue and it is costly. “Inside the city buses operate from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., which is not enough. While outside the city the fair from KAEC to Jeddah is roughly between SR200 and SR400. When flying to Riyadh or Madinah for instance costs about the same, or less. Thus, I am really excited to see the Haramain Railway Project kicking off as early as possible since it will really solve a major issue for the residents and visitors to KAEC,” said Al-Nifay. Some of her goals for 2017 are to fulfill her role as a safety engineer, contribute to the team and meet the expectations of her department and the company.