SHPE - Spring08 - (Page 4)

PRESIDENT’S LETTER N A T I O N A L B OA R D O F D I R E C T OR S President Diana L. Gomez T California Department of Transportation (CALTRANS) Vice President Manuel Hernández T Raytheon Company Secretary Dora Maria Abreu T Pershing LLC Treasurer Annette Jimenez T IRS Headquarters (Retired) National Undergraduate Representative Allan Luis Morales T University of South Florida Vice National Undergraduate Representative Jorge R. Ortiz T University of California, San Diego National Graduate Representative Victor Cervantes T University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign E past, very year, we take the opportunity to devote an issue of SHPE magazine to Latinas in engineering. It is our hope that by doing so we can create passion for science and help build careers in the STEM fields. In the we have featured Latina Ph.D.’s as well as women in defense, health care and information technology. This year, our theme is “Designing Women,” and we are delighted to feature four Latina SHPE members who are successful prototypes in such disciplines as civil, electrical, environmental and computer engineering. These women have achieved V I C E P RE S I D E N T S Region I Vice President Kathleen Gonzales T PG&E Region II Vice President Ricardo Carlos T IBM Corporation Region III Vice President Ismael Mendoza T Colorado Electronic Product Design Region IV Vice President Iliana Limon T INTECH Construction Inc. Region V Vice President Michael E. Gutierrez T Lockheed Martin Corporation Region VI Vice President Adriana S. Ocampo-Senior T The Boeing Company Region VII Vice President Concepción Jiménez-González T GlaxoSmithKline success by applying the depth and breadth of their knowledge to the analysis of complex problems and have brought innovation to their designs. Our purpose is to place these women front and center because we believe that their success will inspire others. Whenever women in technical fields are given a forum to share their stories and show what can be achieved, others are motivated to take their careers to the next level. I know firsthand the value of role models. As a young girl growing up among the produce fields of the Central Valley of California, I wasn’t exposed to career choices, much less to women with careers in engineering. Were it not for the mentoring efforts of two women, my high school counselor Magdalena Vasquez and Pac Bell engineer Linda Van Kirk, it’s quite possible I wouldn’t be a professional engineer – or president of SHPE! We are all aware that a more inclusive, welcoming environment for diversity brings with it a climate for innovation. With the United States in desperate need of technical talent, the government has launched various initiatives to increase STEM college enrollment, especially among underrepresented minorities and women. So, too, have a number of colleges and universities. Increased recruitment efforts have produced an enrollment increase in women in technology-oriented colleges such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, California Institute of Technology, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Michigan Tech, to name a few. Our Society also plays a role. As engineers, we must continue to attract promising individuals to our profession regardless of gender and/or ethnicity. SHPE is proud of its women members who, through their outreach efforts, serve as role models to the engineers of tomorrow. In highlighting the careers of just four of these Latinas, two of whom hold master’s degrees, we hope to help change the vague image that some children may have of who an engineer is to an image they recognize — their own. Diana Gomez President NA T I O NA L S T A F F Events Manager Chris Zeller T Chris.Zeller@shpe.org Events Coordinator Alli Sadighpour T Alli.Sadighpour@shpe.org IT Administrator Frank Barragan T Frank.Barragan@shpe.org Membership Lead Valerie Valenzuela T Valerie.Valenzuela@shpe.org Professional Development Officer Fred Muñoz T Fred.Munoz@shpe.org Executive Assistant Lourdes Romero Arce T Lourdes.Arce@shpe.org Receptionist Violeta Lopez T Receptionist@shpe.org Bookkeeper Marilyn Cruz T Bookkeeper@shpe.org S AL E S Director of External Affairs Rafaela Schwan T Rafaela.Schwan@shpe.org Corporate Affairs Manager Carmen Peralta T Carmen.Peralta@shpe.org Sales Associate Stacy Dees T Stacy.Dees@shpe.org A H E T E M S F O UN DA T I O N Director of Programs T Rafaela Schwan Assistant Director of Programs T Gary Cruz Higher Education Coordinator T Mysti Pasquale K-12 Coordinator T Luis H. Mendoza-Natividad Administrative Assistant T Karina Jaime SHPE, magazine of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, is published quarterly, four times per year. Annual subscription rates; SHPE members, included in dues; non-members, $20. Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers 5400 E. Olympic Blvd., Suite 210 Los Angeles, CA 90022 © Copyright 2008 by SHPE Magazine For information regarding the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers: (323) 725-3970 For subscription request, editorial inquiries and information: shpemag@shpe.org or telephone (973) 218-0742 For advertising rates and information: John Goodrich, telephone (434) 244-9776 john.goodrich@shpe.org Visit our website at http://www.shpe.org 4 SHPE R Spring 2008 http://www.shpe.org http://www.shpe.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of SHPE - Spring08

SHPE - Spring08 Contents President’s Letter Browser Letters to the Editor Calendar of Events The Magic of Thinking BIG Five Steps to Easier Fundraising Designing Women ¡Viva Verde! The Education and Training of Ramon Flores Breakthroughs in Mobile Military Communications The Retention Doctor Success at School Begins at Home STAR Nominations Do Good Things Come to Those Who Wait? Programs & Services Regional Roundup Advertisers Index

SHPE - Spring08

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