When Dina Ayman was choosing her degree major, her parents told her “engineering is not for women”.
The Egyptian-American, 27, went on to earn her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer engineering from New Jersey Institute of Technology, teach at the university, work at Intel and Microsoft, and start a consultancy dedicated to diversity and inclusion.
“I know that technology is still a male-dominated field and we still have so much work to do but I want to tell women that engineering and technology is for them,” Ms Ayman tells The National.
Her efforts were validated last month when she was honoured in the Forbes “30 Under 30” North America list for her achievements in enterprise technology.
The annual ranking recognises “young innovators on the verge of making it big”.
This week she is taking part in the fourth World Youth Forum in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm El Sheikh, which concludes on Thursday. She spoke on panels including “the future of technology and post-pandemic digital transformation” and “diversity and inclusion power in technology”.
Ms Ayman is a technical programme manager at Microsoft leading a team of software engineers, an adjunct professor of electrical and computer engineering at NJIT and chief executive of Diversity and Inclusion Power.
She is also working with Immigration Minister Nabila Makram as an ambassador for Egypt’s Haya Karima (Decent Life) initiative, a social development project that aims to reduce poverty rates and provide job opportunities in 4,500 villages in the next three years.
“[Dina] is a source of pride for Egyptian women abroad, as she is a unique and inspiring model that embodies the empowerment of women and youth at the same time, after she was able to achieve several successes in the field of technology, becoming an influencer in American society,” Ms Makram said in a statement congratulating Ms Ayman on the Forbes honour.
“Proud to represent Muslims, minorities, women of colour, Egyptians, Arabs, Microsoft and New Jersey Institute of Technology. This is for you, my family and my mentors,” Ms Ayman said in a LinkedIn post at the time.
Ms Ayman was born in New Jersey, moved with her family back to Egypt for elementary and middle school, and then returned to the US starting in high school. But owing to “immigration issues that took 11 years to solve”, her mother could not accompany them.
“During that time, as the oldest in my family, I had to take the mother’s role at home for 11 years for my three younger siblings,” she says. “Even though it was really tough to do so for a high-school girl, it absolutely shaped the person I am today.”
Ms Ayman says the experience taught her to work hard and strive to become a role model for others. She had wanted to become an engineer since adolescence and her love for technology grew in high school.
“The idea that I can create something here in the US that would be used on the other side of the world was always fascinating for me,” she says.
She decided to major in computer engineering at university, and had the opportunity to embark on her master’s degree before completing her undergraduate one. Her first job after college was as a software engineer at Intel, the world’s largest semiconductor chip manufacturer.
Since March 2020, Ms Ayman has been a programme manager at Microsoft. In January 2021, she started to teach at her alma mater. And in August, she founded Diversity and Inclusion Power, connecting corporations and universities with training, speakers and events.
With nearly 100,000 followers on Instagram, she says she also loves “connecting with youth to help with their careers as much as I can”.
Following the Forbes honour, she says she is “super-excited” for the Forbes 30/50 summit taking place March 6-9 in Abu Dhabi to “meet some of the world’s most powerful women”.
The mentoring event will draw from the “30 Under 30” and “50 Over 50” communities on the occasion of International Women’s Day.
The specs
Engine: Turbocharged four-cylinder 2.7-litre
Power: 325hp
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RESULT
Esperance de Tunis 1 Guadalajara 1
(Esperance won 6-5 on penalties)
Esperance: Belaili 38’
Guadalajara: Sandoval 5’
TEST SQUADS
Bangladesh: Mushfiqur Rahim (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mominul Haque, Nasir Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Mehedi Hasan, Shafiul Islam, Taijul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed.
Australia: Steve Smith (captain), David Warner, Ashton Agar, Hilton Cartwright, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Matthew Wade, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson and Jackson Bird.
The bio
Favourite book: Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer
Favourite quote: “The world makes way for the man who knows where he is going.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist
Favourite Authors: Arab poet Abu At-Tayyib Al-Mutanabbi
Favourite Emirati food: Luqaimat, a deep-fried dough soaked in date syrup
Hobbies: Reading and drawing
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
The specs: 2017 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn
Price, base / as tested: Dhxxx
Engine: 5.7L V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 395hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 556Nm @ 3,950rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
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COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Read more from Kareem Shaheen
Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
