The UF chapters of the national organizations Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and Engineers Without Borders (EWB) both received awards for their outstanding performance this year.
SWE’s mission is to be the driving force that establishes engineering as a highly desirable career aspiration for women. SWE-UF won three chapter awards this year: the 2014 Outstanding Collegiate Section Award, Silver Level; the 2014 Collegiate Communications Award, 3rd Place; and the 2014 Collegiate Large Section Professional Development Award.
“We have a record breaking number of students registered as national members, as well as record number attend the national conference last year,” said SWE-UF president Erin Winick, who was the recipient of a $5000 SWE scholarship for her personal contribution to the organization. She also said the group had also increased alumni involvement in mentoring to help increase retention rates, and had expanded communication with faculty and the growth of our social media.
EWB’s mission is “to support community-driven development programs worldwide by collaborating with local partners to design and implement sustainable engineering projects, while creating transformative experiences and responsible leaders.” This includes finding solutions for water supply, sanitation, energy, agriculture, civil works, structures and information systems. EWB-UF was founded in 2005 and this year was recognized with an EWB-USA Premier Chapter Award.
“We bring together highly motivated students who are committed to using their abilities to make immediate change in the world,” said Peishi Cheng, current president of EWB-UF. “We’re bringing to these communities the vital infrastructure and resources that we often take for granted.”
“Both organizations strongly reflect the attributes that we celebrate in Gator Engineering,” said Angela Linder, associate dean for student affairs in the College of Engineering. “SWE-UF has served a critical role for decades in preparing our female engineers to serve the field of engineering with utmost professional excellence and integrity. And while it’s a younger organization, EWB-UF has already successfully made positive change in the world, early on in Macedonia and Cambodia, and now in Bolivia and Nepal.”
SWE-UF announces their bi-weekly meetings and other events on their Facebook page, on Twitter and on their website. EWB-UF announces the dates and times for their monthly meetings on their Facebook page, on Twitter, and on their website.