SWE Creates Tall Agenda for School Year

The University of Arkansas Society of Women Engineers, a group designed for professional development and social activity for women engineers, met last week to discuss the new school year agenda. In the past, SWE hosted events in conjunction with the Girl Scouts, Make a Difference Day, The Boys & Girls Club, and Race for the Cure. The group doesn’t require national membership, but highly encourages it, so that members can add the society to their professional resume. Fees are $20 for the entire year, which ends in July.

2011-12 Events
Members discussed the good experiences of the previous year, and encouraged new members to participate, emphasizing the minimal time and activity commitment. “During the Race for the Cure, you don’t have to run,” said President Jana Hindman. “You can volunteer to hand out t-shirts and other materials, or you can walk the race.”

This year, the group will focus more on Professional Development, including a possible repeat of the previous Alumni Panel, an informal networking dinner between industry specialists and UA engineering students.

The girls expressed an interest in another “What Not To Wear” event, focusing on styles, trends and traditions of professional/business dress for women.

SWE plans to work with the campus Volunteer Action Center, especially during the Make a Difference Day on October 29. “It’s a morning of work, which is not a big commitment, and they give you food,” Hindman said. “This year, we’re going to make water filters.”

Currently…
The first fundraiser of the year is a T-shirt selling campaign. The shirts display the word “engineer” spelled wrong twice and crossed out each time, with “I’m good at math,” as the final line of text. They are sold in green and purple. Contact Jana Hindman (jhindman@uark.edu) or other SWE members if you’re interested in buying one.

A Scull Creek Stream Cleanup will take place at noon on October 9.

The SWE National Conference will take place October 13-15 in Chicago. Only officers attend without cost, but members are encouraged to attend, with a fee of $100 (or $125 if registering on site, not online). Among the biggest attraction to the conference is the career fair, which typically attracts more than 200 valuable, well-known employers.

The Women in Engineering group will team up with SWE for a free networking event on October 25. The groups will meet at Gator Golf event at 6 p.m., and have Jimmy Johns for dinner. Those attending can meet in the Bell Engineering parking lot to carpool.

Resources
SWE President, Jana Hindman emphasized the benefits of using the National SWE website. “It’s a great place for professional development, where you can network with other ladies- people you will work with,” she said. “You can also apply for scholarships there, which are due February 15 this year.” Other SWE members warned that the scholarship application forms take a lot of time to fill out, so members should not wait until the last minute if they’re interested in it.

Keep in Mind
SWE officers are looking for more fundraiser ideas, so stay in touch, voice your opinions and attend meetings when you can. Members are hoping to begin math tutoring for the boys club, and take various field trips to engineering job-related corporations.