The Elizabethtown College Women in Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science (WEMPCS) club was recently approved as an official section of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE).
“Making this step opens up a world of opportunities for the club members even after I graduate this year,” Engineering major and WEMPCS President Lauren Comly ’23 said. “SWE provides scholarships, network connections for reaching out to for internships and careers after graduation, a professional section to go to for advice, and access to SWE WE Local Conferences and SWE WE Annual Conferences. Having a recognized section on campus also establishes the incoming first years a direct place to go to for support.”
For more than seven decades, SWE has given women engineers a unique place and voice within the engineering industry. The organization’s mission is to empower women to achieve their full potential in careers as engineers and leaders; expand the image of the engineering and technology professions as a positive force in improving the quality of life and demonstrate the value of diversity and inclusion.
Madison Stewart ’25 (center) holds her 2023 Philadelphia SWE Scholarship certificate
As the club’s advisor, Dean of the School of Engineering, Math, and Computer Science Dr. Sara Atwood said having WEMPCS become an official SWE Student Section has been a longtime dream of hers since she first started the club when she came to Etown 12 years ago.
“While the club has expanded and gone through several name changes and iterations, it has always remained a place of support, encouragement, mentorship, and friendship for our women engineers as well as women in related fields and allies,” Atwood said. “It’s very satisfying to see the club’s outstanding leadership and impactful activities recognized by a well-known national organization that represents professional women engineers across the globe.”
Current member and incoming SWE Secretary Madison Stewart ’25 recently received a 2023 Philadelphia SWE scholarship, an opportunity that would not have been possible without the club’s recognition as an official section.
“SWE provides me a chance to be connected with my female peers and to network with professional engineers,” Stewart said. “I believe it is important that we become an SWE section because it allows me to have the ability to gain leadership and management skills along with having the support of both scholarships and internships through the SWE program.”
The club, which has been established on campus since 2011, first applied to become an official section of SWE last spring. In order to be recognized, the club was required to have at least 10 collegiate members with at least 50% identifying as women and majoring in engineering or engineering technology, at least eight members eligible for membership in the next fiscal year following charter granting, a section agreement, budget, list of meetings, and letters of support from the dean, the local professional section (Philadelphia SWE), and their leadership coach.
