2026 William Muir Edwards Award - Tooba Mahmood

As a high school student, Tooba Mahmood remembers being very shy; afraid to speak up and reluctant to ask for help when she needed it. But a summer experience with the University of Alberta’s Women in Scholarship, Engineering, Science, and Technology (WISEST) Summer Research Program began to change all that. “Being surrounded by other young women who shared the same experiences and passions pursuing their interests in STEM gave me more confidence, even in the moments when I may be the only girl or visible minority in the room,” recalls the now-fourth-year student in the Faculty of Engineering’s co-op program. 

Mahmood is passionate about helping others, driven by her deep faith and by powerful experiences like her own time in WISEST and now, as a student. Within the civil and environmental engineering program, she says, “there are incredible professors who are strong female figures who have played a pivotal role in my life.” In her desire to channel that energy, she volunteers frequently with various engineering and other groups, including the Engineering Students’ Society, the 2027 Canadian Engineering Leadership Conference organizing committee, TeamUP Science, and occasional stints with the U of A’s Sustainability Council and the Muslim Students’ Association. 

For the past two years, she has been a mentor with the Faculty of Engineering’s fem+ program, paired with a high-school mentee for seven months for everything from answering questions about an engineering degree to helping them improve their resumes and cover letters. “I tell them, ‘Don’t be afraid to be the only person who looks like you in a room. You are creating space for others and for future generations of women.’”

“My mentees are some of the brightest young girls I’ve ever met,” she continues. “They inspire me, and it means so much to me to help them understand they’re not alone; that they have the support they need.”

She is also inspired by her parents. Many years ago, they left their home in Pakistan and everything they knew to pursue a better life for their children here in Canada. “I feel I have the responsibility to carry forward their dreams.” 

Witnessing their struggles also instilled in her the belief that people in all communities have stories to tell — and many of them involve struggle. “If we don’t listen,” she says, “we’ll never understand what people have gone through, and what they need.” This is important to her as a future civil engineer. Rather than dictate to communities from a top-down approach, she sees herself engaging as an equal and open partner. “As engineers, we need to cultivate patience and empathy and let our work be guided by community.”

Mahmood enjoys discovering interesting ways to listen to and engage with her community, particularly through art. After writing about Shoot for Peace last year for The Gateway, she is now one of 14 youth in the program’s 2026 cohort. This local initiative equips youth from marginalized communities with the resources they need to tell their own stories. Using a camera they have provided, she is exploring using photography as a window into local communities — where they function well, and where there is room for growth and change. “As an engineering student, photographing the city reminds me who I will be building for in the future.” She’s also a member of ECHOFORM, a civic storytelling ecosystem that encourages people to engage with civic issues through an artistic lens. 

“I think we can learn so much from people’s art that can help us make decisions about how to build for them in ways that meet their needs,” says Mahmood. ‘As community builders, if we create space for community members to tell us their stories, we will give them what they need.”

Named in honour of the Faculty of Engineering’s founding professor, the William Muir Edwards Citizenship Award recognizes Engineering at Alberta undergraduate students who have made exceptional contributions to society. It’s a celebration of citizenship and of engineering students who go to extraordinary lengths to make our world a better place. Special thanks to the David Morris Family Foundation for supporting our students and making the William Muir Edwards Citizenship Awards possible. 

Do you know an undergraduate student whose volunteerism, contributions, and efforts, both on-campus and off-campus, work to make the world a better place? Learn more about the nomination process.