Awards and Competitions!

 

As pioneers, innovators, leaders, and mentors, our accomplishments are diverse and our dreams have no limits. We are proud of our members’ many achievements and celebrate them through the SWE Awards Program. 

During the Region F meeting at WE09, we decided one of our goals was going to be having every section apply for at least one award. You can learn everything about the awards and competitions SWE offers on the swe website. Applying for awards is not as hard or as time consuming as you think! The website award only requires that you submit you website url, and I know that several sections in Region F have amazing websites! So do it, do it, do it!

Also, the deadlines have a tendency to sneak up on you because many of them are during the summer, so mark your calendars now, so you remember later.

Individual Awards – DUE MARCH 31, 2010

Email submissions to: awards@swe.org, Awards packets will be available to download after Dec 31

• Outstanding Collegiate Member Award 
• Outstanding Faculty Advisor
• Outstanding SWE Counselor

Section Awards – DUE JULY 1, 2010

Email submissions to: awards@swe.org

• Communications Awards: Newsletter, Website, Public Relations Program
• Membership Awards: Collegiate Transition, Region Membership, Membership Retention, Membership Recruitment
• Multicultural Awards: Boeing Company Multicultural Award
• Outreach Awards: Event/Series Program, Girl Scout, Corning Incentive
• Professional Development Awards: Program, Event, Series, Media
• SWE History Award

Outstanding Collegiate Section Award – DUE MARCH 31, 2010

Email submissions to: awards@swe.org

• Any Collegiate Section attaining the minimum levels of participation will be recognized with a certificate or a plaque.
• Sections chartered or reactivated within the past two years can compete for the Society Outstanding New Collegiate Section

Competitions

• Collegiate Technical Poster Competition – DUE JUNE 15, 2010: emphasizes ability to deliver outstanding visual presentations, questions: postercompetition@swe.org
• Collegiate Technical Poster Competition – DUE JUNE 15, 2010: emphasizes the importance of teamwork and interface with industry in engineering educational process, questions: Terri Morse

 

 

C2C Membership Option

We wanted to let you guys know that there’s a new option for National SWE Membership. It’s called C2C (College to Career) and basically means you pay $50 for membership in SWE for the rest of your college years, plus one year after that! It’s a great way to save money and show your commitment to SWE. For more information on this great option, click here.

All About Bylaws

Ever taken a look at the Society’s Bylaws? Do you know SWE’s vision? SWE’s tagline? How would describe SWE to someone who has never heard of the organization?

Knowing the Society’s vision and goals can help you formulate goals for your section as well as help you understand how you fit into the bigger picture. If you’ve never looked at the Society’s bylaws, I encourage you to take a glance at them. Below I’ve listed some information about the Society and encourage you to read it over.

SWE’s TagLine: Aspire, Advance, Achieve

SWE’s Mission (Adopted in 1986)

• Stimulate women to achieve full potential in careers as engineers and leaders,
• Expand the image of the engineering profession as a positive force in improving the quality of life, and
• Demonstrate the value of diversity

SWE’s Objectives (Adopted in 1950)

• Inform young women, their parents, counselors and the general public of the qualifications and achievements of women engineers and the opportunities open to them
• Assist women in readying themselves for a return to active work after temporary retirement
• Serve as a center of information on women in engineering
• Encourage women engineers to attain high levels of education and professional achievement

SWE’s Strategic Priorities (The Society’s 3 –5 Year Planning Horizon Strategies)

• Growing the Profession (Outreach): There is an increase in women choosing to enter the engineering and technology profession.
• Professional Excellence: Women in engineering and technology excel professionally, and their achievements are showcased and valued.
• Industry Catalyst: SWE is a catalyst for changing the professional climate to enable women in engineering and technology to excel.
• Inclusive Global Community: Women in Engineering and Technology and SWE stakeholdersfind value in SWE as a diverse, inclusive, global community.

SWE’s Values

• Integrity: We aspire to the highest level of ethical behavior as evidenced by honesty and dignity in our personal and professional relationships and responsibilities.
• Inclusive Environment: We embrace diversityin its broadest interpretation and commit to creating an inclusive environment for all our members and stakeholders. We value the contributions of a diverse membership, which enables SWE to achieve its full potential.
• Mutual Support: We provide an organization that fosters mentoring, and the development of professional and personal networks.
• Professional Excellence: We conduct our activities in a professional manner, demonstrating and demanding the highest standards of business practices.
• Trust: We share a common definition of success, with open, transparent access to common information, building mutual respect and confidence in the competence of those with whom we lead, serve and partner with.

Section Bylaws

Following the revision of the Society’s bylaws a number of years ago, new templates for section (professional and collegiate) bylaws were developed. ALL sections are expected to adopt new bylaws based on the respective template.

Sections are expected to prepare a revision of their bylaws, by using the template and adjusting as appropriate for their section-specific issues within the guidelines of the template and submitting them for review. (A bylaws revision is a complete replacement of the existing bylaws with a new set, rather than processing amendments. The existing bylaws procedure for amendments must be followed in approving the revision.) Although this process appears cumbersome, it offers an opportunity for sections to review their bylaws and ensure that the bylaws really reflect how the section operates. See the powerpoint “Collegiate Section Bylaws Approval Status” for the latest status on approval of collegiate section bylaws.

You can also download a copy of the Collegiate Section Bylaws Template here: Collegiate Section Bylaws Template.

SWE Senate: Position Paper for Public Policy on Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action

Hello Region F SWE members!

This is your Collegiate Senator, Katherine Kuan. The Society has come up with a proposed position paper on public policy for equal opportunity and affirmative action. The paper will be voted on by the Senate at the October Annual Conference.

As SWE members, it’s important to provide feedback to us on the direction you feel the Society should head in. This paper will guide our interactions with the federal policymakers, so this has tremendous potential for impact on your careers as female engineers.

Please post comments about your thoughts on the content below (especially about the “Recommendations” section). Thanks so much!

Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action

The Society of Women Engineers supports policies and legislation that strengthen the U.S. STEM workforce by ensuring equal opportunity for women in STEM education and careers.

Recommendations

To ensure a strong STEM workforce, the Society of Women Engineers supports equal opportunity for women in engineering education and careers and offers the following recommendations:

• Policy makers should enforce existing laws and, when necessary, enact additional legislation outlawing discrimination on the basis of sex in employment, pay, and education to promote equal opportunity in the preparation for and pursuit of STEM careers.
• Employers should scrutinize hiring procedures and career progress of male and female employees in order to identify and mitigate inequities.  Personnel policies and procedures should provide all employees the opportunity to achieve their career goals and balance the demands of work and personal life.
• Voters and state legislatures should continue to support programs that ensure equal opportunity for women and men to pursue STEM education and careers, including where necessary affirmative action programs to address existing inequities.

BACKGROUND:

Importance of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) to the U.S. Economy

Scientific and technical innovation form the cornerstone of economic growth in the United States and comprise a fundamental component of our quality of life and our national security, as recognized by the National Academies and the U.S. Congress. (Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future, NAP, 2007; America Competes Act, PL-110-69).

Despite Progress, Women Continue to be Underrepresented in STEM

A strong science and engineering workforce is critical for the nation’s well-being, but despite many years of effort by the Society of Women Engineers and others, women remain significantly underrepresented in the STEM fields.  While the proportion of women earning degrees in engineering has climbed from less than 1% in the early 1970s to close to 20% today, that percentage has remained constant for the past decade.  In 2007, women accounted for nearly half (46.4%) of all workers in the U.S., and constituted 37% of the science and engineering workforce, but only 13.5% of engineers. (BEST, 2004; CPST, 2008)

Retention of Women is Still an Issue

Even as the number of women earning degrees in engineering has increased over the past decades, their participation in the workforce remains low.  According to data from SWE’s 2005 survey of engineering graduates and the National Science Foundation’s SESTAT database, women are more likely than men to leave engineering as their careers progress (Frehill, 2007a).  The 2005 SWE survey also reveals that women are less likely than men to believe that female and male employees performing the same job are treated equally (39% of women vs. 71% of men), and more likely than men to be personally aware of instances where women or minorities were overlooked for career opportunities (23% of women vs. 3% of men) (Frehill, 2007b).  A recent report from the National Academies concluded that “women are very likely to face discrimination in every field of science and engineering.” (Beyond Bias and Barriers, 2007) The report cites research that shows how both men and women evaluate skills, qualifications, and accomplishments differently based on gender.  While explicit discrimination may be less prevalent than in the past, even small disadvantages can accumulate over the course of a career to result in very different outcomes for men and women (Valian, 1998).

Legal Background

The term “affirmative action” was used for the first time in 1961 in President John F. Kennedy’s Executive Order (E.O.) 10925,which instructed federal contractors to take “affirmative action to ensure that applicants are …treated … without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin.”  President Lyndon B. Johnson used the phrase again in 1965 in E.O. 11246, which required all government contractors and subcontractors to take affirmative action to expand job opportunities for minorities, later expanded to include all women (not just minority women) in 1967.

Current Status

Federal regulations define affirmative action as “…those actions appropriate to overcome the effects of past or present practices, policies, or other barriers to equal employment opportunity.” (29 CFR 1608.1)  Implementation of these regulations with regard to such activities as employment and college admissions has been the subject of numerous court decisions, most recently the Grutter and Gratz cases involving the University of Michigan in 2003.  Opponents of affirmative action assert that it creates a system of preferences or quotas, requiring the selection of less qualified individuals over more qualified individuals of another race or gender.  These opponents have spearheaded ballot initiatives in several states to ban such preferences in public employment, education and contracting.  California (1996), Washington (1998), Michigan (2006) and Nebraska (2008) voters approved such measures.  Colorado (2008) voters narrowly rejected the proposal, and the proposal failed to make the ballots in several states in 2008.  Nevertheless, federal laws such as Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and the aforementioned Executive Orders remain in effect and supersede state law on the matter of providing equal opportunity through, where necessary, affirmative action aimed at increasing the representation of women and minorities in employment, education, and contracting.

References

America Competes Act, PL-110-69

Building Engineering and Science Talent (2004). The Talent Imperative: Diversifying America’s Science and Engineering Workforce (http://www.bestworkforce.org/PDFdocs/BESTTalentImperative_FullReport.pdf)

Commission on Professionals in Science and Technology (2008). Professional Women and Minorities. Washington DC.

Committee on Maximizing the Potential of Women in Academic Science and Engineering (2007). Beyond Bias and Barriers: Fulfilling the Potential of Women in Academic Science and Engineering, National Academies Press, Washington DC (http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11741)

Committee on Prospering in the Global Economy of the 21st Century: An Agenda for American Science and Technology (2007). Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future. National Academies Press. Washington DC. (http://books.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11463)

Frehill, L. (2007a). “The Society of Women Engineers National Survey about Engineering: Are Women More or Less Likely Than Men to Be Retained in Engineering after College?” SWE Magazine 53(4): 22-25.

Frehill, L. (2007b). “The Society of Women Engineers National Survey about Engineering: Is the Engineering Workplace ‘Warming’ for Women?” SWE Magazine 53(5): 16-20.

Valian, V. (1998). Why So Slow? The Advancement of Women. MIT Press. Cambridge MA.

For more information

AAUW: http://www.aauw.org/advocacy/issue_advocacy/actionpages/affirmativeaction.cfm

National Partnership for Women and Families: http://www.nationalpartnership.org/site/DocServer/AffirmativeActionFacts.pdf?docID=861

AAAS: http://www.aaas.org/standingourground/PDFs/4_Legal_Primer.pdf

A Note from Caitlin, your SWEFL

SWEFL10: Caitlin Storey

Hello all!  My name is Caitlin Storey and I am a junior at Clarkson University.  I am studying Engineering and Management, with my engineering being Biomedical and Rehabilitation Engineering.  I am a radio DJ at our university radio station, I am an active member of my SWE section and am acting as secretary this year, I am also in Ski Club, and am a part of LSAMP.   Now enough about myself, I am really here to share my experience with SWE outside of my college section.

This summer I attended CLF in Chicago as a SWEFL (Society of Women Engineers Future Leader) for Region F.  This was my first major SWE event.  I had no idea what I was in for and had no idea what to expect.  To say I was overwhelmed would be an understatement.  I had no clue as to all the opportunities that SWE has to offer.  I sat for two days through countless seminars that opened my eyes to all the things that SWE can do for me (and for you).

As a group this year’s SWEFL’s decided to share all that we learned.  We have decided to make a SWE for dummies or SWE in a box.  After talking amongst ourselves we realized that many of us had the same problems or had heard of the same problems occurring within the collegiate sections.  So we decided to bring CLF to everyone.  We are planning on presenting at our respective regional conferences and handing out these SWE information packages to each college section.  We are hoping to included information regarding what National SWE can do for you and other information such as fundraiser ideas, membership commitment strategies, outreach program ideas, etc.  Our hope is to give everyone the knowledge and opportunity to make the most of SWE.

P.S.  Any information that people want to send my way regarding the SWE info package is welcomed!  If there is something that you are wondering about or things that your section does that you think works well and you think would help other sections, feel free to shoot me an e-mail

First Quarterly Report Due Tuesday!

Reminder!!!

Section presidents, your first quarterly report is due Tuesday, August 25th!

I realize that we’re all getting ready to go back to school, but please download and fill out this quarterly report template. For the first quarterly report, please include your section’s leadership roster, goals for the upcoming year, and your section’s contact info/swe email and website address.

Best wishes from your RCR,

Rachael

FY09 Annual and Financial Reports

Quick reminder for section presidents regarding this year’s annual and financial reports!

Both of these are really important to fill out – you receive a $4 for every paid member if both are submitted and you are kept up to date with section president related information from SWE HQ.

Check here to see what reports we have received from your school. If you have submitted your reports but they’re listed as having not been received, please email me and let me know!

If you have not filed either/both of these reports, please do so soon! The forms can be found online at the links below and are easy to fill out.

• Annual Report Form
• Financial Report (Less than $10K)
• Financial Report (Greater than $10K)

Best wishes from your RCR,

Rachael

The Dust Settles

Welcome to the new Society of Women Engineers Region F Blog!

I’ve been spending this last week playing with, changing, and tweaking this site. And now I think I’m done!

I have:

• changed the theme
• redone the page structure
• created a Flickr stream for pictures (it’s up to the all of you to supply me with tons of pictures to fill it with though!)
• updated the calendar
• tagged all previous entries according to my tagging system
• added a page to help section presidents with the paperwork they have to do
• and much more…

Check out the new site. I hope you like it. Either way, let me know in the comments. I would love some feedback on how to make this blog even better.

Look for my first real entry, about my time at CLF, coming in the next couple of days.

Construction Zone!

I’m currently in the process of updating Katie Miller (last year’s RCNE)’s excellent blog to be relevant while putting my own spin on things.

Please be patient with any broken links, incomplete pages, or quirky behavior that may occur as I work.

I’d love any input from the all of you on how to make this blog better! Please email me at rcne-f@swe.org with your ideas and opinions.

Get more involved! Run for a Regional Officer Position!

Sharon and I are your Region F RCR and RCNE this year. You should consider running for our positions, and for the new position of Senator. What the positions are and what they entail is all spelled out below, e-mail me ( rcne-f@swe.org ) with any questions!
SENATOR

At National Conference this year the Council of Representatives (COR) voted to create the position of collegiate Senator, one to serve in each of the ten regions. Senators will serve on the National Senate (the new body in FY10 replacing the current COR).

What does the Senator do?

· The Senator is a vital collegiate voice within the Region and to National leaders in SWE.

· Serve as the collegiate voice for the region on the National Senate. They will help set the direction for the society working with 2 Professional Senators from the 10 Region, 2 International Senators, and 2 Special Directors.

· Attend 2 face-to-face Senate meetings at National Conference and in the spring, as well as monthly conference calls.

· Trained with the other Senators

What does it take to be Senator?

· Member of SWE for at least 2 years and in good standing

· Be a collegiate member during term (graduate or undergraduate)

· Have been in a leadership role in their section, region or national SWE. Acceptable leadership roles:

o Officer at any level

o Committee chair at section level

o Committee member at regional and/or national level

· Have attended at least one regional or national conference

· Good Academic Standing

How/When Do Candidates Apply?

Elections for Senator are unique from those for RCR/RCNE and will follow the timeline outlined below.
Date Event
Dec 11th Call for nominations
Jan 21st 2nd call for nominations
Feb 1st All nominations due
Feb 13th Publish nominees to region and allow for petition process
Mar 1st Photos and bios of all nominees sent to SWE HQ
Apr 1st Electronic ballots sent to all collegiate members
Apr 30th Voting ends
May 15th Winners notified

Please click here to get started on your (online) Collegiate Senator application.

RCR

There will continue to be 1 RCR in Region F with more than 1,000 collegiate members by Dec 31st 2008.

So what do the RCRs do?

· Vital collegiate voice within the Region and to Region leaders in SWE.

· Serves on Region Council as the voting collegiate member for the region.

· Serves on the Region Collegiate Team working to make sure collegiate and section interest and concerns are discussed among the region leadership and plans are made to improve the region collegiate experience.

· Prepares the Collegiate Report to the Governor 3 times a year after collecting Collegiate Section Reports. In regions with 2 RCRs sections will be split between the 2.

· Leads the Collegiate sections of the Region meeting at the National and Regional Conferences.

· Works with other RCRs and RCNEs on yearly goals to improve the collegiate experience in SWE.

· Attends Collegiate Leadership Forum (CLF) in the summer to receive Leadership and SWE Training.

What does it take to be RCR?

· 2 Years in SWE

· Current Paid Member

· Collegiate Member in FY10 (Graduate or Undergraduate Member)

· Good Academic Standing

· Interest in getting involved in SWE at Regional and National Level

· Ability to Travel (CLF – paid, National – some help available in some regions, Region Conference – some help available in some regions) In Region F, this isn’t an issue, as funds are available for National Conference and Regional Conference if necessary.

Please click on this link to get started on your RCR or RCNE application.

RCNE

There is 1 RCNE in each region. They maintain the Region Collegiate Blogs and support the RCR(s).

So what does the RCNE do?

· Maintain the Region Collegiate Blog, by working with the Region Web Master, Region Governor, RCR and Collegiate Sections.

· Write and Post Monthly Hot Topics on the Blog – Topics could include Membership, Fund raising, Rewarding Members, Program Ideas, etc. You don’t have to know all the answers there will be resource to help write these.

· Work with Collegiate Sections to get 2 postings/articles a year from each section.

· Serves on the Region Collegiate Team working to make sure collegiate and section interest and concerns are discussed among the region leadership and plans are made to improve the region collegiate experience.

· Prepares Report to the Governor 3 times a year updating the Governor on the blog, region collegiate team and other happenings.

· Works with other RCRs and RCNEs on yearly goals to improve the collegiate experience in SWE.

· Attends Collegiate Leadership Forum (CLF) in the summer to receive Leadership and SWE Training.

What does it take to be RCNE?

· 2 Years in SWE

· Current Paid Member

· Collegiate Member in FY10 (Graduate or Undergraduate Member)

· Good Academic Standing

· Interest in getting involved in SWE at Regional and National Level

· Ability to Travel (CLF – paid, National – some help available in some regions, Region Conference – some help available in some Regions)

How/When Do Candidates Apply?

Please click on this link to get started on your RCR or RCNE application.