You may not be familiar with Dame Jo da Silva, but the eminent American-born, British engineer served as a role model that encouraged Autumn Woods into a career in engineering.
Honoured by the Queen for her contributions to engineering and global disaster relief, da Silva emphasised that the profession was ‘not just for boys’.
Autumn heeded the message and turned her attention to engineering, a career where she could reconcile her creative and logical approaches to problem-solving.
It was while attending a school-funded trip to Gambia, assisting with the construction of hospitals and schools in the country, that Autumn’s interest in the built-environment took hold.
A member of our Climate Action Group, Autumn’s university dissertation on reducing concrete in building design predicated her ambition to use engineering as a force for good.
