Resource Recovery Tour
September 21st
A group of SWE NESS members enjoyed the Resource Recovery Tour in Johnson, RI highlighting where our state’s waste goes and what we can do to extend the life of our landfill. This tour was engaging and educational, and highly recommended for children and adults.
Resume Workshop with RWU SWE
September 18th
Thank you to SWE members and friends of SWE who supported 15 Roger Williams University SWE members in updating their resumes. We had a lovely hour of networking, conversation, and professional development.
Apponaug Brewery Social
Tuesday, September 10th
Apponaug Brewery in Warwick, RI
New and old SWE members had a great time at Apponaug Brewery for dinner and drinks.
Newport Polo All Charity Day
July 15th
Thank you to all who attended the polo tailgating event. We had 65 attendees and raised over $1600 from ticket sales and donations! Although all the non-profit groups lost their tailgate spots because the polo match from the previous day was postponed, Newport Polo did a fantastic job giving us all alternate lawn space.
Women In Defense – Networking Dinner by the Sea
June 13 in New Bedford, MA
SWE members participated in the second annual Women In Defense – Networking Dinner by the Sea event this past June, and networked with fellow professionals in the southern New England area in the beautiful Cisco Brewery New Bedford location. It was great weather and great company, with well over a dozen companies represented. Thank you to those who came, and our event sponsors pictured below!
Membership Brunch
Saturday, May 18th
Back 40 in North Kingstown, RI.
Connecticut Invention Convention
Congratulations to Aanya Chitnis for winning the SWE-NESS award for “The Spotless Straw” device at the Connecticut Invention Convention! SWE-NESS partnered with SWE Hartford for the 3rd year to sponsor awards and judge projects for CIC. Four SWE-NESS members judged 9 projects created by eighth grade girls and chose Aanya’s for her unique invention and adherence to an engineering method of plan-build-test-evaluate. Her invention is a device that cleans multiple, reusable straws at one time and is intended to encourage restaurants to use reusable straws instead of disposable, plastic straws. Aanya recently received her award at the 41st Annual CT Invention Convention State Finals at the University of Connecticut.
Helen Martha Sternberg Award
SWE NESS participated in judging this award that is presented at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center’s annual ceremony. Meagan Haradon was selected, a computer scientist responsible for tracking hardware and software requirements testing and collaborating with contractors. The award criteria necessitates selecting a female mathematician, computer scientist, or computer engineer at NUWC, within her first two years of employment, demonstrating substantial advancement in her role and expressing intentions to pursue graduate studies.
Ocean Spray Plant Tour
April 17
SWE NESS and SWE Boston members met up for a tour of Ocean Spray’s Craisin manufacturing line in Middleboro, MA this April. The Ocean Spray team were outstanding hosts, and answered technical questions from the twenty SWE members in attendance. Thank you to the Ocean Spray Middleboro leadership team for their passion and time – it was an outstanding experience for all! Additional thoughts and feedback can be found here.
“Reimagining Your Personal Brand” Webinar with Wendy Cocke
Tuesday, March 26
SWE member and recent WE Local Baltimore keynote speaker Wendy Cocke presented virtually on “Reimagining Your Personal Brand”. This event is part of Smith College’s Executive Education series and is free to join.
Headshot Happy Hour
Thursday, March 21st at at Audrey’s Coffee House & Lounge
25 SWE NESS and URI SWE members gathered at Audrey’s Coffee House and Lounge last month to get professional headshots donated from Brian Botthof. Thank you to Brian for sharing your time and talents with our community! The two hours were packed with food and networking.
RI Science Fair
March 16th Community College of Rhode Island
SWE-NESS made their annual trip to the Rhode Island Science and Engineering Fair. Donna Matthews and Sally Sutherland-Pietrzak judged 20 projects completed by middle school girls. All of the girls were very articulate in describing their projects, and very enthusiastic! It was difficult to choose just two projects to give the SWE-NESS Diana Ukleja memorial award to. Ultimately, Chloe Oliveira of Wilbur & McMahon School for “Back to the Future”, and Rania Akrasi of Islamic School of Rhode Island for “Which Laundry Detergent Wins” were chosen. Each received an award
certificate and a $50 gift card to Barnes & Noble. Congratulations Chloe and Rania!
REGENT Craft Technical Tour
Tuesday, March 5th at 4:30-6pm
REGENT Craft Inc., 200 Callahan Road, North Kingstown, RI, 02852
SWE NESS, URI SWE, and USCGA SWE members participated in an on-site technical tour of REGENT Craft this March, enjoying the chance to learn about the all-electric seaglider’s progress from scale model to prototype. Participants were even able to fly their simulator! Thank you to REGENT for hosting this event and sponsoring dinner for the 37 participants.
SWE-USCGA and SWE-NESS Speed Mentoring
Thursday, 22 Feb from 1830 to 2000
USCGA Alumni Center, 47 Mohegan Avenue, New London, CT 06320
SWE at the US Coast Guard Academy (USCGA) is planning a networking event for USCGA cadets to learn from local civilian engineers. We enthusiastically invite professional female engineers to meet with the cadets, share lessons learned, and provide advice in a speed mentoring style format. After a brief welcome message from the SWE-USCGA President, Cadet First Class Madeline Mee, we will arrange 1-2 professionals at small tables and allow the cadets to rotate through the tables for 10-15 minute speed-mentoring sessions over an hour time frame. At the conclusion of the hour, we will shift to some general and informal networking between all attendees. If you are interested in volunteering your time for this event, please contact Mrs. Jennifer Copic at Jennifer.A.Copic@uscga.edu or 860-701-6740. A valid government issued ID is required to enter the USCGA grounds and a Gratuitous Service Agreement will need to be signed to participate in this mentoring event.
Annual Be An Engineer Workshop
Saturday, February 17th at Providence Children’s Museum
Seven SWE-NESS and 3 SWE-Brown volunteers guided 61 children (and their 71 adult chaperones) with the 5 “engineering” stations. Each station offered at least one hands-on or interactive activity and represented electrical, mechanical, civil, chemical and software engineering. A “design” station was added this year where children could decorate their engineering bags with engineering symbols. Our wonderful volunteers were able to engage children from toddlers to 12 years old in the activities. A special thank you to PCM and Hannah Lally, PCM’s Community Engagement Manager, for making it so easy for SWE-NESS to offer this event. For the first time, WJAR – Channel 10 filmed the event and interviewed Hannah Lally. Hannah made sure that she gave kudos to SWE-NESS. A short clip was aired on the 11 o’clock news on the 17th, and pictures were posted on the WJAR website.
Hands On STEM Workshops
January 29th at URI
The event was very helpful and successful! Please reach out to Kim if you would like to join the next workshop at gsworkshops@sweness.org.
Connecting Engineers to Educators: Library Outreach Program
Thank you to the 12 SWE-NESS members who distributed Engineers Week printed material to the 70 RI libraries and 30 CT libraries located within our section’s area. SWE-NESS asks these libraries to set up a display of engineering related books along with the printed materials to celebrate Engineers Week, February 18-24, 2024. This year’s theme is “Welcome to the Future”, where we invite everyone to see how engineers play a vital role in innovating solutions to global challenges that impact future generations. For further information on this program, contact Donna Matthews at treas@sweness.org.
2023
Annual Holiday Dinner
We had a great turnout for our annual holiday dinner on December 8th and had a wonderful time sharing the holiday cheer with new and old friends at the Carriage Inn.
EVALuation Method for Customizing Your Working Time
SWE NESS partnered with the Becton Dickinson (BD) WIN+STEM employee resource group in Warwick, RI to host a professional development event on “Making Flex Work“. The session was led by Wendy Cocke, Founder of Engineering Leadership Solutions LLC, who provided insights on how to navigate a flexible work arrangement. Thanks to all the attendees and it was a great opportunity to network with local engineers!
WE23 Annual Conference
SWE annual conference in LA
Engines 101 Hands-On Workshop (& Ladies Night)
Location: Ragged Island Brewing Company, 54 Bristol Ferry Rd. Portsmouth, RI 02871
Join us for good beer, good company, and a lot of learning! Attend this hands-on workshop to ward off any engine-related imposter syndrome. Participants will disassemble and identify basic components of a small engine, review how combustion engines work, and learn about common handheld tools.
Note: Registration is required as this event is limited to 20 participants, and is intended to create a safe and welcoming environment for women and allies. Open to non-SWE members, too, so invite a friend!
Mock Interviews for Roger Williams University
Roger Williams University’s Center for Career and Professional Development is excited to once again partner with our Engineering Department to produce our Senior Engineering Mock Interview program.
Volunteers are needed to help our Engineering Senior Students enhance their interview and networking skills by conducting a 30 minute mock interview, 20 minutes of interview followed by 10 minutes of feedback, connecting with 4 students over the 2 hour event. Participation can be in person at our Bristol RI Campus or Virtually with Video Mock Interviews.
Successful Newport Polo All Charity Day Match!
Thank you to all who attended the polo tailgating event. We had 65 attendees and raised over $1500 from ticket sales and donations!
Women In Defense Networking Dinner by the Sea
The Cove, Fall River
Battleship Cove Tour and Networking Dinner at the Cove Restaurant and Marina.
Membership Brunch
Union & Main in East Greenwich, RI.
We had a great time seeing some new and old faces at brunch!
URI Think Like an Engineer Workshop
The URI SWE collegiate section hosted this outreach event with 12 student volunteers. 25 girls and 8 adults from 3 troops attended. The girls had three design challenges to complete: Paper Structures, Emergency Shelter, Seismic Shakeup. The feedback from the attendees was very encouraging; six said they didn’t like science before they came, and all but one liked it better now! Thanks to NESS members, Sue and Valerie, for helping to organize the event!
Think Like an Engineer Workshop
SWE-NESS sponsored a Think Like an Engineer Workshop for Cadette Girl Scouts (grades 6-8) at the Groton Municipal Center. The workshop stations included Corgi Life Vest, Camp Cabin, and Elephant Prosthetic. Thanks to Kim for coordinating!
2023 Rhode Island Science and Engineering Fair
SWE-NESS members participated in judging science fair contestants. Two middle school girls were chosen for the SWE-NESS award. The projects chosen were by Hirniksha Dutta, Barrington Middle School, “Paper Saves Nature” and Brynleigh Brezniak, St. Philip School, “Batter Up! Exploring a Homopolar Motor”.
Rock Climbing and Happy Hour at Apponaug Brewery
WE Local Hartford
SWE-NESS members attended WE Local Hartford last month and said they had a great time networking and learning new skills at the many sessions. A big shoutout to our SWE-NESS members, Cary Kaczowka for putting on a very successful Engines 101 Workshop and presenting a session about Program Management, and Mary Studlick for presenting on the role of the Board of Trustees and how endowments work.
Engines 101 Workshop
We had a great time at the workshop where we got some hands on experience disassembling and reassembling engines! Thank you to Cary for organizing it and helping us feel more comfortable with the inner workings of engines. Thank you to B’s Small Engine and Repair in Dartmouth, MA for donating some of the engines used. If you have ideas for other hands-on workshops, let us know!
Autonomy’s Blind Spots
Virtual Webinar, cohosting with SWE NY, Grand Rapids, Hartford, Boston, and CT.
2022
WE22
Annual Holiday Dinner – December 9th at 7pm
The dinner was held at the Carriage Inn on 12/9 at 7pm, 1065 Tower Hill Rd, North Kingstown, RI.
Lucy’s Hearth Annual Holiday Donation
If you are interested in participating in the annual SWE-NESS donation to Lucy’s Hearth, we are collecting donations by cash or check at our holiday dinner, or via PayPal until December 20th, https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=C2S6MAFX3PJ9W. Lucy’s Hearth helps children and their families who are experiencing homelessness due to economic hardship, family crisis, divorce, eviction, and severe shortage of safe, affordable housing. Their primary goal is to foster independence and help the residents gain the life skills necessary to find stable housing and prevent future homelessness. Learn more at lucyshearth.org.
Historic Sailboat Tour
Thursday, September 29 at 5pm at the Safe Harbor Newport Shipyard, 1 Washington St, Newport, RI 02840. Join your fellow Society of Women Engineers members and the current crew of Maiden to tour a part of women’s history! Maiden is berthed right across from Belle’s Cafe. The tour is expected to last roughly 30-45 minutes, with the opportunity to ask any and all questions about systems aboard the boat and the extensive refit she has gone through in recent years. Networking and happy hour to follow nearby at Stoneacre Garden.
History: In the 1989-90 Whitbread Round the World sailboat race, Tracy Edwards and her all female crew broke barriers for women in sailing when they successfully and competitively sailed around the globe. The journey was recently chronicled in the 2018 documentary: Maiden.
Note: while this event is free to attend, a donation to The Maiden Factor Foundation is appreciated and will support their mission to give girls access to education around the globe. This event was previously scheduled on September 22nd but has been moved out a week due to Maiden’s maintenance schedule.
Apponaug Brewery Happy Hour – October 5th
Newport Polo’s All Charity Day Event
On the beautiful Sunday, July 17th, SWE-NESS had the pleasure of hosting 70 people at the Newport Polo’s All Charity Day Event. Once a season, Newport Polo allows approved charities to sell tickets to this event and gives them assigned spots on the grounds. We were grateful to be allotted 3 tailgate spots along the middle of the field. In addition to watching a fun polo match between the 2 teams, made up of local polo players, we got to chat with old and new friends who brought lots of potluck dishes to share. This was the first time SWE-NESS participated in this event, which proved to be successful with over $1200 raised for our Outreach Programs. Thank you to Newport Polo for choosing SWE-NESS as an approved charity and to all of our guests for making this a great day. A special thank you to SWE-NESS member Mary Studlick, who introduced us to this fundraising opportunity and for supplying champagne for the traditional, mid-match stomping of the divots.
Newport Craft Happy Hour – Thursday May 12th 5-7pm. We had a great evening of drinks, snacks, and laughs with the ladies!
“Think Like an Engineer” Workshops for Girl Scouts of Connecticut at Camp Merrie-Wood in Manchester, CT. On Saturday, May 14th SWE-NESS, with help from SWE-Hartford and the Pratt and Whitney Women’s Council presented two workshops. The Think Like an Engineer Journey requires the girls to complete three design challenges, and then after the workshop they complete a Take Action Project (TAP) to complete their journey. During the morning session,16 girls in grades K-3 (Daisy and Brownie Scouts) built a “Helping Hands” Catapult and figured out how to safely land an air dropped cargo. In the afternoon, 25 Junior Scouts (4-5 grade) built paper structures, emergency shelters for our stuff critters and a structure that would withstand a shake table test. While the girls were completing their challenges, Girl Scout staff worked with the adults to help them understand how to use the Engineering Design Process to complete the TAP.
Connecticut Invention Convention – Students followed the engineering process to develop and iterate on an invention. They presented a final product with online videos for judges to view. SWE-NESS chose a winner who will be announced at the SWE Celebration on May 17th.
In celebration of S.T.E.A.M. month, SWE is hosting a community outreach event at the Public Library of New London on Thursday April 7th at 4:30pm-6:00pm.
February 19, 2022 Be An Engineer Workshop at Providence Children’s Museum – The event included 5 stations that represent mechanical, electrical, computer, chemical, and civil engineering. We would like to thank our sponsors for this event: Toray Plastics (America), Inc. and Discover Engineering (DiscoverE).
February 20-26, 2022 Library Outreach for Engineers Week – This is an annual SWE-NESS event where we share engineering bookmarks and brochures with local libraries, and the librarians set up displays of engineering related books for children.
2021
December 3, 2021 – The Annual Holiday Dinner was held at the Carriage Inn, in North Kingstown. SWE-NESS members and their family gathered for a festive night of food and good company.
November 16, 2021 at 7pm – Growing Your Career – A panel of female engineering leaders spoke on their experiences and advice for young engineers to encourage them to grow in their current roles, or know when it’s right to make a move to a new job. The event took place on Zoom on November 16, 2021.
SWE NESS partnered with SWE Hartford to judge the Connecticut Invention Convention (CIC). The judges viewed over 300 videos and written reports for inventions created by girls in grades 1 through 12. Five winners were chosen for STEM related inventions and each received a $125 cash award. It was a tough job because there were many clever inventions. We look forward to partnering with SWE Hartford again next year.
March 30, 2021 at 7 PM – We had a great turn out for our presentation on the Mars Rover Perseverance by NASA Solar System Ambassador Geoff McLean describing the equipment the rover was equipped with, its various capabilities, and its four main missions. Also presented was the landing site for the rover and why it was chosen. If you are interested in watching the recording of the presentation, please email new_englandshoreline@swe.org.
February 24, 2021 at 6pm – Be An Engineer Webinar with the Providence Children’s Museum was held virtually and included a discussion from a panel of engineers, a book reading, and an at-home engineering activity.
February 21-27, 2021 – Engineering Week Library Outreach was held virtually this year. We shared our engineering resources with town libraries and every public school administration in Rhode Island and Southeastern Connecticut. You can learn more on our website. Check out the Library Outreach page to find outreach resources that explore what engineering is all about and how engineers make the world a better place.
2020
December 13, 2020 – 4 to 6pm. We had a great time making our holiday crafts at this year’s Virtual Holiday Jamboree, and we raised $170 in donations for Lucy’s Hearth! Lucy’s Hearth is a 24-hour emergency and transitional shelter in Newport County serving children and their families who are homeless due to economic hardship, family crisis, divorce, eviction, and severe shortage of safe, affordable housing. The primary goal is to foster independence and help the residents gain the life skills necessary to prevent future homelessness. Learn more about them at lucyshearth.org.
March 14, 2020 – 11:30am to 3:30pm. Rhode Island Science and Engineering Fair at CCRI in Warwick. SWE-NESS presented an award to two girls for their science fair project.
February 22, 2020 – 11am to 2pm. Be an Engineer Workshop at Providence Children’s Museum. SWE NESS and Brown University members volunteered. 87 kids and about 80 parents attended the event. Everyone had fun at the five stations which included pulleys, human robot, completing a circuit, building towers, and making oobleck!
February 8, 2020 – 9am to 1:30pm. Engineering Your Tomorrow: Think Like an Engineer Journey Workshop at RWU Engineering Building in Bristol, RI, for Junior girl scouts.
February 7, 2020 – 7 to 9pm. Paint Night Fundraiser at O’Brien’s Pub in Newport, RI. We sold out ticket sales and raised $525 which we will put towards funding our outreach programs!
January 12, 2020. Cadette Think Like an Engineer Journey in Groton, CT.
2019
November 23, 2019 – 12:30 to 4:15pm. Junior Think Like an Engineering Workshop at Connecticut College in New London. The stations included Emergency Shelter (build a shelter to keep our teddy bear dry), Seismic Shakeup (build a structure that can withstand our shake table test), and Paper Structures (build a weight bearing structure out of 8 sheets of newspaper).
November 2, 2019 – 9am to 1:30pm. Engineering Your Tomorrow: Think Like an Engineer Journey Workshop at URI Pastore Hall, Kingston, RI. Junior Girl Scout event.
November 2, 2019 – 12 to 3. Girl Scout STEM Day at Stonington High School in Pawcatuck, CT. Small groups of girl scouts performed 4, 30 minute projects.
October 17, 2019 – 5 to 8pm SWE and Sensata Technologies joined together for an evening on Cultural Competence, an important issue employees in any organization need to understand.
SWE Boston and SWE NESS held an event with Sensata that consisted of dinner, networking, and presentation by, Angela Callahan, Vice Chancellor for talent and Chief Diversity Officer for the UMASS Dartmouth.
October 5, 2019 – 11am to 3pm Science Day at the Public Library of New London. SWE NESS setup a circuits and pulleys activity among many different organization’s activities.
May 5, 2019 – 2:30pm SWE NESS 30th Anniversary Celebration at Dan’s Tavern on the Green in North Kingstown. To celebrate 30 years since the founding of our chapter, we held a dinner with a keynote speaker, and a photo slide show of our accomplishments over the past years. The party theme was Star Wars AND the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. We had space themed favors and challenges. Thank you to everyone who came and celebrated with us! It was a lot of fun!
March 9, 2019, 1 to 3pm Design Leap Bots with the Brownies at Pattagansett in East Lyme, CT. Help Design, Discover, Build, Teach! and lead a Brownie Badge workshop. Groups of 2 or 3 third graders will be building leap bots to earn one of the mechanical design badges. What’s a Leap Bot? Leap Bots are built from thread spools and use springs to “leap” up a dowel.
March 8, 2019 – 6 to 9pm Design, Discover, Build, Teach! with high school Girl Scouts at Pattagansett in East Lyme, CT. Join us for a relaxing evening working with High School age girls, encouraging them to pursue a STEM education while we do hands-on on STEM activities. Due to the small group size, we really get to interact and get to know these girls over the course of the evening. Activities usually draw from Design Squad Activities guides.
February 16, 2019 – 11am to 2pm Be an Engineer! at Providence Children’s Museum. Children participate in stations set up with activities from each engineering discipline run by volunteers from SWE NESS and collegiate chapters.
February 9, 2019 – 9 to 12Girl Scout Workshop at Roger Williams University. 60 Girls attended and earned a SWE badge. Favorite stations included the materials engineering egg bungee design, the civil engineering tower building, and the song and rap station. The girls learned a lot about what it means to be an engineer and had a lot of fun doing it! Thanks to Sue for organizing and running the workshop!
January 25, 2019 – 9 to 4 Engineers to the Rescue with Girl Scout Cadettes at Pattagansett in East Lyme, CT. The theme of the event was a camping trip to Yellowstone where an earthquake hits! Our tents are ruined, the water in the campground broke and our food is at the bottom of the ravine! Girl Scouts in grades 4-6 use engineering to solve these problems by building scale models.
December 1, 2018 – 9 to 4 Saturday, December 1, 2018 – 6:30pm to 7:30 SWE-NESS Holiday Dinner. Members and their families gathered at a restaurant for a dinner social to celebrate the holidays and the past year. Location: Gregg’s in North Kingstown.
November 3, 2018 – 12:15 to 4:30 Junior Engineering workshop for Girl Scouts at Connecticut College.
October 27, 2018 – 9 to 12 SWE Girl Scout Workshop at the University of Rhode Island. Girl Scouts will be earning a SWE Badge.
September 26, 2018 – 5:30 to 7:30 Newport Vineyards’ Fireside Music Series. SWE members and non-members visited the vineyard together for wine tasting and live music.
June 21, 2018 from 6:00 to 8:00 – Financial Seminar with Guest Speaker Athol Cochrane of Wealth Solutions, and Annual NESS Membership Yearly Overview Meeting.
Mar 18, 2017 from 8:30 to 5 – Girl Scouts Senior Leadership Conference Science & Technology Sessions at Salve Regina University.
Feb 18, 2017 from 11 to 2 – Be an Engineer Workshop at Providence Children’s Museum.
Feb 14, 2017 from 9 to 12 – Engineering Your Tomorrow, Rhode Island Girl Scout Engineering Badge Workshop run and sponsored by SWE NESS at RWU Engineering Building, Bristol, RI.
Feb 4 – 9, 2017 from 9 to 12 – SWE Girl Scout Jr workshop at the RWU Engineering Building.
Nov 19, 2016 from 9:30 to 12:30 – SWE Girl Scout Jr Workshop at URI Memorial Union.
Nov 19, 2016 from 1 to 4 – SWE Girl Scout Jr Workshop at Conn College Olin Science Building.
Nov 19, 2016 from 9:30 to 12:30 – Engineering Your Tomorrow, Rhode Island Girl Scout Engineering Badge Workshop run and sponsored by SWE NESS at URI Memorial Union, Kingston, RI.
Sept 10, 2016 from 12 to 6 – Connecticut Family and Music Festival in New Haven, CT, with STEM events.
Annual Joint Engineering Council Event
ASME New London, ASQ Thames Valley Section, SWE –NESS, ASNT Connecticut Yankee Section on March 16, 2016.
Speaker: Joseph W. Madaus, Ph.D., Campus Interim Director
The University of Connecticut at Avery Point
Subject: College Students with Disabilities: Supports and Transition to Career
Dr. Madaus’ specialty is the transition of young adults with disabilities to college. In addition to speaking about the Avery Point campus, he will be speaking about his research on college programs for students with disabilities and their transition into the workforce.
Past programs:
- Alternate Fueled Cars
- Wind Turbine Tour
- Special Topics with EB President John Casey
- Finance 101: Planning for the Future
- Photoshop® Hands-on Workshop
- Freedom Yacht Tour
- Civil War Submarines
- Joint Event for Hybrid Cars
