100
+Women Strong
Upcoming Events
• Feb. 24, 2017: E-Day, Auburn University*
• March 1, 2017: Deadline for students to apply for 100+WS scholarships at auburn.edu/ scholarship/ausom • March 9, 2017: Greater East Alabama Regional Science and Engineering Fair, Auburn University * • April 21, 2017: Member meeting, Shelby Center McCartney Suite at 9 a.m. • April 21, 2017: Leadership Development Conference, registration begins at 10:30 a.m. • June 29, 2017: Women in Engineering Summer Camp Luncheon* *Volunteer opportunities for 100+WS members
Let us know… •
If you have any changes to your current 100+WS profile (education, location, job title, employer, etc.) so that we may update your profile on our membership webpage.
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If you would like to be included on our 100+WS member speaker list for speaker requests and event development. Please send us your areas of expertise.
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If you would like to join a 100+WS committee, and your preference: Recruitment, Retention, Reward.
Contact: myra.girard@auburn.edu
Greetings from the Loveliest Village on the Plains, As the Auburn University Samuel Ginn College of Engineering’s 100+Women Strong program enters its fourth year, we have grown from our humble beginnings of four members to our highest membership currently at 155. Each member has contributed uniquely to our mission of: Recruiting – Supporting the college’s efforts to increase female enrollment During the last six months, we hosted our first regional recruiting event in Birmingham; mailed recruiting letters, notebooks and pens to 453 prospective female students; hosted an exhibitor table at South’s BEST Robotics competition; shared 100+WS college-branded mementos with potential students; recommitted to providing Women in Engineering summer camp scholarships; and volunteered in a variety of high school recruitment settings. All of these efforts have contributed to our strong showing of 20 percent women enrolled in engineering for the 2016-17 academic year. Retaining – Focusing on retaining students enrolled in the college All new female engineering students and their parents were invited to attend the fall 2016 New Students Welcome Event. During this event, students were welcomed by 100+WS members and introduced to the mentoring program, which currently has 142 mentor/mentee assignments. One of the cornerstone retention events, the 2017 Leadership Development Conference, will take place April 21, 2017, featuring keynote speaker Chris Moody, ’90 electrical engineering and Twitter vice president and general manager of data and enterprise solutions. A highlight of the conference
FEBRUARY 2017
is always the speed-mentoring session in which students are given the opportunity to interact with multiple 100+WS members from varied engineering disciplines. Rewarding – Directing funds to reward students and faculty Our focus on increasing individual memberships and corporate sponsorships results in increased funds for rewarding Auburn women in engineering. Our current funding level allows us to support two female study abroad awards, four leadership awards, undergraduate research awards, two fellowships, 16 undergraduate scholarships, six upperclassmen scholarships and an Excellence in Diversity faculty award. Working toward the future The future impact of 100+WS depends upon membership numbers and corporate sponsorships. Members do not have to be onsite to positively impact the mission of 100+WS. Our committee meetings are often held through conference calls, and mentor interactions can be nurtured over the phone and through email. If you are not yet a member, we encourage you to join us and become a difference-maker in the future of Auburn women in engineering. We also welcome the names of individuals or companies we may contact regarding membership or corporate sponsorship. The future is bright for Auburn women in engineering. War Eagle! Myra Girard
Member Happenings • Three new executive committee development positions were appointed — Lynn Hecathorn, ’83 chemical and electrical engineering; Kelli McCullough, ’03 chemical engineering; and Krysta Weed, ’05 industrial and systems engineering. • All Auburn Engineering disciplines are now represented in 100+WS with the new membership of Emily Traylor, ’10 wireless engineering.
• Jennifer Hall, ’05 chemical engineering, was named as an Outstanding Young Auburn Engineer. Hall is a member of the Young Alumni Council and Young Alumni Chemical Engineering Panel. • Roxann Laird, ’94 chemical engineering, is the Power-Gen 2016 Woman of the Year. Laird manages more than 200 employees with an annual budget in excess of $40 million at the National Carbon Capture Center. • Leslee Belluchie, ’83 mechanical engineering, has been appointed to the Auburn University Foundation board of directors. • Nelda Lee, ’69 aerospace engineering, will receive the university’s Lifetime Achievement Award on March 4, 2017. • The Mary Manson Moore Conference Room naming in Harbert Center was attended by 100+WS members on Aug. 13, 2016, following the Female Freshmen Welcome Event. Moore is a 1983 civil engineering graduate. Thank you to Mary for her generous contributions to civil engineering. • Haley Porter, ’14 chemical engineering and pharmaceutical sciences graduate student and 100+ WS member, received first-place recognition for her podium presentation during a regional conference. • The college released a fun lip dub during fall 2016, which showcases many of our female engineering students. You can view the video on the college’s YouTube page at YouTube.com/AuburnEngineers.
Rewarding excellence The College of Engineering hosted a scholarship recognition reception Oct. 21 at the Auburn University Hotel and Conference Center. Samuel Ginn, the college’s namesake, provided the keynote address for the event. The 16 recipients of 100+WS undergraduate scholarships and six recipients of the 100+WS Helping Hands scholarships were invited to attend the event and meet the corporate sponsors who support the program. Representatives from Alabama Power, Brasfield & Gorrie, Harris Corp. and Southwire Co. attended the event. The scholarship recipients enjoyed meeting the corporate representatives and thanking them in person for supporting Auburn women in engineering. Thank you to our corporate sponsors: Visionary – Alabama Power, Brasfield & Gorrie, Equifax, Harris Corp., Lockheed Martin and Southwire Innovator – Chevron and Figg Bridge Group
New female faculty hired since September 2015 (tenure track) Lauren Beckingham – Assistant Professor, Civil Engineering Asha-Dee Celestine – Assistant Professor, Aerospace Engineering Selen Cremaschi – B. Redd Associate Professor, Chemical Engineering Marta Miletic – Assistant Professor, Civil Engineering Frances O’Donnell – Assistant Professor, Civil Engineering Jakita Thomas – Philpott-WestPoint Stevens Associate Professor, Computer Science and Software Engineering
Save the date
• Linda Figg, ’81 civil engineering, was profiled in the fall 2016 Auburn Engineering magazine.
Samuel Ginn College of Engineering 100+ Women Strong Leadership and Development Conference Friday, April 21, 2017 100+ Women Strong members Female engineering students
Keynote Speaker: Chris Moody, ’90 EE Twitter, Vice President and General Manager of Data and Enterprise Solutions
Member Spotlight: Nicole Faulk Nicole Faulk, ’96 and ’99 mechanical engineering, is Mississippi Power’s vice president of the customer services organization, the company’s largest employee population. The first woman to hold this position, she is responsible for all customer-related activities including accounting, call centers, engineering, transmission, distribution and marketing.
experiences, it also helps to have those who have experienced some of the challenges we are facing or are about to face.”
Born into an Auburn family, Faulk’s roots at the university run deep. Her greatgrandfather graduated from the university in the 1920s, and there has been a member of her family at Auburn ever since.
Faulk believes it’s important to encourage other women in engineering, the same way it’s important to encourage other women in the workforce – to find hard-working, committed individuals who will make an impact; to celebrate with them when they succeed and coach them when they fail; and ultimately, to help them to reach their goals.
Upon graduation, she began her career with Southern Company as an engineer with Southern Nuclear’s professional development program, and she credits her time at Auburn for her success and growth during her nearly 20-year career with the company. “I have been so fortunate with my career at Southern Company, and the foundation of the success is a direct result of the education and experiences I received at Auburn,” Faulk said. “So, it is easy for me to feel a sense, not so much of giving back, but of supporting the school that helped cultivate me into the person I am today.”
In giving back, she aims to help the college increase the number of women in engineering, and then encourage and help those students as they graduate and go out into the world.
Despite her busy schedule with Mississippi Power, Faulk always finds time to actively support Auburn Engineering both financially and with her time. In addition to being one of the founding members of 100+ Women Strong, she was the first female asked to join the Mechanical Engineering Advisory Council, serves as chair of the Auburn Alumni Engineering Council and is a member of the college’s Eagles Society and the university’s Petrie Society. “It’s not just important for women engineers to give back, it’s important for all engineers to give back,” Faulk said. “We all need role models, and just as it helps to have people who are not intimately involved in our
“Women need to see other women in engineering roles to know that engineering is a possibility,” Faulk said. “When we started talking about 100+ Women Strong, I never believed, that in a few short years, we would be doing all we are doing. Our members are making a difference in the lives of female students and building a support network for each other. I have never seen another group grow as fast or engage as quickly as this group. I truly believe our female engineering graduates are some of the best and most engaged in the country.”
Faculty Spotlight: Asha-Dee Celestine Asha-Dee Celestine, professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, joined the Auburn University Samuel Ginn College of Engineering faculty in August. She earned her bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Howard University, her master’s in aeronautics and astronautics from Stanford University and her doctorate in aerospace engineering from the University of Illinois. Celestine began her career as a high school math, physics and general science teacher in Trinidad before moving to Washington D.C. to pursue her mechanical engineering degree. Following graduation, Celestine crossed the country to earn her master’s before accepting a position with
Schlumberger as a reservoir evaluation field engineer for the company in Venezuela. Celestine then moved to Illinois to work on her doctorate, while also serving as a graduate research assistant. Following graduation, she served as a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard, focusing on characterization of composite behavior under thermomechanical loading, before accepting the position at Auburn. Celestine’s research interests include design and characterization of intelligent composites with a focus on self-healing, selfsensing, tailored mechanical response and degradation. She is a member of several engineering and scientific associations and societies and has delivered conference
presentations and been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals. In addition to her teaching and research duties, Celestine also serves as the faculty advisor for the Auburn University Hyperloop Team.
Mentor/Mentee Spotlight: Carey Holland and Alejandra Restrepo Alejandra Restrepo, junior in industrial and systems engineering, was touring Auburn Engineering as an incoming freshman when she spoke with a 100+ Women Strong representative who encouraged her to pursue engineering.
part of that. I’ve gotten just as much out of my mentoring relationships with these girls as I hope they have.” As a result of her experience and close relationship she’s formed with Holland, Restrepo said she hopes all Auburn women in engineering will take part in the program, whether as a student or a mentor.
Learning about the amazing mentoring opportunities and support network that were available for young women within the college made it evident that this was the place for her. Within a year, Restrepo met Carey Holland, ’06 electrical engineering and Alabama Power engineering supervisor, and the two immediately formed a bond and friendship. “She is always there to answer my questions and give me great advice,” Restrepo said. “Carey has really taught me to stay positive through this whole process and push through, regardless of how challenging it can be sometimes.” They are now working together at Alabama Power, as Restrepo has begun her co-op.
“We had an instant connection. Alej is beautiful, confident, well-spoken, and a joy to be around,” Holland said. “I am passionate about sharing my journey with other females so they are hopefully encouraged and inspired to obtain an engineering degree. From the moment I was introduced to the 100+ Women Strong initiative, I truly believed this organization was going to make an impact on not only Auburn’s College of Engineering, but on so many young women, and I wanted to be a
“Getting involved with 100+ Women Strong was one of the best decisions I have made,” Restrepo said. “The organization has taught me how to network and to not be afraid to put myself out there, and because of that I recommend all young women in engineering become involved with the program, as it opens up many opportunities and provides great connections. “When I graduate, I hope to become a mentor for other young women because 100+ Women Strong has given so much to me and I want to be able to give back. I want to be able help other young women to become successful and see their full potential as young engineers,” she added.
Corporate Partner Spotlight: Harris Corp. Harris Corp. has been a longstanding partner with the College of Engineering, supporting numerous programs and scholarships in the Departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, the Formula SAE program and more. In 2014, Harris became a visionary sponsor of 100+ Women Strong and a committed partner with the program.
is a proven leader in tactical communication; geospatial systems and services; air traffic management; environmental solutions; avionics and electronic warfare; and space and intelligence. Harris employees embody the same values as members of 100+ Women Strong in that they aspire to make a difference through integrity, excellence, results, innovation, inclusion and, especially, giving back.
From ocean to orbit and everywhere in between, Harris provides mission-critical solutions to connect, inform and protect the world. Harris
Alan Bernstein, director of talent acquisition, said Harris firmly supports women’s initiatives in engineering, and the company is proud to partner
with this prestigious group of female leaders of today. “Harris is a proud sponsor of Auburn’s 100+ Women Strong to recruit, retain, and reward the bright young women who major in engineering at Auburn University,” Bernstein said. “At Harris, we embrace
inclusion, and are committed to promoting educational, as well as professional, opportunities for women in engineering and technology by providing meaningful programs and services in the areas of communications, leadership, career development and overall enhancement.”