A Civil Engagement… With Women in Engineering Practices

You are invited to be part of a panel discussion with seven female graduates of the Civil Engineering Technology programs. The event is to mark the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women and the influence this may have had on women in engineering practices. The graduates' bios are noted below. Hope to see you there!

Lauren Buss, E.I.T, Intern Engineer – C.C. Tatham & Associates Ltd.

Graduate of Seneca College’s Civil Engineering Technology program (2015) with honours, specialized in the municipal stream. Elected to continue to Lakehead University where she received her B. Eng, in 2017. She currently works for C.C. Tatham & Associates Ltd. at their Barrie office in the Land Development Engineering department. Her career interests include LID stormwater management planning and project management. Lauren credits the tools and skills acquired from the Technology program for her educational and professional achievements.

Bushra Noureen, Construction Specialist – WSP consultant for TTC’s Engineering and Construction Department

Bushra graduated from a joint program in Urban Sustainability with a Bachelor’s in Environmental Studies from York University and a Civil Engineering Technology Advanced Diploma from Seneca College. Her area of concentration is in Urban and Regional Environments: Analysis, Planning and Design. Her previous experience includes working as a Senior Construction Inspector, WSP consultant for TTC, a Civil Engineering Technologist at the City of Toronto, and an Environmental Assistant at the Ontario's Ministry of the Environment (MOE). In her spare time, she is continuing to build her business as an entrepreneur, she enjoys learning new things, and connecting with people.

Diana Banakh, Project Coordinator – McIntosh Perry Hazardous Materials & Environmental H/S, Building Services

Diana participated in the York University/Seneca College Joint program, focused on Environmental Studies and Civil Engineering Technology. During her time at Seneca, she was the Vice President of the Seneca Civil Society.

Diana’s work focuses on the existing built environment and consists of various scale and complexity projects in restoration, demolition and abatement activities for various property management groups, water treatment facilities, developers, etc. She also has been involved with capital construction processes with the Ministry of Transportation, including construction contract preparation, tendering phases, construction administration and site inspections. Diana first started her career in the Facilities Management Unit at the Toronto Police Services.

Basant Elkady, Transportation Technologist – Stantec

Basant graduated 2017, Valedictorian from the Civil Engineering Technology advanced diploma program. She currently pursuing a Bachelor of Civil Engineering Infrastructure Technology Degree at McMaster.

Basant has loved civil engineering technology. Although she initially followed a different career path, she returned to school as a single mom to pursue her second career. Basant’s passion led her to become the president of the Seneca Civil Society in her second year. As president, she was able to network with her peers, faculty and industry leaders. She was also able to make a positive impact on her peers’ experiences at Seneca, which she found profoundly rewarding.

Ashley Pyle, CET, Construction Coordinator – York Region

Ashely graduated from the Seneca College Civil Engineering Technologist program in 2014.. BA, , Her projects include road, bridge and culvert construction. She works closely with the Construction Administrator, Project Managers and Contractors to ensure projects are completed safely, on time and on budget. Previous to this position Ashley worked for Crosslinx Transit Solutions, on the Eglinton Crosstown LRT in Toronto, as a Project Coordinator. Some of her day to day tasks included procuring materials, organizing subcontractors, updating project schedule, maintaining project budget and sending out daily updates to the upper management team. Pyle started her career working for NPL Canada Ltd. (formerly Link Line Contractors Ltd.) in the pipeline industry as an Estimator/Coordinator. Seneca provided Ashley with a solid foundation for her career in construction. From analyzing soil conditions and interpreting drawings to knowing the terms and lingo used on job sites.

Tamara Alexander, Construction Technician – Region of Peel in the Engineering Technical Services Department

Tamara is currently working for the Region of Peel in the Engineering Technical Services Department as a Construction Technician. Her role involves: contract admin duties for new connections and subdivisions, as well as site inspections and CCTV reviews to ensure that all projects are completed to standard. She completed the Urban Sustainability joint program with York University and Seneca College with a Bachelor of Environmental Studies (Honours) program at York University, and Civil Engineering Technology Co-op program at Seneca College in 2015. Tamara has a strong passion for Green building and sustainability in growing communities and hopes to further her knowledge/ career in this industry.

Jennifer Traves, BA, C. Tech., Design Technologist – Capital Planning and Development Department

Jennifer work consists of working closely with Consultants, Contractors, Municipalities and Internal Stakeholders at the Region while ensuring projects are delivered on time and on budget. Typical projects include the rehabilitation of water and wastewater works throughout the Region such as Elevated Tanks, Water Resource Reclamation Facilities, and Pumping Stations etc. Jennifer has held previous positions as a Project Technologist at Tetra Tech, initially as a CADD technologist working on civil/structural drawings for Power Distribution Stations, and eventually moved into project management, managing multiple civil/structural projects that were completed at the Darlington Nuclear Power Plant. Jennifer previously completed a Bachelors Degree at the University of Western Ontario and completed her Project Management Certificate at the University of Toronto and she is currently pursuing her CET and Project Management Professional Designations.

Jennifer graduated from Seneca's Civil Engineering Technologist program in 2015. While attending Seneca College, Jennifer played for the Varsity Rugby team for 3 years, and received the MVP award along with an induction to Seneca's Hall of Fame in 2015.

Mina Sandiford-Day, (Moderator), 2nd Year Civil Engineering Technology

Mina currently works as a Geotechnical Field Technician at Golder Associates. She also on the Executive of the Seneca Civil Society, where she aims to run academic an career related events for Civil Engineering students, as well as promoting the advancement of women and visible minorities in engineering. Her background in the non-profit sector and in building maintenance has made her environmentally conscious with an appreciation for heritage structures. In her spare time, Mina enjoys playing table top games and live action roleplaying games.