M’sian engineer shines at global award in Paris

Prof Leong established a mentorship programme for more than 1,000 women engineers.

Mentor for women in engineering beats 30 nominees for accolades

A MALAYSIAN woman engineer has made the country proud by earning a spot among the 2021 World Federation of Engineering Organisation (WFEO) Engineering Award winners during the award ceremony in Paris, France.

Prof Dr Leong Wai Yie received the WFEO Gree Women in Engineering Award which was conferred by Dr Sharmila Nair, Unesco assistant director-general of natural sciences.

Prof Leong has been promoting engineering and science through workshops, seminars, publications, media and conferences.

She established a women-in-engineering mentorship programme for more than 1,000 women.

Through this programme, it was found that women in engineering who were assigned a female mentor, experienced more of a sense of belonging, motivation and confidence, better retention in engineering majors and greater engineering career aspirations.

Prof Leong has also conducted more than 500 talks, seminars and conferences to mentor and support women in engineering.

She received her PhD in electrical engineering from University of Queensland, Australia in 2005.

She specialises in medical signal processing, Industrial Revolution 4.0 technology, 5G and telecommunications.

Prof Leong is the director of research excellence at Perdana University Malaysia and is also a member of the Asean engineering think-tank under the Academy of Sciences Malaysia.

The WFEO Engineering Award recognises women engineers who have shown professional excellence and impact in their work, and are role models and leaders in their field.

For 2021 awards, three independent juries reviewed 31 applications for the WFEO Gree Women in Engineering Award.

There were 32 applications for the Excellence in Engineering Education Medal and 21 applications for the Engineering Excellence Medal.

The WFEO Gree Women in Engineering Award is awarded every year.

Nominations are invited for outstanding women engineers who have made a significant contribution to engineering.

The award consists of a medal, a certificate and a cash prize of US$1,000 (RM4,383).

For details, visit www.wfeo.org/event/the-wfeo-awarding-ceremony