RSO of the Month: Society of Women Engineers (SWE)

by ALEX BAUMANN, CSU Public Relations Intern

RETURN TO THE inSIDER

1.What is your RSO?

Our RSO is the Society of Women Engineers (SWE).

2. What does it do, what makes it special, what does it have to offer?

Our mission is to empower women to achieve full potential in careers as engineers and leaders, expand the image of the engineering and technology professions as a positive force in improving the quality of life, and demonstrate the value of diversity and inclusion. SWE offers lots of opportunities to build your professional network, develop/improve professional skills, work with young women in the community to encourage their involvement in STEM and create a great community of like minded individuals that can help you with anything from classes, stress levels, to advice on interview questions. 

3. Does one have to apply for membership, how selective is the process, does the RSO focus on a specific audience? 

Anyone can join SWE! We encourage women to join our RSO especially due to the challenges faced in the STEM industry, but we have a large number of men that actively participate in our meetings and events. You can join SWE on Engage or by attending one of our monthly meetings or events. By signing you name on the attendance sheet at meetings, you will also be added to our email list for reminders on upcoming events. We have our RSO email swe@mnsu.edu, SWE Mankato website www.swemnsu.com, Facebook & Instagram pages as well as our events on Engage for those that want to find our more information about the SWE section here at MSU Mankato!

4. What is your ultimate goal as an RSO?

We would like to see women be represented equally in the STEM industry to reflect the society we live in.  In order to achieve this goal, we are encouraging young women in high school to have the courage and confidence in themselves to pursue their goals of making the world a better place through the use of STEM skills & careers.

5. How many members do you have?

We currently have around 30 active members in our section with a large base of alumni.

6. How many years have you been in the University?

SWE has been on campus for 11 years since the section started in 2008.

7. What other Universities have your organization?

Most universities that offer engineering around the U.S. have a SWE section; from D1 universities to tech colleges.

8. Something funny: what meme would your RSO relate to? 

9. Is there anything else you’d like to include about your RSO (upcoming events, recruitment opportunities, etc.)?

This semester SWE will be having a lot of exciting events! We will be selling our new T-shirt design throughout the semester, especially during E-week! We will be having our second annual Spaghetti Dinner on Monday Feb. 25th from 6-9pm during E-week at Crossroads Church across the street from the Trafton East building. SWE will be hosting a panel about empowering women in STEM with female industry professionals, faculty members and graduate students on Thursday March 21 for Women’s History Month in TE225 from 5:30-6:30pm. We will be collaborating with multiple organizations in CSET & the Women’s Center for the Women in STEM Etiquette Dinner on April 4 in the CSU Ballroom from 5-8pm.

RETURN TO THE inSIDER

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *