Civil Engineering January-February 2022 | Vol 30 No 1

10 January/February 2022 Civil Engineering PERSONAL LIFE In her younger days Marianne was an avid sportswoman, participating in vol- leyball, cycling and alpine skiing. While her asthma has reduced her ability to participate in these activities, she still loves to spend time outdoors and enjoying breakfast outside is something Marianne is particularly fond of. She also undertook an outdoor lockdown project, namely mosaicking a large concrete bench in her backyard. In addition, Marianne loves flowers and likes to surround herself with them both at home and at work. “I’m probably the only academic at UCT who has a bunch of silk flowers delivered to my of- fice every month,” she chortles. Marianne, who has been married to Angus for 22 years, is a proud mother to son Eric (21) and daughter Lara (18). She describes her husband Angus as her sup- port base and soulmate, having supported her throughout her career and work for SAICE since she moved to South Africa more than two decades ago. To keep her heritage alive, Marianne enjoys reading Dutch books when time allows – usually while on holiday. She also enjoys a good movie. LEADING THE WAY FOR WOMEN Being a woman in a male dominated industry has presented challenges for Marianne throughout her career. She recalls that during her early years of working, many new male recruits were taken more seriously and given more respect than her, despite her years of experience. However, Marianne is also shocked by the prejudice that she has experienced at the hands of women many times during her life. “When I first moved to South Africa, I decided to purchase a house, but the female legal clerk would only speak to Angus, despite the fact that I was the one buying the house. It is very sad that traditional roles are kept in place not only by men but also by women, and it has happened to me more in South Africa than it did growing up in the Netherlands. We should all be equal regardless of our gender, race, age, or anything else,” she says. “I enjoy seeing my graduates grow, but it is even more rewarding to see my female graduates flourish, become managers and start businesses, because South Africa is still quite traditional, especially with regards to gender in the engineering field. “I hope that, as a female, I can be the role model that people need. I really hope that I will be able to liaise with students, schools, and government to be that role model and instil an importance in STEM subjects and education opportunities for females,” says Marianne. There is a Dutch saying that translates to ‘a clever girl is prepared for her future’. This was a slogan that Marianne grew up with and which emphasised the impor- tance of STEM subjects. “While STEM is not for everyone, we do need more female voices in engineering and other STEM-related fields, and I hope that we can encourage more young girls to pursue maths and science.” Another important focus is ensuring that STEM subjects are properly taught in schools. Without this, some talent will never flourish because it is never nurtured, she notes. EQUITABLE TRANSPORT FOR ALL Something Marianne tries to instil in all her students is not to forget about the people they are building for as engineers. In her course she talks about the equity of engineering and accommodating people with disabilities – something she still sees as a big issue in South Africa. When presenting the 68 th Snape Memorial Lecture in November 2020, Marianne with her husband Angus, son Eric and daughter Lara