PittSWE Newsletter - February 2011

FEBRUARY 2011 VOLUME 1. ISSUE 4

ASPIRE

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ADVANCE

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ACHIEVE

SUCCESSFUL ENGINEERING DAYS On Saturday, January 29th, one hundred 6th through 8th grade students from surrounding middle schools came to the Swanson School of Engineering for Saturday filled with fun science and engineer-

ing activities. The students were split into four different groups and participated in different activities such as an egg drop, which also had an economic component, a spaghetti bridge building competition, foil boat floating, and jeopardy.

The Girl Scout Engineering Day on Saturday, January 22 was also a huge success!

Two Junior Girl Scout Troops consisting of 4th and 5th graders and a Cadette Troop made up of 6th and 7th graders fulfilled engineering related badge requirements. The girls visited different

Egg Drop (left) and Spaghetti Bridge Building Competition (right)

The Junior Girl Scouts that participated in the Engineering Day.

Successful Spaghetti Bridge builders.

stations related to different engineering disciplines including: making a prosthetic hand model for Bioengineering, mixing lip gloss for Chemical Engineering, learning how cell phones work for Electrical and Computer Engineering, building pasta bridges for Civil Engineering, doing an efficiency activity with a yarn spider web for Industrial Engineering, and designing a new futuristic mode of transportation for Mechanical Engineering.

Both days were made possible by funding from Exxon Mobile through PDG grants.

UPCOMING EVENTS

by Jana DuMond

Friday, February 17th, - Saturday, February 20th ~ Region G Conference Saturday, February 19th, 10 am—4 pm ~ National Engineering Week at the Carnegie Science Center Help the Pittsburgh Chapter of SWE teach Newton’s 3rd Law of Motion with balloon rockets!

Wednesday, February 23rd, 5:15 pm ~ General Body Meeting: Stress and Relaxation Night with a Professional Pitt Yoga Instructor (WPU 548) Saturday, March 5th - Sunday, March 13th ~ SPRING BREAK! Wednesday, March 16th, 5 pm ~ General Body Meeting Engineering Challenge: “Don’t lose your Marbles!” - Challenge your engineering skills by keeping your marble off the floor the longest! Prizes will be awarded!

UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH Pitt SWE G23 Benedum Hall Pittsburgh, PA 15213 Phone: 412-624-3499 E-mail: pittswe@gmail.com

www.pitt.edu/~pittswe Find us on

PREPARING FOR YOUR FUTURE WHAT’S YOUR MAJOR? One of the first things an engineer must decide when starting out in their college career is their major. To help members who are facing this big decision, SWE held a “What’s Your Major” panel during its general body meeting on February 9th. Upperclassmen were present to answer questions about their respective majors, their job hunting experiences, and their current positions.

RESUME WORKSHOP/ NETWORKING In the days leading up to this semester’s career fair, SWE held events intended to prepare our members to make the right first impression. A resume workshop was held on February 4th to help everyone make their resume the best it could be. The night before the fair, SWE held a networking event with several companies, allowing members to interact on a more personal level with prospective employers. Represent-

atives from First Energy, MSA, Ground and Environmental Services, Walmart Logistics, and Schlumberger made presentations and talked to SWE members in attendance.

CO-OP AND JOB FAIRS The Spring Co-op and Job fairs were held on February 7-9 in the William Pitt Union.

Representatives from

over 150 companies were present to talk with students and alumni in search of internship, co-op, and full-time positions. Several of these same companies will be holding oncampus interviews in the next coming weeks.

To learn whether your company of interest is interviewing on campus, go to FutureLinks located in your Pitt Portal.

by Marcy Fischer

UNWINDING WITH SWE BLAST OFF! WITH SWE There will be a volunteer opportunity at the Carnegie Science Center on Saturday, February 19 for National Engineers Week! We will be helping introduce children to Newton's third law of motion through a balloon rocket launch. Please sign up here ASAP if you are interested! www.surveymonkey.com/s/ CLSTTC6.

6:15 in the Fifth Floor Studio (548) of the William Pitt Union to stretch, meditate, and work out all the stress you’ve built up after this last round of midterms. This is a free class, and anyone is welcome to join, so dress comfy, and bring your yoga mat (or a towel) and relax with SWE! Pitt SWE attended the Pitt Basketball Game vs.

Cincinnati.

Pitt won 71—59.

The Carnegie Science Center

LEARN TO RELAX

Sample Balloon Rocket Design

At our second General Body Meeting in February, we will be learning to relax with the help of a Professional Pitt Yoga Instructor! Join us February 23rd, from 5:15—

Yoga and meditation.

by Jana DuMond