Jenny Gray wants young girls and women to know engineering is not all about wearing hard hats. You could run a zoo, like she does.
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The Zoos Victoria chief executive officer will be part of a decorated all-female panel in Ballarat for International Women's Day to help boost the fight against cancer.
The Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute fundraiser also aims to promote visibility of women working in traditionally male-dominated science, technology, engineering and mathematics industries.
Dr Gray will join forces with Museums Victoria chief Lynley Marshall, State Library chief Kate Torney, Hesta head of impact Mary Delahunty and Ballarat ovarian cancer researcher Nuzhat Ahmed.
An engineering degree is the foundation to problem solving.
"I want to get rid of that stereotype. Girls who are good at maths and science can have great career opportunities," Dr Gray said.
Dr Gray said women with an engineering degree had flexibility to enter all sorts of fields most people might not expect, for example, running factories, making equipment or professional photography.
A 2016 report found women make up only around a quarter of the STEM workforce.
Dr Gray is passionate about raising awareness to change this. She said increasingly diverse management boards and leadership made for better results overall in companies.
In her role with Zoos Victoria, Dr Gray oversees Melbourne Zoo, Healesville Sanctuary and Werribee Open Range Zoo.
Dr Gray views conservation as the key focus for the zoos and made news last week for dumping Cadbury chocolate and Natural Confectionary Company lollies from all sites for failing to declare where palm oil in their products was sourced.
Events such as the FECRI women's dinner offer Dr Gray what she finds as empowering discussions from like-minded colleagues and engaged audience.
This helps to recharge and inspire her in her own work.
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