When geological engineer Jean Hutchinson entered the mining industry in the 1980s, there were few women around her. However, she thinks strides have been made over the years. “When I started, there were very few opportunities for women, especially in underground mining,” Hutchinson explained. “We’ve gone from one girl in the class of 35—which was me—to our geological engineering classes [being] pretty much 50-50 since I started at Queen’s.”