Migrant Women Beyond the Box | Mona Shahwan El-Tahan: The Egyptian Engineer Who Learned to Predict the Path of Icebergs
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When Mona Shahwan El-Tahan moved from Egypt to Newfoundland in 1975, she arrived with a degree in civil engineering from Cairo University and entered a Canadian environment unlike anything she had previously known. The ocean, harsh weather and drifting icebergs would eventually become central to a remarkable career in engineering and innovation.
At Memorial University of Newfoundland, El-Tahan became the first woman to complete a master's degree in ocean engineering at the university. Her research produced what the Government of Canada describes as the first mathematical model in North America designed to predict iceberg movement.
Her 1980 master's thesis, Modelling of Iceberg Drift, developed a dynamic model that accounted for wind, ocean currents, Coriolis forces and other factors affecting the movement of icebergs — work with practical implications for ships and offshore drilling operations near Newfoundland and Labrador.
That same year, El-Tahan became the first female engineer to work for Lavalin-Fenco Newfoundland. Eight years later, she founded InCoreTec Inc., an applied research and development company specializing in offshore and environmental engineering, marine navigation, sea-ice management, project management and consulting.
According to Engineers Canada, El-Tahan holds five copyrights and two international patents involving ice and iceberg management and marine navigation. She also contributed to technology designed to reduce friction in Canada's Canadarm robotic system associated with the International Space Station.
Her impact extended well beyond her own career. El-Tahan founded Women in Science and Engineering Newfoundland and Labrador (WISE NL), creating a platform to encourage more women to enter science, engineering, technology and related fields. Engineers Canada says WISE NL has secured more than $2 million since 1990 to support more than 1,000 summer research positions for women.
In 2022, the Government of Canada selected her as one of its Women of Impact in STEM, and in 2023 Engineers Canada recognized her with its Award for the Support of Women in the Engineering Profession.
From Cairo to Newfoundland, from mathematical models of moving icebergs to entrepreneurship and mentorship, El-Tahan's journey represents a form of migration in which success is measured not only by breaking into a profession, but by widening the path for those who come after.
