Professional Development

Education      Personal Growth      Technology

Education Track

Thursday Sessions

10:00-11:00 a.m.

11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

3:30-4:30 p.m.

Repeated Friday, 10/15, 9:30-10:30 a.m.

3:30-4:30 p.m.

3:30-4:30 p.m.

4:30-5:30 p.m.

4:30-5:30 p.m.

4:30-5:30 p.m.

4:30-5:30 p.m.

Friday Sessions

3:30-5:00 p.m.

4:30-5:30 p.m.

Saturday Sessions

10:00-11:30 a.m.

3:15-5:00 p.m.

3:15-5:00 p.m.

Education Track

Thursday Sessions

Thursday, 10/14, 10:00-11:00 a.m.

The National Science Foundation's ADVANCE program is designed to increase representation of women in the scientific and engineering workforce through increased participation and advancement of women in science and engineering academic careers. The ADVANCE Institutional Transformation Awards are targeted at advancing women in the ranks of science and engineering faculty through transformation of institutional culture and the practices and policies that inhibit the full participation and advancement of women faculty. To date eighteen universities have been selected for Institutional Transformation Awards.

Thursday, 10/14 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Learn about NASA’s professional development and research experiences for college faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students (rising juniors and seniors) through the NASA Faculty Fellowship Program, the Graduate Student Researchers Program, the Langley Aerospace Research Summer Scholars Program, and the Undergraduate Student Research Program. In addition, the NASA LIVE program, a free videoconferencing program, will be demonstrated to show how distance learning technology can be utilized in the classroom, by students and their clubs, and other educational entities.

Thursday, 10/14, 3:30-4:30 p.m.

Repeated Friday, 10/15, 9:30-10:30 a.m.

Midwest Airlines Center, Room 202C, Mezzanine Level

For over a decade, Walter McFall and Tina Kilmer have been helping SWE members looking for internships and permanent engineering jobs get the most out of the SWE Career Fair. Learn to optimize your time at the Career Fair, effectively prepare yourself for visiting the employers’ booths, determine if a company is right for you, and know who to contact after the Conference.

Thursday, 10/14, 3:30-4:30 p.m.

Midwest Airlines Center, Room 202D, Mezzanine Level

What makes your résumé stand out? What needs to be in your résumé? What should you leave out? How should it be formatted? What are the key words that help or hurt you? How can you customize your résumé for specific job opportunities? This workshop will review the fundamentals as well as offer ideas for making your résumé the one that will lead to your ideal job!

Thursday, 10/14, 3:30-4:30 p.m.

Midwest Airlines Center, Room 203C, Mezzanine Level

"Feminism" is often thought of as a dirty word in engineering and elsewhere in modern American society. In this session, we will look carefully at what "feminism" is and can be for engineers and engineering. We will discuss how engineering developed in schools as a "gendered" discipline, and consider what that might mean for encouraging more girls and women to become engineers. Finally, we will talk about what it means to be a feminist in engineering, and if/how it is possible for engineering to be a "feminist discipline." Expect to participate in this thought-provoking session.

Alice Pawley is a doctoral student in industrial engineering, minoring in women's studies, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In her research, she uses gender theory, sociology, and organizational design to study the impact of organizational structures on what becomes "engineering" and how these structures are influenced by gender ideology. She is also a research assistant in the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning, an NSF 5-year initiative for higher education reform.

Sponsored by GE Healthcare

Thursday, 10/14, 4:30-5:30 p.m.

Midwest Airlines Center, Room 203DE, Mezzanine Level

In this workshop, we will step back to examine the distinction between an engineer and a scientist, and investigate why engineering is such a vibrant field. Engineering is so much more than nuts and bolts-it's all about applying science to solve problems for society. This workshop will provide examples of engineering solutions that have made life better for everyone, including a hands-on demonstration of engineering problem solving.

Irene Strohbeen joined Kimberly-Clark after completing her MS degree in Chemical Engineering. She has been working in Product Development for over 24 years and has led project teams for product improvement. She is also actively involved with employee training, campus recruiting and diversity efforts.
Pat Exarhos comes from a medical field background, but changed careers after receiving an MS degree in Pulp and Paper Science. Pat joined Kimberly-Clark 15 years ago, working with teams that have launched product improvements and new products under various Kimberly-Clark brand names. Pat also launced a Women's Network at the Neenah, Wisconsin location of Kimberly Clark, which now has over 600 members.

Thursday, 10/14, 4:30-5:30 p.m.

Midwest Airlines Center, Room 202C, Mezzanine Level

Your résumé demonstrates that you have the skills to match the position, but now it's time for the all important interview. Part of any successful job search includes being prepared for the interview. This session will cover basic interviewing techniques used by employers and provide you with skills to help you effectively present yourself in an interview and how to learn what you want to know about your prospective employer.

Thursday, 10/14, 4:30-5:30 p.m.

Midwest Airlines Center, Room 202D, Mezzanine Level

You will only miss your PE license when you need it and do not have it! What are the advantages of licensure as a Professional Engineer? What do you need to do to get licensed? This workshop will go over the process, as well as “lift the veil of misunderstanding" about why licensure as a Professional Engineer is critical to every woman engineer.

Deborah Grubbe is currently Corporate Director, Safety and Health for DuPont, supporting DuPont Operations mergers and acquisitions efforts in the Agriculture and Nutrition platform. Previously, she was the Operations and Engineering Director for DuPont Nonwovens, which was a $1 billion business with eight manufacturing facilities around the world. She graduated with a BS in Chemical Engineering with Highest Distinction from Purdue University and received a Winston Churchill Fellowship to attend Cambridge University of England, where she received a Certificate of Post-Graduate Study in Chemical Engineering. She has been the recipient of many awards throughout her studies and career and is actively involved with engineering groups as well as her local community. Ms. Grubbe is a registered Professional Engineer in Delaware and an engineer of record for DuPont.

Thursday, 10/14, 4:30-5:30 p.m.

Midwest Airlines Center, Room 202B, Mezzanine Level

Improve your success at the SWE Career Fair by learning how to approach a booth to be successful, how to “select” the right recruiter for you, and techniques for ensuring your résumé is in the hands of the RIGHT person once the fair is over and it's time for follow up. Learn to identify what questions you can ask and what questions you should never ask.

Bob Raybits has over 21 years experience as a Human Resources Professional, with various positions held in the areas of Compensation Management, Labor Relations, HRIS, and and Human Resources Manager of Northrop Grumman's Electronic Systems sector's Science and Technology Center. Since 1999, Bob has served as Employment Manager at the sector's headquarters located in Baltimore, MD. Recently, he has been appointed Manager of Strategic Campus Relations for the NG Electronic Systems sector.

Friday Sessions

Friday, 10/15, 3:30-5:00 p.m.

Midwest Airlines Center, Room 202B, Mezzanine Level

Young engineers join companies prepared with the skills necessary to tackle engineering problems, but most have not been taught how to tackle business probleMs. Learn the basics of business and how this knowledge can propel you ahead of your peers in your first engineering job.

Danielle Forget Shield, P.E. has been an active member of SWE for 14 years and a practicing engineer and manager for 10 years. She has a BS in Civil Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis and an MBA from the University of St. Thomas. Danielle currently works as a mid-level manager for WCA Waste Corporation and is based in Houston, Texas.

Tricia Berry is the Director of the Women in Engineering Program at The University of Texas at Austin, responsible for leading the efforts on recruitment and retention of women in the College of Engineering. She came to UT in July 1999 after six years at The Dow Chemical Company, where she worked as a Process Engineer leading design and expansion projects and a Product Development Engineer assisting in the commercialization of a new epoxy thermoplastic and leading the customer plant start-up efforts. Tricia holds both a BS Chemical Engineering degree and an MBA.

Friday, 10/15, 4:30-5:30 p.m.

Midwest Airlines Center, Room 202A, Mezzanine Level

This presentation will cover the entire job search, from the résumé all the way to selecting your first job. Topics discussed with include: résumé building, getting the most from a career fair, the importance of attending information sessions, how to prepare for and what to expect from an interview, and key comparison factors for selecting a job. This frank presentation is from women engineers who are active recruiters.

Nora Tucker holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Colorado in 2001, when she joined National Instruments, where she managed a group of twelve Engineers and was responsible for helping recruit and hire new graduates in to the Engineering Leadership Program at NI. Nora now acts as a Product Marketing Engineer for the LabVIEW software product line, but still continues to be very involved in recruiting at her alma mater.

Dawna Vicars graduated from Texas A&M University in 2002 with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. She joined National Instruments and the Engineering Leadership Program (ELP) in January 2003, where she has had the opportunity to develop both her technical and leadership skills. In her current role as ELP Team Manager, Dawna manages the internship program at NI and is actively involved in recruiting both interns and full-time ELP Engineers.

Azucena Perez graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1999 with a BS in Computer Sciences and a BA in French. Upon graduation she joined the Engineering Leadership Program at National Instruments where she had the opportunity to utilize her foreign language skills by providing technical support and course instruction in both Spanish and French. She currently leads the localization effort for LabVIEW as a software engineer and is actively involved in recruiting both interns and full-time software engineers.

Saturday Sessions

Passing the fundamentals of engineering exam is a key step along the path to engineering licensure - a path highly recommended for all engineers in today's evolving and globalizing economy. Come learn about the FE exam, the value of licensure, and the process for getting an engineering license.

Jill S. Tietjen, P.E., is a Fellow Life Member of SWE and Past National President. A registered professional engineer in Colorado, Jill received a gubernatorial appointment to the Colorado State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors (1996-2004). She is serving as the Western Zone Vice President of the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (2004-2006).

Saturday, 10/16, 10:00-11:30 a.m.

Midwest Airlines Center, Room 203AB, Mezzanine Level

Each year SWE sections, student sections and MALs make presentations at the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) national and three regional conventions. SWE members discuss SWE resources and career guidance opportunities for teachers. Come learn how your section can profit from participation with NSTA and get information that can be used in numerous career guidance forums.

Betty Preece is the NSTA/ SWE liaison and currently an engineering education consultant. She is a retired secondary and university educator, SWE Fellow and Life Member, member of Editorial Board for SWE Magazine who travels around the world helping people of all ages discover that science and engineering are fun.

Saturday, 10/16, 3:15-5:00 p.m.

Midwest Airlines Center, Room 203AB, Mezzanine Level

Explore the fascinating feats of ancient engineers from around the world! Go back to a time when computers, manufacturing techniques, and plastic did not exist. From security in tombs, to architectural masterpieces, to 3,000 year old inventions, see how technology has evolved. Expect captivating stories, intriguing images, and fun activities.

Andrea Wesser has served as Outreach & Education Committee Chair for the past twoyears for her award winning student chapter. She sits on both the National Career Guidance and Professional Development committtees and has presented at SWE Regionals.

Saturday, 10/16, 3:15-5:00 p.m.

Midwest Airlines Center, Room 202E, Mezzanine Level

What would convince anyone to take a perfectly metastable production line and perturb it? The nature of the contemporary business environment demands that companies consciously choose to impart change into the production line on a regular and increasingly accelerated basis. How do you identify when introduction of a change is going well and when it is not? How can you mitigate the risk associated with frequent and large scale change? This Learning Module will present a case study from The Boeing Company assembly operations, offer our perspective on how to view change and manage the risks associated with its implementation. A hands-on learning experience will supplement the case study.

Catherine M. Sabinash began her career in the Engineering Labs responsible for environmental testing of avionics, support equipment and materials. She then transferred into Material and Process Development specializing in Nondestructive Testing and metallurgy and gained experience in R&D, production and fleet support. Subsequently, she was manager of Materials, Processes, Producibility, Standards, Composite Allowables and Nondestructive Testing for the Tactical Aircraft Division of Military Aircraft and Missile SysteMs. She has been Executive Assistant to the VP/GM of the F-15 Program. Catherine is currently Deputy Program Manager on the Active Electronically Scanned Array (APG-79 AESA) Radar Development Program for the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.