February 2017 Newsletter

A P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E U N I V E RS I TY O F P I TT S B U RG H | S WA N S O N S C H O O L O F E N G I N E E R I N G

SWE NEWS SOCIETY OF WOMEN ENGINEERS

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Pitt SWE finished the year strong with so many professional, outreach, and social events! Check out how we finished up the fall semester.

UpcomingEvents February

Feb 8 Mentorship Hour and GBM

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FEBRUARY 2017

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Interview Tips with ANSYS

by Laura Traczynski

ANSYS is a leader in engineering simulation technology. The company develops technology to solve design challenges with airplanes, computers, cell phones, bridges, and more.

Founded nearly fifty years ago, ANSYS currently employs almost 3,000 professionals. The company’s headquarters is located outside of Pittsburgh in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania.

In addition, there are more than 75 strategic sales locations throughout the world. With continuous breakthroughs in technology, ANSYS has been considered one of the most innovative companies in the world.

On November 3, Kayla Druga, a professional from ANSYS, gave a presentation to Pitt SWE on the do’s and don’ts of interviewing. Some of the many topics she covered included choosing the appropriate attire, making a great impression, and following up after an interview. In addition, Kayla took many of our specific questions about interviews and careers and gave extremely helpful and candid answers. The presentation was a great way for SWE members to prepare for future careers, co-ops, and internships!

Feb 11 High School Engineering Day

Feb 13 Dinnerview

Feb 17-18 WE Local Conference

Feb 22 Professional Event

Kayla Druga, a professional from ANSYS, presented the best ways to excel in an interview.

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Meet Our Vice President, Summer Jiries Summer Jiries is the Vice President of Pitt SWE for the 2016-2017 school year! Summer has graduated during this past fall semester, but she will still be very involved in Pitt SWE. She majored in chemical engineering with minors in economics and petroleum engineering. In addition to SWE, Summer was a chemistry teaching assistant. She has been a Telecommunications Intern at EQT and a Field Engineer at Schlumberger. Her interests include traveling, meeting people, and working out. Summer loves that SWE empowers women and gives them endless opportunities.

E L E M E N TA RY E N G I N E E R I N G

by Eleni Parke

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n Saturday, November 19, the Society of Women Engineers hosted an outreach event for elementary school children. The children were first taken to an expo where they were introduced to a wide array of engineering projects being worked on by various organizations at Pitt. The groups made projects available for the children to view and assisted in helping them make their own projects, such as slime and lava lamps. After the expo, the children were led into another room where they engaged in a storyline.

First, they had to make their own play-dough out of flour, salt, and water. This was an example of chemical engineering since they were required to figure out the right proportions of each ingredient to make the best play-dough. From this play-dough, they made their “adventurer”. The adventurer needed a way to safely escape a plane, which required the little engineers’ assistance. To test out the safety of their idea, they would be using an egg as a dummy. They worked in teams to brainstorm ideas and needed to use only the provided materials to come up with a way to safely land their eggs. From this test, they learned from their mistakes and could improve their original designs. After their adventurer descended safely from the plane drop, they needed to cross a zip-line. Again, with the provided materials they could construct devices to carry their play-dough adventurer across the zip-line. At the end of the event the children kept the products they had created from the expo, the ideas they developed in the story, a certificate, some goodies, and a love for engineering.

It is always a joy to see young children so interested in a career you are pursuing. I am sure we will all be looking forward to the next elementary engineering extravaganza.

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Photo 1 – SWE Members assisted the children with crafting their own zip-line carriers.

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Photo 2 – The elementary students had the opportunity to explore design projects created by Pitt engineering clubs!

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Middle School Engineering Day

by Kelsey Prem

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n Saturday, December 3, members of SWE hosted an outreach event for middle school students. The event gave students the opportunity to use innovative and creative thinking while learning about different types of engineering. When the students arrived they participated in an expo that introduced them to many engineering clubs and activities allowing them to learn what engineers do through hands-on activities. They were able to make bath bombs to learn about chemical engineering and complete circuits to learn about electrical engineering. After the expo the students broke into groups with SWE members acting as activity leaders. In these groups the students worked together to solve three different engineering tasks,

each introducing a new type of engineering.

The first activity introduced the students to biomedical engineering. The children were told to pretend a goat had eaten something funny and needed surgery. They needed to design a medical device that would allow them to retrieving different objects without hurting the goat. After the goat surgery, groups tried their hand at computer engineering. The students first learned about coding and the different rules that must be followed, and after they were able to try coding themselves. One student would act as the coder by writing a simple list of instructions to complete simple tasks, while another student would act

as the computer and follow the instructions exactly to demonstrate how detailed a computer code must be. The last activity the groups participated in represented aerospace engineering. They constructed a contraption to act as a Mars Rover, that would allow them to drop a marshmallow and keep it in a cup. Many of the students had a very successful engineering day and were excited to learn more about the field.

Middle School Engineering Day allowed students to be introduced to many different types of engineering while having fun in the process.

Students explored computer engineering by writing a “code” for making a paper airplane.

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Middle School students created their own medical devices to save a goat, which was represented by a cardboard box and dominos.

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by Laura Traczynski

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n Saturday, October 22, girl scout troops from the Pittsburgh area visited Benedum Hall to participate in Pitt SWE’s annual Girl Scout Engineering Day! Elementary and middle school aged girls engaged in science activities to learn about engineering careers.

The girls rotated through different stations to learn about the various types of engineering.

The young engineers had the chance to become familiar with mechanical engineering by designing and crafting “mint mobiles.” They were challenged to create a miniature vehicle that would travel the farthest distance, and they had a blast testing out their designs! In addition, the girls explored computer engineering. They became similar with coding loops, and with the help of the SWE volunteers, they created their very own website. The children also took part in an activity that simulated unclogging an artery, which helped them learn about bioengineering. Later in the day, the girl scouts enjoyed a sweet treat for lunch.

Using the rules of freezing point depression, the girls made their own ice cream! It was a great opportunity to learn more about chemical engineering while incorporating a delicious dessert. By the end of the day, both the girl scouts and SWE volunteers had a blast with all of the activities. Girl Scout Engineering Day was successful in inspiring young engineers and creating a memorable experience for everyone involved!

The young engineers made their own ice cream, which helped them explore chemical engineering.

The girl scouts participated in a bioengineering activity that simulated unclogging an artery.

Etiquette Dinner

by Laura Traczynski

Range Resources is an American independent producer of oil and natural gas. Their goal is “to increase reserves and production through internally generated drilling projects.”

The Pittsburgh location opened in 2007 to focus on Marcellus Shale. The company is dedicated to environmental protection and worker safety.

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On Tuesday, November 15, Range Resources sponsored Pitt SWE’s annual Etiquette

Dinner. At the event, female engineers from Range Resources discussed correct manners for interviews that happen over dinner. The team gave a wonderful presentation filled with helpful tips and tricks for landing the job. Later, SWE Members enjoyed a delicious dinner while networking in small groups with the visiting professionals. We had the chance to practice proper etiquette and listen to stories and advice from inspiring engineers.

After the dinner, the professionals took part in a panel to answer our questions about interviews, careers, and more. Etiquette

Dinner was a great way for members to feel confident about dinnerviews and grow as future professionals!

SWE Members network with a Range Resources engineer while practicing their etiquette skills.

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Social Events and SWE Siblings

by Laura Traczynski

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he end of the fall semester included two great social events!

On Thursday, October 20, Pitt SWE went bowling at Forward Lanes in Squirrel Hill. It was the perfect opportunity for members to make new friends and relieve stress from midterms.

On Wednesday, December 7, SWE held its annual holiday party.

Members decorated cookies, crafted snowflakes, and got into the holiday spirit. The party also involved a lot of giving back to the community and beyond. Members brought canned goods to the party that were later donated to the Pitt Pantry. Also, during the holiday party, we had the opportunity to make cards for soldiers who spent the holidays oversees. Overall, it’s been a great semester for social events and new friends!

Our mentorship program, SWE Siblings, finished strong during the end of the semester. On October 4, members enjoyed a fall-themed Mentorship Hour! Participants painted pumpkins while bonding with their mentor/mentee. With fall just around the corner, it was a great way to get into the Halloween spirit. Later, on November 7, mentorship members made Thanksgiving crafts. Mentors and mentees crafted paper turkeys and Indian headbands, solved word search puzzles, and enjoyed snacks! SWE Siblings has had a very successful semester. Don’t forget – if you hang out with your mentor/ mentee outside of SWE and email a picture to Pitt SWE, you will receive extra mentorship points. The mentorship pair with the most points at the end of the semester will receive a prize!

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Photo 1 – SWE Members pose during a round of bowling at Forward Lanes.

Photo 2 – Members crafted snowflakes and cards at the annual holiday party.

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Photo 3 – Mentorship participants made Thanksgiving crafts while bonding with other members.

Photo 4 – Mentors and Mentees painted their own pumpkins at the October Mentorship Hour!

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