Gina Cody arrived from Iran to Canada back in 1979. Since then, she has forged herself a successful career in the male-dominated world of engineering. Today, after the donation of $15 million, the Concordia University announced they will be renaming their faculty. The Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science is one of the few faculties named after a woman in the world.
The Legacy of Gina Cody
In 1989, Gina Cody became the first woman at Concordia University to earn a Ph.D. in building engineering. After a career of three decades in the field of engineering, Gina became the executive chair of CCI Group Inc. Thanks to Gina’s management, the Profit magazine named the company as one of the most profitable women-owned companies in Canada.
The $15 million donation comes after all the support and guidance Cody got from the university in the past. Concordia University will use the funds to promote equity in the school. They will also use the funds to support students’ scholarships and research on smart cities. Cody’s main goal is for the donation to help make the university more diverse. That’s how they are trying to give more opportunities to women in the field, indigenous groups, and other minorities.
“We Need More Role Models Like Gina”
Concordia released the announcement on their official website. In such statement, different leaders in the field of engineering reflect on the impact Gina Cody has had throughout the years. Interestingly, only 20 percent of students of computer science and engineering are women. Consequently, the president of Concordia stated that they need more role models like Gina. Furthermore, Alan Shepard highlighted how “she is an exemplar of success and her gift will allow us to create new opportunities for women to come and study at Concordia”.
Also, Lata Narayanan, Chair of the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering reflected on the connection and presence that Gina Cody has always had to the university. In addition, Lata said that Gina “is a pioneer who will inspire young women in science and engineering, at Concordia and elsewhere”.
Gina Cody: An Important Part of Concordia
Back in 2011, the Alumni Association of the University of Concordia named Gina Cody Alumna of the Year. Because of ther commitment, she has received many other awards through her career. Some of them include the Award of Merit from the Canadian Standards Association and a Volunteer Service Award from the Government of Ontario. Additionally, Gina also received the Professional Engineers of Ontario Order of Honor in 2010.
