WE Week Recap

    As a closing event to our Women’s History Month Celebration, this past week at Purdue. The Women Engineering Student Organizations (WESO) at Purdue hosted Women in Engineering “WE” Week. WESO is a culmination of the various Women in Engineering student-run organizations at Purdue, both major-specific and general engineering student organizations. During WE Week, WESO hosts various events that aid in advising and providing support for women in engineering at Purdue. Our blog team members went to these events and want to write in this blog about all of the wonderful experiences at these events!

Painting with Professionals Event - Lily Brodzinski

    On Tuesday, the Women in Mechanical Engineering student organization hosted a “Painting with Professionals” event. At this event, students were introduced to Jennifer Ascher, a Manufacturing and Engineering Associate at General Mills. Jennifer talked about her undergraduate degree from Purdue’s Mechanical Engineering School and how her internships led her to where she is now. Jennifer talked about her day to day in her position , describing the specialized engineering process for the General Mills products that are made at her plant in Michigan. Jennifer talked about how it is important to talk about your interests with your superiors when getting into a job, making sure to make your goals clear so that you can develop with the company. Additionally, Jennifer talked about how different getting into industry can be from the school work you do at university - and in a good way! Engineering is a very broad field and entering the work field can mean different things for different people, it can be tailored to each person’s goals. Following the presentation, participants started to paint Oui yogurt glass containers and filled them with flowers. During this time, we had an opportunity to talk with each other about our classes, our internships, and our goals. Jennifer continued to walk through the room, talked to other students about their goals and interests, and gave advice on navigating this part of our futures. From this event, I learned about how to achieve my own goals and push for what I want when it comes to my passions.

Jeopardy with Global Foundries Roundtable - Madison Meunier

    On Wednesday, our Women in Electrical and Computer Engineering Program invited Dr. Isabelle Ferain, a professional in electrical engineering, to answer questions about her education and journey in the industry. On top of her educated insight into superconductors, how they work, and what they will look like in the future, she gave personal advice for any woman in engineering. In her experience, it is important to keep an open mind when it comes to innovation. Although some technology may be developed in one way, you should always keep in mind other ways it can be improved. When she entered the industry, superconductors were only being innovated to be smaller, but the company she works for found another way to improve this technology by adding features that had not existed before and cannot exist in the smaller format. When it came to entering the workforce, Dr. Ferain shared how it is important to have diverse extracurriculars such as hobby clubs, sports, and community service. This will show recruiters that you can work well with a team, communicate well, and much else. Finally, Dr. Ferain explained her “no regrets” mindset and how we should adopt it as well. When you come upon an important decision in your life, she says you should collect and analyze as much information about the two options as possible. Spend time and effort on this decision so that when you finally do decide, you do not regret that decision because you made the best possible decision with data to back.

Tabling - Natalie Anderson

    Tabling occurred all week in Dudley Atrium on the ground level of the Dudley-Lambertus complex home to a large number of student organizations and engineering classes. On Monday, the new Women in Industrial and Systems Engineering organization (WISE) tabled with an informative poster board highlighting their purpose, three districts (social, professional, and outreach), board members, and objectives for the current semester through next year. Visitors choose from a variety of WISE stickers and pick up a goody bag on their way to class!
    Tuesday's tabling highlighted Women in Mechanical Engineering (WiME) with 3D printed signs, a hammer made in an introductory mechanical engineering class, and treats for passersby. Wednesday’s Women in Electrical and Computer Engineering (WECE), Thursday’s Women in Aviation (WiA), and Friday’s Women in Nuclear (WiN) all featured detailed and decorated posters and an opportunity for current Boilermakers and visiting high school seniors to learn more about student experiences in each discipline.

WESO Gala - Madeleine Yee

    As the culminating event of the week, the Women in Engineering Student Organizations held the WESO gala, a night filled with dancing, sweet treats, and a fashion show! Held in the Armstrong Atrium, the gala was a fun way to destress and celebrate being a woman in engineering. Everyone in attendance was very fashionable in dresses and pantsuits perfect for the occasion! Early in the event, the Society of Women Engineers held a fashion show highlighting the different outfits an engineer may wear in the workplace. Some of the outfits included business casual and formal, academia, and manufacturing. All of the ladies looked stunning in their model outfits. The night was followed up by dancing and a photo booth and ended with a watch party of the Purdue Basketball game. Everyone in attendance mentioned they had a great time and greatly enjoyed the break from classes and the opportunity to dress up.

    The Women in Engineering Student Organizations at Purdue can provide a social community for women in engineering in various different majors. WE Week activities were a great way to cap off the celebration of Women's History Month.

Madeleine Yee, AAE '26, Natalie Anderson, ME '27, Madison Meunier, ChE '27,

and Lily Brodzinski, ChE '25

Recruitment Project Committee

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