The National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) has awarded its 2019 International Women’s Day (IWD) Scholarship to Fiona Lamari, a lecturer in construction project management at Queensland University of Technology (QUT).

Lamari’s research proposal titled ‘Engagement with Regional School Students through Virtual Construction Site Tour ‐ an Immersive Experience’ aims to promote the exciting and diverse careers in the construction industry to female high school students through virtual reality.

Her research is designed to enable students to step onto a construction site and experience a high-rise building being developed and will also measure the effectiveness of virtual reality as an engagement strategy for regional female high‐school students.

“I am grateful to have the opportunity to create an immersive experience for female high school students so they can take a peek at what goes on behind the gates on a construction site. I want to ignite their curiosity and have them walk away excited, wanting to find out more,” says Lamari.

The $20,000 NAWIC IWD Scholarship has been awarded annually since 2009, and according to Bridgeen Rocks, national board director, “The scholarship enables research and practical recommendations to improve and enrich our lives. This research must be shared, debated and adopted. Creating an equitable property and construction industry in which women fully participate.”