Aspire…Advance…Achieve

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 – July/August 2009 Visit our web site at http://www.sweness.org PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE…………………….……..…2 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT……………………3 OUTREACH OBSERVATIONS.……………...……….4 COLLEGIATE RAP..……………………………………..4 FROM BEYOND THE SECTION……………………...5 POTPOURRI……….…………………………………..7, 9 FEATURED EVENTS…………….……….……………..7 FUTURE EVENTS…………………………………….….8 DIRECTIONS TO CURRENT EVENTS……..……….9 Can You Solve This Wordle? (answer inside) CHAWHORGE 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 • (H) • (FAX) • 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) outreach@sweness.org WEBSITE COORDINATOR Nancy Jurnak jurnak@verizon.net

3. page 2 SWE-NESS Newsletter, July/August 2009 President’s Message Hello SWE-NESS, I am the new Section President and wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself. I have an MS in Mathematics from the University of Central Florida. I arrived in Rhode Island via the Naval Undersea Warfare Center where I work with ocean, electrical and mechanical engineers. My day to day work involves analysis of acoustic data and its application to environmental documents. I have been married for over 10 years, am the proud mother of a 3-year-old (soon to be 4 - it went by too fast!) girl and have two dogs: Peaches, a Cocker Spaniel, and Brownie, a Bassett Hound. I hope that my daughter picks up musical, mathematical and scientific interests regardless of what she decides to be in life. I was introduced to SWE by Donna Matthews after receiving the Helen Martha Sternberg Award in 2001. I attended one Executive Council (EC) meeting and was hooked. The outreach programs really appealed to me as well as the overall mission of the organization. I was previously a member of a couple of mathematical societies, but SWE is more active at the local level than what I previously experienced. I have been active in the section since 2001 by taking different roles in the EC. I look forward to meeting many of you during the upcoming summer events as well as during the year. Have a safe and happy summer! Yadira Gilchrest Congratulations to the newly elected Slate of Officers for FY10: President – Yadira GilchrestVice President – Kim Cipolla Secretary – Beth Lavoie Treasurer – Linda Bergemann Section Representative – Ebony Joseph Alternate Section Representative – Beth Lavoie Welcome Aboard! 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, July/August 2009 page 3 Professional Development Exchange – Elizabeth W. Peterson, Chair Beyond Gigabytes and Nanotechnology It amazes me when technological developments occur right before my eyes. I’ve always been intrigued with very large and very small numbers. All those zeroes can get very complicated very fast. And I was so amazed at what one could do with those numbers. Scientific notation was created by scientists and mathematicians to handle the wide range of values which occur in scientific study. Scientific notation is a method to express those numbers which is easier to read and interpret than using so many zeroes. This notation uses base 10 raised to an exponential power. Some areas of study which often use scientific notation include cosmology, cryptology and statistical quantum mechanics. Let’s rewind to the 1980’s. I was an intern in New London at the Naval Underwater Systems Center, the electronic technician with all the answers about that new type of computer, the personal computers or PCs. My 20 pound Compaq luggable, portable computer was sporting a few hundred kilobytes of memory. I was able to write documents in WordPerfect; I didn’t even have to send my documents to the typing pool like everyone else. I also had Access spreadsheets, Flight Simulator and was programming in BASIC. Moore’s Law predicts that computer memory capacities will double every eighteen months. Before I knew it, megabytes and megahertz were the norm. Now it is gigabytes. Since I started my engineering career, programming has increased to multi-gigabyte capacity, which is a million percent more capacity than when I entered the field. Terabytes are next in line; that is, 10E+9 with the symbol “T” to represent the tera. One tera is a trillion fold. And yes, I’ve been seeing that tera prefix showing up occasionally now in scientific research. After that is petabytes at10E+15 and then etabytes at 10E+18. Talking about large numbers, let’s switch to dollars. Millionaires used to be rare. Now there are quite a few billionaires around. Next are trillionaires at10E+12, followed by quadrillionaires at 10E+15, then quintillionaires at 10E+18. Speaking of money, when do you think the U.S. Treasury is going to suspend the production of pennies? When they do, all U.S. prices will need to be rounded up and either end in a ‘5’ or ‘0’. That will be different! How much is a zillion, a jillion or a gazillion? There isn’t a value because they are fictitious and indefinite terms for a really, really big number. How about a googol? The answer is 10 raised to the 100th power. And a googolplex, how large is that? A googolplex equals 10 raised to the googolth power. Some numbers are so big that mathematicians can only write them as a concept expressed as a multi-step Busy Beaver algorithm. And don’t forget the largest of large numbers which can never be reached: infinity. Now let’s talk about things that are very, very small. Nanotechnology has evolved by engineers developing smaller and smaller materials and devices. Nanotechnology is the study of the control of matter on an atomic and molecular scale. What is a nano? A centi is one one hundredth, a milli is one one thousandth, a micron is one one millionth or 10E-6 and a nano is one one billionth or 10E-9. To put a nano in perspective, think of a nanometer as the size of a marble and a meter as the size of the earth. I remember in high school I brushed up with nanometers when we studied chemistry and physics. Now nano terms are common in our everyday speech! Here are some examples of nanotechnology:  Nanosystems, Nanodevices, and nanorobots in nanomedicine which employ neuroelectronics to permit a computer to be joined and linked to the nervous system using refuelable or nonrefuelable strategies. Nanosphere coated with fluorescent polymers which fluoresces and the fluoresce is quenched when it encounters certain molecules, for instance, a cancerous tumor. Synthetic chemistry produces solar fibers woven into cloth to produce electricity. Flesh welder with nanoshells dribbled along the seam – a stitchless patch. Nanobiotechnology is the study of toxicity and environmental impact of nanomaterials. Continued on page 6

5. SWE-NESS Newsletter, July/August 2009 page 4 Outreach Observations – Susan Anderson, Chair Growing Future Engineers I just completed my second quarter this year co-teaching 5th and 6th grade students at a local middle school, working with a Tech Ed teacher. In the past, I have always worked with science teachers who see the students every day and reinforce what I have taught them in the initial three or four day sessions. When I go back to school to “judge” the Rube Goldberg machines the 6th graders have built, I find that they have designed and built their machines to meet all the design criteria: at least three different types of simple machines with at least seven steps, and their drawings neatly done with clearly labeled machines and steps. Not so for the Tech Ed 6th graders. He only sees them once every three days in a 1-hour period, sometimes less, depending on the periods. Consequently, I went back to school in the week before the machines were to be graded, and found that nearly all of the teams in the four classes were having problems, either with not enough steps or not enough simple machine types. What I found most interesting with these designs from recycled materials and toys found around the house, is that those designed by the girls’ teams were more creative and thought through than those designed by the boys’ teams. Granted, some of the teams were mixed gender, but I had tried to keep them as much same gender as possible to avoid any showmanship or take-overs within the team due to gender. I reminded them that their drawing was also part of the grade, and to refer to the rubric I created to see what had to be on it to get the highest grade. When I went back the following week to grade, some of these were still not complete, and gave them some time after I reviewed their machine to incorporate the final machine design and steps on their drawing. The 5th graders were taught structures, forces that affect them and the eight basic bridge designs during the first three days. Then I divided them into teams and gave them their design challenge project: a bridge built with straws, tape and string (if needed), that would be tested with a 500 index card load (100 at a time), a wind test (3-speed fan) and earthquake test (shake table). The schedule called for them to draw their design first, determine how many straws they would need based on the drawing and then build it. The bridge would be completely tested at grading time; the Tech Ed teacher had the index card loads to test that criteria before I came back to grade with the fan. While I was in school the week before grading for the 6th graders, I stayed to see how the bridge designs were going. Most were doing fine, but a few needed help, so I reminded them of the shape that is used to make a stable structure (triangle). I also reminded all the students that their drawing was part of their grade and they needed to look at the rubric I created to see what they needed for a high grade. When I went back the following week to grade, the 5th graders had some great designs, but a lot had some haphazard designs, and others were sorely pressed for time as their structure and drawing clearly showed. I titled this article “Growing Future Engineers” because we pay educators to help teach the younger generation about the technical and scientific world around them, in addition to communication skills and mathematics. Continued on page 6 COLLEGIATE RAP SWE-URI is working on fund raising to send several members to the SWE conference in the fall. They also will send letters to incoming freshmen in the fall to publicize the first events of the year, including a challenge course activity early in the semester. Good luck to all graduating students! And to others still in college, have a great summer! Congratulations to SWE Faculty Advisor Dr. Valerie Maier-Speredelozzi on achieving tenure!

6. page 5 SWE-NESS Newsletter, July/August 2009 From Beyond the Section... Ebony Joseph, Section Representative Hello SWE-NESS, Ever wonder what happens to the National SWE Budget? I have some great information to share with you. But first, let’s talk about two motions that I voted to approve on behalf of our section. Motions In an earlier article, I had informed you about two motions that were not voted on at the Council of Representatives (COR) meeting at SWE Nationals: (a) Adoption of the initial SWE Senate Procedure and (b) K-12 Educators Dues Discount. It is now time for me to cast my vote on these two motions. Here is a brief summary describing each one. Adoption of the initial SWE Senate Procedure The change from the Council of Representatives to the SWE Senate is effective July 1, 2009. Given the change in the focus and responsibilities of the SWE Senate, a new set of procedures was needed. The Senate Procedures Document was generated and reviewed by the current COR leadership, the incoming Senate leadership, members of the COR Governance Focused Interest Group and the Society Parliamentarian. This document will serve as the initial set of procedures for the Senate and will be reviewed and updated as specified. The actual document of Senate Procedures version 2.0 can be found online on the national SWE website under “My Communities” in the COR Community under “Resources”. K-12 Education Currently full-time K-12 educators who choose to join SWE pay the same dues as professional members. In order to encourage teachers to partner with SWE, a reduced rate for full-time K-12 educators has been proposed. The reduced dues will provide a low cost option for teachers to be affiliated with SWE. National SWE Budget – Contingency Reserve Fund - “the FUND” of the Society of Women Engineers The Board will be presenting a motion to our new Senate requesting contingency reserve funds to augment the FY10 budget. The Board has drawn up this motion because of reduction in sponsorships. A few expenses have already been cut in the FY09 year. Some of these expenses included costs for committee telephone expenses and printing publications. Overall there is an expected reduction in income by about 20%. Our Board feels this is an emergency. There are a few SWE services that will see the brunt of this decline in income. To just name a few, SWE would have to cancel one CPC meeting, email spam and website updates, 60th annual birthday celebrations and a few others. The Board has developed a 90-Day Action Plan. The FY10 Budget has not yet been approved. However, in the 90-Day Action Plan, the Senate should be well equipped to make an informed vote on this motion. A packet of information will be given to the Senate thirty days prior to the voting meeting. You can read more about this online under the COR Community. If you have any questions, please contact me at ebony.joseph@swe.org. Wordle Answer: Who’s in charge It's a sure sign of summer if the chair gets up when you do. - Walter Winchell

7. page 6 SWE-NESS Newsletter, July/August 2009 PD Exchange (continued from page 3) Nanoethics is the philosophical study of how governments regulate nanotechnology’s effect on society. Current concerns include respect to weapons of mass destruction and biological warfare. Nanotechnology has become a catch phrase for materials and devices that are extremely small. There is the study of surreal numbers and hyper real numbers which exponentially approaches the asymptote, yet never reaches it. Also, molecular nanotechnology is the speculative science which allows a machine to re-order at a molecular or atomic scale. What is smaller than a nano? It is a pico at 10E-12 or one trillionth. Then, femto at 10E-15 and atta at 10E-18. With technology, people are becoming more connected and the world seems to be getting smaller. At the same time the universe seems to be expanding as society uncovers scientific mysteries. Jeff Earkens dedicated his book The Nuclear Imperative to Dr. Hans Bethe, a pioneer nuclear physicist, who “probed and deciphered the cosmos, revealing the enormous energy locked up in the atomic nuclei.” With this briefing on numbers large and small, I’ve brought you to the cutting edge and shared a glimpse of what is on the radar from terabytes to picotechnology. Outreach Observations (continued from page 4) You can see from my limited experience with a Tech Ed teacher that we need to not only educate the students in engineering and technology and how it relates to the real world, but sometimes also the teacher. Granted, this particular teacher recently acquired the 5th & 6th grades in his schedule last year, in addition to the 7th (rockets) and 8th (woodshop) grades he usually had. Consequently, he had no idea what to do with these grades, and asked for my help (I had put up the engineering book display last year and they gave him my name; I started the last quarter last school year). I am sure that, given time, he could have created curricula for the grades, but not when they were “thrown” at him upon returning to school after the summer. Even though he stayed in class while I taught and heard the same thing repeated for three or four classes, I do not know what he did with the students during the design and build sessions. Obviously, the science teachers are more interactive with the students, which shows in the students’ work and grades. The Tech Ed teacher needs to do the same for his students in his limited time with them so they can succeed as well. We SWE members need to broaden our horizons in growing future engineers. We need to be more interactive with not only science teachers in middle/junior high school, but Tech Ed teachers as well. I suspect the case I related is not the norm (at least I hope not!) for most Tech Ed teachers, and they have age-appropriate technical curricula established for the lower grades of middle/junior high school. (If they do, you can still offer alternative curricula; they might appreciate an extension.) But if they do not have any curricula, then those of you who are retired like I am, offer your services and help the teachers out with the curricula we have online on the Aspire pages – or make up your own like I have. If you work, then try to arrange your schedule around the teacher’s classes so you can be there in person: a role model for the girls, an engineering professional for the teacher and a connection to educators for SWE. If you are a collegiate, the same applies; hopefully you can find a local school nearby who would benefit from your services. You are even more of a role model to them since you are closer in age and can address any questions (or offer suggestions) on future high school courses they might take. Please think about this over the summer and when school starts, contact your local middle/junior high school to offer your help to the Tech Ed teachers. By connecting with these educators, SWE can help grow future engineers! (Tip: they love having their picture taken with their team design projects, and the school does, too!)

8. page 7 SWE-NESS Newsletter, July/August 2009 All SWE-NESS activities are open to the public. All members and interested non-members are welcome. FEATURED EVENTS THIS SUMMER Directions to all events are on page 9 Pot-luck Picnic with Antique and Classic Boat Rendezvous Sunday, July 26 - noon to ?; Downriver Parade at 12:45 11 Willow Street, Mystic, CT Enjoy an afternoon of food and fun with fellow SWE members and their families. Bring your favorite dish (appetizer, main meal or dessert) and your own drinks to our pot-luck picnic in Mystic, CT.  The picnic will coincide with the Antique and Classic Boat Downriver Parade (for more information on the parade, visit http://www.mysticseaport.org).  The event will go on rain or shine.  Please bring weather-appropriate gear such as umbrellas, rain coats, etc. Contact hostess Donna Ryan-Rose by July 23 if you are planning on coming . Planning Meeting & Executive Council Meeting #1 Saturday, August 22 – 10 AM to 1 PM 41 Ross Hill Road, Charlestown, RI Topics on the agenda include revising the website and planning the year’s events – outreach and professional development. If you are interested in finding out what’s going on, or have an interest in the website or have ideas on professional development topics, please come! Contact hostess Linda Bergemann by 19 August to let her know you are coming. Food and beverage will be provided. Carpools are available from Aquidneck Island (contact Donna Matthews) and New London/Groton (contact Michele Fitzpatrick). CHECK OUT What’s Happening this Summer! Aug 7 – V-J Day Aug 22 - Planning/Executive Council Meeting #1; Linda’s House, Charlestown, RI POC Linda Bergemann July 4 – Independence Day July 26 – Summer Social Event, Mystic POC Donna Ryan-Rose POTPOURRI Three Umpires… from www.inflection-point.com There are three umpires at a baseball game. One is an engineer, one is a physicist and one is a mathematician. There is a close play at home plate and all three umpires call the man out. The manager runs out of the dugout and asks each umpire why the man was called out. The physicist says, "He's out because I calls 'em as I sees 'em.“ The engineer says, "He's out because I calls 'em as they are." The mathematician says, "He's out because I called him out."

9. page 8 SWE-NESS Newsletter, July/August 2009 WHAT’S COMING UP 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! 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). A SNEAK PEEK AT SEPTEMBER 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 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 Sep 22 – Yom Kippur

10. page 9 SWE-NESS Newsletter, July/August 2009 DIRECTIONS TO CURRENT EVENTS Even with the best of maps and instruments, we can never fully chart our journeys. - Gail Pool SUMMER SOCIAL EVENT AT DONNA RYAN-ROSE’S HOUSE, 27 WILLOW STREET, MYSTIC, CT From the south and west: Take I-95North, EXIT 90. Turn left onto Rte. 27 South toward Mystic Seaport. Continue past Seaport to Holmes Street. Turn right onto Holmes and follow to end; turn left onto East Main Street. Willow is next left. Donna’s house is on the right. From the north and east: Take I-95South, EXIT 90. Turn right onto Rte. 27 South toward Mystic Seaport. Continue past Seaport to Holmes Street. Turn right onto Holmes and follow to end; turn left onto East Main Street. Willow is next left. Donna’s house is on the right. PLANNING/EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MTG AT LINDA’S HOUSE, 41 ROSS HILL ROAD, CHARLESTOWN, RI From Newport: Follow Rte. 138 West to Rte. 1 South. Continue for about 20 miles to Rte. 216/Ross Hill Road. Turn right onto Rte 216/Ross Hill Road. Linda’s house is on the right (set in back of curving driveway). From Connecticut: Take I-95 North to Exit 92 (Rte. 2). Turn right off exit and continue to Rte. 78 East. Follow Rte 78 to Rte. 1 North. Turn left onto Rte. 1 North and follow to Rte. 216/Ross Hill Road. Follow directions above. POTPOURRI • Want to keep kids amused this summer with little to no cost? • Give your old salad spinner a new life. Place a small piece of paper inside, add a squirt of washable paint and a golf ball, and let your child spin away! If you don’t have a spinner, put paper, squirt of paint and golf ball in a plastic food container, seal the top and have them shake it. • Have them paint using all kinds of objects, such as half an apple, a cookie-cut sponge, plastic cars, potato shapes, etc. • Add food coloring to shaving cream on a plastic or aluminum tray and let them swirl the colors around. You can preserve the design by placing a piece of paper on top. • Paint like a mouse or bug, using a Q-tip like a paw or insect leg. • Draw with crayons, then paint over the drawing with a black or blue wash to show how wax resists water. • Break loose from paper and let them scribble on a piece of sandpaper with a cinnamon stick. • Use recycled items to further their imaginations. Egg cartons make great alligators, insects and caterpillars. Cardboard tubes make great cannons, telescopes, castles, tunnels, and with a few chenille wires (aka pipe cleaners), they can become insects or animals. Have them decorate a shoebox for a pirate chest or princess jewelry box using old magazine clippings, leftover wrapping paper and ribbon. • Recycle their old artwork into collages by having them cut them up into pieces and gluing them on a piece of cardboard…or make a puzzle by gluing them onto cardboard and then cutting out the shapes. Use old magazines or calendars if they (or you) don’t want to use their own artwork. • Turn them into scientists or chemical engineers by shining old pennies with baking soda and vinegar (then turn them loose to do your pot bottoms!) • Put kitchen gadgets on sheets of dark paper, set them in the sun in the morning, and then return late afternoon to see what happens.