Dawn Bonfield facts for kids

Dawn Bonfield is a brilliant materials engineer. She started a company called Towards Vision. This company helps make sure that engineering is a welcoming place for everyone, no matter their background. She used to be the leader of the Women's Engineering Society (WES). In 2018, she helped promote engineering jobs as an ambassador for the Year of Engineering. She even went on a roadshow to meet parents and tell them about engineering careers.

Dawn Bonfield's Career

Becoming a Materials Engineer

Dawn Bonfield studied materials science at Bath University. A materials engineer studies and works with different materials, like metals, plastics, and ceramics. They figure out how to make materials stronger, lighter, or better for specific uses.

After university, Dawn worked in many interesting places. She worked at AERE Harwell, which is a research center. She also worked at Citroen Research Centre in Paris, helping with car design. Later, she worked for British Aerospace and MBDA, which are companies that build aircraft and defense systems. She also worked at the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining in London.

Teaching Inclusive Engineering

In 2017, Dawn became a Visiting Professor at Aston University. She taught about "inclusive engineering." This means teaching future engineers how to make sure their designs and workplaces are fair and accessible for everyone. She wanted to give students the skills to create engineering solutions that work for all people.

Also in 2017, she helped start IncEng. This is a platform that brings together different groups of people in engineering. It helps those who might not always feel included in the field.

Helping More People Get into Engineering

Leading the Women's Engineering Society

Dawn Bonfield joined the council of the Women's Engineering Society (WES) in 2011. She became its president in 2014 and then its chief executive officer (CEO) in 2015. WES works to support women in engineering and encourage more girls to choose engineering careers.

Starting Important Projects

Dawn created National Women in Engineering Day in 2014. This special day celebrates women engineers and inspires girls to think about engineering. In 2015, she also started the first 50 Women in Engineering List with the Daily Telegraph newspaper. This list highlights amazing women who are making a big difference in engineering.

She also started and still runs the "Magnificent Women" project. This project has a website and reaches out to schools to get students excited about engineering. She also created the Sparxx project to help students who are studying STEM subjects. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Dawn is a STEM ambassador, which means she often visits schools to talk about how cool engineering and materials science are.

Awards and Recognition

Dawn Bonfield has won several awards for her work. In 2015, she received a WISE Award and an Association Congress Award for the National Women in Engineering Day campaign. In 2016, she won the SEMTA Skills Diversity Award. She was also a finalist for the Airbus GEDC Diversity Award in 2016. In 2017, she won the Women's Business Council STEM 'Starting Out' award.

In 2016, Dawn was given a special honor called an MBE. MBE stands for Member of the Order of the British Empire. She received this award for her great work in promoting diversity in engineering. This means she helped make engineering a more welcoming and varied field for everyone.

Membership in Groups

Dawn Bonfield has been a part of several important groups:

• She was on a panel for T Levels, which are new technical qualifications for students.
• She was a member of the Department of Education's group that works on making technical education more inclusive.
• She was part of the Royal Academy of Engineering's group focused on measuring diversity and inclusion.
• She is a patron at Alton Convent School in Hampshire.
• She was an advisory group member for Athena SWAN at City University. Athena SWAN helps universities support women in science.
• She was part of the Women’s Business Council STEM Starting Out Subgroup.
• She was a member of the Women in Materials Committee for the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining.