President's Report - January/February 2011

At the 2010 National Conference, the Region awarded Minnesota the Continuous Improvement award for our Fund Development program and I look forward to continuing the momentum this year with our Winter Fundraiser and Silent Auction on Friday January 21st. Please consider joining with other members at Spill the Wine in Minneapolis for an evening of eats, wine tasting, and donation towards our SWE-MN programs. Here is some more information about this event.

Reflecting the past half of the fiscal year I am proud of the leadership team in their efforts. The section was recognized for its work last fiscal year with the awards presented at the National Conference. With New Year’s resolutions on the mind also come SWE-MN nominations. On January 8th there will be a Leadership Coaching session at 10:30am at SEH in Vadnais Heights. Let me know at president@swe-mn.org if you would like to join us for this hour with Cathy Krier as we learn about membership strategies. Thank you to everyone for renewing your membership by December and continuing your participation with the society. If you want to become involved next fiscal year starting in July on the executive board please start to talk to the current officers and committee chairs about their positions. Before the Spring Seminar we will be looking for officer nominations and committee chairs following. Lesley and I would welcome the opportunity to chat with you on how you would like to contribute to the society leadership.

There are many more exciting programs planned for the next half of the fiscal year. After our membership fundraiser in January, there is Engineers Week in February. The Outreach committee has many events planned for volunteers to maximize the community impact on teaching about engineering during this national recognition week, but volunteer assistance is needed to complete this undertaking. The highlight of March to me is the annual Professional Development Spring Seminar. There is a stimulating line up of sessions being pulled together by the committee for Saturday, March 12th at Honeywell. Throughout the remainder of this coming year there will be many more Professional Development and Membership programs publicized in the weekly emails and on our website, so read the emails or check out the monthly calendar on the web http://www.swe-mn.org/.

I hope that you have all enjoyed the holidays with some rest and fun with friends and family. Welcome to 2011 where I expect you can continue to see dynamic programming from our section to participate in.

Happy New Year to You,

Angela

VP Article - January/February 2011

At my department’s annual New Year kick off meeting, a manager of mine challenges all of us to do one thing better each year. Although I have heard this same spiel from him for the past three years, each year it sticks with me. As the leader of our department, he tells the 65 or so of us that if each of us does one thing better each year, then every year as a department, we will do 65 things better. If the “one thing” was up to him, I’m sure it would have something to do with the efficiency of our daily work, the performance of our products, or the time to market of our upcoming projects, but as he motivates us, he leaves it pretty open ended ☺

As we begin 2011, I encourage each of you to do as my manager encourages me and “Do 1 thing better in 2011!” As a section of almost 200 members, we have the ability to do 200 things better this year! Similar to my manager, I do have a bias of what the one thing is….something to do with SWE! Maybe you would like to improve your communication or leadership skills, or maybe you would like to contribute more to the Outreach committee, or maybe you have been saying you were going to attend a networking lunch or happy hour but haven’t gotten around to it yet. Be sure to check out the SWE-MN calendar and find what it is that interests you and think about something you can do better in the New Year!

Of course, I would like to encourage you to do at least one thing better in your daily, professional, and family life, but don’t forget your SWE life when you are making your new year’s resolutions!

~Lesley

Scholarships

The Minnesota Section of the Society of Women Engineers is pleased to announce our

Section and Corporate Partner Scholarships for Fall Semester 2011

We are offering nine tuition-based scholarships

for women students in engineering and computer science

at schools in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota

THANK YOU to our corporate partners who have made these scholarships possible!

Banner Engineering Scholarship

• $2,000 scholarship for a student of mechanical or electrical engineering
• Banner Engineering is the sensor market leader with the broadest line of products and solutions in the nation. See www.baneng.com for more information

Boston Scientific Scholarship

• $1,500 scholarship for a student of biomedical or mechanical engineering
• Boston Scientific is a worldwide developer, manufacturer and marketer of medical devices who, for more than 25 years, has advanced the practice of less-invasive medicine by providing a broad and deep portfolio of innovative products, technologies and services. For further information, visit www.bsci.com

General Dynamics AIS Scholarships

• $1,000 scholarship for a student of electrical or computer engineering
• General Dynamics AIS is a leading provider of transformational mission solutions in command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. See www.gd-ais.com

Lockheed Martin Scholarships

• $1,500 scholarship for a student of electrical systems engineering
• $1,000 scholarship for a student of mechanical engineering
• Lockheed Martin’s vision is to be the world’s best advanced technology systems integrator. Visit www.lockheedmartin.com, for more information

Medtronic SWEnet Scholarship

• Two $1,000 scholarships for students of biomedical, chemical, mechanical or electrical engineering
• SWEnet is a professional network of Society of Women Engineers members who work at Medtronic, the global leader in medical technology. These dedicated women have donated their time and talents to create this scholarship opportunity. For further information on Medtronic, see www.medtronic.com

MTS Systems Corporation Scholarship

• $1,500 scholarship for a student of mechanical or software engineering
• MTS Systems Corporation is the world’s leading supplier of mechanical testing and simulation equipment. For more information, visit www.mts.com

The Minnesota Section Scholarship

• $1,500 scholarship for a full time women student enter her junior or senior year of an accredited engineering or computer science program at schools in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
• This scholarship is funded by an endowment of the Minnesota Section of SWE.

Please help us to bring this opportunity to the attention of all women engineering students in Minnesota, North Dakota, or South Dakota by passing it along to any faculty, staff, counselors, and students who you know at these schools! Copies of this announcement, details on our program, the application form with instructions, and details of the judging criteria can be obtained by going to www.swe-mn.org and clicking on “scholarships”. If you have further questions about SWE or our scholarship program, please contact us.

Naomi Brill or Holly Kimball at scholarships@swe-mn.org

Outreach - Recap and Upcoming Events - January/February 2011

Upcoming Events

Events Recap

Read more about the Girl Scout Patch Day here

Fund Development - January/February 2011

Make a donation to the silent auction!

Sample donations can include: sporting event tickets, restaurant gift certificate, music lessons, wine, DVDs, spa packages, gift baskets, and more!

Donation Request Form: http://www.swe-mn.org/donate.pdf

Funds raised will go toward programs for member and community activities to promote engineering to students of all ages.

Thanks for your support!

Get to Know SWE-MN: Shanna Kent

I was first introduced to SWE as a student in 2008 where I attended the 2008 Region H Conference in Peoria, Illinois. Since then, SWE has continued to provide excellent continuing education, networking and volunteer opportunities.

I attended Minnesota State University, Mankato where I received my undergraduate degree in 2008. Being from South Central Minnesota, the opportunity to join the Minnesota Department of Transportation at the Mankato Office was a perfect fit. I currently work in the design section providing assistance to the District Hydraulic Engineer and project management. I also served nine years in the Army National Guard as a Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic. During that time I worked 9 months full time for the New Ulm Maintenance Shop and completed an 18 month deployment with 11 months stationed near Tikrit, Iraq.

My husband and I enjoy traveling north to escape the sea of cornfields whenever we get the chance. I also enjoy lake sports, scrapbooking and reading a good book when I can fit it in. When that isn’t enough, I have a pair of rottweilers that always keeps me on my toes.

Membership - January/February 2011

New Members:

Feed My Starving Children Recap:

Thursday, December 9^th we had a great turnout for a new service event for SWE-MN.  11 SWE-MN members (including family/friends) met up at the Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) facility in Coon Rapids to pack meals to feed children in Zimbabwe (where this shipment of meals will be headed).  The night started out with networking and a happy hour at a nearby restaurant and ended with great camaraderie packing meals with a lot of other volunteers.  Our shift of volunteers packed over 80 boxes of food, enough to feed 18 children for an entire year! 

If you’ve never been to FMSC, it is a wonderful organization dedicated to feeding children and their families in some of the most destitute areas in the world.  I highly encourage everyone to get a group of friends or co-workers together sometime to volunteer at one of their facilities or mobile events.  It is super easy to sign-up (online!) and is only about an 1 ½ hour time commitment.  Check out their website for more information:  www.fmsc.org

We are planning to do another service event in the spring, so please forward on any ideas you have to Lynn or Nicole at membership@swe-mn.org

Professional Development - January/February 2011

Women In Nuclear & SWE joint event:

The SWE Professional Development Committee will be having a joint event with the Women In Nuclear (WIN) group on February 10, 2011. Join us for a presentation as well as a shop tour. More details to follow in weekly emails. Dinner will be provided.

18th Annual Professional Development Spring Seminar: Forging New Paths Today and Mapping Tomorrow

Please join us for the 18th Annual Professional Development Spring Seminar sponsored by the Society of Women Engineers. The Spring Seminar provides an excellent opportunity for professional and personal growth. The seminar will consist of 4 sessions featuring an array of topics. With multiple speakers per session, each attendee can personalize his or her own experience.



Breakfast and lunch are included in the cost of registration.

Registration: Will be open soon (check the SWE-MN website around mid-January).


Upcoming PD Committee Meeting

On January 13, 2011, the PD Committee will be having a committee planning meeting to discuss final details for the Spring Seminar. It will be at Panera at 6064 Shingle Creek Pkwy, Brooklyn Center, MN. We would love to have you join us at the meeting! The PD committee is still looking for more members to discuss ideas and help out with events. If you have any questions or suggestions, or would like to join the Professional Development Committee, please contact Katrina Sanders or Jacalyn St. Dennis at mailto:pd@swe-mn.org


FY11 Professional Development Schedule

The tentative schedule for Professional Development Events is as follows. More details to come!

January 13th – SWE PD committee meeting at Panera in Brooklyn Center
February 10th – SWE PD event with Women In Nuclear
March 12th – SWE-MN Spring Seminar at Honeywell Learning Center

Section Representatives - January/February 2011

Region H Conference at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor is proud to be hosting the 2011 Society of Women Engineers Region H Conference on February 4- 6, 2011. The conference will take place at the Eagle Crest Resort near Ann Arbor and at the University of Michigan Engineering Campus. The theme of this year's conference is "Going Green" with the hopes that attendees will leave the conference with a better idea of new advances in sustainable energy, how to go green in everyday life, and where the green workforce is heading. For complete conference details, including travel and session information, please go to the conference website at http://swe.engin.umich.edu/regionals2011/.

If you are attending the Region H Conference, please take note of the following meetings:

• Joint Member Meeting, Saturday, February 5th at 8:00am
• Professional Member Meeting, Saturday, February 5th at 9:00am
• Collegiate Member Meeting, Saturday, February 5th at 9:00am

If you are planning on attending the Region H Conference, please be sure to log on to the Minnesota Section Community and update the Region H Conference Attendance List. This list will enable you to coordinate with other SWE-MN members who are going to the conference. We look forward to seeing you in Ann Arbor!

University of Minnesota – Twin Cities Collegiate Section Awarded Professional Development Grant

The University of Minnesota – Twin Cities collegiate section was awarded a Profession Development Grant (PD Grant) from SWE for their SWE Professional Development Retreat, held on Saturday, November 20, 2010. The event hosted 60 college students and provided them with helpful professional success information. The event was open to all members, ranging from freshman to graduate students.

The event kicked off with keynote speaker, Ann Ulrich, who is the founder and president of The BOLD! Factor©. Ann is an expert on courageous self-leadership in business at every level. The event also offered two breakout sessions, one which focused on first impressions and the other on how to build a strong resume. Our current SWE-Minnesota president, Angela Neidermire, also gave a presentation on the benefits of continuing to be active in SWE as a professional member.

SWE-Minnesota wants to congratulate the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities collegiate section on hosting a successful event!


Please feel free to contact us at sectionrep@swe-mn.org with your comments, questions or concerns. Please note the new email address!

Kalyani, Lindsey and Charlene