IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2007 - 3

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engineering careers and the inspiring stories of the women in
these positions. You will see how important it is for the engineer's
voice to be heard beyond the cubicle. Engineers have a responsibility to properly inform government officials and the public
regarding engineering and science issues to ensure that all
aspects and implications of policies are thoroughly scrutinized.
Having engineers integrated in all positions of society as educators, medical doctors, lawyers, and even as leaders of government
will not only bring attention to the importance of engineering
but will also help elevate more women into leadership positions.
In this issue, we profile a young engineer who is now a reporter.
What other individual is better suited to ask the tough questions
about engineering and technology than an engineer?
Oftentimes, I am met with questions about the need for the
existence of groups such as WIE. Less than 30% of all engineers
are women, with the majority of this number falling in the chemical and biomedical engineering fields. Electrical engineering and
computer engineering still continue to be the most underrepresented engineering fields for women. The attrition of women in
the electrical engineering profession also shows that women are
leaving the discipline at extremely high rates. Women are a valuable untapped resource that makes up 50% of the world's workforce. This, coupled with the fact that there are so few women
pursuing engineering, is evidence that a problem exists and
demands action. Furthermore, we often forget that places in the
world still exist where women are not allowed to pursue education, never mind the possibility of pursuing an engineering
career. There are countries that have IEEE chapters, yet women
are still not permitted to present their work due to cultural
issues. IEEE WIE is committed to overcoming the barriers that
have kept women from pursuing and advancing in their careers.
Another common question I am often asked as the chair of
the IEEE WIE Committee is whether we are doing women a
disservice by having an organization that seemingly excludes
men. People are surprised to discover that WIE has over 2,700
male members. This is not unusual considering that our mission is to foster a community of women and men that supports
their mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives to pursue engineering and science careers that will inevitably lead to enriching lives within the global community and the environment.
They are even more surprised that every WIE-sponsored event
has attracted an equal number of male and female attendees,
regardless of the country in which the event was held.
Remember, WIE is pronounced "WE," and only together as
a community of women and men can we change the way
nations perceive women in engineering and help initiate the
changes necessary to finally tap into that 50% of the world's
most valuable resource, brainpower.

-Karen A. Panetta
Editor-in-Chief
IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine

IEEE

in
MAGAZINE

IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine
Karen Panetta - Editor-in-Chief
Tufts University
161 College Avenue
Medford, MA 02155
+1 617 627 5976
karenpanetta@ieee.org
Keyana Tennant - Associate Editor
+1 732 981 3423
keyana.tennant@ieee.org

IEEE Periodicals/Magazines Department
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Geraldine Krolin-Taylor - Senior Managing Editor
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2007