The Women in Explosives Engineering (WIE) Section of the ISEE is dedicated to supporting, empowering, and advancing women in the explosives industry. Chaired by Rosa Sayasith, this section serves as a dynamic community focused on professional growth, mentorship, and leadership development.
While women have long contributed to the explosives field, they often remain underrepresented, from the blast pattern to the boardroom
Our mission rests on four core pillars:
Creating a robust network where women across companies, disciplines, and countries can find peers, mentors, and allies.
Recognizing the achievements of women in the field and sharing their stories to inspire the next generation.
Supporting technical and professional growth through targeted education, mentorship, and scholarship opportunities.
Collaborating with academic institutions to introduce students to careers in explosives and helping companies retain top talent.
WIE was inspired by conversations with women across the explosives industry who shared both their successes and the challenges they encountered throughout their careers. We recognized an opportunity to create a formal structure within ISEE that would encourage mentorship, professional development, networking, and industry engagement while remaining fully inclusive of the allies who have helped many of us succeed. WIE was created not as a separate community, but as an initiative that strengthens the industry's talent pipeline and supports the growth of the profession.
Members can expect opportunities to connect with peers across the industry, participate in conversations about career development, contribute ideas that help shape the future of the section, and support the launch of several foundational initiatives. As the section grows, we hope to develop networking opportunities, member spotlights, educational content, outreach activities, mentorship initiatives, and programs that help increase visibility for talented professionals throughout the explosive’s community.
WIE is open to everyone. While our focus is on supporting the advancement and visibility of women in the explosives industry, the section welcomes professionals of all backgrounds who believe in mentorship, professional development, education, and building a more connected industry.
The section will be valuable to technical professionals, field personnel, operations teams, engineers, blasting specialists, suppliers, business professionals, students, and industry allies who wish to contribute to the development of current and future industry leaders.
One thing people may find interesting is that the idea for WIE was developed through conversations with professionals from many different disciplines and countries. Before the section was formally approved, interest had already been expressed by individuals from 13 countries spanning four continents, demonstrating that the desire for greater connection, mentorship, and visibility exists across the global explosives’ community.
We are currently working through the formation of the founding committee and planning our initial activities. Additional details regarding upcoming meetings and events will be communicated to members in the coming months as the section continues its launch phase. For more information please contact Rosa Sayasith at info.womeninexplosives@gmail.com
