SOCIETY OF WOMEN ENGINEERS New England Shoreline Section P.O. Box 289

1. SWE Mission Statement The Society of Women Engineers stimulates women to achieve full potential in careers as engineers and leaders, expands the image of the engineering profession as a positive force in improving the quality of life and demonstrates the value of diversity. SOCIETY OF WOMEN ENGINEERS New England Shoreline Section P.O. Box 289 Groton, CT 06340-0289 Aspire…Advance…Achieve

2. SOCIETY OF WOMEN ENGINEERS New England Shoreline Section Newsletter – September 2009 Visit our web site at http://www.sweness.org PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE…………………….……..…2 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT……………………3 OUTREACH OBSERVATIONS.……………...……….4 FROM BEYOND THE SECTION……………………...5 COLLEGIATE RAP..……………………………………..6 EXCLUSIVELY MEMBERS …………..………………..6 POTPOURRI ………………………………………….….7 FEATURED & FUTURE EVENTS……………………..8 Can You Solve This Wordle? (answer inside) TEG DA WN Feel free to contact us or visit our website at <www.sweness.org> OFFICERS PRESIDENT Yadira Gilchrest (W) 401-832-4235 (FAX) 401-832-4441 pres@sweness.org VICE PRESIDENT Kim Cipolla (W) 401-832-5211 (H) 401-683-6842 (FAX) 401-683-2492 401-924-3084 vp@sweness.org • SECTION • REPRESENTATIVE • Ebony Joseph • (W) 508-553-6851 • (H) 508-455-2615 • (FAX) • (M) 617-259-5410 • secrep@sweness.org • ALTERNATE SECTION • REPRESENTATIVE • Beth Lavoie • 401-722-7660 x221 • (M) 401-447-9721 • (FAX) 401-722-7530 • Elavoie@bryant-engrs.com COLLEGIATE COUNSELORS • SECRETARY • Beth Lavoie • 401-722-7660 x221 • (M) 401-447-9721 • (FAX) 401-722-7530 • sec@sweness.org • TREASURER • Linda Bergemann • (W) 860-433-6176 • (H) 401-322-9946 • (FAX) 860-433-8895 • treas@sweness.org • BROWN: Beth Lavoie • RWU: Kim Cipolla • URI: Michele Fitzpatrick • (H) 860-445-1978 • 860-884-1520 • michele.fitzpatrick@swe.org COMMITTEES ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS Kimberly McLean kim@mcleanresearch..com COMMUNICATIONS Beth Lavoie comms@sweness.org • PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT • Elizabeth Peterson • 860-447-1791 • x6639 • pd@sweness.org MEMBERSHIP & ARCHIVES Donna Matthews (W) 401-832-9021 (H) 401-683-4108 (FAX) 401-832-7899 member@sweness.org OUTREACH & NEWSLETTER Susan Anderson (H) 401-625-1352 (M) 401-447-9781 (FAX) 401-625-1352 (call first to set up) susan.anderson@swe.org WEBSITE COORDINATOR Peg Goter

3. page 2 SWE-NESS Newsletter, September 2009 President’s Message Hello SWE-NESS, We are now in September and getting closer to fall. The days are getting shorter and the kids are going back to school. Here at SWE-NESS we are getting ready for another busy year. If you attended the August planning meeting then you are aware of the upcoming events. If you missed it, please keep an eye on the website and your email since details for some of the events are still in process. One major event in the fall is the SWE National Conference, Oct. 15-17 in Long Beach, CA. This is always a good place to network and learn new things. In the last month, I have noticed newly hired college graduates around my department. You may have noticed this as well. Use this as an opportunity to introduce yourself and promote SWE with young female employees. Whether male or female, it is good to make new employees feel welcome in the work environment. I look forward to meeting many of you throughout the year. As always, we are always welcome to new volunteers and open to hearing your professional, outreach or social event ideas. Yadira Gilchrest SWE-NESS Calendar of Events Check Out What’s Happening this September! A SNEAK PEEK AT OCTOBER EVENTS Sep 3 – 2009 Pawsox Outing; 5:05 BBQ, 7:05 game; McCoy Stadium Green Tent, Pawtucket, RI POC Beth Lavoie Sep 7– Labor Day Sep 11 - Patriot Day Sep 16 – Executive Council Meeting #2; 5:30 dinner, 6 PM mtg; NEIT Rm 314, Warwick, RI POC Yadira Gilchrest Sep 19 – Rosh Hashanah Sep 22 – Autumn Begins; Oct 12 – Columbus Day Oct 14-17 – 2009 SWE National Conference Oct 21 – Executive Council Meeting #2; 5:30 dinner, 6 PM mtg; NEIT Rm 314, Warwick, RI POC Yadira Gilchrest Oct 31 – Happy Halloween! Never Forget Yom Kippur The Society of Women Engineers-New England Shoreline Section Newsletter is distributed monthly for the benefit of the membership from September through June and a bi-monthly summer issue. It is posted on the SWE-NESS website in an informational format. The cost of the printed version is covered in part by membership dues. Non-members may receive a printed copy of the newsletter for one year by making a $10 donation to cover the cost of postage and printing. Checks payable to SWE-NESS may be sent to: SWE-NESS, P.O. Box 289, Groton, CT 06340-0289. If you have an announcement or other information of interest, put it in the newsletter. Deadline is the ninth of the month, one month prior to issue. Material may be sent in MS Word or text format to susan.anderson@swe.org. For non-email material, send to: SWE-NESS Newsletter, Susan Anderson, 1137 Main Road, Tiverton, RI 02878.

4. SWE-NESS Newsletter, September 2009 page 3 Professional Development Exchange – Elizabeth W. Peterson, Chair • Your Elevator Pitch • When someone asks what I do, I answer, “I’m an engineer.” That certainly answers the question; yet, the person immediately labels me with all the engineering stereotypes they perceive. Generally I have found that is not a bad thing. Often, although, rather than thinking of ourselves as solution-providers, we picture ourselves as doers. However, you can turn your message around and start with a prepared answer that grabs attention and says a lot in a few words. • An Elevator Pitch should pique your audience’s attention and leave them wanting to know more about what you are pitching. It is an overview which may be about a product, service, project or in this case, you. The name “Elevator Pitch” reflects the fact that your answer must be delivered in the time span of an elevator ride from the top floor to the first floor. During this duration, you may speak 100-150 words. • Generally, an effective elevator pitch answers questions such as: • Who you are and why you will be successful • What service do you provide • What the audience will have working with you • What makes you unique • Having an Elevator Pitch ready to go at a moment's notice will enable you to make the most of everyday situations as well as once-in-a-lifetime communication opportunities. Introductions, job interviews, presentations, PR opportunities and sales all demand the ability to deliver a quick, effective response. Usually this comes in handy when you attend an event, a convention or some other type of meeting with networking opportunities. By telling your core message, you will be marketing yourself and/or your business in a way that will make people want to know more about you and your business. • Here are Do’s and Don’ts for your Elevator Pitch. • Do practice you Elevator Pitch frequently to keep it sounding effortless, natural and sincere. • Do have it memorized or at least know your pitch well enough so you express your key points. • Do write and revise your speech keeping it interesting and not rambling. • Do consider including a hook prompting your audience to ask questions and keep the conversation going. • Do show friendliness, confidence and enthusiasm with proper eye contact. • Do pause briefly between sentences and concentrate on keeping an appropriate pace. • Don't be afraid to leave your Elevator Pitch as a voice message. • Do develop different versions of your speech for different audiences and situations. • Do be prepared to wrap up earlier than you were planning if you see waning interest. Editor’s Note: If you would like to see some examples of elevator pitches, google “elevator pitch” – there are lots of websites with examples and others that have books on the topic. Good Luck! The fact is, sometimes it's hard to walk in a single woman's shoes. That's why we need really special ones now and then to make the walk a little more fun. - Jenny Bicks, Sex and the City, A Woman's Right To Shoes, 2003

5. SWE-NESS Newsletter, September 2009 page 4 Outreach Observations – Susan Anderson, Chair Aspire K-12 Change is in the air everywhere – even at SWE. 2010 is a transition year for the SWE Outreach Chair, as well as the Aspire K-12 pages on the SWE national website. Being a Section Outreach Chair, I am automatically a member of the SWE national Outreach Committee, and earlier this year had volunteered to review the outreach web pages. I gave the Chair ten pages of suggestions, changes, and questions regarding the Aspire pages and their associated linkages. They have now incorporated some of them, and others are going to be incorporated over time. One of the latest changes they have made is to add a calendar of outreach events that the general public can access. SWE members can submit outreach events happening in their area, thus advertising it not only to SWE HQ and members, but also to the general public. In case you have not seen the new Aspire site yet, let me walk you through some of its highlights. First of all, there are four pages associated with it: Girls, Parents, Educators and Engineers. The Girls page has information regarding SWE scholarships and awards (Certificates of Merit/Achievement), engineering schools and information on engineering for middle and high school students and “Do Engineering”, a page with links to engineering activities, competitions, camps and SWE’s Wow! That’s Engineering events. The Parents page has information on SWE scholarships and awards, engineering schools, and “Introduce Your Daughter to Engineering”, a page with links on some of the same information on engineering and activities as is on the Girls page, but also has other links on doing engineering with Girl Scouts and Girls, Inc. as well as after-school programs. The Educators page has information on SWE scholarships and awards, engineering schools, “Teaching Resources” and “Get Girls Involved in Engineering”. The latter page includes some of the same information on activities and engineering as is on the Girls and Parents pages, but also has a link on how to connect with local SWE sections. The “Teaching Resources” page includes links to Design Squad activities, the SWE SASS-E Girlzengineering career counseling program, curriculum standards and career counseling resources, among other information on engineering activities by grade level. The Engineers page is geared to help engineers plan and/or participate in an outreach program. It has links to SWE trainings and how-to webinars on outreach programs, applying to hold a SWE Wow! That’s Engineering event, a page on hands-on activities and kits, how to measure your program’s effect on the target audience using AWE and “Advising Girls”. The latter page includes information on engineering for middle school and high school age levels, curriculum standards, engineering schools and other basic information such as what is on the Educators and Parents pages. SWE has made it easier for engineers not used to going into schools or talking to students about engineering by having downloadable letters of introduction to educators, counselors and principals that can be personalized. They also have advice on how to contact schools and training webinars to help you work effectively with educators and students. For those of you who have children in school and want to be more involved, here’s a perfect opportunity for you to visit the Aspire website and prepare for your school visit to their classroom. For those of you who don’t have kids but want to inspire the next generation to become engineers, here is an easy way for you to train how to do this on your own time. Please take a moment and peruse the website. You might just aspire to inspire some of the next generation to become engineers! As an adolescent I aspired to lasting fame, I craved factual certainty, and I thirsted for a meaningful vision of human life - so I became a scientist. This is like becoming an archbishop so you can meet girls. - M. Cartmill

6. page 5 SWE-NESS Newsletter, September 2009 From Beyond the Section... SWE 2009 National Conference at Long Beach, California from October 14-17, 2009 September 1st is the last day for getting a discount on registration for the SWE 2009 National Conference. You can register online at http://we09.swe.org/. The website also contains the conference schedule, which has sessions in the following tracks: Career Enhancement, Innovation in Technology and Business, Career and Life Transitions, Professional Development, Outreach, Inclusion and Cultural Awareness and Careers in Academia. If you go to the online schedule, you can download a brief description of each session that interests you. Wednesday’s schedule includes SWE national committee meetings (most of which are open to all interested members) and tours. Sightseeing tours include “The Price is Right”, the botanical garden at UCLA and Los Angeles at night. Technical tours include Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems, Northrup Grumman, Solar Turbines, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, Exxon Mobil Torrance Refinery, BP Carson Refinery and Disneyland Resort Behind the Scenes. (Any tour is an additional fee over the cost of the standard registration fee.) The renown Ice Cream Social at night kicks off the conference and is included in the registration fee. Thursday’s schedule starts with the Keynote Speaker Breakfast (additional fee), featuring Darlene Solomon, VP and Chief Technology Officer of Agilent Technologies. In addition to track sessions, there are also tours. Sightseeing tours include Wayfarers Chapel, LA/Hollywood Experience and the Getty Center. Technical tours include Medtronic Heart Valves, Boeing Satellite Factory, Chevron Refinery, Honeywell Turbo Technologies, SpaceXand Boeing C17. The day ends with the Career Fair Opening Reception (free food!) and Hospitality Suites of various hosting companies. Friday’s schedule begins with a plenary panel discussion on green engineering in addition to track sessions for both professionals and collegiates. The Collegiate Team Technical Competition is held in the morning, and if you have never attended this, take some time to drop in on it. Typically two teams present each hour, and you cannot drop in the middle of the session, so you must make sure you are there when the door is open and they are on a break between presentations. The Career Fair runs all day and includes a box lunch. Other plenary panel discussion sessions in the afternoon include one on Managing Transitions in Turbulent Times and one on Career Paths for Government Engineers. The day ends with the Awards Reception and SWE Awards Banquet (additional fee), where the national awards for are presented. Saturday’s schedule begins with a plenary panel discussion on Management in the Age for Globalization, and the collegiates have another competition event in the morning, KC Masterpiece BBQ Sauce Competition, and the SME Bowl Competition in the afternoon. Faculty Advisors meet together in the morning, followed by the Membership Meeting and the Town Hall Meeting. The SWE Senate Meeting starts at 1 PM. The Outreach Expo is also in the morning, which consists of SWE and non-SWE organizations, sections and committees who run successful outreach programs. They have handouts and have representatives on hand for you to ask questions or gather information from. In addition to these SWE programs and events, there are three sightseeing tours: Movie Star Homes, Rancho Los Alamitos Historic Ranch & Gardens and Angel City Brewing/Oktoberfest at Alpine Village. The conference ends with the fun Celebrate SWE! dinner (additional fee) where the section awards are presented. As you can see, there’s a lot to do at this year’s SWE National Conference, not to mention kicking off SWE’s 60th Anniversary Year! Speaking of which, there is a special link on the front page of the SWE website to the 60th. It includes a timeline of SWE and women and their achievements from 1950 to the present. Check it out this year! Wordle Answer: Get up at the break of dawn

7. page 6 SWE-NESS Newsletter, September 2009 • Exclusively Members • We have a number of opportunities for you to hone your leadership skills. If you are interested in any of these, contact one of the officers listed on the first page of this newsletter. • Newsletter Editor • Are you creative? Have knowledge in MS PowerPoint and HTML? This job is for you! • Responsible for layout, accuracy and timeliness of the SWE-NESS newsletter • Compile articles from officers and committee chairs • Follow SWE national newsletter awards criteria for minimum content • Membership Committee • Maintain membership records of the Section • Maintain the membership list servers • Disseminate membership information based on inquiry and solicitation • Administer membership enhancement programs • Coordinate a member retention program • Fund Development Committee • Maintain and enhance Section funding • Maintain inventory of SWE-NESS boutique items • Archives Committee • Responsible for preserving the history of SWE-NESS • Maintain newsletters, meeting information, event information, correspondence and reports • Update and maintain the Section Scrapbook • Maintain the SWE-NESS Library • Outreach Subcommittees (detailed in the online newsletter) • Library Outreach • Be an Engineer Workshop • High School Certificate of Achievement • Girl Scout Workshops – RI • Girl Scout Senior Leadership Conference Sessions COLLEGIATE RAP SWE-URI is busy 'gearing' up for the fall semester.  They are planning to send letters to all incoming female freshmen to publicize the first events of the year and getting activities on the calendar forSeptember.  They are also busy seeking corporate and university donations towards the SWE 2009 Conference travel, because at least 5 URI students are planning to venture to CA! SWE-URI is also planning for the Girl Scout engineering badge workshop which will be held at URI Kelley Hall on Nov 14.

8. Page 7 SWE-NESS Newsletter, September 2009 POTPOURRI • Floral Tips • To keep cut flowers for weeks, add any clear soda such as 7-Up, Sprite or ginger ale to the water (half & half). • Put fresh cut flowers in moist florist oasis to keep them fresh until you’re able to clean and arrange them. • Dust gladiolus corms and dahlia tubers with sulfur before storing them for winter. Store the corms in open trays and the tubers in boxes of peat moss. • Put geraniums in the basement before the first frost. They should get filtered sunlight and water every 4-6 weeks until you’re ready to put them out in the spring. • Soak potato peelings in water and then use the water for your pot-grown geraniums, or use leftover coffee from your mug. • Put your tuberous begonias in pots and bring inside before the first frost. Place them in a cool room and don’t water until you see signs of life again in the spring. • Why is it called “hop-scotch”? • In the 17th century, this game was called “scotch-hoppers”, according to early English records. The “scotch” does not mean it came from Scotland, however. In some English shires the game is called “hop-score”, for the lines marking the squares to be hopped are scored or “scotched” in the ground. From “Horsefeathers and Other Curious Words” • What is “Indian Summer” and when is it? • North Americans know it as Indian Summer, but it is known by the British as St. Martin’s summer if it occurs near St. Martin’s Day on November 11. It is a period of warm, bright, pleasant weather occurring well after the official start of autumn. The term Indian summer has been used at least since the late 18th century, but why it was named so has not been truly recorded.From “Horsefeathers and Other Curious Words” Airplane Game… from www.inflection-point.com A programmer and an engineer were sitting next to each other on an airplane. The programmer leans over to the engineer and asks if he wants to play a fun game. The engineer just wants to sleep so she politely declines, turns away and tries to sleep. The programmer persists and explains that it's a real easy game. She explains, "I'll ask a question and if you don't know the answer you pay me $5. Then you ask me a question and if I don't know the answer I'll pay you $5." Again, the engineer politely declines and tries to sleep. The programmer, now somewhat agitated, says, "OK, if you don't know the answer, you pay me $5, and if I don't know the answer, I'll pay you $50!" Now, that got the engineer's attention, so she agrees to the game. The programmer asks the first question, “What is the distance from the earth to the moon?" The engineer doesn't say a word and just hands the programmer $5. Now, it's the engineer's turn. She asks the programmer, “What goes up a hill with three legs and comes down on four?" The programmer looks at her with a puzzled look, takes out her laptop computer, looks through all her references and after about an hour wakes the engineer and hands her $50. The engineer politely takes the $50, turns away and tries to return to sleep. The programmer, a little miffed, asks, "Well? What's the answer to the question?" Without a word, the engineer reaches into her wallet, hands $5 to the programmer and returns to sleep.

9. page 8 SWE-NESS Newsletter, September 2009 All SWE-NESS activities are open to the public. All members and interested non-members are welcome. FEATURED EVENTS THIS MONTH Engineering Societies Joint 2009 Pawsox Outing September 3; BBQ 5:05 start, Game 7:05 start McCoy Stadium, Pawtucket, RI This year's event will be held on September 3, 2009 in the Green Barbecue Tent.  Game time is 7:05 p.m., therefore, the tent will open 2 hours prior at 5:05 p.m.  Food includes hamburgers, hot dogs, grilled chicken, baked beans, potato salad, chips and ice cream. Each society will be provided an allotment of tickets based on that society's attendance last year. The cost depends on the amount of sponsors, so watch your email for further details! Contact Beth Lavoie ASAP in August if you are interested in going, and let her know how many tickets you want. It’s a great time to network – and a great time for family fun! Directions: From the south and west: I-95 North to Exit 27, 28 or 29 and follow directional signs to McCoy Stadium. All exits lead to available Game Day Parking Lots. From the south and east: Route 195 West to I-95 North - then follow directions above. Executive Council Meeting #2 Wednesday, Sept 16 – 6 PM New England Institute of Technology, Room CT314, Warwick, RI Topics on the agenda include the October SWE National Conference, the website and upcoming event plans. Contact Yadira Gilchrest by 15 September if you want pizza and to let her know you are coming. Please bring your own drink. (Dinner at 5:30 PM, meeting starts at 6:00 PM) Carpools are available from Aquidneck Island (contact Donna Matthews) and New London/Groton (contact Michele Fitzpatrick). Directions:From I-95 North or South: Take airport exit (Exit 13). Follow signs for Post Road (U.S. Rt. 1). Turn right onto Post Road south; 1 mile. Julian B. Gouse Warwick Campus is on the left with flags on top of building. Parking is in the back. WHAT’S COMING UP 2009 SWE National Conference: Women Advancing the World of Technology October 14-17 Long Beach, CA The 2009 SWE National Conference will be held at the Long Beach Convention Center with numerous sessions in these tracks: Career Enhancement, Innovation in Technology and Business, Career and Life Transitions, Professional Development, Outreach, Inclusion and Cultural Awareness and Careers in Academia. You can register online at http://we09.swe.org/. Executive Council Meeting #2 Wednesday, Oct 21 – 6 PM New England Institute of Technology, Room CT314, Warwick, RI Topics on the agenda include highlights from the October SWE National Conference, the website and upcoming event plans. Contact Yadira Gilchrest by 20 October if you want pizza and to let her know you are coming. Please bring your own drink. (Dinner at 5:30 PM, meeting starts at 6:00 PM) Carpools are available from Aquidneck Island (contact Donna Matthews) and New London/Groton (contact Michele Fitzpatrick).