SWE - Fall 2008 - (Page 62)

Y Collegiate Section History Is our Waiting to Be Discovered The convergence of the Society of Women Engineers’ 60th anniversary and their own 50th anniversary — both happening in 2010 — inspires University of Illinois collegiates to uncover their section’s history. BY KALEV LEETARU, SWE AND JESSICA WOOD, SWE T he University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign Collegiate Section will mark its 50th anniversary in 2010, the same year that the national Society of Women Engineers turns 60. Toward these milestones, our collegiate section has begun an ambitious project to learn more about our half-century of exis- By sharing our process and experiences, we hope to encourage other collegiate sections to discover and write their own histories. tence and promote that history as part of our current activities. By sharing our process and experiences, we hope to encourage other collegiate sections to discover and write their own histories. Our initiative has three interlinked components: writing a narrative that summarizes our history; publishing digitized copies of all of our historical materials; and reconnecting with alumni to learn about their experiences at UIUC SWE. Engineering. This fueled our desire to learn more about what it was like to be a woman in engineering at UIUC throughout the years. We concluded the primary research phase in spring 2008, with all available material on the section’s history compiled, and we are now beginning to pore over this material and write a comprehensive history of our section. We will be publishing all of this material, with a brief narrative already posted to the UIUC section’s Web site at webspace.ncsa.uiuc.edu/swe/history.html, together with an archive of materials we have digitized. Searching the section archives Our first step was to find historical records in our possession. This involved searching SWE’s National Archives In 1993 SWE moved its records to Wayne State University’s Walter P. Reuther Library in Detroit with the mission of preserving them and making them available to researchers and SWE members alike. By establishing the SWE archives, both SWE and the Reuther Library have committed themselves to preserving and promoting not only the history of SWE but also of women in engineering professions. The SWE archives at the Reuther Library house the organization’s historical, organizational, and headquarters records, as well as related records from the American Society of Women Engineers and Architects (1919-1946), the International Conference of Women Engineers and Scientists, and the personal diaries of Emma Barth, P.E. These collections document SWE’s growth and success as an agent of social change. However, this very success and the immense growth in the organization over the past six decades makes it difficult to fully document the rich history of each of SWE’s professional and collegiate sections. SWE began as and remains essentially a grassroots organization, and much of its history lies in the actions, activities, and members of its individual sections. SWE encourages each of its local sections to help enrich the collective history of the organization and the legacy of women in engineering by recording and promoting their local histories to current and aspiring women engineers. By Troy Eller, SWE Archivist The local background When it was chartered in 1960, UIUC SWE became the fourth collegiate section in the United States, the second in the Heartland region, and represented a national organization just celebrating 10 years of existence. Our research revealed that interest and support in a women’s engineering organization on the campus predated SWE. One of SWE’s forerunners, the American Society of Women Engineers and Architects, was registered on campus as early as 1945. This little historical gem was one of many that were lying dormant, waiting to be rediscovered. At the time we began our history project, the section’s diversity initiative was looking at the evolution of attitudes regarding diversity and tolerance within the College of 62 SWE FALL 2008 http://webspace.ncsa.uiuc.edu/swe/history.html http://webspace.ncsa.uiuc.edu/swe/history.html

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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