Welcome to the SWE Region i blog for FY2010! I am very excited to share with you the latest news from your fellow SWE sections as well as from the National and Regional SWE organizations. The blog is under construction but feel free to check us out!
Jessica Nayes, the Region H Regional Collegiate Newsletter Editor did such a good job on this topic that we’ve linked to her post: Preparing to End the SWE Year.
Highlights from her post:
May 1: Nominate a SWE Future Leader (freshman or sophomore showing high potential in SWE) by this date Nomination form
May 15: SWE Region Programming Excellence Awards for “Managing Across the Generations” due More info and nomination form
May 10: Final quarter report due to Wendy, Region i Collegiate Representative
June 30: Annual and Financial Reports due online (see Jessica’s how-to on SWE Communities to get it)
July 1: Multiple SWE Section Awards packet due More info and awards packets
And as always, don’t forget to transition your role to the next “generation” of SWE leaders!
Kristina: Send mostly underclassmen to region conference and encourages them in the future to consider positions such as RCR, RCNE, etc.
Wendy: RCR/NE must be at least a sophomore, junior. Must be a paid SWE member (nationally) for at least two years.
Kate: My biggest advice is to have a post-conference meeting with those who attend from your section. This gives you time to discuss what you learned, succession planning, and how you can implement ideas in your section.
Wendy: It is a good idea to send section officers to the Collegiate Leadership Coaching Committee presentations to gain info on improving your section. In the past my section has encouraged members to attend these sessions and/or current officers have attended them with potential future officers. We have also sent people to different sections to take notes that can then be shared with everyone later.
Wendy: It is also good to encourage all freshmen and sophomores that have shown potential to attend the regional conference. Often just telling them you think they should attend is enough to make them consider the idea.
Wendy: One of the biggest opportunities regional conference provides is the opportunity to network with members of other SWE sections. It is good to encourage members to talk with members of other sections. You may also want to brief your members attending on the section practices/issues you want more info/advice on.
I’m evaluating a multi-media course on blogging from the folks at Simpleology. For a while, they’re letting you snag it for free if you post about it on your blog.
It covers:
I’ll let you know what I think once I’ve had a chance to check it out. Meanwhile, go grab yours while it’s still free.
The leader is best,
When people are hardly aware of his existence,
Not so good when people praise his government,
Less good when people stand in fear,
Worst, when people are contemptuous.
Fail to honor people, and they will fail to honor you.
But of a good leader, who speaks little
When his work is done, his aim fulfilled,
The people say, ‘We did it ourselves.’
Resource: http://www.1000advices.com/guru/leadership_lao_tzu.html
How do you guys identify potential officers? Do you have enough people running?
Kristina, University of Colorado Boulder: Sometimes we have a lot of people interested, sometimes not. All of the officers are seniors this year, so younger members who come to meetings a lot and do a lot of scouting. Kristina is targeting them for blogging, etc.
Erin, University of Oklahoma: We don’t need to do scouting. This year, there are a lot of younger members in leadership positions. However, we’re going to start recruiting for leadership positions this year because interest is falling.
What is other stuff that you do to get younger girls involved in the section so that they don’t take such a big leap to being a section officer?
Kristina, University of Colorado Boulder: Halloween event and seasonal events. hey if you’re interested in helping plan the event, please come the week before. It helps integrate members and make them have a sense of belonging.
Katie, University of Missouri: Some positions are for two years. A girl would co-chair for a year then become main Chair for a committee. For example, younger members will start in their position as a sophomore and continue to their junior year.
Once you have identified people who lead, what do you do to train them. For example, when you’re gone, are there people who know the processes of SWE and the university?
[Follow-up question] Has anyone taken advantage of the Collegiate Officer CLCC module?
Wendy, Washington University in St. Louis: Doesn’t look like it from tonight’s discussion. The CLCC has come out twice within four years. Exposing freshmen and sophomores to what is SWE and strategic planning for officers. You would make sure that older and younger officers both go to the presentations and its important that knowledge transfer does happen.
Islin, Colorado School of Mines: Hit and miss. Many of them are revamped in the past two years. They are free to you and their travel is completely funded by Agilent Technologies. Contact information and modules are available here: http://regioni.wordpress.com/2008/10/21/swe-collegiate-leadership-coaching-modules/. Callie Baker leads this and her email is on the list (crbaker1@gmail.com).
Ryan Schaeffer throwing a strike!
by Brian Swift
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri’s chapter of SWE started off the school year with a Sunday afternoon trip to a local bowling alley, and good cheer was in great supply. About thirty people attended, with 3 of them being guys. (Mizzou’s chapter is fairly unique in having a male officer and 4 active male members.) Two hours of fun proceeded with cokes and popcorn being provided in the 10$ participation cost for the event. The Shindig was the first of its kind for the Mizzou SWE chapter, and is just one of many new events being put into play by the dynamic new president, Katie Tepper.
Overall, the event was a great success and well worth the ten dollars. So much fun was had in fact, that a second social event was immediately requested by the member populace. So now we just look forward to what hilarious times will be had at the next Mizzou SWE rendezvous.
Brian Swift (bjsr6c at mizzou dot edu) also serves as historian for the University of Missouri section.
Scholarship and fellowship opportunitiesfor STEM field students from the American Society for Engineering Education. Funding is available for undergraduate and graduate students, post doctoral researchers, faculty, and those on sabbatical leave. For more specifics on each agencies funding interest, please see each program’s synopsis below and visitwww.asee.org/fellowships.
Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship for Service Program. The purpose is to promote the education, recruitment and retention of outstanding undergraduate and graduate students in science, mathematics, and engineering studies; the DoD is also interested in supporting the education of future scientists and engineers in a number of interdisciplinary areas. Scholarships awarded include a cash award, full tuition, required fees, and a book allowance. The SMART Program will allow individuals to acquire an education in exchange for a period of employment with the Department of Defense. The program is intended for citizens of the United States; students must be at least 18 years of age to be eligible for an award. Application open and the deadline is December 15, 2008. For information and to apply online, go to http://www.asee.org/smart
The National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship Program (NDSEG). The fellowship program is sponsored by the Army Research Office, Office of Naval Research, Air Force Office of Scientific Research and the DoD High Performance Computing Modernization Program. This program is intended for U.S. citizens at or near the beginning of their doctoral studies in science or engineering programs. The fellowships are for three year tenures and include full tuition and fees, a competitive stipend, and a health insurance allowance. The application deadline is January 5, 2009. Go to:http://www.asee.org/ndseg for applications and detailed program information.
The National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). For U.S. citizens, nationals, or permanent resident aliens at or near the beginning of their graduate studies, this program offers a stipend of $30,000 a year for three years and a $10,500 cost of education allowance and a one-time $1,000 travel allowance. For application and deadline information, go to: http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov. For additional program information, go to: www.nsf.gov/grfp . Application open and closes early November.
The National Science Foundation East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes (NSF-EAPSI) Program. The East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes provide U.S. graduate students in science and engineering first-hand research experience in Australia, China, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Singapore orTaiwan. Students receive a $5000.00 stipend and international roundtrip airfare. The primary goals of EAPSI are to introduce students to East Asia and Pacific science and engineering in the context of a research setting, and to help students initiate scientific relationships that will better enable future collaboration with foreign counterparts. The institutes last approximately eight weeks from June to August. Application open and closes December 9, 2008. For additional program information, go to http://www.nsf.gov/eapsi.
The Office of Naval Research (ONR) Summer Faculty Research and Sabbatical Leave Program. This program is intended for U.S. citizens who hold teaching or research appointments relating to science and/or engineering at U.S. academic institutions. A competitive stipend, relocation and travel allowances, and a pre-program site visit are offered. Application now open and closes December 5, 2008. Go to: http://www.asee.org/summer.
The Air Force Summer Faculty Fellowship Program (SFFP). This program is intended for US citizens or permanent residents who have an earned doctorate in science or engineering and who hold full-time science or engineering faculty positions at US colleges, community colleges and universities. The duration of this summer fellowship is from 8 to 12 continuous weeks and research is performed on-site at Air Force laboratories. There is a competitive weekly stipend, and relocation and daily expense allowances are available for those who qualify. The application is now open and closes November 21, 2008. To apply online, go to: http://www.asee.org/sffp .
The Navy Postdoctoral Fellowship Programs. This program is open to US citizens and legal permanent residents and offers a competitive stipend as well as insurance, relocation, and travel allowances. Locations include Navy Research Lab (NRL) and Naval Surface Warfare Center/ Indian Head. This program offers one to three year postdoctoral fellowships designed to increase the involvement of scientists and engineers from academia and industry to scientific and technical areas of interest and relevance to the Navy. This program has a rolling admission. Go to: http://www.asee.org/nrl/ .
The Naval Research Enterprise Intern Program (NREIP). NREIP is a ten week summer research opportunity for undergraduate Juniors & Seniors, and Graduate students, under the guidance of a mentor, at a participating Navy Laboratory. The stipend amounts for the program are $5,500 for undergraduate students and $6,500 for graduate students. U.S. citizenship required; Permanent residents accepted at certain labs (Please see website for details.) The application opens October 15, 2008 and must be completed by January 12, 2009. Go to: http://www.asee.org/nreip.
The Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP). SEAP is an eight week summer research opportunity at participating ONR laboratories for high school student who have completed at least grade 9, must be 16 years of age for most Laboratories, and a U.S. citizen. A graduating Senior is eligible to apply. The stipend for the summer program is $1,500 for new students; $1,550 for returning students. The application opens October 15, 2008 and must be completed by January 26, 2009. Go to http://www.asee.org/seap.
NASA Aeronautics Scholarship Program. The purpose of this NASA program is to help advance the nation’s aeronautics enterprise by investing in the educational development of the future aeronautics workforce and to provide opportunities to attract highly motivated undergraduate and graduate students to aeronautics and related fields. Scholarships awarded include competitive stipend payments anticipated amount for undergrad up to $15,000 and up to $35,000 for graduate. There is an option to attend a summer internship (up to $10,000 per summer) at a participating NASA Research Center. The undergraduate program is open to U.S. citizens, and applicants should have completed their sophomore year of college by fall of 2009, and should be in good standing at an accredited college or university. The graduate program is open to U.S. citizens, the applicants should be accepted or enrolled in an accredited program, and remain in good academic standing at their respected college or university. Application is now open and closes January 2009. For more information, contact nasa.asp@asee.org
When we were looking at this Hot Topic, it threw us into a little bit of a tizzy. SWE Resources? But after a Google search and a few emails, we found some excellent links that you can add to your own section’s website!
SWE All-Together Collegiate News: You should be getting this in your email inbox each month. It contains general information about SWE and collegiate specific topics.
SWE Communities of Practice (aka MySWE Communities): This is a great resource to check out what is going on nationally and regionally! If you are interested in joining a national committee, or just want to find other SWE members who love knitting, click on “Login” at the website. There is also a “Region i Collegiate Members” community especially for you to join.
SWE Resources for Outreach Programming and Career Planning: Contains outreach information targeting elementary, middle, and high school kids. Also, the site connects you with female engineers and asks the question of “Is engineering really for me?” (A questions without a definite answer until my junior in engineering).
SWE Scholarships: Offered yearly and due in the early winter or spring, there are scholarships for every engineering or computer science major out there (provided that you have above a 3.0 GPA and your school is on the list of approved schools) from National SWE. Also, don’t forget to check with your local collegiate section and professional section to see if there’s a scholarship there for you! Islin Moy, the FY09 Region Collegiate Newsletter Editor, won the national SWE Jill Tietjen scholarship this year as well as a few others, so if have any questions about scholarships, let her know.
Section Resources: If your section is ailing (everything from dearth of leadership to new marketing techniques), contact your local Collegiate Leadership Coach Lead, Callie Baker at crbaker1 at gmail dot com.
Do you know about any other great links or resources? Post a comment to this blog or email me at rcne dash i at swe dot org.
