Club Highlight: Society of Women Engineers
February 16, 2022
Hello, prospective Mudders!
Mudd’s small student body doesn’t stop Mudders from having access to a great variety of clubs: there are two hundred 5C Clubs and almost fifty Mudd-only clubs. Today, our club highlight is the Society of Women Engineers (SWE)! As a SWE mentee who got a lot of good advice (and bread) last semester, I’m especially excited to share about this club with you all.
Society of Women Engineers Conference | Photo: Diana Lin ‘22
Here it is a bit about SWE from the perspective of Diana Lin ‘22, an engineering major at Mudd and SWE’s Historian and WEBmaster, and an advertisement for the WEST Conference (great opportunity, don’t forget to check it out at the end of the post!).
What is the SWE?
“The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) is a group dedicated to stimulating women to achieve their full potential in careers as engineers and leaders, and to demonstrate the value of diversity. SWE also hopes to expand the image of the engineering profession as a positive force in improving the quality of life for all. The HMC chapter of SWE tries to achieve this by hosting professional and social programs for all students regardless of their major.”
What is the importance this club has for its members?
“We share the mission of National SWE as adopted in 1986:
- Stimulate women to achieve full potential in careers as engineers and leaders.
- Expand the image of the engineering profession as a positive force in improving the quality of life.
- Demonstrate the value of diversity.
Also, our goals coincide with that of National SWE, of which we are a student section:
- To inform young women, their parents, counselors, and the public in general of the qualifications and achievements of women engineers and the opportunities open to them.
- To serve as a center of information on women in engineering.
- To encourage women engineers to attain higher levels of educational and professional achievement.”
What events/meetings does SWE host?
“We host a variety of engineering events on campus including SWE Thai Food Event, Company Workshops, Homework Snack Nights, Professor Dinners, and Cookie Decorating. We also run a mentorship program called SWEethearts where underclassmen get paired with upperclassmen and they get to go on group outings to boba or meals! Every year we send our members to the National WE Conference which is the world’s largest conference for women in engineering and technology. We also host our own conference, Women Engineers and Scientists of Tomorrow for high school girls, which will be occurring this year virtually!”
SWE Meeting | Photo: Diana Lin ‘22
Any advice for prospective students?
“Keep exploring and challenging yourself. Don’t be afraid to try new things and reach out to people!”
Blurb for WEST Conference:
Sign up for the annual Harvey Mudd College Women Engineers and Scientists of Tomorrow (WEST) Conference 2022 held on Saturday, March 26th from 8:30 am-4:30 pm Pacific Time on Zoom. WEST Conference is a one-day conference for high school girls to visit the Harvey Mudd College campus (through Zoom), participate in a day of science and engineering workshops, and get an idea of what it is like to be a woman scientist or engineer for a day.
Participants have the opportunity to attend workshops presented by our very own Mudd professors. Attending students are allowed a chance to listen and ask questions to a panel of current Mudd students from each technical major. Parents are welcome to attend certain parts of the conference such as the panel, admission talk, and keynote speaker. In addition, there will be opportunities for participants to chat with professors, current Mudd students, and other attendees in breakout rooms, during breaks, and at lunch. WEST Conference is only $5 to attend. Please register here: https://forms.gle/H3DAEPayggycrpX46
We will be sending out a preference form for the workshops once they have been finalized (so keep an eye out for that!) Please note that space is limited for the conference, so please register early if you are interested in attending! Registration will close once the event has been filled.
Interested in the Society of Women in Engineering club? Don’t forget to check out their social media to stay informed about upcoming events!
- Check out SWE’s website: https://hmcswe.weebly.com/
- Follow SWE on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HarveyMuddCollegeSWE
- Like SWE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hmc_swe
