Check out the latest entry in the SWE Tucson Section President's Blog. In this entry, Carol shares how SWE enhanced her experience when returning to the workforce and navigating through her later career.

At WE18, SWE Tucson member, Dr. Mary Roybal was named a SWE Fellow “for steadily raising the standards for what women engineers can achieve and for exceptional service to SWE that maintains mentorship and advocacy at its core.”

Dr. Roybal’s extensive contributions to SWE date back to 1993 as a collegian.  Locally, Dr. Roybal contributed to SWE Tucson as president from 2003-2005, section representative from 2005-2007, and treasurer from 2007-2009. She continues to serve SWE Tucson today as a key resource for the local executive council.

At the Society level, Dr. Roybal served as a member of the SWE Finance Committee from 2003-2006 and as Region B treasurer from 2006-2007.  At WELocal Phoenix 2018, Dr. Roybal presented a session titled “What It Takes to Stay Technical and Advance In Your Career” to an audience ranging from collegians to late career professionals.

Dr. Roybal is dedicated to the advancement of women in STEM fields.  She mentors a wide pool of engineers ranging in experience level.  As a volunteer for Arizona MESA (Mathematics, Engineering, Science, Achievement) and high school math nights, she has a wide outreach to young students at both the state and local level.

Dr. Roybal’s technical accomplishments are significant.  She is a recognized expert across the industry in the field of mechanical engineering and structures. She is actively involved in AIAA, holds patents and is the recipient of multiple technical awards.

In her current role as Chief Technologist in Mechanical Analysis at Raytheon Missile Systems (RMS), Dr. Roybal leads the technical pyramid that meets the program execution needs for Raytheon’s programs across the entire system life cycle.  She leads the strategic growth of the mechanical engineering discipline at RMS and will provide a long-lasting legacy.

To read more about Dr. Roybal’s accomplishments, please refer to the Conference 2018 edition of the Magazine of the Society of Women Engineers. 

Congratulations to Dr. Mary Roybal and thank you for your contributions to SWE Tucson and beyond!

We are pleased to announce that Reganne Fornstrom, a first year engineering student, has been selected as the recipient of the FY19 scholarship.  Miss Fornstrom wrote a very impactful essay about her experience with SWE and the impact that it has already made for her in her first semester on campus.  The Scholarship Committee was very pleased to award her with this financial support from our Tucson Section.

Update - SWE Bylaws Committee has provided feedback, and the changes were incorporated and submitted for approval.  The committee vote is scheduled for 11 December. Check out the proposed changes to the bylaws here.

Information about several new outreach opportunities have been posted on our Outreach Events page. Check there for more details and a link to sign up to volunteer.

The 2nd Annual SWE Tucson Membership Brunch will be held Saturday 26 Jan 2019 from 9:00 - 12:00.  SWE Members will receive invitations in the mail with more details in early January.

Click here for more information about volunteering to serve on a SWE Tucson Committee

Click here to read about the November EC Meeting and Section Happy Hour.

Our Section President, Carol Weber, shares a recap of the WE18 conference. Check it out here!

SWE Society Bylaws Committee is still reviewing the Tucson Section Bylaws changes.  The vote on our Bylaws will be delayed until approval is received.

Check out the proposed changes to the SWE Tucson Section Bylaws here.

This month's events will include a hike with the SWE Phoenix section and our monthly Section Happy Hour and EC Meeting. The time for the Section Happy Hour has been moved back, in response to comments from SWE Tucson membership. Check the SWE Tucson Events page for more info on both of these upcoming events!

The AZ STEM Adventure team is looking for additional volunteers for their event on November 16th. Check it out on our Outreach Events page for more info!

A recap of the October Section Happy Hour and EC meeting is now posted on our Events Blog.

WELocal Conferences are just around the corner! Click here for more info.

Membership renewal for FY19 to maintain active member status was due by September 30, 2018.  However, if you missed this deadline, you can still  renew your membership.  For instructions on how to renew click here.

Check out all the benefits of being a SWE member here.

​Check out this month's message from our section president on the President's Blog page.

​The SWE Tucson section has added 25 members to our roster for FY19, with 19 new members to SWE and 6 transfers from other sections.  This is a 70% growth over FY18 and is very exciting for our EC and committee chairs. We have our first K-12 Educator member and a number of recent graduates and employer relocations who are moving to the area.  We wish a very warm welcome to SWE Tucson and we look forward to meeting you at our events and activities!

SWE Tucson will be awarding $500 to the spring tuition account for the first-place scholarship applicant.

See the scholarship page for application form and more information.

Please share this information with anyone who is eligible!

​The recent changes to the Society Governance Structure to dissolve the Regions has led to some required changes to the Section Bylaws.  The EC did take the opportunity to review and update our Section bylaws to include proposed changes to the leadership positions to provide for continuity year over year.  The key changes are as follows:

1. Section Representative to Region Council removed per Society Governance changes.
2. President Elect position added as an elected position, this person will serve 1 year as President Elect and than will transition to President the following fiscal year.  
3. Treasurer position changed to a 2 year term.  The Treasurer position will be on the ballot for Even Fiscal Years, starting with FY20.

The table below describes how the section will slate officers in future elections:

​The changes to the bylaws were approved by the EC in July and submitted to the Society Bylaws committee for their approval.  Once we receive the Society approval, we will submit the revised bylaws to the membership for a vote.  At that time, we will provide a link to the Section Bylaws for review and request membership vote to approve the changes.  

​For information about upcoming events, please see our events page.

October EC Meeting and Pre-Meeting Happy Hour
Date:  15 October at El Charro  311 N. Court Ave., Tucson, Arizona 85701
Time:  Happy Hour 5:00 - 6:00, Meeting 6:00 - 7:30
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Join us to network with the EC and committee chairs and stay for the meeting to learn about what SWE Tucson is planning for FY19.  A special agenda item will be the discussion on the SARSEF/SWE Tucson Outreach partnership.

November EC Meeting and Pre-Meeting Happy Hour
Date:  9 November at Location TBD (check our events page for more info, coming soon!)
Time:  Happy Hour 5:00 - 6:00, Meeting 6:00 - 7:30

Join us to network with the EC and committee chairs and stay for the meeting to learn about what SWE Tucson is planning for FY19.

Check our Event Blog for highlights from this month's past events: Head Shot Happy Hour and September EC Section Meeting and Happy Hour

​If you are new to the section, or are not able to commit a significant amount of time, please consider volunteering to chair or participate in one of the committees.  Many of them require little work, take the burden off the Executive Council, and will help us grow as a section (thus dividing the labor!)

Visit the Call for Committees page for more info about open positions.

Several SWE Tucson officers and members will be attending WE18 in Minneapolis this week. We hope to see you there!

​As I start the new SWE fiscal year as SWE Tucson’s Section President, I am very excited and honored to serve in this role.  I am new to Tucson, arriving in October 2016. However, I am not new to SWE having served in previous officer roles in Region H, Central Illinois and a member of Society committees for Finance, Awards & Recognition and Program Development Grants.  I am a SWE Life Member and very honored to have received the SWE Prism Award at WE14 in Los Angeles.
It was my husband’s job with Caterpillar that brought us to Tucson.  After arriving in Tucson, I started a new position in the Large Mining Trucks Product Group with Autonomous Haulage program.  Caterpillar is relocating many employees to Tucson and many of our newest members are part of this transition to the Tucson area.  
My primary objective as your FY19 President is to work with our EC and committees to plan activities for Professional Development, Networking and Outreach that will interest our members and encourage involvement.  We are still in need of some committee chairs and members to help plan and organize these events.  If you would like to get involved or need more information, please e-mail president@swetucson.org.   
I look forward to meeting you at future events and will seek your feedback on how SWE Tucson can better serve our members in our mission to Aspire, Advance, Achieve.

Cheers,
Carol J Weber
SWE Tucson Section President FY19

It is exciting news that SWE Tucson Past President Mary Roybal will be recognized with the SWE Fellow grade at WE18 in Minneapolis.  The Fellow Grade is an Honor conferred on SWE members in recognition of continuous service to the advancement of women in the engineering profession. Mary has many years of dedicated service to SWE’s mission, Aspire, Advance, Achieve.  We look forward to celebrating this recognition on Friday 19 October at the Awards banquet.  Congratulations Mary!  

For more information on this year’s STEM award recipients click here.

​It is time to renew your membership by September 30, 2018.  For instructions on how to renew click here.

Membership with SWE has some awesome benefits! Click here to find out more!

​If you are new to the section, or are not able to commit a significant amount of time, please consider volunteering to chair or participate in one of the committees.  Many of them require little work, take the burden off the Executive Council, and will help us grow as a section (thus dividing the labor!)  If you are interested in participating please contact Mary-Helen Douglas. 

Visit the Call for Committees page for more info about open positions.