Region E Conference Summary

SWE’s busiest time of year is in full swing and months of planning and organizing has finally come to fruition. Over the past two weeks SWE members across the country have come together to hold five regional conferences representing seven of SWE’s ten regions. Several individuals have worked tirelessly to pull together some amazing programming geared specifically towards graduate students. In Newport News, VA graduate students from Region E came out strong.

This year’s Region E Conference, “Under the SWE”, was co-hosted by Old Dominion University and Hampton Roads SWE in Newport News, Virginia from February 19-21, 2016. It was great to re-connect with old friends and make new ones at the same time! This was the first year Region E hosted a research poster competition and the students brought their A-game! With a vast selection of sessions it was hard to choose which ones to attend! Three that were especially interesting were:

“What Does It Take, Really?” — Two executives at Northrop Grumman shared lessons learned about what it takes to reach your goals as a woman in the engineering domain. They discussed the importance of what you know, who you know, how you present yourself, behavior, attitude, emotional intelligence, and maintaining balance and sanity between your professional and personal lives.

“Your SWE Career in Changing Times” — A panel of current SWE leaders shared their personal SWE career path stories, including why they took the path they did and how SWE has helped them grow personally and professionally.

“Creating and Managing Your Authentic, Strengths-Based Brand” — Creating your brand is about understanding your strengths and experiences so you can create your value statement. This workshop described the process of creating an authentic brand and strategies to manage it effectively in school, work, and life.

Thanks to the Old Dominion University and Hampton Roads SWE sections for hosting a lovely conference!

Share some of YOUR favorite Regional Conference memories by emailing Meisha Berg at meisha.berg@gmail.com. Keep an eye out for summaries of other exciting events at regional conferences!