February 2019 - Industry Tour at Duncan Enterprises

Our SWE Section had the honor of having an industry tour of Duncan Enterprises.  What began in 1946 as a small startup in the Duncan family’s garage is today a thriving international business.  We toured the Fresno Facility and learned about the engineering behind manufacturing ceramics, glue, tie-dye, and makeup.  In attendance, we had students from UC Merced and Fresno City College along with professors from CSU, Fresno - Lyles College of Engineering.

November 2018 - Bakersfield Networking Night

Our first Bakersfield Networking Night was a success!  Engineers from Bakersfield and Fresno came together to network and have a good time.  We discussed future events for the SWE San Joaquin Valley Section and ways to engage our members in the Bakersfield area.  If you are interested in helping the SWE San Joaquin Valley Section coordinate an event in the Bakersfield area feel free to contact us at san_joaquin_valley@swe.org.  We want to acknowledge Sara Brito with California Resources Corporation for being instrumental in coordinating the networking event. Thank you, Sara!

October 2018 - Women in Manufacturing Day

Fresno Unified School District coordinated the first Women in Manufacturing Day in the San Joaquin Valley.  During Women in Manufacturing Day, young high school girls had the opportunity to learn about the different career choices available to them with a STEM degree.  Liz Limon, owner of Total Concept Enterprises Inc. and SWE member opened the doors of her manufacturing plant and personally gave the high school students a tour.  Liz was featured on abc30, check out the video here.

October 2018 - WE18 Conference

SWE hosts an annual conference - the world’s largest conference for women engineers.  This year the WE18 Conference was held in Minneapolis, MN and had an attendance of more than 14,000 people from 35 countries!  The San Joaquin Valley Section was represented at the WE18 Conference by the Section President, Denise Soria and the Section Treasurer, Isabel Trevino.    
 
The WE18 Conference presented, State of Women in Engineering a special session that highlights the latest data and research on women in engineering, gender bias, workplace culture, and more.  See the video below for a recording on the State of Women in Engineering presentation. 

October 2018 - STEM for Girls Conference

Officers of the SWE San Joaquin Valley Section had the pleasure of speaking at the 2018 STEM for Girls Conference.  Our Section Secretary participated in her first STEM outreach event.  We also had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Deborah Berebichez, the first Mexican woman to graduate with a PhD in physics from Stanford and Valley STEM a high school student-run and nonprofit organization who's mission is to instill a love for STEM in young students.

September 2018 - Society of Women Engineers in Mexico

As a global organization, SWE is always working on breaking boundaries.  In September, our Section President, Denise Soria had the honor to have been invited to attend the inaugural meeting of the American Mexican Association (AMA) in Puebla, Mexico.  The purpose of the meeting was to connect women leaders in the United States and create new links to work collaboratively on projects regarding women empowerment and equality. 

July 2018 - Buttonwillow Girls STEM Project

The Executive Council of the SWE San Joaquin Valley Section had the pleasure of attending the Kern Economic Development Foundation (KEDF) meeting in Bakersfield to discuss a new two-year STEM mentoring program for young girls in Buttonwillow.  The SWE San Joaquin Valley Section looks forward to working with KEDF to inspire the next generation of engineers.   

June 2018 - 25th Anniversary Celebration

The Society of Women Engineers, San Joaquin Valley Section was chartered from SWE headquarters in 1993.  This year marks the 25th Anniversary of the Section.  The Section received various awards and recognition for 25 years of outstanding service to the community and dedication to empower women to succeed and advance in engineering careers.

• Certificate of Recognition by Senator Andy Vidak of the 14th State Senate District
• Resolution by Assemblyman Jim Patterson of the 23rd Assembly District
• Proclamation by Fresno City Council President Esmeralda Soria

April 2018 - Women in STEM Careers Forum

The SWE San Joaquin Valley Section was invited to attend Congressman Jerry McNerney's Women in STEM Careers Forum in Stockton, CA.

March 2018 - Fresno Networking Night

The SWE San Joaquin Valley Section's March Networking Night in Fresno was a success as it was a night of networking and wine tasting with fellow engineers.

March 2018 - Women's Empowerment Summit

Denise Soria, President and Dr. Brissa Quiroz, Vice President of the Society of Women Engineers, San Joaquin Valley Section had the pleasure to participate as panelists in the Women's Empowerment Summit at Fresno City College!  The Society of Women Engineers continues its mission to inspire the next generation of engineers in the Central Valley.

February 2018 - Fresno Networking Night

In February, the SWE San Joaquin Valley Section introduced a new event series - Networking Nights.  Networking Nights is an informal gathering designed for professional and collegiate engineers in the Central Valley.

February 2018 - Introduce a Girl to Engineering at Fresno  State

The SWE San Joaquin Valley Section teamed up with the Fresno State SWE Collegiate Section
for the Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day.  Junior High and High School students from around the Central Valley participated at this event.  Neva Popenoe, SWE Section Representative (Left) and Sophia Nyberg helped dozen of young girls build exploding rockets, hoverboards, and catapults. 

December 2017 - First General Meeting of Fiscal Year 2018

The SWE San Joaquin Valley Section’s first General Meeting of the 2018 Fiscal Year where we discussed upcoming events.  SWE officers want to thank everyone who took the time to come and support our Section.

December 2017 - STEM Outreach at Madera High School

SWE officers doing STEM outreach at Madera High School.  Our very own SWE Secretary returning to her former High School to inspire students to pursue engineering careers.  We presented to three Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) classes with students ranging from Freshmen to Seniors.

October 2017 - STEM for Girls Conference

SWE officers volunteering their time on a Saturday morning to promote engineering among girls at the Fresno County Office of Education - 2017 STEM for Girls Conference.  We had the pleasure to share our love for engineering while encouraging young girls to pursue engineering careers. 

August 2017 - Meet and Greet Social

At our meet and greet we introduced the 2018 Fiscal Year Society of Women Engineers San Joaquin Valley Section Officers and discussed goals for the Section.  These goals include having more professional development events for members working in the engineering industry, starting a mentoring program for college students, and doing STEM outreach in local communities with an emphasis on rural communities.  We also had the pleasure of having Jose Antonio Ramirez, City Manager for the City of Livingston and Rick Palmer, President of Morning Star Tomato Company come and show their support for the Society of Women Engineers.

May 2017 - Professional Development Speaker: Irma Olguin Jr

The SWE San Joaquin Valley Section hosted it’s Professional Development Speaker Series with Irma Olguin, Jr.  There was a diverse group in attendance that included college students, women, men, and non-engineering professional.  Irma’s message resonated with everyone who at some point were “stuck” in their personal life, academics, or professional career.  Irma inspired everyone to see the world as an opportunity for trial and error. 

May 2017 - Section Recognition

Consular Officer Clarissa Vivian, on behalf of David Preciado, Consul of Mexico delivered the Society of Women Engineers San Joaquin Valley Section a Certificate of Recognition for their work and contribution for promoting science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers among girls and women in the San Joaquin Valley.