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MOVING FORWARD
The EMPOWER Program
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
WITPROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
WORKSHOPS
2
WIT COMPANY
TOURS
2
WOMEN‟S
ACHIEVEMENT
DINNER
3
EQUAL PAY DAY
3
GIRLS SCOUT
TECHNOLOGY
CAMP
4
K-12 AND
COMMUNITY
OUTREACH
5
2010-2011
SCHEDULE
5
WHERE IS WIT
NOW?
CLASS OF 2010
6
MEET THE WIT
TEAM
7
CONTACT INFO
8
MISSION:
Our mission is to
support, promote and
encourage young
women to pursue an
education and a
career in science and
technology-based
fields.
The EMPOWER project consisted of a series of workshops
designed to build selfconfidence in professional skills
needed to succeed in the science, technology, engineering or
math (STEM) fields while developing a community of women
through networking activities
that included fellow students,
faculty, alumni, and professional
women.
There were three main workshops supported by the EMPOWER program: an Etiquette
Luncheon, a Dress for Success
Seminar and a Networking
Workshop. A culminating event
was held in conjunction with the
RIT Women‟s Career Achievement Dinner where the students
could network with local professional women and use the skills
acquired through attending
these workshops.
A certificate of completion was
awarded to students that completed at least two of the above
workshops or one workshop and
toured a local industrial facility
or participated in a Girl Scout
outreach event.
This project was funded by a
Campus Action Program grant
from the American Association
of University Women, whose
mission is to advance equity for
women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy
and research.
The EMPOWER Program was
well attended, including 78 WIT
students and received positive
reviews. Additional funding is
being sought so that these programs may continue.
WIT Students Present at National Conference
WIT sent two student to represent RIT at the National Conference for College Women Student Leaders, Baltimore MD,
June 3-5, 2010. Graduating
Electrical Engineering Technology student, Danielle LaFrance
and 3rd year Telecommunication Engineering Technology
student Annette Eko, presented
the programs that WIT offered
through the support of the
AAUW grant, EMPOWER. They
also participated in a community
service event for breast cancer
survivors, and attended sessions entitled „Finding Your
Voice‟ and „Sharing Your Voice.‟
The closing panel discussion
was titled, „Secrets of Powerful
Women.‟ The importance of
listening, dressing for the next
level, knowing our worth and
making connections with people
who make time and express
interest in us, were all important
lessons that Annette took away
from these presentations.
“I had the opportunity to put into
practice, on a larger scale, all
that I learned at the workshops
organized by WIT,” Eko said.
“Some students who went to our
AAUW grant presentation were
very influenced by our activities
and events. Annette and I both
talked to a few girls after our
session was done and they
www.rit.edu/cast/wit
Danielle LaFrance, Annette Eko
stated that they wished their
college had a women's group
like WIT to prepare students for
the „real world,‟” added LaFrance.
Read Danielle and Annette’s
review of the conference on our
website: www.rit.edu/cast/wit/
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MOVING FORWARD
WIT Professional Development Workshops
Dress for Success
Etiquette Luncheon
Dress for Success
Networking 101
Organized by Women in Computing, this Brick-City catered luncheon was offered by the co-op
office. Proper etiquette was presented via power point as the
students were formally served a
soup and salad appetizer. The
students not only learned which
utensil to use, but were also
given pointers as what to order
at a lunch or dinner interview.
The proper way to fill a plate at a
buffet was also practiced as the
main course was set out.
This fashion show style event
was coordinated by WE@RIT
(Women in Engineering). After a
given situation was read, students came out wearing attire
that would be appropriate for
that event. This workshop not
only helped students determine
what was suitable business apparel, it also taught them how to
coordinate a wardrobe. Dress for
Success was offered just before
the job fair, enabling students to
create an appearance to make a
great first impression.
Women in Technology organized
this networking workshop with
local expert Kathleen Pringle,
President, Predictive Insights,
Inc. Kathleen‟s presentation
discussed the skills necessary
for successful networking, allowing for time to practice in small
groups. She also gave guidance
for developing a professional
portfolio. All of the portfolio supplies were provided by a grant
from the American Association of
University Women (AAUW).
Networking Practice
Company Tours
Barilla Pasta Company
3 Workshops
In September, the WIT members
donned clean room suits as they
headed into the Barilla Pasta
Facility in Avon, NY. The new
facility services the northeastern
United States and is responsible
for over 50% of Barilla‟s US
sales. At Barilla the group saw
pasta being made from the mixing, to the extrusion, to the drying to the packaging into boxes
and bags. Packaging Science
and Mechanical Engineering
students shared a particular
interest in this tour.
3 Company Tours
Constellation Brands, Inc.
Ginna Power Plant
3 Girl Scout camps
In January, sixteen WIT members
took a ride to Canandaigua, NY
to learn about wine manufacturing at Constellation Brands, Inc.
The manufacturing, chemical
and packaging processes were
all discussed as the group
toured the facility of the leading
In April, WIT members toured the
Ginna Power Plant in Ontario,
NY. Ginna is owned by Constellation Energy and is one of the
United States‟ oldest nuclear
power reactors. At Ginna, engineers led the tour and discussed
the important role nuclear power
Barilla Pasta Company
Visit
WIT Events
2009-2010
2 Community
Outreach Days
10+ Social/
Networking Events
1 Achievement Dinner
Endless
Opportunities !
premium wine producer in the
United States.
Constellation Brands Visit
www.rit.edu/cast/wit
plays in providing clean power to
the Rochester area, the amount
of training required of all staff at
nuclear power plants, how much
safety is stressed at these facilities and the need for more engineers to be trained in nuclear
power generation as many engineers in this field are approaching retirement. Ginna has hired
co-op students from RIT‟s Electrical, Civil and Mechanical Engineering Technology programs.
Ginna Power Plant
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MOVING FORWARD
Women’s Achievement Dinner
Eight WIT alumnae joined 39
CAST women, including students, faculty and staff for this
2010 culminating event. It was a
great way for our alumnae to
connect with current students
and it allowed our students the
opportunity to use networking
skills acquired through our programs. Alumnae in attendance
included; Amelia Taylor, Mech.
ET; Leslie Quesnel, Mech. ET;
Mary Ellen Walkowicz, Pkg Science; Lindsay Rinefierd, Pkg
Science; Katie Dugan-Fisher,
Civil ET and Betty Kassahun,
Electrical ET. WIT also invited
area professional women as
guests. Those in attendance
included; SWE PresidentCourtney Reich; SWE Vice President-Dara Lubin; AAUW NY President- Eileen Hartmann, and
Xerox technical women‟s group
leader- Marina Tharayil. At this
event WIT students who completed the EMPOWER program
received their certificates!
EMPOWER Certificate:
Program : EMPOWER
Professional Skills Workshop Certificate
Purpose: To provide WIT
students the opportunity
to develop professional,
leadership skills and
certification that will
provide them with a
leading edge.
Requirements:
Attend TWO EMPOWER
workshops:
Etiquette Lunch
Dress for Success
Networking101
-OR-
On average, women make 78% of
what their male counterparts earn
annually. (http://www.aauw.org/
act/issue_advocacy/actionpages/
payequity.cfm). In order to bring
awareness to the inequity in pay
between the genders, Equal Pay Day
was observed April 20, 2010. The
WIT team offered cookies, fruit and
punch to anyone who visited their
display table. As a lighthearted way
to show the discrepancy in size,
drinks were offered in 12 oz. and 8
oz. cups. The obvious size differences provoked conversation between both men and women, faculty
and students.
ONE EMPOWER Workshop from above AND
ONE of the following
events:
Equal Pay
Day
Local Industrial
Tour
Volunteer for Girl
Scout Workshop
Attend a workshop
offered through the
Women's Career
Leadership Certificate Program
www.rit.edu/cast/wit
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MOVING FORWARD
Girl Scout Technology Camp
by Jeanne Christman, Assistant Professor
Electrical, Computer & Telecommunications Technology
Plastics Lab
Group Discussion
Mixing Cement
The Girl Scouts in Technology
Program is a workshop, led by
female Engineering Technology
students, that introduces engineering concepts to 4 t h -7 th
grade girls through a series of
interactive laboratory experiments. The day-long workshops
are offered three times per year
to area Girl Scouts and are intended to increase the girls‟
interest in engineering. In support of this goal, hands-on experiments are carefully designed to: 1) show the girls that
science can be both fun and
creative 2) connect science and
engineering to things in everyday life that they already know
and care about 3) demonstrate
that women can make a positive
impact on the world with a ca-
reer in engineering.
The workshops take place on
the RIT campus and make use
of four different Engineering
Technology laboratories. The
girls spend one hour in each lab
where they are presented with
an overview of that engineering
technology and a brief description of the theory behind the
experiment that they will be
performing. Using tools and
measuring equipment found in
the laboratories, the experiments are performed entirely by
the girls with guidance from the
student volunteers. To culminate the day all of the Girl
Scouts meet with the student
volunteers for a question-andanswer period. During this panel
discussion the girls are encouraged to ask questions relating
to the students‟ decisions to
study engineering, their career
aspirations along with their college experiences.
During the 2009-2010 school
year, 105 Girl Scouts attended
the program which was led by
42 student volunteers. Assessment data shows that the program is beneficial to both the
girls that attend and the student
v o lunt e ers. T he fo ll ow ing
graphs demonstrate the change
in attitudes of the girls regarding
the “easiness” and the
“interestingness” of science.
The girls were surveyed before
and after completing the workshops:
WIT Student Volunteers
Girl Scout
Technology Camp
3 camp sessions
4 lab experiences
42 RIT WIT student
volunteers
105 Girl Scouts
Countless
attitudes
changed!
Feedback from the student volunteers addressed the benefits to them both as an outreach activity and
as a community building activity.
“I just like volunteering and giving back - it makes me feel right at home.”
“I feel like we've made a difference in how the Girl Scouts we've worked with view engineering.”
“Participating in the WIT Girl Scout events is a chance to help young girls realize the possibilities they
have if they decide to pursue a future in the technological field.”
“This has given me a chance to meet girls in different years than my own, something that I probably
would not have been able to do otherwise.”
“It was nice to be in a relaxed setting with other females in my major. We bonded and made instant
friendships. It helped me find friends in my major.”
www.rit.edu/cast/wit
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MOVING FORWARD
K-12 Community Outreach
E3 Fair www.e3fair.org
E3 is a science fair organized
and funded by engineering societies of the Rochester area
and local industries. It is a competition for middle school students.
Women in Technology volunteers supported this event by
offering a hands-on science
experi ment for the mi dd l e
school students to do while they
waited for their turn in the competition. The WIT group presented: The S C IE NC E B E H I ND
S HRINKY D INKS: Shrinkable Polystyrene Plastic (PS - Recycle
Code 6). The WIT members
explained how polystyrene is
made of polymer chains while
the middle school students cre-
ated a design on a piece of plastic. The students then put the
plastic in a toaster oven to see
what happens! This short experiment on polymers and the
law of conservation of matter
provides the students with a
„take away‟ zipper-puller or
bracelet to remember the lesson.
ImagineRIT
http://www.rit.edu/imagine/
Back by popular demand! The
WIT group hosted over 500 people at their The S CIENCE BEHIND
S HRINKY DINKS display. Just 2
days after the E3 fair, over 20
WIT volunteers spent their Saturday shrinking polystyrene for
curious onlookers. This event
gives WIT students the opportu-
nity to socialize and share their
love of science with others!
Community Giving
Giving back to the community is
an important part of being a
responsible citizen. So, throughout the holiday season, Women
in Technology (WIT), in collaboration with Women in Engineering (WE@RIT) and Women in
Computing (WIC), collected
items on a wish list for the Alternatives for Battered Women‟s
Shelter in Rochester. The program coordinators delivered
boxes of supplies and monetary
donations that were generously
contributed by faculty, staff and
students from the RIT community.
2010-2011 Event Schedule
Q/WEEK
Orientation
Fall/ 2
Fall/ 4
Fall/6
Fall/ 8
Fall/ 10
W/2
W/4
W/4
W/6
W/
W/
S/
S/2
S/3 S/5
S/
S/
S/9
S/10
Exam Week
DATE
09-03-10
09-17-10
09-30-10
10-15-10
10-29-10
11-12-10
12-10-10
01-07-11
01-08-11
01-21-11
TBD
TBD
TBD
03-19-11
03-25-11/ 04-08-11
TBD
TBD
05-07-11
05-13-11
EVENT
Welcome New Student Meet & Greet
Team Building Event
Author: Rebecca Skloot
Donna Rubin
Company Tour (TBD)
2010 Graduates Tell All, Social
Holiday Social
Professional Skills Presentation
Girl Scout Engineering Camp
Etiquette Luncheon
Company Tour
Dress for Success
Networking/ Interviewing Skills
Girl Scout Engineering Camp
Accepted Student Social (s)
Women‟s Networking Dinner
E3 Fair
Imagine RIT
Year End Social!
Senior Send Off!
www.rit.edu/cast/wit
Shrinky Dink Design Table
E3 Fair
ABWS Donations
WIT Events
2010-2011
Workshops
Company Tours
Girl Scout camps
Community
Outreach Days
Social/ Networking
Events
Achievement Dinner
Endless
Opportunities!
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MOVING FORWARD
Where Is WIT Now? Class of 2010 Profiles
CONGRATULATIONS
WIT CLASS OF 2010!
Courtenay Cooper:
Dress for Success
I am currently on co-op in Fairfield, OH working for the Packaging Corporation of America. I
went on to do my masters at
RIT in packaging science, so I
am doing this co-op to get a
little experience in that field
before I graduate with my masters May 2011.
Brianna Ryan:
Networking Event
Three weeks ago (at the end of
June 2010) I finished my internship with Unilever. Now I am
enjoying what will most likely be
my last summer vacation and
job searching!
Michelle Macro:
Social Event
Growing WIT!
1 Professor
Emerita
1 Program
Coordinator
5 Board
members
38 2010
Graduates
I am currently still in Rochester
co-oping in the Plastics Lab in
Building 82 for Dr. Kim of the
MMET/PS department. I have
two more co-ops to finish before I can get my degree. After
which I may consider grad
school.
Danielle LaFrance:
I am employed at Anaren Microwave in East Syracuse and
work as a Process Engineer. I
have been here for a little over
a month now.
Valerie Nadeau:
Holly Robistow:
I recently graduated in May,
2010. I have been working for
L'Oreal for a month now as a
Packaging Engineer and I love
it! I will also be getting married
in two months in Letchworth
State Park 45min south of
Rochester and then leaving to
Rome for a 12 day cruise in the
Greek Isles. Life is fantastic as I
keep learning and living, gaining plenty of great knowledge
and insights. I can't imagine
any other college being able to
prepare me and help me in life
as much as RIT has.
I am working at ITT in Rochester. I am an Electrical Engineer.
I am also attending grad school
at RIT for Electrical Engineering
slowly but surely one class at a
time.
Delvina Uka:
As alumnae, you can still be
involved with WIT…
I am living in Horseheads, NY.
Right now I am taking time off
to raise my two sons. I am enjoying every moment while they
are so little. I am hoping to
come to the Alumni social on
November 12th.
Serenity Sutherland:
In fall of 2010 I will begin studies for my PhD at the University
of Rochester in American History focusing on environmental
issues.
Paula Gnau:
I am employed with IEC Electronics in Newark, NY 14513 as
a quality engineer.
www.rit.edu/cast/wit
Amanda Quirk:
Amanda is living in Rochester
and working at Flightline, in
Victor.
WIT Graduates:
Keep in touch!
Share your experiences by
speaking at a WIT function,
formal or informal
Organize a tour of your
company
Become a mentor to a
current WIT student
Let us know where you are now
so you can receive newsletters
and invitations to WIT events!
UPDATE YOUR EMAIL NOW!
Send information to
[email protected]
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MOVING FORWARD
Meet the WIT Team
The WIT program continued to
grow throughout the 2009 academic year! The six core members ran various socials, tours
and enrichment events, all
while teaching/ working full
time. In the summer of 2009,
the College of Applied Science
and Technology (CAST) Associate Dean Maureen Valentine,
with support from Dean H. Fred
Walker, opened a requisition
for the position of WIT program
Elaine Lewis
WIT Program coordinator
Phone: 585 475-4576
Email: [email protected]
staff. This position was created
to provide support to the WIT
faculty so they could continue
these events and still have time
to teach!
Along with adding program
coordinator Elaine Lewis, the
WIT team also formed a board
of directors. Betsy Dell, MMET
and Miller Endowed Professor
serves as director, while Associate Dean of CAST, Maureen
Elaine Lewis joined WIT in October 2009. Since then she has
developed and organized company tours, professional skills
workshops and social events for
the Packaging Science, Engineering Technology and Environmental Management
women in the College of Applied Science and Technology.
Her goal as program coordinator
is to create a student centered
Valentine serves as chairwoman of the board. The advisory board includes core memb e r s , A s s i s t a n t P r o fe s s o r
Jeanne Christman, Adjunct
Professor Teresa Wolcott and
Lab Manager Leslie Gregg.
Retired Professor Emerita Carol
Richardson will be an honorary
member of the board.
Maureen Valentine, PE
Associate Dean of CAST
Chairperson of the Board, WIT
Betsy Dell
Assistant Professor MMET
Director of the Board, WIT
organization focused on inclusion.
WIT students are encouraged to
both plan and attend these
networking events!
Students: If there are companies you‟d like to visit or workshops you would like to attend
send your ideas to:
[email protected]
Jeanne Christman
Assistant Professor ECTET
Board Member, WIT
Professor Emerita:
Carol Richardson
Carol Richardson
Professor Emerita, ECTET
A s p e c i a l t ha n ks t o Ca r o l
Richardson as she retires from
RIT. Carol founded WIT with the
first Vatea/Perkins grant. She
supported WIT with funding
from the Miller Chair. She has
been on the board of directors,
volunteered for ImagineRIT, E3,
Equal Pay Day and was our
campus representative for the
AAUW Campus Action Program
grant. She also started the
Rochester professional chapter
of SWE.
Teresa Wolcott
Adjunct Professor CET
Board Member, WIT
All of us in WIT look forward to
her continued involvement to
help promote WIT.
Congratulations Carol!
www.rit.edu/cast/wit
Leslie Gregg
Lab Manager, CAST
Board Member, WIT
Page 8
MOVING FORWARD
2010 Welcome Back Event
MEET & GREET
Get to know other women students in technology
disciplines along with faculty and staff
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 3, 2010 4:00PM-6:00PM
CAST Building 82, McGowan Commons
Start the year off right!
Finger foods and drinks provided…
Current WIT students WELCOME…
...please RSVP to [email protected]
Our Sponsors!
Funding for the
2009-2010 WIT Program
was made possible by :
Project Lead the Way
The American
Association of
University Women
The Endowed
Paul A. Miller
Professorship
If you would like to support
WIT or sponsor an event
please contact Elaine Lewis
All female freshman & transfer students
in Engineering Technology, Environmental Management or
Packaging Science in the
College of Applied Science & Technology are welcome!
Just show up!
WIT students are encouraged to both plan and attend
these networking events!
Students: If there are companies you‟d like to visit or
workshops you would like to attend send your ideas to:
Elaine: [email protected]
Find out More!
Email:
[email protected]
How do I join WIT?
All female Packaging Science, Engineering Technology ,
and Environmental Management students are members of WIT just by registering for classes!
Website:
NO sign up necessary!
Facebook:
NO MEMBERSHIP FEE!
Women in Technology
(WIT) at RIT
Students: You are automatically enrolled in our WIT
community on the RIT website “mycourses,‟ where you
can easily communicate with other WIT students, faculty and staff.
Women in Technology
78 Lomb Memorial Drive
Rochester, NY 14623
Phone: (585) 475-4576
E-mail: [email protected]
www.rit.edu/cast/wit
www.rit.edu/cast/wit