Lithika Vinu, Radio Frequency Systems Engineer, Broadcast Australia is the most recent BAI Communications staff member to speak about her experiences as a female in engineering – and how she hopes one day her son will be proud of her work.

When Lithika announced to her family that she would be studying a Bachelor of Engineering majoring in Electrical Engineering at the Madras University in India, her family were very supportive.

“My father tried to encourage me to become a doctor instead, but I knew that wasn’t me,” Lithika said.

“It’s not that women aren’t interested in becoming engineers, it’s that they often end up entering a different profession, whether that’s from family influence or because they see engineering as being male-dominated.

“I would love to walk into a university one day and see a more equal male-to-female ratio of engineering students.”

Working as an implementation engineer for Broadcast Australia (a BAI Communications company), Lithika travelled all over the country – rarely spending time in the office.

“I can’t think of another field of work that would have seen me visit the Pinnacles in Nambung National Park, live in the bustling Karratha at the height of the mining boom or travel around the stunning Queensland outback,” she said. “My most memorable role to date would have to be as a Project Manager on the Spectrum Restack Program, an award-winning project that managed the restack work for all national  and commercial television services on behalf  of the Commonwealth.” Now mother to a young son, Lithika is no longer travelling the country with BAI – but hopes that one day her son will be proud of his mother’s work in a male-dominated industry.

“My little boy is too young now to understand what I do at work, but it is my dream that when he is older he will be proud to know his mum is an engineer.”