Women engineers compete against themselves

‘ ‘ ‘ Pitt’s Society of Women Engineers won a national award for excellence in its chapter. ‘… ‘ ‘ ‘ Pitt’s Society of Women Engineers won a national award for excellence in its chapter. ‘ ‘ ‘ The society, a professional organization dedicated to helping women thrive as engineers, won the Outstanding Collegiate Section Award at the silver level for the 2007-08 academic year. ‘ ‘ ‘ The award is the second highest given to a collegiate chapter and is based on an organization’s success at meeting specific guidelines, said Dana Bruck, the chapter’s corporate relations chair. ‘ ‘ ‘Each chapter competes against itself,’ said Bruck. ‘Any number of sections can earn awards at all levels, depending on their achievements. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘In order to be eligible for the award, a chapter has to demonstrate (the society’s) strategic priorities through activities and events.’ They are education, outreach, inclusiveness, diversity, knowledge source, leadership and professional development.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ In addition to meeting these priorities, she said, a chapter must complete and submit a packet that includes a self-evaluation, a report and documentation of the chapter’s activities. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Last year when I became president of SWE, there were all new officers and we decided to totally re-vamp everything and help the section grow,’ said Bruck. ‘We wanted to make it an organization that people want to be a part of, and we feel like we’ve been successful.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ The report that was required as part of the criteria for the award highlighted the chapter’s special event, which was a SWEepover, an overnight event held for female high school students who were admitted into Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering, said Bruck in an e-mail. ‘ ‘ ‘ Last year, the chapter also held a leadership workshop for freshmen and a question-and-answer panel of upperclassmen engineering students, said Bruck. ‘ ‘ ‘ This school year, the chapter has continued to hold its old events as well as creating new. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘We have continued our mentorship program and held a huge networking event last semester, said Bruck. ‘Major companies came and had dinner with SWE, which was great, and we hope to do it again,’ she said. ‘ ‘ ‘ The Outstanding Collegiate Section Award is the first national award Pitt’s chapter of the Society of Women Engineers has won since it was chartered, in 1970.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘We are very proud of our accomplishments from this past year, and we hope to achieve the Outstanding Collegiate Section Award at the Gold Level for this current year,’ said Bruck. ‘ ‘ There were five recipients of gold level awards. ‘ ‘ ‘ Four members of Pitt’s Society of Women Engineers attended the National Conference in Baltimore in November to receive the award.