Fauziahanim Seman
I am a woman microwave engineer (Figure 1) and associate professor at Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) and a member of the Women in Microwaves (WIM) subcommittee of the IEEE Microwave Theory and Technology Society (MTT-S). I received a degree in electrical communication engineering from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia in 2001, a master’s degree from UTHM in 2003, and a Ph.D. degree from the Queen’s University of Belfast, U.K., in 2011. I have also been involved in the organizing committees for various conferences, and I was chair of the IEEE AP/MTT/EMC Malaysia Section in 2017–2020. I have served on the MTT-S WIM subcommittee since 2018 and have actively initiated discussions related to women in microwave engineering in Malaysia. Recently, I became involved with a community service related project funded under an IEEE Humanitarian Activities Committee project.
I attended a WIM event held in conjunction with the 2022 IEEE International RF and Microwave Conference in December 2022 and was inspired to shine a spotlight on the career stories of the two Malaysian women engineers who spoke at this WIM event. But first, I want to talk a little bit about what women’s empowerment means to me.
Empowerment means that people are enabled to take more control over their lives [1]. Empowerment also discusses escalating people’s capacity to decide their own strategic life choices in a context where this ability was previously limited [2].
Extending this aspect of the definition to the context of women’s empowerment means including women in a position in which they can make essential decisions in their lives, enhance competencies through education, know their rights and accountabilities in society, achieve their ambitions, and improve their status in life. A 2020 article by Shadiya Baqutayan [3] highlights the need for women empowerment to boost gender equality in Malaysia. Women’s empowerment does not necessarily mean equality of outcomes for males and females but is more focused on equal access to sustainable economic and social development opportunities.
Following are three famous quotes on women’s empowerment, reflecting the success behind determined women who worked hard and had a supportive ecosystem.
“Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another steppingstone to greatness.”
— Oprah Winfrey.
“There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.”
— Michelle Obama
“Every woman’s success should be an inspiration to another. We’re strongest when we cheer each other on.”
— Serena Williams
The IEEE Malaysia AP/MTT/EMC Joint Chapter consistently provides a reliable ecosystem for women in microwave engineering by organizing motivational events. In conjunction with the 2022 IEEE RF and Microwave Conference, a special WIM session brought two inspiring speakers to share their journey on becoming outstanding academicians in their working universities. I’ve captured their stories here.
Prof. Dr. Norbahiah Misran from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia was the recipient of a 2021 Top 10 Electronics and Electrical Engineering Scientists in Malaysia award. She experienced a difficult period in her early career because of the unexpected passing of her mentor, Prof. Zainol Abidin, which required that she take over his responsibilities for a large number of grant projects, student supervision, and administrative tasks. This was not anticipated; hence, she had to make very sudden personal life adjustments.
Taking over the Antarctica Project was one of Prof. Misran’s biggest tasks (Figure 2). The project is a study of polar geospace ionospheric magnetic storms and water vapor characterization for the advancement of space weather prediction. The project is entirely different from her Ph.D. research thesis topic, which involved designing a reflectarray antenna!
Figure 2. Prof. Misran captured the moment handling the Antarctica Project.
She had no other option but to keep going despite the burden of multiple unexpected events and responsibilities. What made her persevere were motivation, strength, patience, and calmness—all essential qualities important to cultivate during challenging times.
Prof. Misran created a surrounding support network with positive people who believe in her abilities. She was fortunate to have a loving husband and four children, and she never felt that they were a burden; instead, they offered support when she needed it most. Additionally, she was surrounded by mentors and helpful colleagues who provided technical support while she carried out her job. She also kept in mind the importance of finding balance outside of her academic jobs. She is an activist for the nongovernmental organization Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia, and her life has also been featured in a national magazine, Harmoni, published by Utusan Melayu. With these activities, she discovered that happy and relaxing moments helped her to keep a positive mindset.
Although these challenges were difficult, Prof. Misran found that they also provided opportunities for growth and learning. Embracing these opportunities helped her strengthen her resilience and gain worthwhile experiences, which resulted in her being promoted to professor despite her relatively young age of 36 (Figure 3).
Figure 3. Prof. Misran sharing the inspiring journey of her career.
Associate professor Dr. Rosminazuin Ab Rahim is the recipient of the 2021 IEEE Malaysia Outstanding Women in Engineering Volunteers award. She received her education in a Kelantanese school and a university with a non-English language curriculum. Her area of study is micromechanical systems. She has six children and is married to a specialized doctor who is extremely busy, yet she is passionate about promoting science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) outreach programs (Figure 4). She loves to inspire students to explore the wonders of STEM. By empowering young minds and promoting social inclusion, Prof. Rahim believes she can contribute to creating a future generation that embraces and excels in STEM.
Figure 4. Prof. Rahim sharing her passion for organizing STEM-related activities.
Prof. Rahim has been awarded more than 10 grants funded by IEEE worth in excess of US$10,000. Her tips for starting a STEM outreach program are as follows:
Figure 5. Prof. Rahim at one of her STEM activities.
This IEEE event special session for WIM demonstrates the IEEE Malaysia AP/MTT/EMC Joint Chapter initiative to provide a supportive ecosystem for women in microwave engineering to help empower them (Figure 6).
Figure 6. Group photo of the speakers and attendees at the 2022 IEEE RF and Microwave Conference WIM event.
By organizing motivational events and dedicating a special session for WIM, the Chapter is actively promoting gender equality and supporting women in the field. The inspiring invited speakers who have achieved success as academics in their respective universities can provide valuable insights and encouragement and serve as role models for aspiring women engineers. By celebrating and highlighting the achievements of successful women, these events inspire others and reinforce the idea that there are no limits to what women can accomplish. This event not only provided an opportunity for knowledge sharing and professional development but also created a platform for networking and building connections among women in the microwave engineering community, especially in Malaysia.
[1] N. Kabeer, “Reflections on the measurement of women’s empowerment,” in Discussing Women’s Empowerment: Theory and Practice, A. Sisask, Ed. Stockholm, Sweden: Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, 2001, pp. 17–57.
[2] N. Kabeer, Reflections on the Measurement of Women’s Empowerment. Stockholm, Sweden: Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, 2001, pp. 17–57.
[3] S. M. S. Baqutayan, “Women empowerment is needed to boost gender equality in Malaysia,” Current Res. J. Social Sci. Humanities, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 97–109, Jun. 2020, doi: 10.12944/CRJSSH.3.1.09.
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MMM.2023.3303667