Only 6 per cent of aerospace engineers in NSW are female - a statistic that makes 16-year-old Isabel Innes even more excited in her journey to become one.
"It's kind of daunting, because it's a very small amount of percentage of [women] in STEM fields; especially aerospace engineering has a very, very low amount," she said.
"[But] the lack of diversity of females in the field makes me want to go into it more, because I want to help grow the field.
"The more voices we have in engineering - the more ideas, the more perspectives we have - the better our world will be. We can create things and improve technology in ways that we would never have thought of if it was just one group of people."
The bright year 11 student from Queanbeyan got to explore her passion during a six-month-long project run by Curious Minds.
The government initiative is designed to encourage talented young women to enter STEM fields.
"I did my project on paper planes, which was the closest thing I could think of to where I want to go to," she said.
"The forces that act on a paper plane are similar to a real plane, so you have to take into account the different ways to decrease drag and increase lift, and the thrust, while also learning how to use gravity to your advantage."
Before and after the project, 128 students attended three-day camps.
"The best thing about it was there was a lot of different things you could do, from chemistry and physics to engineering, like humanitarian engineering. There was also maths, biology," she said. "And I made lots of wonderful friends that I think I will be able to talk to for a long time."
Regional Education Minister Bridget McKenzie said she hoped the program would encourage more rural women to enter well-paid jobs in agriculture and manufacturing.
"Students from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds, remote and rural locations and areas with higher levels of socio-economic disadvantage are prioritised," Senator McKenzie said.
"This is a fantastic initiative for young women, particularly those in the regions, who might not otherwise get the chance to engage in such a program."
ADDITIONAL READ:Failure to boost women in tech could cost economy $11b over 20 years
