Professional Development Conference (PDC) Committee
The Professional Development Conference (PDC) Committee is responsible for the planning and execution of SWE-LA’s annual professional development conference in the Spring. PDC includes one-day of speakers, networking, breakfast and lunch. Professional Development at SWE has a focused approach to empower women to succeed and advance in their engineering studies and careers. Our programs support the retention, recruitment and advancement of women in engineering and technology through career services, professional development programs and networking opportunities.
K-12 STEM Outreach Committee
One of SWE’s core values is to encourage girls and young women to aspire to pursue careers in engineering and technology. The goal of the SWE-LA Outreach Committee is to:
- Introduce girls, and their parents and educators, to engineering through fun activities. We want to provide girls with opportunities to interact with professional women engineers who can act as a role model for the many girls in the LA area who have never met an engineer, much less a woman engineer
- Encourage older girls and young women to pursue engineering and technology careers. Providing these girls with meaningful interactions with women engineers allows them to envision themselves as successful engineers. SWE-LA also provides scholarship support to women at local colleges and universities who are pursuing engineering degrees
Undergraduate Outreach Committee
The Undergraduate Outreach Committee is responsible for promoting and overseeing SWE-LA’s annual collegiate scholarship program. The SWE-LA collegiate scholarship program is open to women in undergraduate and graduate engineering programs at USC, UCLA, Caltech, Cal State LA, Cal State Northridge, Cal Poly Pomona, Harvey Mudd, or Loyola Marymount.
Graduate/Academia Committee (GAC)
The Society of Women Engineers – Los Angeles professional section established the “GAC” (Graduate/Academia Committee) in 2021 by Ivy Kwok. The Graduate Outreach Committee focuses on creating an empowering space for SWE members and women in STEM who are in academia and/or currently pursuing higher education. With the growth of this new avenue for SWE-LA, the goal is to help provide the resources, information, and supportive network for members to successfully navigate graduate school and career paths in academia together.
Projects Include:
- Quarterly social events around Southern California
- Professional development events in collaboration with local women in STEM groups
- SWE-LA Lunch & Learn: Grad School Demystified
- SWE-LA Graduate Student Scholarship
- SWE-LA Outstanding Faculty Leadership Award
- SWE-LA Graduate/Academia Research Symposium
Member Engagement Committee
The Member Engagement Committee focuses on finding activities to engage SWE members within the SWE-LA section! The committee will plan and host events that will bring SWE members together and connect with one another. If you are interested in participating in a fun committee that creates fun events for STEM professionals or have any ideas to contribute, this is the committee for you.