SWE - Fall 2008 - (Page 24)

volunteer training and made congressional visits. By May, when Rep. Honda held the introductory press conference for this bipartisan bill, known as the eSTEM Act, he invited SWE to participate. Michelle Tortolani, FY08 president, spoke on the importance of diversity in the STEM work force. She thanked Rep. Honda and co-sponsors Representatives Rush Holt (D-N.J.) and Vernon Ehlers (R-Mich.), noting that, “By focusing resources on high-need populations, the U.S. will achieve a higher return on its investments in American competitiveness, and subsequently enable a higher majority of students to be able to pursue STEM careers. We applaud Representative Honda and the bill’s cosponsors for recognizing this great need.” The bill would, among other things, create an office of STEM education in the U.S. Department of Education, and promote mechanisms to cooperate and develop cohesive strategies for increasing the participation and success of underrepresented populations in STEM. In another development, SWE drafted a letter of support for Rep. Johnson’s bill, “Fulfilling the Potential of Women in Academic Science and Engineering Act of 2008.” SWE worked with the Association for Women in Science and the American Chemical Society to garner backing for the bill, and 31 STEM and women’s organizations signed onto the letter. Also in July, Cathy Pieronek, J.D., SWE’s Title IX lead, spoke at a federal-level interagency workshop on applying Title IX to STEM fields. NASA, one of the member agencies of this working group, sponsored her presentation. Pieronek noted that NASA in particular has identified a number of promising gender-equity practices in the five STEM programs it has already reviewed pursuant to a mandate by Congress — focusing particularly on how institutions are paying attention to the gender-equity issue by tracking data, and on implementing family-friendly policies that make it easier for women to balance the demands of home life with successful teaching and research Recognizing the House Diversity and Innovation Caucus Responding to the underrepresentation of women and minorities in STEM, the House Diversity and Innovation Caucus was formed in March 2007 and has been extremely active. With six co-chairs, the caucus was founded on the premise that, “the increased education and participation of groups currently underrepresented in STEM is essential to supplying the American economy with the expertise the country needs to innovate and remain competitive.” In late July, SWE, along with 15 co-sponsoring STEM and women’s organizations, hosted a reception to honor the caucus for its outstanding work and present the firstever SWE President’s Award to Rep. Johnson, one of the caucus’ founding co-chairs. Michelle Tortolani presented the award, stating: “We want you to know that we strongly support your efforts to increase the participation of women and underrepresented groups in the STEM fields and that we are grateful for your work to implement the recommendations of the 2006 National Academies report, ‘Beyond Bias and Barriers,’ and promote gender equity in academic science and engineering.” According to SWE Washington representative Melissa Carl, the reception and the award are “ways to show the caucus that there is an engaged audience for these issues, that they are working on the right things, and that what they do matters.” Further, the reception provided a platform for caucus members to discuss their new diversity policy objectives. These objectives were derived from stakeholder feedback at the February meeting and were introduced earlier that day. A copy of the policy objectives is now available in the public policy section of the SWE Web site. careers. She concluded her presentation with the point that, “Identifying promising practices and disseminating information about these practices will help all educational institutions to provide the best possible experience for students, faculty, and employees.” FY09 Director of External Affairs Melissa Tata, left, and FY09 President Virginia Connolly. Continuing efforts In three years, the Society has wholeheartedly pursued public policy matters, accomplishing a great deal and moving quickly. “We began by identifying issues that speak to our mission and proceeded in a clear, wellplanned, and logical manner,” said Virginia Connolly, SWE FY09 president. “We released position papers, hosted briefings and a roundtable, and within a year we were providing testimony to Congress,” she added, referring to the Society’s progression. “We have continued to take a leadership role, particularly by demonstrating the importance of these issues to the discipline-based societies.” Melissa Tata, director of external affairs, noted that, “The intention in 2006 and 2007 was to educate our members, other professional societies, and policymakers on how Title IX can be applied to STEM fields. Through FY08, we continued to take a leadership role, and now in FY09 we will also focus on member outreach so that SWE members can become more engaged in the process.” I Betty Shanahan, SWE executive director and CEO, left, with FY09 President Virginia Connolly; Rep. Reyes, founding co-chair of the House Diversity and Innovation Caucus; and Michelle Tortolani, FY08 president, at the reception honoring the caucus and Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson. 24 SWE FALL 2008

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

SWE - Fall 2008 Heritage Club Contents Farewell Message from FY08 President Michelle Tortolani Congratulations SWE Magazine A Conversation with FY09 President Virginia Connolly, P.E. Introducing the FY09 Board of Directors View from the Executive Suite Editor's Page Public Policy Update SWE Retention Study, Part 6 Membership Information & Calendar A&B SWE Member Kristina Johnson First Woman to Receive John Fritz Medal University Labs Fuel a New Era in Energy Women Engineering Leaders in Academe 2008 Opening the Gateways to Engineering Your Collegiate Section History is Waiting to Be Discovered Honoring the Legacy of Ada Pressman, P.E. Report from WEPAN Engineering World Proposed Bylaws Amendments Point of View Correction Career Toolbox Corporate Partnership Council Book Review SWE Smiles In Memory Opportunity Index SWE Scrapbook

SWE - Fall 2008

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