COMPES PDC 2017 - Last week to register!!

Please join us for the award winning COMPES-PDC (Coalition of Minority Professional Engineering Societies Professional Development Conference)!!! Registration is NOW OPEN UNTIL MAY 6TH!!!

COMPES is comprised of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), and the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and they organize a Professional Development Conference (PDC) each year.

[WHEN]
Saturday, May 20^th, 2017
8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

[WHERE]
Ford Powertrain Engineering, Driveline & Manufacturing, 29500 Plymouth Road, Livonia, MI 48150

[BACKGROUND]

• Ford Motor Company is the 2017 host corporate sponsor of COMPES PDC
• The theme of the conference this year is “Self-Driven Success”
• Kimberly Pittel, Group Vice President, Sustainability, Environment & Safety Engineering will be the keynote speaker
• Anne Bonney, Speaker and Coach from The John Maxwell Team will be the motivational speaker

[Registration details]

• Register ONLINE by clicking on REGISTRATION when visiting WWW.COMPESPDC.ORG
• Cost: 40$ for SWE members & 20$ for students
• Registration Deadline: May 6th, 2017

The COMPES PDC is being led by Ford members of WiPD and WiM along with Industry partners from SWE, NSBE, SHPE. COMPES PDC allows the ability to network with 200+ professional engineers from private (e.g., automotive, energy, etc.) and public (government) sectors.  Although many are minority professionals, NSBE, SHPE, and SWE are planning this professional development conference for all engineers.  Of previous conference attendees, 80% named networking as one of the benefits and reasons to attend.  There will be sessions on technical topics, soft skills, and on developing tools for personal and professional growth. Previous Conference Sample Survey Feedback - Met/Exceeded Expectations for 98% of previous attendees!

•             “Great information presented in fun and dynamic ways”

•             “I am more energized and feel ready to take on the world”

•             “Wonderful experience”

•             “The environment was inspirational”

Call for FY18 SWE Detroit Chairs

Are you looking to become more involved with SWE Detroit?  A chair position might be the perfect fit for you!  We have many chair positions available for Fiscal Year 18 (FY18 runs from July 1st 2017 to June 30th 2018).  Looking for a small time commitment or a position that will have a big impact - we have just the chair position for you!  The positions available are listed below.  Descriptions of all positions can be found via this link.  Please contact Jessica Swan, SWE-D FY17 President, if you are interested:  jlengwis@gmail.com

 

Available Chair Positions:

• Special Events
• Networking Chair
• PD Book Club
• PD Events
• Awards
• Girls' Engineering Exploration Co-Chair (2 available)
• High School Outreach
• Makers Faire
• College Relations Chair
• Publicity
• Blog Editor
• Historian
• Fund Development Co-Chair (Fundraising & Member Solicitation)

SWE Individual Awards Due March 31st

SWE is now accepting submissions for their Individual Awards.  If you or someone you know is eligible for an award, let's get a packet ready and get you/them nominated!  If you need any help putting together a packet or need a SWE nomination, don't hesitate to reach out to your SWE D President Jessica Swan (jlengwis@gmail.com).

All of the awards can be found on the SWE website: http://societyofwomenengineers.swe.org/awards/individual-awards

Girls' Engineering Exploration 2017 - Last Call for Volunteers

Last Call For Volunteers!!

The Society of Women in Engineering (SWE) Detroit Section is sponsoring their annual Girls' Engineering Exploration (GEE) Event on Saturday, March 4, 2017 and needs your help!

 

This full-day of interactive workshops and demonstrations will be held at the Michigan Science Center and aims to expose 4th-6th grade girls to various fields of engineering and technology.

There is one of two ways you can support...

1. GEE Mentor...the girls will be divided into groups of 4-5 to facilitate their engagement as well as maximize their workshop experience.  Each GEE Mentor is responsible for monitoring the group throughout the day, in addition to encouraging participation and enthusiasm as the girls learn about engineering. Mentors must be able commit to being present for the full event from 8AM - 4PM.

2. Flex-Volunteer...whether you have a few hours to spare or an entire day to share, flex-volunteering roles support and maintain the GEE event flow throughout the day.  Flex-ers help with registration check-in, coat check, lunch distribution, and room set-up/break-down, to name a few.  Flex-ers can opt to be present for any of the three time slots: the full day (8AM - 4PM), morning (8AM - 12PM), or afternoon (12PM - 4PM).

If you are interested in volunteering in either of these capacities, please contact Samantha Kallman (smkallma@mtu.edu) and Morgan Neal (morgan.neal@smithgroupjjr.com) with your complete name, contact information, preferred time of availability and which way you prefer to volunteer by February 22nd.

Girls Engineering Exploration (GEE) Engineer Profiles Needed

GEE 2017 Engineer Profiles Needed

We NEED to share the opportunity the engineering field opens for women and YOU can help!

For the 2017 GEE event at the Michigan Science Center this year we are going to open the day by introducing the girls to engineering fields and the many hats a female engineer can wear.  We are creating a slide deck and a short video about women in engineering. The two needs are below and responses can be emailed to Christine Henri at crhirz@gmail.com. 

1. Workplace Photo - Share a photo of you doing your daily job in various environments wearing various uniforms - see below example. In response please include a photo and the following 4 items:

1. Name
2. Company
3. Job Position
4. What they wanted to be when they grew up

     Example

1. Name - Taylor 
2. Company - Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
3. Job Position Manufacturing Leadership Development Program - Safety Specialist Manufacturing Engineer
4. What did  you want to be when you grew up - Veterinarian

    INSERT Example Image Here - Photo is attached

2. Engineering Background Video - Share a short video about yourself based on the following 5 questions. The video does not need to be anything fancy; simply a video taken on your phone at home if that is simpler.

1. Basic background. Name, where you grew up/live, family, school & degree
   
2. What are some favorites or things you like? Favorite hobby? Favorite foods, favorite colors, non-work activities you enjoy?
3. What did you want to become when you grew up? i.e. cop, chef, astronaut, engineer, barista, doctor, teacher
4. What inspired you to become an engineer?
   
5. What do you do now?

Please send photos, videos, and questions to Christine Henri (crhirz@gmail.com) by Friday, February 17. 

Region H Conference Call for Speakers

Call for Region H Speakers 2017

The Region Conference Planning Committee has issued a call for speakers for 2017 Region Conference.

Date: March 10-11, 2017 (all sessions are on Saturday, March 11)

Time:

                Session 1 (Professionals only): 9:50-10:45am

                Session 1 (Collegiates only):    10:45-11:30am

                Session 2: 12:45-1:30pm

                Session 3: 1:45-2:30pm

                Session 4: 2:45-3:30pm

                Session 5: 3:45-4:30pm

Session Tracks:

Outreach, Diversity, and Inclusion

Technical

Professional Development

Maintaining the Whole Engineer (Health, Wellness, Goals, etc.)

WE in SWE (Women Engineers in SWE - SWE specific, and/or specifically tailored content regarding women in engineering)

Don’t see a fit for your material? That’s okay! Please contact swe-sessions@umich.edu to discuss your idea further - we’d love to have you present at our conference.

If you’re interested in presenting please apply today! The deadline to submit an application is November 13 at 11:59pm EST.

SWE 4 LIFE Endowed Scholarship Program

SWE-D Announces SWE 4 Life Endowed Scholarship Program

2017 is SWE Detroit’s 65^th Anniversary! And we have some EXCITING NEWS! We awarded our first SWE Detroit – Past Presidents Endowed Scholarship to a recipient 1 year early! To celebrate on the run, we are announcing a new program to build upon our scholarship program. The SWE 4 Life Endowed Scholarship is our latest campaign to support women pursuing engineering & technology degrees.

The intention is to have our section’s Life Members take the lead in contributing to this endowed scholarship program. However, anyone can donate to the program. The initiative enables our section’s Life Members to show their passion and build a legacy to support future female engineers through an endowed scholarship. The challenge to the Life members is to raise $2,500 each year for the next five (5) years to reach the $25,000 required for an endowed scholarship. To help encourage participation and raise the stakes, SWE Detroit’s current officers has agreed to match up to $2,500 each year to support the initiative. The endowed scholarship will provide an annual $1,000 scholarship to an aspiring and deserving women pursuing engineering. If the goal is met, the first scholarship would be awarded during the 70^th Anniversary of SWE Detroit! SWE D’s Life Members would like the first scholarship to be given in honor of Josie E. Rewald, one of SWE Detroit’s Life Members who passed away unexpectedly in September.

If you know any of the SWE Detroit Life Members, please help us communicate to them. We have found that they, like many of you, are super busy and can miss the posts and emails. Some don’t even have an email. So if you see them at work or outside, please tell them what you have read on the blog.

Not a Life Member? No problem, again anyone can donate to the fund even though we have asked our Life Members to come together and take the lead. Every little bit helps, so we encourage you to donate if you can. Your donation is tax deductible.

The program will be tracked separately from the Member Solicitation Program and have its own levels:

Diamond            $ 1000 +                                   

                        Sapphire            $   500 to $ 999

                        Emerald            $   250 to $ 499

                        Quartz               $   50 to $ 249                          

Contributions will be tracked yearly and the level will be determined based on accumulated contributions received by SWE Detroit.

To donate online go to www.swedetroit.org and look for the Donate Button on the site for Paypal.  After you submit your information and input your donation amount, you will have the opportunity to designate your donation. Please input in the text field, “SWE 4 Life Endowed Scholarship or Life Members Endowed Scholarship” to allow it to be allocated appropriately.

To donate via check: mail the check to Society of Women Engineers – Detroit, PO Box 2978, Southfield, MI 48037 and place in the memo section “SWE 4 Life Scholarship”.

Big Thanks to our Life Members, Members, and friends of SWE Detroit who have donated to our programs in the past! If you have any questions, are interested in supporting the SWE Detroit Past President Scholarship Program, or creating your own endowed scholarship to build a legacy to benefit the SWE Detroit Scholarship Program, please contact Lisa Purvis, Michele Marion, or Jennifer Morikawa at swe_detroit@swe.org.

P.S. Come out to celebrate SWE D’s 65^th Anniversary at our annual Awards & Recognition Banquet late spring to meet our 2^nd Past Presidents Endowed Scholarship Recipient!

Do You Know the Next GOLD AWARD Winner?

Suggest an outstanding engineer or scientist to be SWE Detroit's nominee for the Engineering Society of Detroit's Affiliate Council GOLD AWARD!

This award is given annually to an engineer or scientist who has made substantial contributions to the profession over his or her career.  Candidates must be local or have a significant connection to the Detroit metropolitan area.

SWE Detroit's nominee, Dr. Dawn Tilbury, was the 2016 Gold Award winner, so we are seeking a new nominee to put forward next year.  Please help us identify deserving individuals by submitting the form below by November 1, 2016:

Submission Form: http://goo.gl/crmlWA