3/5/18- SWE and Me

I meant to have a post the week of February 19 about Engineers Week.  Engineers Week, or E-Week as most engineers refer to it, celebrates how engineers make a difference in the world.  But I got a little too busy celebrating.  First up in my E-Week celebrations was the 2017 KEZ Beth McDonald Woman of the Year Award.  I was a nominee thanks to my dear husband (after complaining to him about how I don't think I'll ever again receive an award from my company).  I was Ms. October, meaning I was nominated in the month of October.  I attended an awesome reception at the Hyatt Gainey Ranch, and my dear husband and two of my mentors (and friends) joined me.

I am happy to report that I did not win Woman of the Year; yes, happy.  The winner was Elizabeth Singleton, who is the president of Build Us H.O.P.E.  The nonprofit offers housing programs primarily targeted to veterans and the seriously mentally ill, disabled or chronically homeless. Pretty amazing, right?  It's pretty hard to be disappointed losing to such an amazing woman.  And as cliche as it is, I felt like a winner just being a nominee.  I had a really great time celebrating with my hubby and friends (and strangers, some which became friends).  It's an evening I'll never forget. 

2017 KEZ Beth McDonald Woman of the Year Nominees and Winner 
(Elizabeth, the winner, is in the middle/in the red sweater)

Part of the reason I was nominated is for my volunteer work with the nonprofit Society of Women Engineers, or SWE.  I'm currently the Vice President of the local Phoenix section and have done various K-12 STEM outreach with SWE.  SWE really means a lot to me; it's for sure a favorite nonprofit of mine. SWE's mission is to stimulate women to achieve full potential in careers as engineers and leaders, expand the image of the engineering profession as a positive force in improving the quality of life, and demonstrate the value of diversity.

The regional SWE conference just also happened to be taking place the day after the Woman of the Year Award. So I got to continue my E-Week celebration with one of my favorites nonprofits. I participated in the conference's SWENext Design Lab-- Design Lab is an experience designed to encourage girls to choose a career in engineering (more K-12 STEM outreach, yay!).  I mentored a team of six female middle school students through two engineering design and build experiments/projects.  The girls didn't really need my help, they were all well versed in STEM, but we all had a fun time.  

I love being able to mentor the next generation of engineers, and I especially love being able to volunteer and pay it forward to SWE.  SWE has done so much for me personally.  When I first joined in college (2001!), I was just looking for a resume filler.  However, I soon made many friends, finding support and help with classes, internships and jobs,  and really all things an engineering undergrad needs.  I don't think I would have stuck with engineering if I wasn't in SWE (and okay, also encouragement from my parents; got to give them a little bit of credit 😉).  

Mentoring the Next Gen

I know for sure I wouldn't have gotten my first (and only) internship without SWE. The collegiate section sent out an email saying that Medtronic was looking for interns, so I sent an email to Medtronic with my resume attached, referencing that I heard about the job through SWE.  I also know for sure that I wouldn't have gotten a job with my current company without SWE.  I had applied to a SWE Phoenix scholarship for local collegiate SWE students, and I was one of the winners!  I accepted my scholarship at the 2004 regional SWE conference, and a recruiter from my current company approached me. She said she'd like me to apply to work for the company.   And well, here it is 13 years later.   

But more than that, it's given me the network and support that I've needed over the years to actually stay in this industry.  My mentors that attended the Woman of the Year Award with me have both been part of my SWE network (although we did first meet through work); one of my mentors is the current SWE Phoenix President (hi Syronna! you rock!).  I also meet my current Working Engineer Moms Facebook Group and its admins through SWE; this Facebook group has been a lifeline as a working mom (and engineer).  I'm pretty sure without this wonderful network of engineers, without SWE, I would have left engineering 13 years ago.  A sincere thank you to all my SWE'esters.  Thank you for being there for me.     

If you want to learn more about SWE and their mission to support women in engineering in all phases of their careers (and men can be members too! remember He for She), here's a link to their website: http://societyofwomenengineers.swe.org/

If you live in Phoenix metro area and want to nominate an amazing woman for the KEZ Beth McDonald WoY Award, here's more info: https://kez999.iheart.com/contests/999-kez-and-shea-homes-40626/  Thank you to Beth McDonald and KEZ and their sponsors of this award for acknowledging the very cool and amazing women in our city!  Thank you Bobby, my family and my friends for all of your support.  And also thank you to the other 11 nominees for being such an inspiration for our local community! 

3/2/17- Spring Break STEM Activity

Spring break is right around the corner for many kids!  Not Jack, as he is in daycare/preschool (which doesn't close for spring break), and he basically just took a week off for a cold. So to preschool for him, and to work for Bobby and me. We'll take him on vacation in late summer/early fall, so don't feel too bad that he doesn't get spring break.

Since spring break is right around the corner, I thought now would be a good time to share another STEM activity.  The activity won't entertain your kids for a whole week (or maybe it could if they end up really liking it), but it is pretty fun.  The professional engineering society that I belong to did the activity at Chase Field's STEM Night, and then we recently did it at E-Day at the AZ Science Center. Not sure if the engineers or kids had more fun.

Without further ado, Galaxy Slime! The slime is so popular right now, check out the MSN video "Slime Fad is Back." I like to think our engineering society started the trend, but most likely we did not.

Supplies Needed:
Bowl
Spoon
1 cup Elmer's Glue (white or clear work)
1 cup Liquid Starch (we used the Walmart brand, Stay-Flo)
Food Coloring (optional)
Glitter (optional)
Plastic Bag (optional)

Instructions:
1) Put the glue into the bowl first.
2) Stir in food coloring and glitter, if desired.
3) Slowly stir in the liquid starch in increments.  You probably won't use the full cup of liquid starch.
4) Stir until you don't see the "white" liquid starch.  Then switch to kneading the slime with your hands, checking how stretchy the slime is.  If you want it stretchy vs.gak, again you probably won't use the full cup of liquid starch.
5) After your child is done playing with their slime, they can save it in a plastic bag (or Tupperware).

Jack's galaxy slime has lasted for a week after he made it at E-Day.  He liked mixing the colors and glitter in the glue, but he lost interest in the final product.  I do think this activity is fun to do with toddlers (who are past the put everything in their mouth stage), just remember toddlers are going to need more help with the food coloring than a 10 year old is (Jack squeezed like 100 drops in because I thought he could do it himself, haha).

It is great for ages 2-99. Thought I'd take the Lego approach there; after 99, you just won't find this activity or Legos fun. Oh, and it's called Galaxy Slime, because if you add color and glitter, it looks like a Galaxy!  Also, the glue and starch combine to make a polymer! Happy (STEM) Spring Break!