Did you know that, according to official enrollment statistics in 2017, only 20 percent of engineering students are female at the University of Maine? Did you also know that only 14 percent of all working professionals in engineering are female?
The Society of Women Engineers at the University of Maine is committed to supporting women in STEM careers (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), and helping the younger generation see their potential in a male dominated profession. The University of Maine at Orono has a strong Society of Women Engineers (SWE) chapter and we are looking to spread our information to you, the reader. At the university, SWE has committee chairs for community outreach, social media, awards, formal, fundraising, logowear, corporate, and press release. As one of the more highly involved clubs on campus, each committee is dedicated to a specific form of professional development and community involvement.
SWE works with 4-H, the Challenger Center in Orono, Girl Scouts of Maine, and surrounding communities to help the younger generation see that a life in STEM is possible, and is very attainable.
This October, the club will be sending 10 women to the Society of Women Engineers National Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana. The conference will last for three full days and will include a job fair with 200+ companies including NASA and their Jet Propulsion Laboratory, American Airlines, APPLE, and Texas Instruments.
In a nutshell, the Society of Women Engineers at the University of Maine in Orono is dedicated to supporting fellow scientists, technologists, engineers, and mathematicians. SWE looks forward to not only helping our students with professional development, but to helping the younger generation make the connection that they can one day be an astronaut, an environmental scientist leading the charge against climate change, a website designer, an actuary, or any profession that they set their mind to.
If you have any questions or would like to learn more, please see our Society of Women Engineers website for the University of Maine at Orono (https://umaine.edu/swe/).