A Woman in Engineering - (Biography and Memoirs) by Monique Aubry-Frize (Paperback)

About the Book

In her touching and inspiring memoirs, leading engineer Monique (Aubry) Frize, O.C., recounts her life as a woman who blazed her own decidedly female trail in biomedical engineering, in what was then an unapologetically male-dominated world.

Book Synopsis

Her goal: to become a world-renowned biomedical engineer working with scientific societies to improve the role of women in scientific fields and the way scientists and engineers integrate people and society into their work. By 1979, this goal had become a reality.

In her memoirs, acclaimed biomedical engineer Monique Frize recalls the events in her life that taught her to overcome obstacles, become more resilient, recognize the importance of mentors and role models, and remain focused on the future. She also speaks of her appreciation of the critical role played by family and friends in maintaining the strength and determination required to succeed. And, above all, to succeed in a man's world.

Frize fondly remembers her youth in Montreal and in Ottawa, and her marked interest for math and science. Her entry into the world of engineering was both romantic--she met her husband--and tragic. She faced prejudice and stereotypes, which she ultimately overcame. She reconciled family and work life, pursuing a challenging and rewarding international career in a very specialized field at a time when this was still very uncommon for a woman. And she relives the tragic Polytechnique massacre.

These memoirs are sure to inspire young women who have a dream, and more specifically those who wish to enter sciences and engineering.

Published in English.

Review Quotes

Mentionnons de prime abord que l'ouvrage que Frize a publié en 2019 s'avère fort pertinent en tant que témoin du parcours d'une femme exceptionnelle qui a vécu durant l'époque charnière de 1960 à 2010, où les femmes ont investi la profession traditionnellement masculine du génie au Canada, et la mise en place de leur militance pour favoriser les changements de mentalité nécessaires à leur pleine participation.
Frize détaille de manière très personnelle les embûches qu'elle a surmontées et les succès qu'elle a obtenus. Elle décline sa vie aussi bien professionnelle que personnelle, comme elle l'a vécue et intellectualisée. Elle a surtout développé un féminisme autodidacte pragmatique et adapté aux entreprises scientifiques canadiennes, et même internationales, en tant qu'ingénieure et scientifique elle- même. De ce fait, elle a favorisé la prise de conscience collective des enjeux que vivent les femmes en sciences et génie et participé comme leader à faire tomber ces barrières. Ses mémoires sont parsemées d'anecdotes, mais aussi de messages, explicites ou non, pour les jeunes femmes, les femmes dans la pratique professionnelle et même les retraitées.

--Michel Pigeon "Revue Recherches féministes"

About the Author

Monique (Aubry) Frize is Distinguished Professor (Retired) at the Department of Computer and Systems Engineering, Carleton University, and Professor Emerita at the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Ottawa. She was made a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering in 1992 and an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1993, the latter in recognition of being "well-known in the field of biomedical engineering" and for being "a role model and an inspiration for women seeking careers in science." In 2010 she received the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers and the Professional Engineers Ontario's joint Gold Medal, and became a Fellow of Engineers Canada. In 2013, she became a Fellow of the Canadian Medical and Biological Engineering Society.