NewsletterMarch2018

March 2018

UpcomingEvents

Congrats to our New Officers!

April

The election results are in! We look forward to an amazing year

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E3 WELocal Mentorship ColorMeMine Social Event Study-A-Thon

led by these outstanding women! Here are our 2018-2019 Pitt SWE officers:

President: Laura Traczynski Vice President: Alexandra Lee Secretary: Kelsey Prem Treasurer: Jackie Welsh VP Outreach: Jessica Sorick VP Outreach: Eryn McCormick Corporate Relations: Dana Emswiler Corporate Relations: Caroline Westrick Meeting Coordinator: Taylor Daniels Mentorship Chair: Erin Smith Publicity Chair: Mary Cumpston Public Relations Chair: Stephanie Thornton Webmaster: Elise Harrison Social Chair: Anna Landry Graphic Designer: Maya McCann Fundraising Chair: Sarah Oldenburg Elementary Outreach Chair: Emily Zuris Middle School Outreach Chair: Julia Jones High School Outreach Chair: Kayla Ruslavage Girl Scout Outreach Chair: Gabrielle Rubin

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT with Norfolk Southern

By: Jackie Welsh

On January 22nd, Pitt SWE members got the

chance to meet and talk with two female engineers from our long-time gold sponsor, Norfolk Southern. Norfolk Southern, based in Atlanta, GA is a leader in transportation in cargo across the country. As well as transportation, Norfolk specializes in environmental and civil engineering pursuits. They are worldwide leaders in transportation technology, implementing new concepts such as Positive Train Control, and new energy management systems. The company holds the environment as well as civil responsibility in high regard, proving it to be a positive and influential place to work. We hosted one engineer from the civil and construction department and well as a member of the electrical engineering group. Although a male dominated industry as well as field, these women gave advice about how to hold your own and prove yourself in the workplace as powerful team members and leaders. A career in construction and transportation can be a tough place or even hostile for a woman, but knowing your worth and focusing on your end goal will help you succeed. As well as general career advice, SWE members also learned about opportunities to work for Norfolk Southern as an intern or even full-time positions. Their experiences and advice proved to be beneficial to our members as they learn how to navigate the working world after graduation.

CO-OP VS INTERNSHIP PANEL By: Stephanie Thornton

On Wednesday, January 10th, we kicked off the semester with a co-op vs internship student panel before our general body meeting. The panel consisted of upperclassmen SWE students who have completed co-ops, internships, or both. The open and honest discussion helped the underclassmen learn the pros and cons of each opportunity. It also helped girls prepare for the career fair or co-op fair by learning about what it’s really like in the working world and getting their questions answered by their peers. Topics from how to prepare for interviews, how to conquer your first week, and how to handle discrimination gave us valuable insight to important situations we will all soon face. One important tip that stuck with me was: “Don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions, but make sure you try your best first because that’s how you learn.” Also knowing that it’s okay if you do not love your internship/co-op because you can always switch for your next experience and then you are closer to knowing what you do want.

ELEMENTARY ENGINEERING EXTRAVAGANZA

By: Jackie Welsh

On Saturday, February 3, 2018, Pitt’s Society of

Women Engineers hosted Girls in Engineering Middle School Day (GEMS). The program served as an opportunity for middle school girls to become integrated with engineering curricula. The event opened up with an Engineering EXPO, where students and parents alike could interact with quick engineering-related activities. Highlighted activities included: Dr. Chmielus portraying shape memory effect and surface tension, Pitt BMES letting students utilize a microscope, and Pitt AIAA portraying a Flight Simulator. Next, there were two tracks for the attendees: a Student Session and Parent Session. Students participated in a series of four activities, all of which encompassed different engineering disciplines. These were: Build a Roller Coaster (civil), Elephant Foam (chemical), and Makey Makey (electrical). In addition, students got to tour a well-known bioengineering lab, called Human Movement and Balance Laboratory located in Schenley Place.

The Parent Session encompassed a presentation by Mary Zeis, a professional panel discussion, a parent activity, and a tour of Benedum Hall.

Overall, the program received great reviews and both girls and parents emphasized that they learned more about engineering disciplines and Swanson School of Engineering. The event would not have been such a success without the nearly 45 SWE volunteers involved!

OUTREACH CORNER

ADVICE FROM A PITT SWE + CHEM-E ALUMNI

By: Kayla LeMaster

This month SWE got the chance to meet with Roberta Luxbacher, a Pitt ChE alum, Pitt SWE

alum, retired ExxonMobil Global Vice President, and a Pitt trustee who lives in Dallas, TX. A group of SWE members got lunch with Roberta at the University Club’s Fraternity Grill, then had her talk about her experiences in industry and what she thought was important for us, aspiring engineers, to know. Hot topics were work-life balance and self confidence. She told us of both her triumphs and failures and how she was just like us when she was in engineering school. In a relaxed setting, we were able to engage with her and share with her our thoughts.

She had a lot of advice as she has succeeded in multiple engineering and management roles.

She inspired us to go after our dreams. It was a pleasure to spend time with her!

By: Stephanie Thornton

HEALTY U ALUMNI SPEAKER

On March 15, we had the privilege to hear from

Anne-Marie Alderson, a Pitt BioE alum who has started her own business, Alderson Endurance & Wellness. She told us about her journey from bioengineering to fitness, nutrition, and health entrepreneur. After starting her career at a start-up and being a jack-of-all-trades, she when to Carnegie Mellon for her MBA. She realized while training for a triathlon and coaching as a hobby that it was her passion to advise people about their health and training. She was inspired to take the leap to start after hearing: “If you were guaranteed not to fail, what would you be doing with your life?” She explained that her engineering degree is not a waste because it gave her solid work ethic, strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills, understanding of human physiology, and confidence. I mean, let’s get real, if you can do engineering, you can do anything. She also gave us advice about starting a business including considering a business plan, business incorporation, accounting, and entrepreneurship classes. To help find your passion, she suggested asking yourself what you would do even if no one paid you, and what you enjoyed doing as a kid. To decide if you should start your own business, trust your gut and know why you are doing it (not just because you don’t want a boss because your customers will be your boss). Some other major pieces of advice including keeping an open mind, saying yes to the right opportunities, not worrying about what other people think, and being prepared for ups and downs. If you are passionate, self-disciplined, and structured, then you can do it!

WOMEN IN STEM CONFERENCE On Saturday, February 10th, 2018, 200 ambitious

collegiate women pursuing STEM careers were inspired and empowered at the 4th Annual Women in STEM Conference!

This event was a collaboration between Pitt SWE, EGSO, and GWEN and was co-chaired by Emily Ackerman, Dana Emswiler, Joy Huang, Erica Stevens, Anna Svirsko, and Jackie Welsh.

Barbara A. Staniscia of Bechtel Plant Machinery, Inc. led the first keynote talk of the day on After the Foundation: Building your future with skills beyond the books.

She intertwined the viewpoints of various representatives from BPMI which showcased how to excel as a leader in your chosen field. Later in the day, Alka A. Patel of Carnegie Mellon University, gave the second keynote talk which focused on Playbook for Professional and Personal Success. She used interactive techniques to encourage our attendees to find allies, mentors, and sponsors while simultaneously always taking pride in your accomplishments.

The Women in STEM Conference included three breakout sessions which were led by accomplished women in academia and industry with five tracks in each session that were geared towards all of our attendees or specifically to undergraduate or graduate women. We also included a final track which focused on SWE LCC modules: leadership development techniques sponsored by the professional section of SWE.

This year, we were excited to host the first poster session which gave the opportunity to both undergraduate and graduate students to present their research. We would like to thank every student who participated in this contest by either presenting or taking interest in a poster. Congratulations to Yusan Yang who won first place in the graduate category with “Learned color bias in a polymorphic poison frog: implications for trait evolution and speciation” and Mariya Savinov who won first place in the undergraduate category for “Controlling period-2 electrical activity in a cardiac cell model.”

At the conclusion of this year’s conference, our attendees were offered free professional headshots and an opportunity to network with our generous sponsors: Bechtel Plant Machinery, Inc., Naval Nuclear Laboratory, and the US Navy/ Naval Reactors.