Sunday, March 30, 2014

Building a Legacy: Fourth Year Adding a Challenge Past Presidents Endowed Scholarship Status Update

Status: Need $390 out of $2500 goal for Fiscal Year 2014  
Still need: >$3,800 + $2,500 (to support administrative costs) to meet final program goal of $25,000 for endowed scholarship.

Happy Spring! We are quickly flying through Fiscal Year 2014 (FY14) and we are doing well for this year’s program.  However, with a few months left, we still need support to meet our fourth year’s goal. We would also like to raise an additional $2,500 to support the administrative costs at SWE Headquarters (HQ). The suggested donation would go into the SWE HQ endowed fund and would generate $100 annually to ensure we have administrative support for our scholarship.   

If you know any of the past SWE Detroit Presidents, 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. So if you see them at work or outside, please tell them what you have read on the blog. As a quick reminder, anyone can donate to the fund even though our group of section past presidents have come together and taken the lead.  

To donate online: http://societyofwomenengineersdetroit.wildapricot.org/ and Select Past President Endowed Scholarship in the donation type.

To donate via check: mail the check to Society of Women Engineers – Detroit, PO Box 2978, Southfield, MI 48037

Thank you Past Presidents, Members, and friends of SWE Detroit who have donated so far (updated as of 03/15/14):

Diamond
Miriam Breslauer
Jennifer Morikawa
Laurie Ramsay

Sapphire Level
Sarah Kirkish
Jessica Mattis
Lisa Purvis
Brooke Voto

Emerald Level
Anna Bradford                                          
Judy Jbara
Cindy Hodges
Marie (Demos) Kardasis
Cathi Kohn
Kristin Ramey
Irene Sharpe

Quartz Level
Jennifer (Darnell) Briggs
Andy Chen (In Honor of Jennifer Morikawa)
Diana Cernis
Alison Holmes
Silvia Karlsson
Lydia Lazurenko
Stacy (Thayer) Lueneburg
Tina Lonski (In Honor of Jennifer Darnell)
Lauren Thompson
Dawn Tilbury
T. Rowe Price (Company Match in honor of Janice Ford)
Birgit Sorgenfrei

Special thanks to the following for pledging to contribute for each year of the program:
Silvia Karlsson
Catherine Kohn
Jennifer Morikawa
Laurie Ramsay
Irene Sharpe


“Missing” Past Presidents:        
Years of Service
Name
1952 – 1954
M. Ann Lawrence
1954 – 1956
Elise H. McGough
(Passed Away 2005)
1956 – 1957
Geneva Van Horn
1958 - 1960, 1961 - 1962, 1964 - 1965
Marjorie Easterbrook
1962 – 1964
Mary G. Sohler
1965 - 1968, 1976 - 1977, 1977 - 1978
Ann O. Fletcher
(Passed Away 2010)
1968 - 1969, 1969 – 1970
Stella Berbynuk
(Passed Away 1997)
1970 - 1971, 1971 – 1972
Helma Fuhrmann
1972 – 1973
Eva Michalski Quinn
1973 – 1974
Beverly Bush
1974 – 1976
Janet Hall

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Need Volunteers - SWE-D High School Scholarship Application Judging Events (two dates)

Event: SWE-D High School Scholarship Application Judging Events
Dates: March 27, 2014 and April 9, 2014
Time: 6:00 - 8:00 PM (both dates)

Location: 
March 27 - Grand Traverse Pie Company, 41640 Ann Arbor Road, Plymouth, MI 48170
April 9 - Panera Bread, 823 E. Big Beaver Road, Troy, MI 48083
Cost: Free! 
Parking: Parking lot 
Point of contact: Lisa Purvis lisa.purvis@swe.org
RSVP: March 24 for the March 27 event; April 7 for the April 9 event

Other info: 
Volunteers are needed to help read SWE-D scholarship applications.  Help us award our outstanding high school girls as they start their engineering education!  

Times listed are open window.  Even if you can only make it for one hour, come and read a few applications.  

If you would like to participate, but are unable to attend in person, contact Lisa and you can read some applications on your own time!

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Upcoming Event - SWE-D April PD Event - Tour of the SOCRRA Recycling Center

Event: SWE-D April PD Event - Tour of the SOCRRA Recycling Center
Date: April 5, 2014
Time: 10:00 - 11:00 AM - tour; 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM - networking lunch

Location: SOCRRA (Southeastern Oakland County Resource Recovery Authority), 995 Coolidge, Troy, MI 48084; lunch following at Kona Grill, 30 East Big Beaver, Troy, MI 48083
Cost: Tour is free.  Everyone pays for their own lunch.
Parking: Parking lots
Point of contact: Rosa Bushkuhl rosa.bushkuhl@gmail.com 

RSVP: April 5th

Other info: Ever wondered what happens with all of your recyclables?  Join SWE Detroit for a tour of SOCRRA's Material Recovery Facility (MRF), followed by a networking lunch at nearby Kona Grill.

Today's Event has been CANCELLED - SWE-D March PD / Historian Event

Event: SWE-D March PD / Historian Event
Date: March 18, 2014
Time: 6:00 - 8:00 PM

Location: Walter P. Reuther Library, Wayne State University, 5401 Cass Avenue, Detroit, MI 48202
Cost: Free
Parking: Metered parking
Point of contact: Rosa Bushkuhl rosa.bushkuhl@gmail.com 

RSVP: March 17th

Other info:
Celebrate Women's History Month with SWE Detroit!  Join us at the SWE Archives to watch Top Secret Rosies, about women mathematicians' contributions to the World War II effort.  SWE Archivist Troy Eller English will give a short talk about WWII as a catalyst for change for women engineers, and will share some of the WWII stories from SWE members' oral histories.  Pizza dinner will be provided.

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Scholarship Opportunity - NDIA STEM Scholarship Program

The National Defense Industrial Association Great Lakes Chapter offers scholarships for graduating high school students and college students, and more information can be found at this link.

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Upcoming Event - Royal Oak Book Club

Event: Royal Oak Book Club
Date: April 13, 2014
Time: 4:00 - 6:00 PM

Location: Vinotecca, 417 S. Main, Royal Oak, MI 48067
Cost: Everyone pays for themselves
Parking: Free on Sunday
Point of contact: Jessica Makae jessica@themakaes.com


Other info:
Discussing Jerome Tuccille's "Gallo Be Thy Name: The Inside Story of How One Family Rose to Dominate the U.S. Wine Market".

Upcoming Event - SWE-D March PD / Historian Event

Event: SWE-D March PD / Historian Event
Date: March 18, 2014
Time: 6:00 - 8:00 PM

Location: Walter P. Reuther Library, Wayne State University, 5401 Cass Avenue, Detroit, MI 48202
Cost: Free
Parking: Metered parking
Point of contact: Rosa Bushkuhl rosa.bushkuhl@gmail.com 

RSVP: March 17th

Other info:
Celebrate Women's History Month with SWE Detroit!  Join us at the SWE Archives to watch Top Secret Rosies, about women mathematicians' contributions to the World War II effort.  SWE Archivist Troy Eller English will give a short talk about WWII as a catalyst for change for women engineers, and will share some of the WWII stories from SWE members' oral histories.  Pizza dinner will be provided.

Need to Vote on SWE-Detroit Bylaws!

SWE Detroit Members (elected and non-elected members),

We NEED your vote! In an effort to streamline the leadership pipeline and distribute responsibilities, the SWE Executive Council has proposed amending the bylaws to include president-elect and past president positions. HOWEVER, this requires a 2/3 vote from the membership for this proposal to pass. **That is 176 members!** Currently, we have 86 votes.

The survey is one question and if you have not already voted, please vote here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/G9Z2LXK

Thank you for your participation!
SWE Detroit Executive Council

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Upcoming Event - Professional Development Mini Series on Leadership

Event: Professional Development Mini Series on Leadership
Date: February 22, 2014
Time: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Location: Nissan Technical Center, 39001 Sunrise Drive, Farmington Hills, MI 48331
Cost: Free!
Parking: Parking lot
Point of contact: Rosa Bushkuhl rosa.bushkuhl@gmail.com


Other info:
Join SWE Detroit and Nissan Technical Center for the first ever Professional Development Mini Series on Leadership. This is an opportunity to experience the benefits of the COMPES Professional Development Conference in May in a condensed half day event! This event is free to all participants.

Schedule: 
9:00-9:30      Breakfast and Networking
9:30-10:20    Keynote Speaker - Elaine Bannon, Chief Engineer for Lincoln Navigator and MKX, Ford Motor Company
10:30-11:20  Breakout Session (Choose one below)

-Breakout Session #1: Jacqueline El-Sayed, PhD, Vice President of Academic Affairs and Chief Academic Officer, Marygrove College
-Breakout Session #2: Patricia Clark, Dragonfly Yoga, Owner
-Breakout Session #3: Panel Discussion on Leadership.  Panelists include Shani Allison (Ford Motor Company), Alison Bazil (Ford Motor Company), Linda Fox (Nissan Technical Center), Silvia Karlsson (General Motors), Michele Plattenberger (Molex Incorporated), Frenae Smith (DTE Energy)

11:30 - 12:00  Wrap up

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Volunteers Needed - Help Dreams Come True: Sign up to Judge SWE Scholarship Applications

Judges are a vital part of the Scholarship Program and SWE could not do it without your help. It is through dedicated members' generosity of judging scholarship applications that young women are fulfilling their dreams of becoming engineers and making significant contributions to society.

Last year SWE provided over 200 scholarships valued at over half a million dollars.  It is that time of year again to help judge scholarship applications for upperclass and graduate students.

Many judges have stated it is a rewarding experience to judge scholarships for these talented, aspiring future women engineers.  The applications are inspiring and it is amazing to see a glimpse in to the world of these future engineers.
  
Judging will be open from March 3-24.  All judging will be done online; therefore, judges can work at their own pace and schedule.  Webinar training will be offered live March 3 and recorded for later viewing.

Rally your fellow SWE professional members to help judge the upperclass and graduate student scholarship applications.  We look forward to having you participate, please sign up here.  Please contact SWE Scholarships ( scholarships@swe.org ) if you have any questions.

Inaas Darrat, P.E. and Amanda Weissman ( scholarship-coordinator@swe.org )
FY14 Scholarship Coordinator and Coordinator-Elect

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Upcoming Event - Royal Oak Book Club

Event: Royal Oak Book Club
Date: March 9, 2014
Time: 4:00 - 6:00 PM

Location: Vinotecca, 417 S. Main, Royal Oak, MI 48067
Cost: Everyone pays for themselves
Parking: Free on Sunday
Point of contact: Jessica Makae jessica@themakaes.com


Other info:
Discussing Ellen Airgood's "South of Superior".

Need Volunteers - SWE Capitol Hill Day in Washington, DC

SWE TO HOLD CAPITOL HILL DAY MARCH 5-6, 2014


The SWE Government Relations and Public Policy (GRPP) Committee will once again be organizing a spring Congressional outreach day on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.  Please consider attending this event entitled, "Diversity and Inclusion Drives Innovation in STEM," which will be held on March 5-6, 2014.  This event will increase awareness of the need for and the importance of increased diversity and inclusion in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce.  

SWE is taking the lead in organizing this event, and is in the process of reaching out to other STEM organizations to solicit their interest in participating.  SWE's 2014 Capitol Hill Day will begin promptly at 1:00 PM on Wednesday, March 5, 2014 (there is an optional lunch at Noon), and conclude by 5:00 PM on Thursday, March 6, 2014.  The meetings will be held at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill, and in meeting rooms on Capitol Hill.  This event is being made possible by a grant from the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation.  

More details are forthcoming.  While there are no specific volunteer travel funds available for this event, some meals will be provided for attendees.  

Please note: Space is limited, and reservations will be handled on a first-come, first-served basis. Geographic diversity will also be considered.

If you are interesting in participating or have any questions, please contact Paula Stenzler, GRPP Chair, at pstenzler@gmail.com.

Need Volunteers - SWE-D Girls' Engineering Exploration 2014

Event: SWE-D Girls' Engineering Exploration 2014
Date: March 8, 2014
Time: 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Location: Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202
Point of contact: Anne Darcy EAD31@chrysler.com and Katie Ulrich katie.ann.ulrich@gmail.com

Other info:

Description:
SWE (Society of Women Engineers) professional section of Detroit hosts 150 4th – 6th grade girls from inner city Detroit at a an all-day event called Girls Engineering Exploration (GEE).  GEE is a full day event hosted at Wayne State University that allows middle school aged girls an opportunity to meet female engineers and be exposed to exciting career paths through interactive demonstrations and hands-on activities.   The girls will be able to experience the creativity, innovation, and fun that goes on in the field of engineering!

GEE takes four months of planning with 18 female engineers from diverse backgrounds on the Planning Committee and 42 volunteers.  In 2013, 94 girls were paired with female engineer mentors, who are able to answer any questions and give personal examples of how females can become successful engineers. They participated in four engineering activities or daylong engineering activity.

In parallel with the girls’ activities, parents and teachers attend a session of their own. They enjoy discussions on choosing engineering as a career and summer programs in which their students can enroll. The session provides a Professional Women Engineering Panel and a hands-on engineering activity to show the influencers a bit of what the girls’ would experience.  Reaching out to adult influencers at the same event is a great asset for SWE because we feel that they become energized seeing their students and are armed with information, which translates into actively encouraging more students outside of our event.

The event concludes with a Steve Belliveau science show called “Getting Excited About Science” where he presents, in his high-energy style, the science behind pulleys, properties of liquids and solids, and centripetal force. Last year, we helped 94 underprivileged girls learn that they could be an intelligent and beautiful engineer one day!

Volunteer Opportunities:
1-     Flex Volunteer: As a flex volunteer you will help set up, meet up with girls as they are dropped off, escort them to the mentor table, help collect and gather coats, help all girls find their mentor, help bring in pizzas at lunch time, or assist in other logistical tasks which help the event run smoothly. While the girls are working with their mentors, the flex volunteers will help in each of the different classrooms by answering questions or assisting with the science/engineering project.

2-     Mentors: As a mentor you are assigned a group of 4-6 girls who are in 4th to 6th grade. You will be their mentor throughout the day. Plus we ask you follow-up with the girls with letters for the following 2 or 3 months (one letter per month). This is to offer support and encouragement.  Throughout the day you will be completing fun engineering based activities. Each mentor is sent instructions before the day of the event explaining the details of each of the engineering activities.

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Need Volunteers - SWE-D Awards Banquet Planning Committee

We are looking for 2-3 volunteers to help out with the SWE-D annual awards banquet, scheduled for the evening of Thursday, June 5, 2014.  Volunteers will help with planning the location, speakers, and communications.  Please contact Megan Cloughesy megan.cloughesy@gmail.com for more details.

Upcoming Event - SWE-D Professional Development Mini Series

Event: SWE-D Professional Development Mini Series
Date: February 22, 2014
Time: 

9:00 - 9:30 AM Breakfast and Networking 
9:30 - 10:20 Keynote Speaker 
10:30 - 11:20 Breakout Session (including Panel Discussion) 
11:30 - 12:00 Wrap Up
Location: Nissan Technical Center, 39001 Sunrise Drive, Farmington Hills, MI 48331
Cost: Free! 
Parking: Parking lot 
Point of contact: Rosa Bushkuhl rosa.bushkuhl@gmail.com
RSVP: February 17, 2014

Other info: