Sep 27 2011
“It’s no secret that women are a minority among engineering degree earners.”
“National Recognition for CMU’s Society of Women Engineers[1]
Carnegie Mellon’s chapter of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) took top honors at the SWE National Conference (WE10) in November. The CMU chapter won Gold in the Outstanding Collegiate Section Competition for the 2009-2010 academic year.
. . . . .These activities include the annual Technical Opportunities Conference (TOC) that is sponsored by the College of Engineering. This major conference began 30 years ago as a way to connect engineering majors directly with employers. Today it has swelled into a two-day event that benefits the entire university. More than 200 companies participate….
….On campus SWE works to fulfill the organization’s national mission of empowering women “to succeed and advance in the field of engineering.” SWE recognizes female engineers as they advance through their academic and professional careers. “It’s no secret that women are a minority among engineering degree earners,” said Michelle Stolwyk, section secretary. “Before joining SWE, I felt rather lost and didn’t know exactly why. SWE gives its members access to resources so they learn and grow.”
By Rebekka Blaha
In My Opinion. . . .
No one wins or loses without help from others.
More frequently than not, those who went before “clearing & grubbing” the way
are soon forgotten. Allow me to re-introduce Mary T. Norton.
Mary Teresa Norton, 1875 – 1959
“I’m No Lady, I’m a Member of Congress”
http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=n000153
2 responses so far
This is a bit unscientific, but I think the engineering profession has been and is going through a transformation in terms of opportunities for women engineers and managers. If you look, at least in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, the number of women engineers that have moved into very high positions — from city managers to utility directors to city engineers to vice presidents to river authority directors – - this has been a remarkable transformation in the last ten years.
I don’t think it is the fact that starting from zero, any increase may appear huge. I think you are dealing with significant increases – - especially at the upper levels (clearly not parity, but I think the numbers would still support the use of the word “transformation”).
Engineering is the great mirror of the middle class – - engineering goes as the middle class goes. Engineering also mirrors the transformation of opportunities for women. Women are a global force in terms of politics (from Germany to Argentina), economics (head of the IMF), business (new CEO of HP), social (CEO of Facebook), and culture (Lady Gaga) – - women engineers are basically just one part of a global transformation of expanded opportunities and responsibilties.
Is there any connection between Mary Teresa Norton and engineering, Carnegie Mellon, or SWE?
The link provided presents an impressive record of achievement and many high government positions. I do not recognize the connection through with her and the text that appears before.
My experience in engineering of over 20 years has always included a work place with women engineers. I interviewed many years ago for a position as an assistant engineer and recall being told in the interview by the City Engineer that if I was hired I would be the only male engineer in the office. I did not get hired there by the way!
While teaching civil engineering a few years ago at Notre Dame it was common for some classes to have around and even more than 50% women and the officer & leadership roles for the ASCE student chapter was substantially filled by women. This institution also continues to have a strong SWE organization.
It should also be noted that the general population of college students is majority women now days. I believe civil and certainly civil environmental is an engineering field that gets more women than electrical and mechanical. Chemical engineering may be a bit more women than civil though. Some degree programs are more majority female than engineering or civil engineering is male majority though. Consider degrees in nursing, interior design, education – certainly early and primary education and the history and continued strong majority of women. I have spoken to faculty colleagues in those areas who comment that having a male or a couple of male students in class is not common.
By the add of Google and searching female dominated degree I find
http://www.bestonlinecolleges.com/blog/2011/10-majors-that-are-no-longer-male-dominated/
an article titled “10 Majors That Are No Longer Male-Dominated” and then there are a list of 10 degrees and although the text indicates increases in females to the degrees, most info. presented still indicates the male majority.