PittSWE Newsletter - April 2012

PITT SWE

Volume 2, Issue 4

5

TH

April 2012 Edited by: Julia Wasas

Annual SWEepover

Outreach Written By: Julia Wasas On Friday March 30th the University of Pittsburgh’s Society of Women Engineers held its 5th Annual SWEepover. This event is held for high school girls who have been accepted to the university and are interested in engineering. The girls spend time with female freshman engineers while they get to know the campus and culture of the university.

The event began with an ice cream social where the attendees were able to meet and interact with hosts. A SWE panel followed, allowing the high school girls to ask our officers any questions they had about engineering, freshman year, and life at Pitt. To show the girls some of what Pitt has to offer, current students led tours of three Bioengineering and Chemical Engineering labs in Benedum Hall.

A new aspect to the event was a professional panel. Three female engineers formed a panel during the lab tours, and the high school students had the opportunity to ask them about their schooling and life as a female engineer in industry.

Following the tours, the attendees and hosts had dinner at Joe Mama’s restaurant where they had another opportunity to interact with freshmen girls. To show all the fantastic places on Pitt’s campus the evening concluded with an interactive scavenger hunt. Check out Pitt SWE’s Facebook page to see the girls exploring the campus. A Day for Admitted Students followed our event which allowed high school students to see the more academic side of Pitt.

Upcoming Events May - August May - July – Have a great summer!

August 26 – Student Activities Fair

SWEepover participants at one scavenger hunt location

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

1 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4

5th Annual SWEepover Evening with Professional SWE Regional News Origami End of Semester Party Cohera Medical Visit Officer Announcement Current Officers Summer Search National News Congratulations Graduating Officers!

University of Pittsburgh – Society of Women Engineers – April 2012 - 1

Evening with Professional SWE

Origami

Networking

Written By: Sandy Liu

Written By: Mary Beth Biddle

This semester’s relaxation event was an “origami night.”

Members of Pitt SWE folded approximately fifty cranes, boxes, flowers, seals, and whales that were donated to UPMC Presbyterian.

Pitt SWE teamed up with Carnegie Mellon University’s SWE section on April 29th to host a meeting with the Pittsburgh Professional SWE section. The meeting, held on CMU’s campus, gave collegiate members the opportunity to hear firsthand what it’s like to be a successful female engineer.

Relaxation/Service

Five professional members spoke about their experiences with education, both undergraduate and graduate, work in industry, and staying involved with SWE. Each professional member provided personal insight to what she believed contributed to her success. Hearing a variety of different responses enabled collegiate members to see that there is no right or wrong path to take, but also allowed them to gain a perspective on all the options available.

In addition, the professional members encouraged those in attendance to not only stay involved with SWE, but to ask if potential employers would pay membership fees or sponsor their participation in the National Conference. All of the women believed that SWE have provided them with a strong support system both in their career and socially, especially if they had to move for a job. The meeting ended with mingling of collegiate and professional members, and a better understanding of the importance of staying involved with SWE post-graduation.

Regional News

Origami made by members of Pitt SWE

Fifteen people attended the event, including three non-SWE members (all males!!). The event was an opportunity for members to socialize and take a break from schoolwork with finals coming up. The environment was very welcoming as many people were teaching others how to fold cranes.

If you have a relaxation event that you would like to suggest to SWE, please email us at pittswe@gmail.com with your ideas.

Region G Written By: Julia Wasas The following people have been elected as the FY13 Region G Leaders: Regional Collegiate Representative: Sarah Watzman (The Ohio State University), Regional Collegiate Communications Editor: Amanda Thorp (West Virginia University), Regional Collegiate Senator: Jamie Tylicki (The Ohio State University), Congratulations ladies and good luck in your new positions!

End of Semester Party Social Written By: Mary Beth Biddle On April 25th, Pitt SWE held our annual end of the year party. The freshman planning committee organized an evening of food, music, games, and friendship bracelet making. The highlight of this finals week break was the hitting of a piñata! The party was a great stress reliever and a nice way to enjoy an evening with SWE.

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Cohera Medical Visit

Officer Announcement!

Professional Development

Congratulations to the new officers for the 2012 – 2013academic term!

Written By: Lisa Volpatti

Executive Board:

Pitt SWE’s bioengineering company visit was held on Tuesday, April 10. This meeting featured Cohera Medical, Inc®, a small Pittsburgh-based company that was cofounded by Dr. Eric Beckman, George Bevier Professor of Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Chemical Engineering. Dr. Beckman is also the primary inventor of the company’s adhesive technology, which spurred Cohera’s commitment of “creating surgical adhesives that improve patient care and quality of life – for all surgical procedures, applications and specialties.”

President - Lisa Volpatti

The Product Development Manager at Cohera, Despina (Dessie) Xenakis, gave a presentation at the meeting. Dessie is a University of Pittsburgh alumna who began working at Cohera shortly after her graduation and has remained there for the past five years. The 26 students who attended the meeting learned about Cohera's three major products: TissueGlu® Surgical Adhesive, FlexSil™ Surgical Sealant, and a mesh fixation product. The primary product, TissueGlu®, has already been launched in the European market and has been approved to commence clinical studies in the United States.

Grace Owens, a bioengineering student at Pitt and current co-op at Cohera, spoke briefly about her positive experiences at the company. Representatives from Cohera will also be attending the Pitt co-op fair this fall.

Vice President - Julia Wasas Secretary - Sandy Liu Treasurer - Christina O'Donnell Chair Positions: Corporate Relations: Erica Stevens Corporate Sponsorship: Sarah Pachesky Historian: Karin Rozendaal (Fall Only) Meeting Coordinator: Matthew Gargani Mentorship: Dhanu Thiyagarajan Outreach: Aimee Pickering Publicity: Christine Bontempi Service: Kim Daloise Webmaster: Elissa Warmbrand Special Events: JoAnn Male Freshman Liaison: TBA The Freshman Liaison is a new chair position for the 20122013 academic year. This is a perfect chance to become more involved with SWE early in your college career! If you are an incoming female freshman engineering student and are interested in this leadership position, please contact us for more information.

Current Officers President - Sandy Liu President – Mary Beth Biddle Vice President – Lisa Volpatti Secretary – Julia Wasas Treasurer – Stephanie O’Neill Visit Our Website for a complete list of officers. www.pitt.edu/~pittswe Dessie Xenakis presenting about Cohera Medical

University of Pittsburgh – Society of Women Engineers – April 2012 - 3

Congratulations Graduating Officers!

A few of SWE’s officers are graduating this semester or over the summer. See what they have done and where they are going.

Mary Beth Biddle Officer Positions Held: President, Meeting Coordinator, Publicity Chair Major: Mechanical Engineering Mary Beth completed three co-op rotations during her time at Pitt. She was also a Peer Advisor, a Freshman Conference Co-chair, and a member of the SWE Region G Awards Committee. Mary Beth will be working at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company in Philadelphia, PA after graduation.

Julie Fatula Officer Positions Held: Mentorship Chair and Meeting Coordinator Major: Chemical Engineering Minors: Bioengineering, Chemistry

National News SWE National Written By: Julia Wasas WE12 registration is now live. You can sign up on the national SWE website to attend the national conference in Houston, Texas. If you plan to represent the University of Pittsburgh, then contact Pitt SWE to coordinate with our section.

While at Pitt, Julie has conducted undergraduate research with Dr. Little for three years. During the summers, she interned with Air Products and Chemicals in Allentown, PA. Julie will work with Bayer Technology Services in Houston, TX, after graduation.

Camille Keenan Officer Position Held: Corporate Relations Chair Major: Bioengineering Minor: Chemistry Aside from engineering activities, Camille danced with the student-run Pitt Dance Ensemble and worked for Pitt's Jumpstart, an early childhood literacy program. In the fall, she will be attending medical school at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio and plans on getting a dual MD/MPH degree.

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