"There's nothing better than seeing the final product of your hard work, or to achieve a significant breakthrough."
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Dr Silethelwe Nxumalo
Dr Silethelwe (Lethu) Nxumalo is used to functioning in a world mostly dominated by men. She's a metallurgical engineer who does research into powder metallurgy at the CSIR - a position that gave her the opportunity to merge her experience in powders with her training in metallurgy.
"I've learned that, as a woman operating in an environment where there are few other females, it is up to you to deal with your male colleagues in a professional and rewarding way. More often than not it is you who have to take the initiative to interact with them and, once you do, you'll discover that they have a wealth of knowledge that they don't mind sharing with you. Just don't expect any favours and always meet them halfway," she says.
It is probably because of this positive attitude that Nxumalo can say that she has never felt discriminated against for often being the only female on the job. "There is always a fine balance to be had between being respected as a fellow colleague and being treated as a lady," she says. "At university I was the only female in my class. While it was sometimes a very lonely place to be, I also found myself to be the centre of attention much of the time. Also, when doing our vocational training, I have been in situations where my superiors wouldn't let me do certain aspects of the job as they felt it would either be unsafe for me or a bit too much hard labour. That halted my progress and I soon learned to choose the 'all in' option - doing everything that could possibly be expected of me or any of my fellow students."
Nxumalo was born and grew up in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. It is here, while in high school, that she decided on a career in metallurgical engineering. She explains: "At school I was always good at science. One day, a group of adults came to give a career guidance talk. Among them was the first girl from our school to have passed her A-levels in science, a lady who went on to become a metallurgical engineer. The absolute passion with which she spoke about her career inspired me to do the same."
Not only was Nxumalo inspired to become a metallurgical engineer, but she also followed the example of giving guidance to young girls and spreading the word on engineering as a career choice. "I believe that we don't only have the responsibility to do the work but also to be successful at it. Thereby we can show youngsters that it is possible to do this work and that it is a lucrative career option," she says.
This wish to inspire others also comes from another source - her final year lecturer from the University of Zimbabwe in Harare. Nxumalo explains that she had to do a final year undergraduate project on corrosion for an industrial company. Her project impressed the lecturer so much that he remembered her the following year, during a sabbatical he undertook at the University of Cape Town (UCT), when a position for a PhD student became available.
"He recommended me for the position and after submitting my CV, I was recruited to go into research and to do my doctorate degree at UCT. To me, it was very inspiring for someone such as that lecturer to identify an aptitude in me which I would not have been able to spot myself," she says. "I never considered the research side of metallurgical engineering as an option for my career. Now I know I was meant for research and that my career had been guided in this direction thanks to my lecturer."
Working at the CSIR is a dream come true for Nxumalo. "This is the exact place where I want to be! I was really drawn to this job because it involves metal powders, combining the two areas that I am truly passionate about - my experience in powders and my knowledge of metallurgy."
Her current work involves researching titanium alloy powders so as to ultimately produce parts for the automotive, aerospace and medical industries. These powders are sintered to become net or near net shape. This means the parts are manufactured in their final shape and don't need to be shaped out of metal by using machinery.
The experience in powders she picked up while working for a company that develops oil and gas drilling tools using diamonds and hard metals. Her work entailed researching nanoceramics so as to create new products.
"I was thrown into the deep end, having to make even the ceramic powders from scratch, which involved researching and mixing the right chemicals. But it served as a good entry point for my career and I gained immense experience. The biggest joy was to see the end product - a sintered piece that I have developed and that is successful."
She still describes this feeling as one of the great perks of research. "There's nothing better than seeing the final product of your hard work, or to achieve a significant breakthrough."
There are still very few women in research, especially in areas such as engineering. "The ratios seems to be a bit better in industry. I wish more women will go into research though, as it really does provide a wealth of opportunities for career development."
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