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Honors and Awards

Northwestern’s Society of Women Engineers Wins Regional Award

Award honors Northwestern chapter’s work toward professional excellence, globalization, and advocacy

SWE hosts several events, including Career Day for Girls, which introduces girls to careers in STEM fields.SWE hosts several events, including Career Day for Girls, which introduces girls to careers in STEM fields.

The Northwestern chapter of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) received the 2015-16 Best Collegiate Section Award for the Chicago regional section. 

The award honors a university chapter that best exemplifies SWE’s goals: professional excellence, globalization, and advocacy. SWE’s Chicago region stretches from northern Illinois to northern Indiana to include nine institutions.

Ellen Worsdall“We are thrilled to receive this award,” said Ellen Worsdall, assistant dean of undergraduate engineering and SWE adviser. “Our chapter works hard to represent SWE’s values and mission.”

Through various hosted events, SWE members build relationships and networks with other female engineers and scientists to develop skills in leadership, problem-solving, and interpersonal relationships. Annual events, such as Career Day for Girls, aim to spark young girls’ interest in science and engineering.

This year, Northwestern’s chapter of SWE also hosted SWE in the City, its first self-run conference. In addition to alumni talks, roundtable discussions, and social programming, the two-day event featured Melissa Crounse, executive director of The Garage, and Kelly Luckasevic, an associate at McKinsey & Company.

“SWE in the City received an extraordinarily positive response,” said Michelle Wang, president of the Northwestern chapter of SWE. “Its huge success has led to discussions of making it an annual event to help grow our organization and to help engage, inform, and inspire our members.”

SWE is a nationally recognized professional, educational, non-profit, and service organization dedicated to promoting interest in and encouraging women to pursue the fields of science and engineering. Founded in 1976, Northwestern’s SWE chapter includes graduate and undergraduate female and male engineers interested in making a change both on and off the campus.