Back to Current Cohort Lute Mundia
Samoa
Bachelor of Engineering (Civil Engineering)
University of New South Wales
Lute is an active member of the Women in Engineering Society and is a peer mentor to first-year female engineering students at UNSW. With the growing effects of climate change being felt in Samoa and across the Pacific, Lute sees civil engineering as playing a critical role in developing sustainable solutions to help vulnerable communities prepare for and respond to natural disasters.
Lute hopes to establish educational outreach programs to inspire female students to be the next generation of leaders in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). In Samoa, there continues to be a demand for STEM professionals and Lute believes that engaging with students at pre-university level will address this gap.
Melissa Jovic
Technical Director, Customer, Strategy and Technology Division, Transport for NSW
Melissa is a chartered professional civil engineer with more than 30 years’ experience in strategic planning, design, and program/ project management of railway and infrastructure projects. Her experience includes high-speed, heavy and light rail systems on a wide range of programs and projects within Australia, New Zealand and Europe.
Since 2009 she has been working for NSW government in the area of rail transport strategy, and for the last two years she has been working on the NSW Fast Rail Program as Technical Director for all corridors (Sydney to Newcastle, Canberra, Central West, South Coast, Newcastle to Port Macquarie and Sydney Connections)
She is currently the WIE National Committee immediate past Chair, and hopes to raise the number of female engineers to more than 40%, as well as promote and retain women in engineering.