Our First-Year Adventure at the WE25 Conference
Did you know that Purdue has the oldest continuously chartered Society of Women Engineers (SWE) section in the country? With over 600 members, it’s also one of the largest SWE chapters. With such a large presence in SWE, it should be no surprise that each year, Purdue SWE sponsors a group of students to attend the national WE Conference.
Run by the Society of Women Engineers, the WE Conference spans several days and features technical talks from major companies, smaller sessions on professional development and work-life balance, keynote speeches from inspiring women in engineering, and a massive career fair. This year, WE25 was held in New Orleans, Louisiana, and two lucky Purdue first-years (that’s us!) were among those sponsored to attend.
The application process for first-year students was simple: fill out a form explaining why you wanted to attend and how you planned to give back to Purdue SWE afterward. About a month before the trip, we got the exciting email confirming our sponsorship—with a reminder to let our professors know and plan for make up exams since we would be missing a few days of classes. After completing some paperwork, attending a pre-travel meeting, receiving an explanation of the requirements (attend at least 4 sessions or speak to 4 companies per day), and a few weeks of anticipation, the big day arrived!
To capture our time at WE25, we decided to split this post into four parts:
Sessions – We learned so much from these sessions, and they had such great variety.
Career Fair – Since we have two different career paths in mind, our experiences at the career fair were quite different.
Food – With a city so known for its food, we had to ensure that this was highlighted.
Exploring New Orleans – Not every minute was spent at the conference, so we wanted to make sure you saw our adventures, too
Since we both had different highlights and takeaways, we’ll be sharing our individual experiences throughout each section. You’ll see Heidi’s experience and Sarah’s experience side by side, giving a glimpse into how two first-year engineering students experienced the same conference in different ways.
Next up was a luncheon held by Caterpillar for collegiate attendees on how to invest in yourself and grow your career. The panel featured women in various stages of their careers at Caterpillar explaining their journeys and what they’ve learned, sharing advice to the students hoping to follow in their footsteps. There was also at least 1 professional from Caterpillar at every table, who could answer more questions once the food had been served.
The next day, I attended a session on human-centered design and prosthetics, but since it was more up Sarah’s alley, I’ll let her explain that one. My favorite session of that day was titled “The Fast Track of Innovation: Accelerating Technology Through Racing”. Held by two engineers from General Motor’s new Motorsport division, I learned about what it’s like to build motorsport cars, adjust strategies when in the middle of the race, and build a Formula 1 team from the ground up. They also discussed how the technology developed for motorsport impacts the everyday public, which was fascinating.
On the last day of the conference, I attended a panel session held by national SWE leaders about how they became leaders in their local SWE chapters and international SWE as a whole. I also attended a session focused on how women should take care of themselves before taking care of their career, and how it makes them better engineers. As a busy college student, this was an important reminder. My last session for the conference focused on how introverts create an impact in their workplaces. This session focused on embracing the strengths that come with being an introvert, and how introverts can be great leaders.
These sessions, while varying greatly in variety, taught me so much about what it’s like to be a woman in engineering, from the technical knowledge needed to the interpersonal skills required to succeed in the field.
Run by the Society of Women Engineers, the WE Conference spans several days and features technical talks from major companies, smaller sessions on professional development and work-life balance, keynote speeches from inspiring women in engineering, and a massive career fair. This year, WE25 was held in New Orleans, Louisiana, and two lucky Purdue first-years (that’s us!) were among those sponsored to attend.
The application process for first-year students was simple: fill out a form explaining why you wanted to attend and how you planned to give back to Purdue SWE afterward. About a month before the trip, we got the exciting email confirming our sponsorship—with a reminder to let our professors know and plan for make up exams since we would be missing a few days of classes. After completing some paperwork, attending a pre-travel meeting, receiving an explanation of the requirements (attend at least 4 sessions or speak to 4 companies per day), and a few weeks of anticipation, the big day arrived!
To capture our time at WE25, we decided to split this post into four parts:
Sessions – We learned so much from these sessions, and they had such great variety.
Career Fair – Since we have two different career paths in mind, our experiences at the career fair were quite different.
Food – With a city so known for its food, we had to ensure that this was highlighted.
Exploring New Orleans – Not every minute was spent at the conference, so we wanted to make sure you saw our adventures, too
Since we both had different highlights and takeaways, we’ll be sharing our individual experiences throughout each section. You’ll see Heidi’s experience and Sarah’s experience side by side, giving a glimpse into how two first-year engineering students experienced the same conference in different ways.
Sessions
Heidi’s Experience:
As an aspiring engineer with a particular interest in the space industry, the first session I’d be attending was obvious: “Spooky Action at a Distance: Quantum Entanglement Swapping in Space”. Held by an engineer from Boeing, I got to learn about their new satellite that will go up next year, which will demonstrate quantum entanglement swapping in space instead of on a benchtop.Next up was a luncheon held by Caterpillar for collegiate attendees on how to invest in yourself and grow your career. The panel featured women in various stages of their careers at Caterpillar explaining their journeys and what they’ve learned, sharing advice to the students hoping to follow in their footsteps. There was also at least 1 professional from Caterpillar at every table, who could answer more questions once the food had been served.
The next day, I attended a session on human-centered design and prosthetics, but since it was more up Sarah’s alley, I’ll let her explain that one. My favorite session of that day was titled “The Fast Track of Innovation: Accelerating Technology Through Racing”. Held by two engineers from General Motor’s new Motorsport division, I learned about what it’s like to build motorsport cars, adjust strategies when in the middle of the race, and build a Formula 1 team from the ground up. They also discussed how the technology developed for motorsport impacts the everyday public, which was fascinating.
On the last day of the conference, I attended a panel session held by national SWE leaders about how they became leaders in their local SWE chapters and international SWE as a whole. I also attended a session focused on how women should take care of themselves before taking care of their career, and how it makes them better engineers. As a busy college student, this was an important reminder. My last session for the conference focused on how introverts create an impact in their workplaces. This session focused on embracing the strengths that come with being an introvert, and how introverts can be great leaders.
These sessions, while varying greatly in variety, taught me so much about what it’s like to be a woman in engineering, from the technical knowledge needed to the interpersonal skills required to succeed in the field.
Sarah’s Experience:
I know I want to work in the medical technology industry one day, but I’m still not 100% sure which major I want to choose to get there or what exactly I want to do with my degree once I have it, so I wanted to customize my conference experience to help me get a feel for different career options and pathways I can take. The first session I attended was called “Harnessing Machine Learning (ML) to Measure Access to Health Care.” I’ve heard the term “Machine Learning” before, but never fully understood what it meant, so I didn’t really know what to expect going into this session. But I’m so glad I attended– it ended up being one of my favorites! This presentation featured speakers from Becton Dickinson (BD) who showed us how they created an interactive statistical database measuring access to Breast Cancer screenings in counties across the United States, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Taking us through their research process and struggles, they demonstrated how this new tool came to be. They even called on audience members to share where they’re from (and there were participants from all over) to demonstrate how they put together research to measure treatment accessibility in rural vs. urban areas with different demographics.Another session I attended was “Pixels to Progress: The Art and Science of Image Processing” by Jenna Mecaise, a PhD candidate pursuing her doctorate in Biomedical Engineering at Tulane University. In this session, the speaker told us how she connected her lifelong love for art to her career in medical imaging, and that the intersection between art and engineering is a lot bigger than you would think! She explained to us how photo editing works – all the way down to the pixel, and how she applies the same color theory principles she uses for her passions to the technology she develops. I learned so much about the field of medical imaging during this workshop, and I also found the message to be very inspiring: there’s so much room for creativity in engineering, so why not follow your passions for art and engineering at the same time?
There was such a wide range of sessions available at the conference, ranging from technical talks by specific companies, research presentations, professional development workshops, and personal development talks. I knew I wanted to attend a variety of different types of workshops while I was there, so I decided to pop into “Data-Driven Productivity: Aligning Work with Your Body’s Cycle.” The presenters, two engineers from Emerson Electric Co., discussed how the standard workday, like many things, wasn’t designed with the female body in mind. They taught us that because males have a 24-hour hormonal cycle, the eight-hour workday Monday through Friday aligns more closely with their strengths, while females have a very different 28-day hormonal cycle that doesn’t really match up with the pace of the corporate world. They then shared some tips to work with your hormonal cycle and not against it – like how to (when possible) assign different types of tasks to different weeks to take advantage of changing mental, physical, and emotional states throughout the month. I found this session to be very innovative and thought-provoking, as I had never really realized how much the female body can change over the course of a month and how much that can influence how I operate, even on little things like assignments and projects. I was also happy to see a big audience challenging this subject as “taboo!”
Last but certainly not least, like Heidi mentioned, I attended “Human-Centered Design: How Prosthetics Have Failed Women” by Claire Mikkelson and Kate Winslow from Coapt LLC. Coming to the conference, this was the workshop I was most eager to attend, and it did not disappoint! Part of the reason I am interested in going into the medical technology industry is because of the gap in innovation and research between men’s and women’s healthcare. The other reason I am interested in going into medical technology – I’ve always had an interest in prosthetics and orthotics. This session perfectly combined two of my biggest academic interests in a really cool way that I had not thought of before. The presenters discussed the giant gender gap in prosthetics research, with most of the prosthetics research out there not even mentioning women. They then dove into the impacts of these research gaps: most prosthetics on the market aren’t built for the female body. They’re often too big and too heavy, putting harmful stress on female joints and often leading women to reject their prosthetics altogether at a higher rate than men. They even mentioned that prosthetics can’t accommodate changes in female bodies during pregnancy. This talk made me really excited to go into the prosthetics industry one day to help make a difference, and as upsetting and unfair as some of the data they shared was, it was really inspiring. I was even able to chat with the presenters and some other attendees after the presentation and made great connections with really interesting people.
Career Fair
Heidi’s Experience:
The career fair, which spanned two days, was enormous. With over 200 companies in attendance, it was slightly overwhelming. Luckily, I had picked out which companies I wanted to speak with beforehand, marking their place on the map, and even pre-registering for their booths before arriving in New Orleans. By the end of the conference, I’d spoken with companies like Ford, GE Aerospace, K2 Space, Relativity Space, Teledyne Technologies, and NASCAR. I also spoke with many graduate schools about Research Experience for Undergraduates, which was new to me but sounds quite promising. The recruiters for each school or company were all amazing, and learning how to navigate such a massive career fair for hours at a time will prove to be extremely helpful in the future.Sarah’s Experience:
The career far at first glance was really intimidating; I won’t lie. Even after attending my first Industrial Roundtable at Purdue earlier this semester, having that many recruiters from top companies in one giant room will always be a bit nerve-racking. Nevertheless, I decided to push myself to talk to some recruiters, even just to practice for the future when I have more experience under my belt. I ended up talking to recruiters from Boston Scientific, Regeneron, Johnson & Johnson, and Medtronic. I found the conversations I had to be very valuable, and I’m glad I took advantage of the opportunity to network as a first year student – it’s never too early! I was able to get some really great advice from the recruiters that actually work as engineers at their respective companies – I asked them about what they decided to major in, what internships and extracurriculars they did, and generally how they got to where they were in their careers. Everyone was friendly and happy to take time to chat with me, which I really appreciated. I was also able to visit some of the graduate schools in attendance and get tons of free swag, which was so fun!Food
Heidi’s Experience:
With celiac disease, travel is always a little extra trouble. But, knowing this, I started researching the best gluten-free spots in NOLA as soon as I got my confirmation email. The top result was a place called Bon’s, which had a full gluten-free menu. Throughout the trip, I went to Bon’s no less than 3 times (yes, it was that good). There, I ate the most amazing gumbo tacos, fried alligator, chicken and waffles (you genuinely do not understand how incredible these were), and gluten-free beignets.Outside of Bons, I went to The Will and the Way, which had Louisiana hot chicken and cheese grits, which were so good that I even double checked to ensure that it was gluten-free. During a dinner with 9 other Purdue SWE girls, I got Greek chicken skewers and veggies (Sarah got all of my Pita bread). After dinner, we went to Sucre, where we all got gelato. On the last night of the trip, I ate at Deanie’s Seafood, where I got enough fried catfish to last at least 3 meals, along with fries and spicy red potatoes.
NOLA has always been on my bucket list, and one of the biggest reasons why is the food scene. I have had some of the classics before at Universal Studios, but nothing compares to the real, local version. I think I ate around 8 or 9 beignets in my three days in Louisiana, and I regret not eating more while I had the chance. I had so much fun comparing the beignets from Cafe Beignet and Cafe du Monde (two of the major beignet empires) against each other (it’s a draw; they’re both too good to pick a winner). I also went to Bon’s with Heidi once and ordered a Shrimp Roll, which was very good! Some other foodie highlights from the week would have to include my delicious jambalaya at “The Gumbo Shop” in the French Quarter on the first night (which I wolfed down in about 45 seconds), and a surprisingly good barbecue sandwich from a food truck at the conference venue. I’m from North Carolina, so I don’t praise just any barbecue lightly, but I must say they know what they’re doing in NOLA. And I can’t leave out the tasty alligator bites I tried with some Purdue SWE friends during our last night!
As an avid reader, I knew I had to stop in some independent bookstores while in the city, so I visited Crescent City Books and Beckham’s Bookshop. Since Halloween was approaching, I also made sure to watch that weekend’s Halloween parade, which was so much fun!
Sarah's Experience
NOLA has always been on my bucket list, and one of the biggest reasons why is the food scene. I have had some of the classics before at Universal Studios, but nothing compares to the real, local version. I think I ate around 8 or 9 beignets in my three days in Louisiana, and I regret not eating more while I had the chance. I had so much fun comparing the beignets from Cafe Beignet and Cafe du Monde (two of the major beignet empires) against each other (it’s a draw; they’re both too good to pick a winner). I also went to Bon’s with Heidi once and ordered a Shrimp Roll, which was very good! Some other foodie highlights from the week would have to include my delicious jambalaya at “The Gumbo Shop” in the French Quarter on the first night (which I wolfed down in about 45 seconds), and a surprisingly good barbecue sandwich from a food truck at the conference venue. I’m from North Carolina, so I don’t praise just any barbecue lightly, but I must say they know what they’re doing in NOLA. And I can’t leave out the tasty alligator bites I tried with some Purdue SWE friends during our last night!
Exploring New Orleans
Heidi’s Experience:
As part of the agenda of the trip, as soon as we landed in our hotel, PSWE joined with the University of Michigan’s chapter for a scavenger hunt for iconic NOLA landmarks. My team included a Purdue sophomore, and a UM sophomore, and a UM junior. We found landmarks like Jackson Square and the beautiful St. Louis Cathedral, while also stopping in fun stores along the way.As an avid reader, I knew I had to stop in some independent bookstores while in the city, so I visited Crescent City Books and Beckham’s Bookshop. Since Halloween was approaching, I also made sure to watch that weekend’s Halloween parade, which was so much fun!
Sarah’s Experience:
One of my favorite things to do when exploring new cities is window (and sometimes real) shopping, and that’s exactly what I did in NOLA! There were so many nice shops in the French Quarter, and the city is super walkable, so it was easy to check out the pretty buildings and find some street performers to watch. One night, a couple of friends and I decided to check out the “Frenchman Art Bazaar” where there were lots of pop-up craft booths with everything from large paintings to funny hats to bone jewelry. I was even able to buy some pretty prints for my dorm room wall! I also loved checking out Crescent City Books with Heidi and taking some walks by the river.
Conclusion
We are so grateful we had the opportunity to join Purdue SWE and travel to the biggest annual gathering of women in engineering and technology in the world to kick off our Purdue Engineering journeys. Both of us created lots of new connections and lasting friendships out of this opportunity. We are more excited and inspired than ever to be both Purdue engineers and women engineers. We think this goes to show that doors start opening early at Purdue if you get involved, and we hope this inspires you to think about what kinds of things you are interested in getting involved in wherever you end up. Even though Heidi and I had the privilege to attend the same conference, we were able to follow our interests and customize our experiences – just like you can in college! So don’t be afraid to apply to opportunities that interest you, get out of your comfort zone, and believe in yourself.Heidi Kennard, FYE '29
Sarah Shaughnessy, FYE '29
Recruitment Project Committee
Stay Connected With Purdue WiE Program!
Facebook: Purdue Women in Engineering
Instagram: @purdue.wie
Blog: purduewiep.blogspot.com
Email: welink@purdue.edu
Use the hashtag #PurdueWiE on Facebook and Instagram!
Comments
Post a Comment