Society Of Women Engineers

Society of Women Engineers
There are many preconceived notions that we as college students have about what lays ahead of us; one in particular is constantly dwelling about our future and life after graduation. We look forward to taking the next step in our lives. Many of us not only try to excel in the classroom, but we try to get ourselves involved with organizations and other extracurricular activities that can help us succeed in our individual career paths as well as give us a broader view of the world. Here at the University of Alabama the College of Engineering tries to prepare its students as best they can by providing them with organizations that help guide them in their respective branch of engineering. One such program is the Society of Women Engineers, or SWE. SWE is a national non-profit educational and service organization that prepares women in the field of engineering with the tools needed to succeed. This organization is designed to help promote and encourage women in the field of engineering. Like many other professions, engineering is predominately dominated by males. In fact, in almost any engineering class you walk into here at the University, the attendance of men far outweighs the women in the classes. As a result of this fact, SWE provides women with a group where they can be completely comfortable and share their experiences with other woman engineers.
The Society of Women Engineers has an interesting history. Years ago women were not really encouraged to take up engineering as a profession. SWE originated back in the late 1940’s, but did not become a formal organization until the 1950s. The formation of SWE came about when the shortage of men due to World War II provided a need for women to pursue engineering. Even still, it was not until the 1960s, when Russia launched Sputnik and the interest in technological research and development intensified, that many engineering schools began granting women into the field of engineering.
SWE is considered one of the driving forces that have established engineering as a highly desirable career for women. Its national mission statement, which was adopted in 1986, is “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.” (http://societyofwomenengineers.swe.org/). SWE currently has well over 17,000 members in nearly 100 professional sections and 300 student sections throughout the United States.
One of the sections can be found here at the Capstone, in our own SWE club. The SWE club has over 100 members and is still adding new members every day. Here on campus the organization is focused on establishing engineering as a career for women and allowing its members to provide services to the community. SWE usually holds meetings every Monday which allows the members not only to chat with other participants, but to inform them of some opportunities that are out there for engineers. Some meetings include seminars and lectures provided by companies that hire engineers. The companies can share information about what kind of careers they can provide for the engineers as well as inform them a little about what their company contributes to the engineering community. I recently interviewed one of SWE’s members to find out a firsthand impression of the SWE club here. Kirsten Stovall, a chemical engineering major, has been a member of the organization since her sophomore year in 2008. She says that SWE provides students the ability of networking with other current members, gives them professional development in their careers, and that it’s a great way for you to meet other people who are taking the same classes as you and even get advice from those who have taken the class. Kirsten also thinks it’s a great organization because it allows its members to attend regional and national conferences with other branches of SWE, as well as providing the opportunity for its members to hear about career fairs and tons of information about different companies. When I asked her if she would she recommend SWE for all women entering engineering as a profession, she answered, “Yes, because it’s a good way to not feel alone and hear others perspective about what it takes to be an engineer.”
Reflecting on what Kirsten told me and what you can find on the internet about SWE, the organization seems like its mission to help women in the field of engineering is being met with excellent reviews. The reason why SWE works so well is that it is an organization built by women just for the advancement of women in the field of engineering. It provides its members with regional as well as national help and education that all women need in order to further their careers. SWE gives detailed information about companies that are looking for engineers and what all engineering has to offer. SWE also offers scholarships and awards to some of its members. While a career in engineering is an achievement in itself, SWE promotes its members to try and achieve their highest goals and recognizes them for doing such. Its main website for the organization provides information that promotes, encourages, and establishes its members to be productive role models to future engineers. Through SWE, women are given the tools needed in order to excel in their respective engineering programs, whether it is chemical engineering or civil engineering. The goal of SWE is to give women the opportunity and the voice to establish themselves and make careers out of engineering that not only helps them succeed personally, but professionally, allowing them to achieve something once unattainable in the world engineering.