Twenty five members of UMBC's Society of Women Engineers (SWE) chapter attended the WE13 national conference held in Baltimore from October 24-26, 2013. SWE is an educational and service organization that empowers women to succeed and advance in the field of engineering, and to be recognized for their life-changing contributions as engineers and leaders.

The UMBC SWE student chapter executive board, led by President, Ebony Tongo (CBEE May 14) actively promoted the event and leveraged gifts from Northrop Grumman and Advertising.com (a division of AOL) to pay for part of the student registration fee. Dean Warren DeVries, arranged for the UMBC delegation  to meet Betty Shanahan, SWE CEO. The members were inspired by their conversation with Ms. Shanahan about her career path, the importance of professional association involvement, and SWE's mission.

Please join us in congratulating Pulanda (Polly) Muangrat. Polly is a CWIT Affiliate and IS major. This summer she was the proud recipient of the first Advertising.com Scholarship.

Mechanical Engineering/Mathematics, May 2014
Project Mechanical Engineer Intern, Whiting-Turner Contracting Company

Energy and sustainability were at the forefront of Kabish Shah’s internship as project mechanical engineer for Whiting-Turner Contracting Company. During the summer, Shah was part of the major construction effort to finish Phase II of UMBC’s new Performing Arts & Humanities Building. While shadowing engineers, Shah oversaw mechanical, electrical and plumbing/public health (MEP) contractor installations of LEED-certified projects, as well as quality control. “I like doing quality control because I believe, as an engineer, it is my duty to make sure that the job is done as intended,” says Shah. “There is no compromise in quality and integrity of the work."

MY ADVICE – “Get started as soon as possible. The earlier you put a foot in the door, the better off you will be. Internship experience is invaluable.”

Kevin Johnson

Mechanical Engineering, May 2015
Systems Engineering Intern, Domino Sugar Refinery

As far as summer internships go, Kevin Johnson landed a sweet one. Working at the Domino Sugar refinery as a systems engineer, Johnson had the opportunity to peer into the world of manufacturing and how engineering is related to it. In the packaging department, he was responsible for handling packing and shipping for more than 20 lines of packaged sugars, ranging from 2.8 grams to 2,000lb “super sacks.” Johnson also worked on projects ranging from integrating weight checking machines with systems that measure bag weight in real time, to upgrading a motor that could save the company hundreds of thousands of dollars. “Being able to work with experienced engineers and learn directly from them has been invaluable. It really demonstrates how what you learn in class relates to real world problems and solutions,” says Johnson.

MY ADVICE – “Branch out of your comfort zone – it gives you an appreciation for all there is to learn. It is also important to experience a variety of professions before entering the job market as a new graduate. This will allow you to really narrow down your future plans to what you definitely know you're passionate about.”

Details:

Women/InTech

Sunday, Sept 22, 1 - 5 pm

AOL/Advertising.com

Ivory Building, 1020 Hull St. #100

Baltimore, MD 21230

(Directions)