September Hot Topic: Attending the National Conference 09 January 15, 2009

 

 

Registering for WE09

Registration Forms
Collegiate Registration
Professional Registration
Exhibitor Registration
Additional Events

On-Site Registration Hours
Tuesday, October 13 – 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday, October 14- 7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Thursday, October 15 – 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Friday, October 16 – 7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 17 – 7:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Conference Highlights for Collegians

• Career Fair with more than 200 exhibitors: Leading corporations and government agencies looking for intern, entry-level and experienced employees
• Colleges and universities seeking both graduate students and faculty candidates at the Career Fair
• Keynote Address by Darlene Solomon, Ph.D., Agilent Technologies Agilent Chief Technology Officer and Vice President of Agilent Laboratories
• SWE60 Anniversary Celebration launch
• Workshops, panel discussions and development sessions
• Network with professionals
• Role models, mentors and new friends
• Technical and Long Beach-area tours
• Collegiate competitions
• Celebrate SWE! and Awards Banquet

Top Employers Are Looking for You at the Career Fair

• Bring both hard copy and electronic versions of your updated résumé and be to complete online applications on-site.
• Post your résumé on the SWE Career Center (careers.swe.org) for  maximum visibility with recruiters. Many companies pre-schedule conference interviews with candidates from the database.
• Research Career Fair exhibitors and choose your top picks
• Wear professional attire and be prepared to interview on-site
• Plan your “pitch”—describe why you are the ideal candidate in three sentences or less.

On-site Resources to Enhance Your Job Search

• Free Career Resources Center
  • Make last-minute résumé changes
  • Complete online job applications required by many companies
  • Research exhibitor websites
• Get a jump on meeting prospective employers at the Career Fair Opening Reception
• Network with company representatives at the hospitality suites

Prep for an Academic Career in Engineering

If you’re considering a career in academia, WE09 offers a special track that will help you:

• Find employment opportunities
• Learn how to interview for and secure an academic job
• Discover the secrets to success in academic life
• Network with women academics

Get the Tools for a Successful Career

Your collegiate registration provides access to daily plenary sessions and more than 120 professional development workshops and seminars. Start planning your schedule today with SWE’s new comprehensive online calendar.

Easily add events to your email calendar and explore WE09’s six main tracks:

• Professional Development
• Careers in Government
• Careers in Academia
• Inclusion and Cultural Awareness
• Innovation in Technology and Business
• Career and Life Transitions

Special collegiate workshops include:

• Career Fair Savvy
• What Do I Want to Do with My Life?
• Boost Up Your Engineering Career
• Getting the Interview You Deserve

Start the Celebration in the WE09 Lava Lounge

As SWE approaches its 60th anniversary, it’s natural to look back on our history. But to truly celebrate our achievements, we must look all around us. Join us in the Lava Lounge to help kick off our yearlong SWE60 celebration of the past, present and future success of women engineers. Take a break in our comfy chairs and share your thoughts about SWE (complimentary manicures back by popular demand) as we commemorate 60 years of inspiring perspectives and achieving success on our own terms.

Welcome to FY10! September 2, 2008

Aloha Region A,

I would like to welcome you to our Region A blog! My name is Yvonne Midkiff and I’m the Regional Collegiate Newsletter Editor (RCNE) for FY10. 

As the Region A RCNE (based in Honolulu, Hawaii), I will be updating this blog with SWE regional and national news…along with monthly hot topics and posts from our Governor  and Regional Collegiate Represenative (RCR) . I am very excited for the upcoming year and hope you are too.   Please continually check back on the blog as I will be frequestly making updates and posting very important information.   Also, feel free to send any feedback via the comments section or directly to me at rcne-a@swe.org.  If you like to contribute to the blog in the form of posts, pictures, videos, etc., please contact me.  I would love to share big news happening in your sections.  Remember, this is YOUR blog and if there is something you want to see, don’t hesitate to ask.  Let’s take advantage of this opportunity to communicate between other SWE collegiate sections.

Yvonne Midkiff
Region A – RCNE
rcne-a@swe.org

Wow! That’s Engineering…. November 18, 2009

Reminder: Wow! That’s Engineering! self-nomination deadline is December 1, 2009 !

Three high-visibility Wow! That’s Engineering! signature events will be held in 2010. Host sections will be provided support, both financially and with organizing the event with assistance from SWE Headquarters. Last year, the Outreach Committee created a Wow! That’s Engineering! FAQs and can be found at

http://aspire.swe.org/images/wowforms/wow%20faqsfinal.pdf

If you have any additional questions, please contact SWE Outreach Wow! That’s Engineering! Work Group Lead, Shayla Bennett, shaylabennett@hotmail.com or SWE Outreach Manager, Randy Freedman, randy.freedman@swe.org. Applications are on-line this year at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=HM5Q6F_2beIiRLqpawd_2bJ1Hw_3d_3d

Remember, you must apply by December 1, 2009 to be considered to host a Wow! That’s Engineering! signature event.

I enjoyed seeing everyone at our SWE national conference in Long Beach CA! Region A received the second place award of $2,000 for it’s entry in the 2009 Professional Excellence Module sponsored by IBM on Managing Different Generations. We continue to pull together great programs for our diverse membership. We continue to attract great sponsors. Please take a look at the information your section has posted online or in it’s newsletters to find meeting information or upcoming programs. November 14, 2009

HOW TO APPY FOR A PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT GRANT November 4, 2009

 The Program Development Grants Committee (PDG) would like to invite you to attend a webinar training on “How to Apply for a Program Development Grant.”  The PDG support activities of SWE Professional, Collegiate Sections and Members-At-Large (MAL), as well as special national committee projects.  Funds can now be used for both new and established programs that are dedicated to enginering outreach, professional development and diversity.  The webinar training will also feature best practices, tips and tactics that will give you insight on how to write a proposal to get your event funded. Learn more about WOW! That’s engineering resources, PDG proposal requirements, evaluation criteria and what makes a strong proposal.
 
The PDG Committee will host the webinar training twice in November. Please chose a date and register by clicking on (or copying) the links below.
 
Wednesday, November 4, 2009 – 8:00 p.m. (EST)  -  https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/743172314
 
Tuesday, November 10, 2009 – 8:00 p.m. (EST) – https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/824107051
 
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Mary Perkinson, mary.perkinson@swe.org or Ramona Hopkins (ramona.hopkins@swe.org)  at SWE HQ.
 

Membership Sign-up/Renewal Instructions November 4, 2009

Collegiates:

There has been some confusion on membership renewals.  Here is information that was passed down to us…

Click here to renew your National SWE membership! Just login and complete the online renewal form. A letter sent from the national organization contains your password (in case you forgot). If you don’t have your letter and don’t remember your password, select “Forgot your login or password? Click here” and enter your e-mail address. Your password should arrive shortly. If your e-mail address is not recognized, you will have to apply for a new membership.

Just follow these easy steps:
Select Collegiate and New Member or Former Member and click Continue.
Select SWE Collegiate Member Dues
Enter the following required information in the form.
First Name
Last Name
Home Address 1
Home Address City
Home Address Postal Code
Home Address Phone Number
Home Address Email
You must create and save at least one Education record.
All other fields are optional; enter any or no optional information.
Click Continue.
Enter your credit card information and click Submit.

 

REGION A CONFERENCE November 4, 2009

Enhancing the Engineers of Today,
Educating the Engineers of Tomorrow

February 26-28, 2010

The conference will focus on both professional development and educational outreach, to stimulate practicing engineers and cultivate the next generation of engineers. We hope to present workshops concentrating on how to strengthen social networks, improve relationships in our increasingly international field, and understand the underlying business and management strategies that drive engineering decisions.

We would also like to highlight the initiatives that the University of the Pacific School of Engineering and Computer Science is taking to step into the forefront of technology (John T. Chambers Technology Center, Master’s Program). We are also excited to involve San Joaquin Valley professional SWE section in the planning and execution of this conference. In addition, we hope to host large corporations at our career fair, as well as many smaller companies that we have access to via our Cooperative Education Office and Career Resource Center.

Conference Location

University of the Pacific Campus in Stockton, CA – Located approximately 45 miles south of Sacramento and approximately 80 miles west of San Francisco. The nearest airport is Sacramento International Airport (SMF).

Facilities and Parking

Pacific has several large dining facilities as well as a wide variety of conference facilities across campus, equipped with integrated computers and projection systems for workshop presentations.

The Pacific campus is relatively small, and all locations are only a few minutes walking distance from each other. Several large parking lots will be available to guests throughout the campus. Golf cart shuttles can be used for attendees with disabilities that may need assistance.

Conference Schedule

The conference will take place February 26th – 28th, 2010. These dates were chosen in an attempt to avoid spring break, finals, and holidays observed by various Region A colleges. The following is a tentative schedule which is subject to change.

Friday

6:00pm – 9:00pm Mixer for early arrivals
8:00pm – 10:00pm Movie screening at Pacific Theater (Film TBD)

Saturday

8:00am – 9:45am Registration and Breakfast – Opening Ceremonies – Welcome
10:00am – 2:00pm Campus Tours (TBD)
10:00am – 10:45 am Workshop set I
11:00am – 11:45 pm Workshop set II
11:45am – 1:00pm Lunch (with Keynote Speaker)
1:00pm – 4:00pm Career Fair
1:00pm – 1:45pm Workshop set III
2:00pm – 2:45pm Workshop set IV
3:00pm – 4:300pm Conference Closing

Sunday

8:00 – 10:00am Region A Business Meeting

Schedule Details

Speakers

Keynote (Saturday Lunch): Dr. Pamela Eibeck, University of the Pacific President will be invited to give a keynote. Dr. Eibeck joined Pacific in 2009. She has a PhD in Mechanical Engineering.

Saturday Morning Welcome: Nora Lin, SWE President, will be invited to provide opening remarks. Dr. Jain, School of Engineering and Computer Science Dean will be invited to provide a welcome to Pacific.

We would then invite an industry representative to speak at the conference closing.

Workshops

Workshops will focus on how to strengthen social networks, improve relationships in our increasingly international field, and understand the underlying business and management strategies that drive engineering decisions. The workshops will be organized into several flexible tracks, which will address all issues presented in the theme of the conference (a few potential workshop topics are listed under each category):

• Professional Track
  • Professional Networking in the Modern World
  • International Engineering Practices
  • Management Strategies for Engineering Solutions
• Collegiate Track
  • More than Just Facebook: Networking for the Real World
  • How to look for an International Internship
  • Business Savvy for the College Student
• Outreach Track
  • Finding your Future Students: Educational Outreach
  • Recruiting all Ages: Finding your Future Employees
  • Cultural Immersion for a Global Industry

Career Fair

The San Joaquin Valley is centrally located between the Sacramento and the Bay Area. Companies from both of these regions, as well as from across the country and the world, look to engineers from the San Joaquin Valley to fill their voids. We will be utilizing the resources of both the Pacific Cooperative Education Office and the Career Resource Center to bring in companies for the career fair. We would like to host a minimum of 15 booths.

Activities & Tours

Several activities & tours will be available during the conference. Conference attendees can go to a movie on Friday or Saturday night for only $5 in the Pacific Theater. Pacific Student Ambassadors will be able to give guided campus tours on Saturday, highlighting the engineering resources, the new DeRosa University Center and Biological Sciences Building. We plan to work with local restaurants on Stockton’s historic Miracle Mile to get conference attendees discount coupons for meals out during the weekend.

Hotels

Hotels that are within a 10 minute driving distance (current nightly rates listed below):

Stockton Grand Hotel: Minimum $119.00/four guests
- Shuttle or limo service can be arranged for large groups

Sheraton Hotel: Minimum $139.00/four guests (lowered if > 10 rooms booked)
- Metro Stockton Transit picks up in front of hotel, and can drop off outside Pacific
- Shuttle service can be arranged

Comfort Inn: $69.99/four guests

November 4, 2009

Region A:

 If you want to include upcoming events and/or recent past events to showcase  in the for Region A’s professional November newsletter. So if you have any upcoming events and/or recent past events to showcase, please submit them to me by November 18th to Kara at kmbymers@pbsj.com

What SWE can do for you!!!! October 23, 2009

Your SWE membership has much more to offer than you probably know about!

This Hot Topic will help you know what resources are out there to aid in your section, and even you and your career.

The resources have been broken up into two sections, human resources and internet resources.

Human Resources – These people can help you personally

1. Faculty Adviser – This person can help you in numerous ways. They will generally help you with more administrative things at your college, but they can also help by being a mentor, or helping you with school-related bureaucracy. My faculty advisor in my section also helps by telling us when things are professional versus unprofessional because she has a somewhat outsider and more mature look at the situation.
2. SWE Counselor – This counselor is a professional SWE member in your geographic location. This person can help with SWE-related issues such as updating bylaws, and can also be a mentor. This person is an excellent resource for career related assistance.
3. Engineering Adviser – Not every section has an engineering advisor. At my school, we have a collection of minority engineering student groups (AISES, NSBE, SHPE, SWE) that are grouped into one cohesive family. This helps the student organizations because if a company wants to visit some minority student groups, they can visit all at once and save the time and effort. We have an advisor over this group who helps us schedule activities and gives a lot of helpful information about how student organizations are run.
4. College of Engineering Dean – This person is the head of the College of Engineering and can help with financial and other assistance. They could help you fund your travel to Nationals or other specific event that represents the College of Engineering in good light. Most of the time the Dean will have money set aside to help out student organizations. The relationship with your Dean will also come in hand when you need some help organizing events in your section.
5. Student Government – Usually the student government has some money to help out student organizations. They can help subsidize particular programs, such an outreach event, guest speaker, or national conference travel. They also help you advertise your event.
6. Region Collegiate Representative (RCR) – RCR’s are responsible for representing the collegiate at a regional and national level. They are the person to go to if you are having problems with your section, advice on how to hold an event, and how to fill out your section, annual reports, and the annual financial reports. You can contact Heather via email at (rcr-j@swe.org).
7. Region Collegiate Newsletter Editor (RCNE) – Even though I don’t represent you at the regional or national level, I do have contact with them. Also, I will be able to connect you through with the right people. I can also post your problem on the blog, where other sections can comment about a similar situation. The opportunities are endless. You can email me at (rcne-a@swe.org) or comment any of the pages on this blog.
8. Other Collegiate Sections – If your section is experiencing a problem, there is definitely another section that has problem had that problem at one time or another. You can also pair up with other sections with events. It allows your members to meet there, and the turn out for the event increases dramatically.
9. Professional Sections – They can help you provide sponsorship, speakers, mentors, career guidance, and the list goes on. They are a valuable resource and will often help out with your events, or you will help out with their events.

Internet Resources – These are very helpful links

1. MySWE Communities – Similar to any form of social networking, SWE Communities provides online interaction tools designed to facilitate discussions and information sharing among members. You are given your own personal SWE profile, and can add yourself to groups called Communities. You can add friends, have a calendar, participate in discussion, help out with document collaboration, hear about events, and make your own blogs, polls, chat, and the list goes on. To register, you will need your SWE user name and password.
2. Collegiate Leadership Coaching Committee (CLCC) – The CLCC gives detailed presentations to collegiate sections on a series of Modules, ranging from Leadership to burnout. They are a great resource to help train your new leadership, to help attract membership, to teach your members about SWE, etc. A list of Modules can be found on the CLCC link.
3. SWE Webinars – You receive emails pretty frequently about new SWE Webinars. These are like short seminars, but on the web (get it, web and seminar = webinar). Anyways, the information given in webinars are fairly similar to the information given during seminars at conferences. They are usually on work balance and other various topics. Here is a list of past webinars and links to the video/audio.
4. SWE Scholarships – SWE gives out a myriad of scholarships every year. During last year, SWE gave out over $400 thousand in scholarships. Application information is available now on the SWE Scholarships link.
5. SWE Outreach – This website has all of the information needed for coordinating outreach activities. It gives more details on well founded SWE outreach activities, such as Wow! That’s engineering, and other events.
6. SWE National Conference Toolkit – This is a really nice tool kit to use when you need help increasing your section’s attendance at the SWE National Conference by providing fundraising ideas, a fundraising timeline, letters for the Dean, Sponsorship request letter templates, and ideas for cost cutting measures.

CREDIT: The excerpt was originally drafted by RCNE of Region J,  Thank you, Very Helpful Info!!!

If you have comments to add, please reply in the blog below~

REGION A Conference Information October 12, 2009

Enhancing the Engineers of Today,
Educating the Engineers of Tomorrow

February 26-28, 2010

The conference will focus on both professional development and educational outreach, to stimulate practicing engineers and cultivate the next generation of engineers. We hope to present workshops concentrating on how to strengthen social networks, improve relationships in our increasingly international field, and understand the underlying business and management strategies that drive engineering decisions.

We would also like to highlight the initiatives that the University of the Pacific School of Engineering and Computer Science is taking to step into the forefront of technology (John T. Chambers Technology Center, Master’s Program). We are also excited to involve San Joaquin Valley professional SWE section in the planning and execution of this conference. In addition, we hope to host large corporations at our career fair, as well as many smaller companies that we have access to via our Cooperative Education Office and Career Resource Center.

Conference Location

University of the Pacific Campus in Stockton, CA – Located approximately 45 miles south of Sacramento and approximately 80 miles west of San Francisco. The nearest airport is Sacramento International Airport (SMF).

Facilities and Parking

Pacific has several large dining facilities as well as a wide variety of conference facilities across campus, equipped with integrated computers and projection systems for workshop presentations.

The Pacific campus is relatively small, and all locations are only a few minutes walking distance from each other. Several large parking lots will be available to guests throughout the campus. Golf cart shuttles can be used for attendees with disabilities that may need assistance.

Conference Schedule

The conference will take place February 26th – 28th, 2010. These dates were chosen in an attempt to avoid spring break, finals, and holidays observed by various Region A colleges. The following is a tentative schedule which is subject to change.

Friday

6:00pm – 9:00pm Mixer for early arrivals
8:00pm – 10:00pm Movie screening at Pacific Theater (Film TBD)

Saturday

8:00am – 9:45am Registration and Breakfast – Opening Ceremonies – Welcome
10:00am – 2:00pm Campus Tours (TBD)
10:00am – 10:45 am Workshop set I
11:00am – 11:45 pm Workshop set II
11:45am – 1:00pm Lunch (with Keynote Speaker)
1:00pm – 4:00pm Career Fair
1:00pm – 1:45pm Workshop set III
2:00pm – 2:45pm Workshop set IV
3:00pm – 4:300pm Conference Closing

Sunday

8:00 – 10:00am Region A Business Meeting

Schedule Details

Speakers

Keynote (Saturday Lunch): Dr. Pamela Eibeck, University of the Pacific President will be invited to give a keynote. Dr. Eibeck joined Pacific in 2009. She has a PhD in Mechanical Engineering.

Saturday Morning Welcome: Nora Lin, SWE President, will be invited to provide opening remarks. Dr. Jain, School of Engineering and Computer Science Dean will be invited to provide a welcome to Pacific.

We would then invite an industry representative to speak at the conference closing.

Workshops

Workshops will focus on how to strengthen social networks, improve relationships in our increasingly international field, and understand the underlying business and management strategies that drive engineering decisions. The workshops will be organized into several flexible tracks, which will address all issues presented in the theme of the conference (a few potential workshop topics are listed under each category):

• Professional Track
  • Professional Networking in the Modern World
  • International Engineering Practices
  • Management Strategies for Engineering Solutions
• Collegiate Track
  • More than Just Facebook: Networking for the Real World
  • How to look for an International Internship
  • Business Savvy for the College Student
• Outreach Track
  • Finding your Future Students: Educational Outreach
  • Recruiting all Ages: Finding your Future Employees
  • Cultural Immersion for a Global Industry

Career Fair

The San Joaquin Valley is centrally located between the Sacramento and the Bay Area. Companies from both of these regions, as well as from across the country and the world, look to engineers from the San Joaquin Valley to fill their voids. We will be utilizing the resources of both the Pacific Cooperative Education Office and the Career Resource Center to bring in companies for the career fair. We would like to host a minimum of 15 booths.

Activities & Tours

Several activities & tours will be available during the conference. Conference attendees can go to a movie on Friday or Saturday night for only $5 in the Pacific Theater. Pacific Student Ambassadors will be able to give guided campus tours on Saturday, highlighting the engineering resources, the new DeRosa University Center and Biological Sciences Building. We plan to work with local restaurants on Stockton’s historic Miracle Mile to get conference attendees discount coupons for meals out during the weekend.

Hotels

Hotels that are within a 10 minute driving distance (current nightly rates listed below):

Stockton Grand Hotel: Minimum $119.00/four guests
- Shuttle or limo service can be arranged for large groups

Sheraton Hotel: Minimum $139.00/four guests (lowered if > 10 rooms booked)
- Metro Stockton Transit picks up in front of hotel, and can drop off outside Pacific
- Shuttle service can be arranged

Comfort Inn: $69.99/four guests

Call for Applications – Collegiate Senator Position January 22, 2009

Call for Applicants!

Applications are still being accepted for the position of FY10 Collegiate Senator. This is a great opportunity to take your leadership and involvement in SWE to the next level. Serving as Senator will help sharpen your career skill-set in the areas of leading and facilitation, group dynamics and communication, and project leadership. Please click here to get started on your (online) Collegiate Senator application.

What does the Senator do?

The Senator is a vital collegiate voice within the Region and to National leaders in SWE. The Collegiate Senator will help set the direction for the Society working with 2 Professional Senators from the 10 Regions, 2 International Senators, and 2 Special Senators. Senators will attend 2 face-to-face meetings each year: one at the National Conference and one in the spring in conjunction with the annual strategic plan review.  In addition, Senators will participate on monthly conference calls and in online community discussions. Funding assistance for travel reimbursement to the spring meeting is available, with additional funding from each region being requested.  Plus, all Senators will be trained together to enhance regional cooperation and collaboration.

What does it take to be Collegiate 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:
  • Officer at any level
  • Committee chair at section level
  • Committee member at regional and/or national level
  • previous RCR/RCNE
    
• Have attended at least one regional or national conference
  
• Good Academic Standing

Applications are due by Saturday, February 1^st.

More Questions
If you have  any  more  questions, please contact us:

Charleen Laughlin, Senator Transition Team,
Jessica Rannow, Senator Transition Team