Fall 2009 by: K. Schlichting

Welcome back!

This semester promises to bring exciting events and we’d really like to see you at SWE meetings this year. Even if you haven’t been to a meeting before, now is a

great time to come to any of our events. Our SWE section has a brand new cabinet, which is full of new ideas and plans for making the cold and dreary months fun and enriching. We’ve already taken a plunge into our outreach projects, including hosting the SWE Sleepover last weekend and doing DNA extraction experiments with the First Lego League. Social nights are in the works, and we are energized for our upcoming professional development seminar series. Come dive into the fun with us!

See you soon,

Karen Littlejohn and Lisa Nielsen President and Vice President

Upcoming Events!

Aug. 26 Kick-off Picnic 5 - 7 p.m., Howe Hall Atrium Sponsored by: Diversity OfficeSept. 9 General Meeting 6:30 - 7:30 p.m., Carver 101 Sponsored by: General MillsSept. 11 Friday After Class 5 - 7 p.m., location TBA Sponsored by: Exelon CorporationSept. 23 General Meeting 6:30 - 7:30 p.m., Carver 101Oct. 7 General Meeting 6:30 - 7:30 p.m., Carver 101 Sponsored by: HormelOct. 15-17 Conference for Women Engineers WE09 Long Beach, CAOct. 21 General Meeting 6:30 - 7:30 p.m., Carver 101 Sponsored by: Rockwell CollinsNov. 4 General Meeting 6:30 - 7:30 p.m., Carver 101Nov. 6 Friday After Class 5 - 7 p.m., location TBA Sponsored by: Sauer-DanfossNov. 18 General Meeting 6:30 - 7:30 p.m., Carver 101Dec. 2 General Meeting 6:30 - 7:30 p.m., Carver 101

SWE Newsletter

An Interview with Dr. Surya Mallapragada What research areas and interests are you involved with? Why did you choose these areas?

Our work deals mostly with polymeric biomaterials and bioinspired materials. I got interested in this general area through an undergraduate research experience, and decided to pursue graduate studies in this area.

What drew you to engineering?

I liked math and chemistry, so chemical engineering seemed like a good fit for me at the time I was choosing a major. In retrospect, it turned out to be a great fit for me.

What is your advice for women seeking a career in engineering?

Have confidence in your abilities, and ask a lot of questions that will help you make the right career choice for you.

What are your thoughts on the future of engineering and technology?

I think that engineering and technology have had a very important and crucial role in our society and will continue to do so in the future. Innovation is the real driver of the economy. However, engineering has been severely underrepresented in the popular media. For instance, you don’t see many engineers on TV, unlike doctors and lawyers. But in the future, I think that their presence will increase, and people will become more aware of the importance of engineering as a profession. This will help attract a diverse cross-section of society to pursue careers in engineering and technology.

If you could give one piece of advice for female students in the engineering field, what would it be?

Believe in yourself and you can achieve great things. The sky is the limit.

The Cabinet

President - Karen Littlejohn, klittlej@iastate.edu

VP – Lisa Nielsen, lnielsen@iastate.edu

Goals –Ashley Polkinghorn, apolking@iastate.edu

Treasurer – Lixin Zhou, lzhou@iastate.edu

Secretary – Katie Schlichting, kaelschl@iastate.edu

Minister of Food Recommendation – John Dunham, jfdunham@iastate.edu

Director of Outreach – Jamelia Hershiser, jamelia@iastate.edu

Director of Outreach - Shana Slettedahl, shana@iastate.edu

Director of Membership – Lucy Ferneau, lferneau@iastate.edu

Director of Corporate Relations – Sheila Kelly, skell115@iastate.edu

Director of Corporate Relations – Amelia Doermann, meia@iastate.edu

Director of Publicity – Heather Wilson, hw00688@iastate.edu

Director of College Representatives – Heather Copeland, hcopelan@iastate.edu

Director of Special Events – Amy Proops, akproops@iastate.edu

Director of Fundraising – Bethany Junhke, bjuhnke@iastate.edu

Director of Public Relations – Jordan Voigt, jkvoigt@iastate.edu

Director of Team Tech - Carol Faulhaber, crf1988@iastate.edu

About ISU SWE

The Society of Women Engineers Collegiate Section at Iowa State University (ISU SWE) was founded over 40 years ago and currently has more than 200 members. We are both a national professional organization as well as a student-run organization at Iowa State. We offer our members leadership experiences, great networking opportunities, and community involvement. Come check us out for yourself! We look forward to meeting you!

Become a Paid SWE Member It’s Worth It!

By going to http://societyofwomenengineers.swe.org and clicking on "Membership" you can be a member of National SWE for only $20 a year. Why join? Paid members receive free access to web seminars, can post their resumes in the career center and attend SWE Conferences. In addition, the ISU SWE chapter gives paid members valuable membership points and other rewards throughout the semester.

Elizabeth Welch

This summer I had an internship at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. This is an agency within the Department of Commerce, just outside of Washington DC. My research project included designing and programming a nanoindenter. I learned LabVIEW, a graphical programming language and used it to write a program to control the nanoindenter. I also helped with the setup of the electronics connected to the nanoindenter and then gave a final presentation on my work. This was a great experience that taught me about research.

Kristina Gervais

Internships are as diverse as snowflakes. The projects, company culture, company size, industry, etc. all differ. I have completed three internships for three distinct companies in order to “figure out what I want to do when I grow up”. Although I was able to apply the skills I learned in class to my internship assignments, as well as apply the skills I learned on the job to my course work, I still have not decided what I want to do. However, the most important thing I have learned from these experiences is the positive impact of effective communication. Whether you are working in a team, speaking with the customer or presenting to peers, it is essential to relate the topic to the audience and clearly explain concepts. It may seem trivial, but in a technical discipline communication is key.

Lisa Nielsen

This summer I worked at ATK (Alliant Techsystems) in Promontory, Utah. ATK is a manufacturer of solid rocket motors that are an integral part of NASA’s space shuttles, and as a junior in materials engineering, I interned in the Non-Destructive Testing Department. My projects involved experimenting with electron emission systems, evaluating ultrasonic gages, and working with x-ray inspection methods. Most of the engineering skills I utilized were data analysis, experimentation design, and technical report writing. From my experiences I learned how to work in a corporate environment and how to apply what I’d learned in my classes to both manufacturing and research and development.

Society of Women Engineers

Iowa State University

404 Marston

Ames, IA 50011

http://www.eng.iastate.edu/swe/ Fall 2009

WE09! Women Advancing the World of Technology

The Annual Conference for Women Engineers is taking place October 15 - 17 in Long Beach, CA. Registration is open to all paid members. To learn more about this or register visit: http://we09.swe.org/ or call 1-877-SWE-INFO.

Want to get involved with ISU SWE?

Committees One way to get involved at any time is to join a committee. We have committees for outreach, publicity, and more! The committee meeting times are listed on the Committee Meetings page at:http://www.eng.iastate.edu/swe/CommitteeMeetings.aspx.

Cabinet Positions A great way to gain leadership experience and do something you enjoy is to pick up a cabinet position. The new cabinet will be elected this fall, and the positions will be for Spring and/or Fall 2010. Cabinet for 2009 has been elected. However, some positions are still open. To find out what these positions are check out Our Cabinet. If you are interested in a position e-mail Karen at isuswepresident@gmail.com.