SWE Atlanta News

Nominations Open for SWE Atlanta Officer Positions

Pam Androff — Thu, 06 May 2010 20:48:58 GMT

It is time to elect SWE Atlanta FY11 Officers!

It’s hard to believe that the SWE-year is almost over (the SWE-year is July1-June30), but this means that this is the perfect time for you to get more involved. ATL-SWE is a great place to practice your leadership skills or try out something new. We have 8 elected positions available for you to choose from (descriptions included below), six of which are up for election, and we are looking for a great mix of candidates. If you are interested, please send a biography statement (150 words or less) to president@sweatlanta.org by May 8th. If you have any questions about the positions, please feel free to reply to this email and someone will get back with you or call me directly for a conversation.

If you aren’t interested in running, please be on the lookout for the election ballot in May!

Andrea Clewley

President ATL-SWE FY10

770-587-7054

President (2 year commitment) – Not up for re-election for FY11

Representing SWE to the engineering community, including other professional organizations and companies.
Establish section goals and organization chart
Receiving and delegating correspondence from SWE, Region D, other sections, organizations, individuals, and others.
Making sure officers and committee chairs have the resources and information to do their jobs.

VP Outreach (1 year commitment)

Coordinates the section’s outreach efforts – WOW! and Summer Camp
She is the point of contact for all Girl Scout activities
She oversees the student section advisors
She guides the section’s class room activities
Maintains outreach distribution lists and email account

VP External Relations (1 year commitment)

Coordinates the section’s outreach efforts with other community and employee groups in Atlanta
She keeps an updated CPC list
She also helps the president in recruiting new members from CPC companies
She builds relationships with employee affinity groups in Atlanta community that focus on Engineering & Technology
She assists in offering joint meeting opportunities with other technical societies & affinity groups

VP Programs (1 year commitment)

Coordinates the section’s monthly membership meetings
Finds speakers and locations
Creates meeting invitations
Helps in recruiting new members and retaining exiting members.

Secretary (1 year commitment)

Responsible for correspondence and maintains an accurate distribution list
Takes minutes at administrative council meetings. The secretary keeps a record of approved motions.
Collects and writes articles, and organizes the newsletter.
Coordinates website updates
Maintains and organizes the section's historical information including by-laws, newsletters, meeting minutes, awards, and other significant information.

Treasurer (2 year commitment)– not up for re-election for FY11

Helps the president develop the section budget and maintains it.
She is responsible for maintaining SWE-Atlanta’s bank accounts. This involves paying bills, issuing reimbursement checks, sending out receipts for donations, etc.
The treasurer files the annual financial report to SWE.

Section Representative (1 year commitment) – 2 positions based on our section size

Represents the Section at Regional meetings. Region D meetings are generally held three times a year.
The Section Representative prepares the quarterly section reports and submits them to the Region D director.
She keeps the section informed of regional and national events, writing newsletter articles when appropriate.

Graduating SWE Seniors welcomed into Professional world

Pam Androff — Mon, 03 May 2010 15:42:56 GMT

On Tuesday, April 27th, the Atlanta SWE professional section was joined by several graduating seniors from Atlanta area colleges to celebrate their accomplishment and also discuss transitioning to being a professional SWE member. The event was attended a group of 23 professionals and students, who enjoyed networking with one another & delicious tapas plates from Loca Luna in Amsterdam Walk in the Virginia-Highland area. The event featured door prizes and 2 student transition upgrades for raffle winners Sara Waldschmidt, construction engineering major graduating from Southern Polytechnic State University and Stephanie Stout, current president of the Georgia Tech SWE student section. We hope to see you at our next meeting!

WOW Registration Open!

Pam Androff — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 21:40:35 GMT

WOW! It is that time of year again! It is time to Register for WOW! That’s Engineering!

About WOW! That's Engineering!

In this WOW! That’s Engineering! event, SWE Atlanta will be creating an experience for middle school girls (grades 6-8) where they have the opportunity to meet female engineers and technologists and hear first-hand about these exciting career paths. Women engineers and technologists present interactive activities and the girls experience the creativity and innovation that goes on in the field of engineering.

Students will get to:

- Hear first-hand about the exciting careers of Women Engineers

- Experience the creativity and innovation of engineering and technology by doing hands-on activities

Who: 6th, 7th, and 8th Grade Girls, Parents are encouraged to attend as well!

When: Saturday May 1st, 2009 from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm

Where: Kimberly-Clark, 1400 Holcomb Bridge Road, Roswell GA 30076

How Much $? : $5 per Student attending

How do I sign up? Registration for WOW! That’s Engineering! is now open! Register at http://www.sweatlanta.org/WOWRegistration.

If you have any problems registering, please email Beth White at beth.white@merrick.com .

We look forward to seeing you at the event!

Atlanta Section Receives Recognition from Region D

Pam Androff — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 21:38:50 GMT

Congratulations to the Atlanta Section leaders for earning two awards in our Region!

Best Program/Event (Responsible Officer: Meg Roughen, VP Programs)

Best Website (Responsible Officer: Pam Androff, Secretary)

Pictures can be seen on our Awards Received page.

March Meeting Recap

Pam Androff — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 13:03:14 GMT

On Tuesday, March 9th, the SWE Atlanta section met on Georgia Tech's campus to learn about a study that professors there are doing on how innovation is linked to improvisational humor. The session featured a series of improvisational games and allowed SWE members to be part of the study and to share their insight into how humor can impact innovation in industry and/or academia.

Science, Engineering and Mathematics Link Inc (SEM Link), and SWE Partner for Celebration of National Engineers Week

Pam Androff — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 21:35:08 GMT

For the second year, SWE is partnering with SEM Link As a part of its, Math and Science Career Academy to host a Science Café, “Engineers What They Do and How to Become One” to celebrate National Engineers Week(e-week), February 14-20, 2010. Science Cafés are informal and interactive scientific seminars for K-12 students, parents and educators that discuss real-world applications of science, engineering and mathematics. This is Science Café will be held on Tuesday, February 16, 2010 from 6:00-7:00 pm at King Middle School on 545 Hill Street. This event is for Cool Girls program participants, the students at King Middle School, but is also free and open to the public.

The café speaker is Ms. Beth White, a graduate of Colorado State University and a SWE member, is a Civil Engineer with Merrick & Company. Merrick is a full service engineering and architecture firm. Ms. White will be speaking about how the various disciplines of engineering come together and contribute on completing a project. She also briefly explain what classes (math & sciences) K-12 students needs to start taking at a young age to get an early start on a career in Engineering!

Although Beth is our esteemed speaker, we are encouraging all members to not only come out o support her but also be there to speak with the parents and students about YOUR career.

February 16^th

6:00-7:00pm

King Middle School

545 Hill Street

Atlanta GA

There is no cost and no food for this meeting. Please bring your friends and family to this open community event! RSVP now!

SWE Member elected to Duluth City Council

Pam Androff — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 15:40:11 GMT

Atlanta SWE Member Marsha Anderson Bomar was elected to serve her second term on the Duluth City Council (2010-2014). In addition, she will serve as Mayor Pro Tempore.

Ms. Bomar is President and Founder of Street Smarts, Inc.

L to R: Lucien Bomar, Marsha Anderson Bomar and Municipal Court Judge Charles Barrett

January Meeting Recap

Pam Androff — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 20:55:33 GMT

On January 20^th, the Atlanta Girls School (AGS, www.atlantagirlsschool.org) hosted the Atlanta SWE section for their monthly program. Pinney Allen, head of school, addressed the SWE group, delivering a compelling presentation on the learning styles of girls vs. boys in elementary and middle school. She shared ways in which SWE could partner with the AGS going forward on outreach programs and other events. Thanks to all who attended!

January SWE Meeting Announcement

Pam Androff — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 19:46:01 GMT

Date: January 20, 2010 6pm - 8pm
Location: Atlanta Girls School
Cost: $15 for Paid SWE Members, $20 for Non-Members & Guests (Dinner Included in Cost)
Register Now!

Mark your calendars to join Atlanta SWE for our first monthly meeting of 2010! Pinney Allen, head of the Atlanta Girls School, will be speaking with us about research they have done on the differences in learning styles of girls and boys. They have found that girls and boys process information in different ways. Our speaker will share valuable insight with us as we plan for outreach events in the future and also as we learn more about what would intrigue a young woman to consider the technical fields of Engineering and Science.

Speaker: Pinney Allen, a nearly 30-year leader in the Atlanta legal and business community and a leader in the non-profit community on issues of education and women and girls, joined the AGS community in the summer of 2008. She was recently recognized by the YWCA at its 25th Anniversary Salute to Women of Achievement and is immediate past chair of The Atlanta Women’s Foundation. She graduated with an AB in economics, summa cum laude, from Harvard University and a JD, cum laude, from Harvard Law School. She and her husband, Buddy Miller, are the proud parents of two daughters.

We received feedback in our recent survey regarding having more variety in our meeting locations, so this meeting will be held at the AGS near the West Paces Ferry exit off of I-75 on a Wednesday rather than our regular Tuesday. We do hope you can join us for what is sure to be an exciting event! See you there!

Register now before you forget!

2010 Region D Conference

Pam Androff — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 19:40:06 GMT

Date: March 5-7, 2010
Location: Memphis, TN

Interested in sharpening those professional development skills? How about networking with other women engineers around the Southeast? It's that time of year again for the Region D Conference!

This year the event takes place in Memphis, Tennesse. Registration is now open, cost is only $75 for professional attendees, or $125 for professionals who wish to earn PDH or CEU credits during special sessions on March 5. There are even registration options that include the cost of your hotel stay!

SWE Conferences are known for great networking opportunities, fantastic workshops, and a sensational career fair. Tours of Graceland, the Civil Rights Museum, and the Fed-Ex Hub are also available for an additional fee.

There are sponsorship opportunities for companies and individuals. Visit the website for more information!

More information is available on the conference website: http://www.swe.org/regiond/regiondconference/index.html

If you plan on attending, please let us know by e-mailing general@sweatlanta.org!

Calling all people with AutoCAD/Solid Works knowledge!!!

Pam Androff — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 19:39:37 GMT

SWE ATL and Imagine It! The Children’s Museum of Atlanta Need you!!!

Over the last 18 months, SWE members have been working behind the scenes with the educators and designers at the museum to design a permanent simple machines exhibit for the museum floor. ATL-SWE members, identified the need for more science at museum, developed the concepts, which have been vetted by the museum educational staff, making sure that the tools are going to stand up to the hundreds of thousands of young visitors each year, and are now ready to get them built! This project aims to incorporate the science of simple machines for kids and parents to learn together through new hands on vignettes covering the concepts of pulleys, inclined planes, and levers.

What we need:

· 1-3 people with Solid Works (or AutoCAD) expertise to translate the vignette concept sketches into digital design files

· 1-3 people to purchase and build prototype vignettes

· Everyone to keep an eye out for the upcoming special meeting where we will try out the concepts at the museum.

Note, we do not require volunteers to be SWE members or even women – all support is welcome (and desperately needed)!

Please contact Wendy Cocke (wendy.cocke@kcc.com) if you can help in any capacity.

WOW! That's Engineering a huge success!

Pam Androff — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 19:38:43 GMT

With the help of roughly 30 volunteers from SWE, our WOW! That's Engineering event generated big results! Over 60 middle-school aged girls from the Atlanta area attended the event. The attendees participated in several activities with topics like surface tension, magnetism, and chemistry. The girls also got the chance to interact with several women engineers one-on-one, creating an invaluable experience for the participants.

Many thanks to Elizabeth Encisco, our VP of Outreach, for her hard work and dedication to this event! Additional thanks to Beth White for her help with attendees and registration. Further gratitude to the many SWE members who volunteered their time. Finally, a major thank you to Southern Company for allowing us to host the event in their wonderful venue.

December SWE Meeting Recap

Pam Androff — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 19:37:52 GMT

SWE Atlanta celebrated the holidays in style at Everybody's Pizza in the Virginia Highland area! We were joined by officers of the local Engineers Without Borders group who shared information about their organization and their active projects in developing nations. Also, we collected dozens of non-perishable food items for the Atlanta Food Bank. It was a festive holiday gathering with a purpose. If you missed it, please visit the EWB website (www.ewb-usa.org) for more info on this great organization and how you can get involved.

November SWE Meeting Recap

Pam Androff — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:09:12 GMT

On Tuesday, November 17th, the SWE Atlanta professional section joined the students of the Georgia Tech SWE section on Georgia Tech campus to hear from Kathy Harber, founder of Career Keys Open Doors (www.careerkeysopendoors.com). Kathy, an expert in resume critiquing, gave some great tips for ensuring that a resume portrays the best image that it can to a potential hiring manager. The crowd was a good mix of collegiate and professionals, and Kathy shared information that would benefit both groups. If you missed it, visit the "Career Keys" website for information on how to contact Kathy for more information.

SWE Atlanta Members Share Time with SPSU SWE

Pam Androff — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:40:31 GMT

Two of our SWE Atlanta members recently spent an evening with the members of the SWE section at Southern Polytechnic State University. They have put together a short video of the event; check it out!

Atlanta SWE Members visit SPSU SWE Section

We are always happy to assist our collegiate sections!

To learn more about the SPSU SWE Section, visit http://www.swe-spsu.com/

Registration now open for WOW! That's Engineering!

Elizabeth Encisco — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:00:08 GMT

We are pleased to announce that registration is now open for the next WOW! That's Engineering event on December 12, 2009!

SWE Atlanta will be creating an experience for middle school girls (grades 6-8) where they have the opportunity to meet female engineers and technologists and hear first-hand about these exciting career paths. Women engineers and technologists will present interactive activities to allow the girls to experience the creativity and innovation that goes on in the field of engineering.

Who: 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th Grade Girls, Parents are encouraged to attend as well!

When: Saturday December 12^th, 2009 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm

Where: Georgia Power, 241 Ralph McGill Boulevard Atlanta GA, 30308

How Much $? $5 per Student attending

Taco Mac Event a Blast for 20 SWE Members!

Pam Androff — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:28:16 GMT

SWE Atlanta recently hosted an event at Taco Mac Perimeter on 10/20/2009. We were so excited to see so many new faces at our event! Approximately 20 SWE members joined us for a night of networking- despite some hiccups with directions to the location! We received a lot of feedback that members would like to see more of this type of event, and your wish is our command! We plan to hold 2-3 more networking events throughout the rest of the year.

If you couldn't make it to our Taco Mac event, consider attending our next event on 11/17. It will be a focus on professional development as we pair up with the Georgia Tech section to get some tips on resumes. If you'd like to attend, please register on the Events Page!