Women in MechSE Spotlight: Riya Gyanmote

As a new generation of engineers joins industry, the representation of women continues to improve and female population in the field of engineering is expected to increase. The Society of Women Engineers report that about 34% of STEM workers are represented by women. Along with the increase of interest in the field, many women and other minorities in engineering are looking for better diversity in the engineering domain. Illinois puts emphasis on the different backgrounds and types of people within the departments.

Recent MechSE graduate Riya Gyanmote of Buffalo Grove, Illinois, reflects the growth of women in the field. Riya, who will start as a Process Engineer at the pharmaceutical company Eli Lily in August, served as external vice president for Women in MechSE (WIM), ambassador for Women in Engineering (WIE), head engineering learning assistant (ELA) for the course ENG 100, [TTD1] and leader for the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Illinois chapter. Riya was involved in many mentoring opportunities with the hopes of encouraging prospective and younger students to pursue their interest in mechanical engineering. To help students find a balance among academics, hobbies, and additional interests, Riya reflected on her experiences at the university and her methods for managing available time and avoiding burnout.

“Engineering can be a lot,” Riya said. “It’s important to have interests outside so you don’t get lost in your assignments.” Outside of MechSE, she is part of a Bollywood dance team called Zindaa. Her typical week consists of technical course projects, WIM planning and executive meetings, mentoring within registered student organizations (RSOs), and dance practices. She credits her participation in RSOs with giving her a different perspective on networking and talking to people inside and outside of her major, which in turn has encouraged her to explore different fields for her career.

“Every week is really different,” Riya said of the way engineering provides opportunity for her to step away from her daily routine. “There’s a lot of variety in what I do throughout the month or semester.” Thanks to diverse opportunities within MechSE and UIUC overall, each student can curate their daily routine to their own preference–whether it is a stable day-to-day schedule or a different activity every day.

“The university is putting in all it can to support programs like WIE and WIM,” she added. “I appreciate the way they give a supportive community.” Other than RSOs, the first-year class ENG 100 (Introduction to Engineering) was created to push engineering students to get to know more people within their major and to make friends with future classmates. Knitting the students together may help them find more solidarity within their respective departments, finding friends with whom to socialize and network. The university employs student chairs like Riya to direct the ENG 100 curriculum so that students receive helpful information—essentially, tips they might have otherwise wished they’d known during their first year.

“If I could ask the university to change one thing, it would be to increase support and awareness for different concentrations in MechSE,” Riya said. “The department is so broad that it can become overwhelming; this is why I believe in mentoring and advising. I wish I had had more exposure to more topics in MechSE.” She encouraged students in her ENG 100 class to pursue a multitude of different options within their interests in the department. She also hopes to see an increase in alumni panels consisting of both graduate students and engineers from industry. “Interdisciplinary studies could be helpful to find new interests,” she said.