OPG’s Erum Hasan – System Engineer by day, social equity advocate at heart

Through her role, she is responsible for monitoring a Class IV electrical power distribution system and implementing preventative measures so the system can continue supporting critical loads at the station, including boiler feed pumps, primary heat transport pumps, motor control centres, and lighting loads.

She is working towards attaining her engineering licence and has been gaining valuable exposure to field work and theory in her current role.

"I love problem-solving. It wasn't engineering that I was pursuing but rather a mindset of consistently stepping outside of my comfort zone, challenging myself, and being in a learning environment," said Erum. "It turns out engineering, specifically Station Engineering at OPG, fit like a glove. Which is fitting because I work with electrical systems and my PPE (personal protective equipment) is safety gloves."

Erum's journey has seen her attain a computer engineering degree and learn about the design and execution of projects through an engineering internship at Pickering Nuclear last year. With that invaluable experience under her belt, she has taken on her current role with zeal and confidence, while continually learning from her team members.

Though her background is in computer engineering, she is a "people-passionate driven" person.

"My two cents for others looking to enter the energy sector or considering a career at OPG, is to understand what their soft skills and interpersonal skills are and understand what role they would prefer excelling in or if they want to challenge themselves, understand their weaknesses and pursue a role that challenges them!"

She adds that she wants to "become the role model I never had," as all her role models growing up were prophetic figures, like Moses, Noah, and David.

"But then again, splitting the sea, building an ark, and single handedly defeating Goliath, those are pretty cool feats too."

Outside her daily role, she champions diversity and inclusion as a member of Pickering Nuclear' s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (ED&I) Committee. She is also passionate about nuclear power and its importance in fighting climate change, and currently occupies a leadership capacity role on the North American Young Generation in Nuclear, a non-profit nuclear advocacy organization.

While helping set the example for others, the nuclear professional has been happy being pushed out of her own comfort zone and being challenged.

One of the changes she is striving to make through her job and through her role on Pickering's ED&I committee is to build a thriving and equitable work environment, one where open dialogue, compassion, and empathy are fostered.

"By building a better work environment that embraces healthy relationships, people can be empowered to work toward one goal - meeting OPG's climate change and net-zero goals through nuclear power."

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