Oct. 22, 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Helene Finger
(805) 756-2350
hfinger@calpoly.edu

Cal Poly’s Society of Women Engineers Takes Five National Titles

SAN LUIS OBISPO—For the third year in a row, Cal Poly's Society of Women
Engineers (SWE) has been named the outstanding student section in the
nation – and also this year took home the top national collegiate awards
for multicultural programs, membership programs, career guidance and
project engineering.

“To receive the top national award for outstanding student section three
years in a row is unprecedented and an incredible honor,” said Cal Poly
Engineering Instructor Helene Finger, one of the club’s faculty
advisors.

“Thanks to the support of our faculty and our dean, we’ve received more
national recognition for the efforts of our students – recognition that
this is a great place for all students to get an engineering education,”
Finger said.

Cal Poly’s SWE chapter received the awards Oct. 16 at the SWE national
conference in Milwaukee, Wisc. In addition to the designation as the top
student SWE section in the nation, Cal Poly also won four more national
awards: Best Multicultural Program, Best Membership Program, Career
Guidance Audio Visual Award, and second place in the “Team Tech”
competition.

Cal Poly is one of more than 300 SWE collegiate student sections
nationwide. In 2003-04, Cal Poly’s SWE chapter had 402 members, making
it the largest student section in the nation. Cal Poly’s student chapter
membership was followed by Purdue at 386, the University of Texas at
Austin with 292 and the University of Michigan at 277.

In granting Cal Poly’s SWE chapter a third national first-place
designation in the Outstanding Student Section, judges recognized Cal
Poly for its overall activities and programs. “The judges were very
impressed not only by our many activities, but by the organization and
management of the section,” Finger said.

One of the highlights of Cal Poly’s 2003-04 SWE activities included
partnering with the Cal Poly Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers
to present bilingual engineering workshops at Pacheco Elementary school
in San Luis Obispo.

The SWE chapter’s second place win in the Team Tech competition is also
a major accomplishment, Finger noted.

Cal Poly’s SWE took second place in the national competition for its
roller-coaster restraint design project, which partnered the chapter
with sponsor Disney Imagineering. “Working with Disney to develop an
improved safety system was an incredible experience for many of the team
members, and Disney was equally enthusiastic about the project,” Finger
said.
The Cal Poly students impressed the Imagineers, the company said. "Walt
Disney Imagineering is very pleased with the outcome of our Team Tech
sponsorship this year. The students were timely, professional and
enthusiastic throughout the entire duration of the project and the
quality of work, its thoroughness, and their innovative solution
impressed every Imagineer who worked with them,” said Eric R. Garcia,
Walt Disney Imagineer.

“The SWE’s Team Tech proposal will be used as a design base for our
Restraint Enhancement Project. Walt Disney Imagineering has had so much
success with Team Tech, that we are going to sponsor Cal Poly’s SWE team
again next year,” Garcia said. “This is the ultimate testament to these
student's hard work and dedication, and it’s the beginning of a new
relationship between Walt Disney Imagineering and Cal Poly’s SWE.”

Cal Poly also earned the first place national title in SWE’s
Multicultural Programs competition for developing and implementing the
best multicultural program to increase and retain a diverse membership.
Cal Poly SWE’s Multicultural Program is in its second year. The SWE
chapter was honored for fostering relationships with other
minority-engineering clubs on the Cal Poly campus: the Society of
Hispanic Professional Engineers, Society of Black Engineers and
Scientist, and American Indian Science and Engineering Society.

The Cal Poly engineering clubs collaborated on several outreach and
social activities, participated in awareness/history months and made
displays to recognize distinguished engineers.

Cal Poly also won the first place award for best membership program in
the nation in the “large student sections” category. The award
recognizes programs that have demonstrated successful recruitment and
retention of members.

Editors please note: Photos of the team and activities are available. To
receive photos via e-mail, contact Amy Hewes, ahewes@calpoly.edu.

About SWE

Cal Poly SWE belongs to Region B of the National Society of Women
Engineers. The mission of National SWE 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 Society of Women Engineers at California Polytechnic State
University, San Luis Obispo, strives to provide a voice for women that
will encourage them to achieve their full potential as engineers and as
leaders. Its mission to create engineering opportunities, provide career
and scholastic resources, and demonstrate the value of teamwork to all
students of the university and of the community.

About SWE Award Criteria

The Outstanding Student Section Award competition was first established
in 1975 with funds donated by Union Carbide and cash grants presented
each year. Judging is based upon evaluating section programming for
alignment with the national strategic plan, and innovation and
participation in activities throughout the year as presented in the
Competition Report. SWE strategic priorities for chapters include value
and benefit, inclusive organization, knowledge base, leadership, and
professional competency.

The Membership Program Award recognizes chapters that have demonstrated
successful recruitment and retention of members.

The Multicultural Programs Award recognizes chapters which have
successfully accomplished the continued fostering of relationships with
the other minority-engineering clubs on campus.

The Team Teach Competition was established in 1992, based on a
recommendation from Cal Poly to the National SWE. It emphasizes the key
role of teamwork and industry partnerships in the engineering education
process. Participating teams are evaluated in the following five areas:
1) ability of the team to work together; 2) use of engineering
processes; 3) product; 4) quality of the results; and 5) ability of the
team to work with industry. A panel of judges reviews oral
presentations from competing teams along with their previously submitted
team reports during the national annual SWE convention.

The Career Guidance Audio Visual Award is presented for the best 10-20
minute program using sight and sound. Media include slides with sound on
cassette or with script and videotape. Topics must be suitable for
showing to secondary students, guidance counselors, parents, etc.
Programs should be about activities of SWE Student Sections and their
members or SWE aids to students.


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