SWE - Conference 2008 - (Page 14)

READERS’ FORUM our state attending or graduating from college; and why companies like Microsoft have declared they cannot find I recently came across the latest issue of qualified engineers to hire in our state. your magazine [the Summer yearbook The governor’s declaration is merely issue] and noticed a credit to Washington symbolism over substance. The actions State Governor Christine Gregoire for she and our legislature have taken are not declaring a week in honor of women in helping students to become engineers, engineering. Being a resident of especially women. In fact, their actions Washington State I felt it important to have only lost many young point out that our legislature passed women who will never know a bill to suspend the math what a career in engineering or testing for the Washington love of math or science can proAssessment of Student vide to their well-being, selfk of Learning that had been needed boo Yea,rPrograms ents esteem, and ability to create and & Ev People to graduate from our high develop positive discoveries for schools here and that Governor the entire world. Gregoire supported the eliminaWhat a shame that your tion and signed it into law. magazine created the impresThe scores for the math porsion that signing a proclamation have been dismal and tion made a difference instead instead of finding a way to help of taking our governor to task for her students succeed in learning math, inability to solve the problem of after several years of lowering the acceptWashington State students’ (especially able score for passage, they simply elimiyoung women) inability to learn math; nated the requirement. With over 30 perthus denying them a fulfilling career in cent of students in Washington State failengineering. ing to graduate from high school and no Sincerely, evaluation of student learning for math, it Laurel King-Christiansen is understandable why Washington State Everett, Wash. has one of the lowest rates of residents of State-issued Math Scores and a Governor’s Policies Gearing ALSO ew ature Revi 2007 Liter Experience Spouse s Lives Trailing Transform versary 60th Anni SWE’s E Up for ISSUE: IN THIS SUMMER 2008 ASPIRE OF • ADVANC NE AZI MAG OF THE Y IET SOC MEN WO ERS INE ENG E • ACH IEV A B E T P R O G R A M E VA L UATO R S : T H E FAC E O F Q UA L I TY I N T E C H N I C A L E D U C AT I O N Are you a good communicator? A true team player? A respected member of your profession? Then you may qualify to serve as an ABET program evaluator. Program evaluators are dedicated technical professionals — deans, department heads, faculty, industry leaders, government representatives, and private practitioners — with a demonstrated interest in contributing to their professions and improving higher education. As a program evaluator, you can help ensure that today’s technical graduates are prepared to be tomorrow’s technical workforce. Visit www.abet.org/volunteer.shtml for the program evaluator’s job description, minimum qualifications, desired competencies, instructions for applying, and more. Leadership and Quality Assurance in Applied Science, Computing, Engineering, and Technology Education 111 Market Place, Suite 1050 Baltimore, MD 21202 (410) 347-7700 www.abet.org Response: From Linda Thomas, SWE Region J governor, and Kelly Griswold, past Puget Sound Engineering Council president and SWE counselor coordinator Linda Thomas participated in the 2008 Engineers’ Week proclamation ceremony with Gov. Christine Gregoire, pictured in the Region J yearbook summary, by invitation of the Puget Sound Engineering Council (PSEC). PSEC is an umbrella organization of engineering societies in Washington State, including the SWE Pacific Northwest and South Puget Sound sections. PSEC organizes this event annually as a part of the many events and outreach activities observing Engineers’ Week for students, parents, educators, and the community. As SWE leaders, we share the writer’s interest and concern regarding the quality of mathematics education in Washington State, though we have a different approach on how to best address the situation from a SWE perspective. The Washington Assessment of Student Learning is one of the tests administered nationally as part of the No Child Left Behind Act, which has been controversial in its own right. We see the current situation as an opportunity for SWE members and advocates to follow the test programs in their own states and with the Department of Education. From there, they can play an active role in their local and state governments by influencing mathematics curriculum requirements. Members can also continue providing outreach programs in their communities, either by mentoring, tutoring, or providing workshops to encourage all students to pursue STEM careers because of these testing programs. Griswold and Thomas are willing to meet with the author of this letter, or anyone else in the region, to develop a strategy on how SWE sections can effectively address the Washington State mathematics requirement on a local level. The Readers’ Forum provides an opportunity to respond to articles or comment on topical issues. Letters are printed on a space available basis; we reserve the right to edit letters for clarity or to meet space requirements. All opinions are those of the writer and in no way the responsibility of the Society of Women Engineers or SWE Magazine. Please send comments, opinions, or observations to: swemag@swe.org or by regular mail to: Letters, SWE Magazine, Society of Women Engineers, 230 East Ohio Street, Suite 400, Chicago, Ill. 60611 14 SWE CONFERENCE 2008 http://www.abet.org/volunteer.shtml http://www.abet.org http://www.abet.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of SWE - Conference 2008

SWE - Conference 2008 Contents President’s Note View from the Executive Suite Editor’s Page Readers’ Forum ICWES14 Women of Courage Engineering’s Grand Challenges — What’s Your Pick? Diversity from the Ground Up Membership Information & Calendar A&B FY08 Membership Meeting Minutes Engineering World Point of View Career Toolbox Bookshelf SWE Smiles SWE Scrapbook Conference Sponsors and Program Overview Corporate Partnership Council Thursday Conference Program Friday Conference Program Saturday Conference Program Corporate Members Opportunity Index

SWE - Conference 2008

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