The promising future of women in engineering was highlighted in this year’s Smart Wireless Engineering Education Program (SWEEP) Awards for Excellence and Innovation held February at the Megatrade Hall of SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City. A female Electronics and Communications Engineering (ECE) student emerged victorious in a highly specialized quiz competition, joined by 34 other contestants, 29 of them males.

Besting 34 contestants from engineering schools all over the country during the PalaECEpan Quiz Contest, Vyll Tinampay (center) won P30,000 and a Sony Ericsson W800i Walkman phone.

Daughter of Antonio and Delilah Tinampay, Vyll is the eldest in the family, with two younger brothers. She enjoys playing badminton and listening to love songs. Vyll admits she’s not really into going out that much, her chief focus being academics. "I learned early in my life that it’s really important to prioritize your studies," Vyll says. "You reap what you sow."

"When I was about to enter college, ECE was kind of like the astig course," Vyll explains, which is why she took it up even though it is often generalized as a predominantly male course. "Plus the demand for ECE and IT professionals was high then, even up to now," she says.

She strongly believes that females have as much right to be engineers as males and are equally brilliant in coming up with creative ideas that are essential to the industry.

Vyll did have plans of taking up another course. "I also considered taking up biology, then later medicine." Then she adds with a laugh, "so not related to engineering."

VyU is a member of the Junior Institute of ECEs in the Philippines and is an active student in her college, having competed in other engineering contests. Last September 2005, she top-notched the annual Cerebrum Extreme Interschool Engineering Competition and later competed in the Nationwide Technowhiz Competition.

Vyll’s college received information from Smart regarding the PaiaECEpan of the SWEEP Awards as early as July 2005, but she only got to prepare for it last January. "Most of the- topics that were going to be tackled in the contest came from subjects that I took up just recently," VyJl says, "so my mentor - Engineer Fitz Estimo - and I had little time to prepare." Engineer Fitz Estimo has been Vyll’s coach in all of the contests she has joined.

"I was also a bit taken aback since I was competing against students from the best schools around the Philippines," Vyll admits. "I was particularly concerned that I was going up against University of San Carlos," she adds, "They already beat us in a previous contest."

Vyll believes that winning the PalaECEpan quiz contest has changed her life. "It’s great... being famous in school and kind of having people look up to me," she admits. "I’ve won other contests, but usually its only people from my college who recognize my victory," Vyll says. "Winning during the SWEEP Awards was different. Now practically everyone in the school knows who lam."

The SWEEP Awards for Excellence and Innovation is an awards program open to all partner schools under the SMART Wireless Engineering Education Program. Teams of undergraduate students, coached by a faculty member, will compete on the development of wireless service applications that will benefit the school and/or the community it serves. Now on its 2nd year, SWEEP Awards recognizes the ingenuity and creativity of students and faculty mentors in using wireless technology to enhance productivity and improve lives.

There is a common misconception that engineering isn’t really the ideal field for females, a fallacy that Vyll hopes to correct. "Females have as much right to be engineers as guys," Vyll says. "Women are brilliant and have lots of creative ideas essential in this industry. We are more meticulous so producing great products comes naturally."

After graduating this March, Vyll will prepare for the ECE Board Exam. She hopes to work in an IT -based company.

"Hopefully in Smart!"