Alumni who want to make a difference for students as they navigate their engineering studies and prepare for future engineering careers are invited to WSU on Saturday, April 24, for two events: Mentor Day and an Evening with Industry.
Both events are sponsored by the WSU Chapter of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE).
Mentor Day
Working to attract and keep students – especially women – in engineering, the College of Engineering and Architecture established a mentoring program that matches students with women engineers in the field. Mentor Day brings mentors and mentees to the WSU campus to meet and connect with each other.
Mentors and mentees are encouraged to have lunch together following a morning campus tour. The Society for Women Engineers has arranged a free afternoon tour of Lower Granite Dam. Mentors and mentees can socialize during the bus ride as well as see an example of engineering design that includes mechanical, civil, electrical and environmental disciplines.
The bus will leave from the corner of Spokane Street and College Avenue (near Daggy Hall) for the tour at 1 p.m. and return at 5 p.m.
The mentoring program is supported through a gift from Gary (’68, ME) and Sandy (’69, ME) Fryer.
Evening with Industry
Students can connect with practicing engineers during dinner at 6 p.m. at Hillside Cafe. Mentors, alumni, faculty and students are invited for informal conversation about what it is like to be an engineer, what types of projects are worked on, and how women engineers balance work and family.
Keynote speaker will be Andrea Hopkins, president of the Eastern Washington Unversity chapter of SWE. She works for Fluor as an environmental quality assurance engineer and project manager.
Alumni can sponsor a table for $200 or purchase a dinner for $50, with proceeds supporting SWE. The cost for faculty members is $25, students $10.
More details about Mentor Day and Evening with Industry, including how to sign up, can be found at www.cea.wsu.edu/mentorday. For more information, or to participate as a mentor or mentee, contact Cara Poor, SWE adviser, at cpoor@wsu.edu.