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What a time! Now more than ever, engineering is the framework of the technological future. This Conference will focus on
the many aspects of engineering that serve to support the life, longevity, and functionality of the world.
Our
programming will highlight engineering through Education, Environment, and Enterprise.
Education provides the platform in which engineering, math, and science concepts are learned and later applied.
It is the creative and business-savvy engineer that develops enterprise to promote forward growth.
Balancing technology with stewardship of the environment is an engineering skill that serves to support the stability of the world.
Altogether, these three engineering elements complement each other in a variety of
ways to continuously improve and sustain the world.
Over 60 Technical Papers will be presented either verbally or as an exhibit
at the Technical Exhibits area.
Program changes will be announced daily at the Keynote Breakfast each morning and available at the Registration area.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CST) Survey - participate in the CSR Panel discussion by
filling out the attached short survey!
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Programs Committee, l-r: Sandra A. Wood, Kathryn M. Mergl, Dr. Beth Todd,
Christina Nix, Amy B. Greene, Marcia Black, Colette Lewis, Alicia Rudolph.
Not shown: Dr. Karen Boykin, Dr. Martha Bidez, Leslie Montgomery
Education Track Programs
Mentoring Across Gender Differences
Wednesday, 1:00pm - 1:30pm
Mentor-Link: An e-mentoring program 'linking' engineering students with women engineers
Wednesday, 1:30pm - 1:50pm
Writing More Effective Engineering Education Proposals
Wednesday, 1:00 - 4:50pm
Retaining Women in Undergraduate Engineering Programs Through Structured Mentoring
Wednesday, 3:00 - 3:20pm
MentorNet the E-Mentoring Network for Women in Engineering and Science: Results and Prospects
Wednesday, 3:30pm - 4:50pm
Activity Based Physics at the US Coast Guard Academy
Thursday 9:00 - 9:20am
Engaging Students in Engineering: New Ways
of Preparing Engineers
Thursday, 9:30 - 10:00am
Learning Community Model for First Year
Engineering Curricula
Thursday, 11:00 - 11:50am
Personal Leadership in Academic and Professional Life
Thursday, 1:00 - 3:50pm
Becoming Leaders: Successes of a Handbook and Workshop Series for Women in Engineering
Thursday, 4:00 - 4:50pm
Coalition of Engineering Minority Societies and the Society of Women Engineers (CEMSWE) Arizona State University
Friday, 9:00 - 9:20am
Distance Learning Options for Your Engineering Masters Degree
Friday, 9:00 - 9:20am
Strategies for Successful Learning at a Distance
Friday, 9:30 - 9:50am
The CURIE Academy: A Faculty Partnership Success Story
Friday, 9:30 - 9:50am
Title IX and 30 Years of Progress: Can the Law Help to Make Engineering Education More Accessible to Women?
Friday, 10:00 - 10:20am
Tapping into the Modern Technology: Succeeding in a distant learning environment.
Friday, 10:00 - 10:20am
Resources, Methods and Attitudes Needed to Prepare for the PE Exam
Friday, 10:30 - 10:50am
Why and How to Develop a Leadership Program in
Engineering Colleges
Friday, 10:30 - 11:50am
Educating Engineers as Industry Leaders and Change Agents
Friday, 11:00 - 11:50am
Experiences With A Large Scale Girl Scout Math & Science Fair
Friday, 1:00 - 2:50pm
How to Work Successfully with Girl Scouts
Friday, 2:00 - 3:20pm
Academic Women in Engineering
Leadership Institute Workshop
Friday, 3:00 - 4:50pm
Hands-On Introduction to LabVIEW Graphical Development Environment
Friday, 3:00 - 5:00pm
Society of Women Engineers Mentoring Girl Scouts
Friday, 3:30 - 3:50pm
Discover Engineering Girl Guides Conference: Helping Girl Guides achieve their 'Engineer' badge
Friday, 4:00 - 4:20pm
Engineering A Future 2003
Friday, 4:30 - 4:50pm
K-12 Outreach Resource Room
Saturday, 11:00 - 4:50pm
Thinking SMART
Saturday, 11:00 - 11:50am
Bridging Barriers: Using Digital Libraries to Attract, Retain and Mentor the Engineering Workforce of Tomorrow
Saturday, 11:00 - 11:20am
Introducing Girls to the Wonder and Promise of Technical Careers
Saturday, 11:30 - 11:50am
The EUREKA and SMART Programs at Girls Incorporated
Saturday, 1:00 - 1:30pm
Engineering Options for Young Women
Saturday, 1:00 - 1:20pm
Reaching Out to Girls and Boys - Engineering Outreach for K-12
Saturday, 1:30 - 1:50pm
Women In Technology (WIT): A Paradigm for Working Toward Systemic Change in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Education and Employment
Saturday, 1:30 - 1:50pm
How to Prepare and Search for a Job in Academia
Saturday, 2:00 - 3:30pm
Promoting Diversity in Kansas' Future Technological Workforce Through Outreach Programs: The Boeing Experience
Saturday, 2:00 - 2:20pm
Career Setting - The Bead Game Simulation
Saturday 2:00pm - 2:50pm
The Cinderella Project 
Saturday, 2:00 - 2:50pm
50/50 in 5 Years - Achieving Gender Parity in Engineering at Southern Methodist University
Saturday, 2:30 - 2:50pm
Early and Sustained Gender Equity Programs Enrich Pipeline of Female Engineers
Saturday, 3:00 - 3:20pm
Design and Discovery - A Web Based Outreach Resource
Saturday, 3:30 - 3:30pm
Problem to Working Robot in Six Weeks
Saturday, 4:00 - 4:20pm
Mission Tetris: Teaching 8th Graders to Program in Java
Saturday, 4:30 - 4:50pm
JETS - A Proven Program to Encourage Secondary Students into Engineering
Saturday, 4:00 - 4:20pm
Opportunities to Make a Difference
Saturday, 4:30 - 4:50pm
Don't forget to stop by the Coffee Shop in between sessions! Cookies
and coffee/tea are sponsored by Ford Motor Company
Enterprise Track Programs
Mentoring: Protégé / Mentor Relationships
Wednesday, 2:00 - 2:50pm
The Engineer: Your Legal Risks and Rights
Thursday, 9:00 - 9:50am
Corporate Social Responsibility
Thursday, 10:00 - 11:50am
Building, Developing and Leading Effective Teams
Thursday, 10:00 - 11:50am
Corporate Finance: Performance Measurement
and Benchmarking
Thursday, 1:00 - 1:50pm
Construction Marketing
Thursday, 1:00 - 4:50pm
Survive, Elevate, Associate, and Leverage (S.E.A.L.)
Thursday, 2:00 - 2:50pm
Engineering and Public Policy
Thursday, 2:00 - 2:50pm
Business Ethics: Applying Best Practices
& Leveraging Commitment
Thursday, 3:00 - 3:50pm
Business Travel
Thursday, 3:00 - 4:50pm
Branding Through Credibility and Advocacy
Thursday, 4:00 - 4:50pm
Environmentally Responsible Engineering and Supply Chain Management
Thursday, 4:00 - 4:50pm
Handling Tough People:Managing Up, Down
and Across the Organization
Friday, 9:00 - 9:50am
Business Incubation: Resources to assist Entrepreneurs
Friday, 9:00 - 9:50am
Work-Life Balance Panel
Friday, 10:00 - 10:50am
Doing Business with Big Business and the Government
Friday, 10:00 - 10:50am
Creating Your Future:What to do When You Get Laid Off
Friday, 11:00 - 11:50am
Engineering the Motherhood Process
Friday, 11:00 - 11:50am
Resources and Considerations for Beginning a Business
Friday, 1:00 - 1:50pm
Women in Transportation: Mentoring at Different Career Stages
Friday, 2:00 - 2:50pm
Construction Marketing
Friday, 1:00 - 4:50pm
Technical Position to Manager:Making
the Transition Successfully
Friday, 2:00 - 3:50pm
Protect your Home Network - Security and Practical Examples
Friday, 3:00 - 3:50pm
Trends in Hiring
Friday, 3:00 - 5:00pm
Recruiting Women to the Trades: Marketing Strategies that Work!
Friday, 4:00 - 4:50pm
The Role of Industry and Academia in Biotechnology Transfer
Saturday, 9:00 - 9:50am
Protecting your Intellectual Property: Publishing, Patents,
Trademarks & Copyrights
Saturday, 10:00 - 10:50am
Supply Chain in the Healthcare Industry and its Affect on the Introduction of New Products
Saturday, 11:00 - 11:50am
Starting and Owning your Own Business - A Case Study
Saturday, 1:00 - 1:50pm
Patents, Trademarks and Copyrights (Intellectual Property) for Engineers
Saturday, 1:00 - 1:50pm
Developing a Professional Women's Network at your Company
Saturday, 2:00 - 2:50pm
The Nuances of Leadership
Saturday, 2:00 - 3:50pm
Navigating Across the Cultural Divide: How to Facilitate Long-term Tech Transfer Relationships
Saturday, 3:00 - 3:50pm
Mission Driven IP Corporate Policies
Saturday, 4:00 - 4:50pm
Don't forget to stop by the Coffee Shop in between sessions! Cookies
and coffee/tea are sponsored by Ford Motor Company
Environment Track Programs
EPA Compliance Efforts (Where the Money Goes)
and the Impacts on Federal Regulatory Agencies
Thursday, 9:00 - 9:50am
The Global Climate: An Environment of Change
Thursday, 9:00 - 11:50am
NEPA Changes
Thursday, 10:00 - 10:50am
Case Study of 9 U.S. Companies' Environmental Management Systems
Thursday, 10:00 - 10:50am
RCRA Updates; Region 4 EPA
Thursday, 11:00 - 11:50am
Environmental Impact of Metal Leaching from Ammoniated Power Plant Fly Ash
Thursday, 11:00 - 11:50am
Equilibrium Solutions for Global Climate
Thursday, 1:00 - 1:50pm
Greener Industry: A Growing Trend
Thursday, 1:00 - 3:50pm
The Role of Intelligent Transportation Systems in Addressing Homeland Security Challenges
Thursday, 2:00 - 2:50pm
Urban Sprawl:What We Don't Know and Don't Think About
Thursday, 2:00 - 4:50pm
Using Concrete to Construct Green Buildings
Thursday, 3:00 - 3:50pm
Federal Audit Policy Program
Friday, 9:00 - 10:50am
In Defense of the Environment: Homeland Security
and Protection
Friday, 9:00 - 11:50am
Recycling of Crosslinked Polymers Using High Power Ultrasound
Friday, 9:00 - 9:50am
The Clean Water Act: Status and Summary of Total Maximum
Daily Loads (TMDL) Program
Friday, 11:00 - 11:50am
Rational Design of Non-Fouling Surfaces
Friday, 11:00 - 11:50am
Nuclear Electric Propulsion for Outer Space Missions
Friday, 1:00 - 1:50pm
Currents of Change in Air and Water Quality
Friday, 1:00 - 3:50pm
Species Distribution: Interfacing with Ecosystems
Friday, 2:00 - 4:50pm
Maintenance, Operation, and Health Effects of Mkuranga Well Project: A Preliminary Evaluation
Friday, 2:00 - 2:50pm
A Realistic Approach to Water System Security
Friday, 4:00 - 4:50pm
Emerging and Alternative Energy Technology
Saturday, 9:00 - 10:50am
Problems Associated with Drinking Water Quality in a Developing Country - A Case Study of Benin City, Nigeria.
Saturday, 10:00 - 10:50am
Clean Diesel Technology and Benefits
Saturday, 11:00 - 11:50am
Careers in Industry as an Environmentalist
Saturday, 1:00 - 1:50pm
Oh My God You're Nuclear!
Saturday, 1:00 - 1:50pm
Environmental Risks and Impacts:What do the Numbers
Really Mean?
Saturday, 3:00 - 4:50pm
Don't forget to stop by the Coffee Shop in between sessions! Cookies
and coffee/tea are sponsored by Ford Motor Company
EDUCATION TRACK PROGRAMS
Mentoring Across Gender Differences
Wednesday, 1:00pm - 1:20pm
Technical presentation by Christina Eggert, PhD, Manager, Commercial Customer Service, Sikorsky Aircraft
Most people who have advanced in their careers often credit their advancement to networking and coaching.
This coaching and networking is often referred to as mentoring. As with many things, people are often
coaches or mentors to others who are like them - in background and in gender. What happens when a woman
mentors a man or a man mentors a woman in his/her career progression? Cross-gender mentoring has its own unique
challenges and issues. There are also mutual benefits in the understanding of where management styles come from
and how the mentor/mentee can better work with coworkers/superiors of the opposite gender.
Mentor-Link: An e-mentoring program 'linking' engineering students with women engineers
Wednesday, 1:30pm - 1:50pm
Technical presentation by Lisa Anderson, Women in Engineering Committee, Engineering and Applied Science,
Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada
In 1999, Ryerson University's Women in Engineering Office launched an e-mail based mentoring program for
women engineering students, to enhance their career planning process and transition to the working world.
Each fall, undergraduate engineering students are invited to apply to Mentor-Link and those selected are
matched with a woman engineer working in their field of interest. Mentors and students receive an information
package with guidelines on the mentoring process, and the WIE coordinator facilitates the program through
e-mail communication with all participants. This paper discusses the development, implementation and evaluation
of an e-mentoring program for women engineering students.
Writing More Effective Engineering Education Proposals
Wednesday, 1:00 - 4:50pm
Presented by Russ Pimmel, PhD, University of Alabama College of
Engineering
Many good ideas for engineering education projects are developed that
could be converted into National Science Foundation proposals. This
workshop will describes some common weaknesses and describes
approaches for dealing with them. Through team exercises, participants
are lead to develop proposals that have a broader impact, build on others'
experiences, evaluate learning goals, address dissemination, and take into
account the practical aspects of the NSF project review process.
Retaining Women in Undergraduate Engineering Programs Through Structured Mentoring
Wednesday, 3:00 - 3:20pm
Technical presentation by Alisha D. Youngblood, Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Arkansas
The low enrollment and retention of women and minorities in engineering programs is a concern of many colleges throughout
the country. The Women in Engineering (WIN) program at the University of Arkansas is a student-run organization that
strives to provide mentoring and support to female engineering students. In addition, the WIN program provides peer
advising and professional contact opportunities to these students in an effort to encourage women to stay in engineering
and pursue professional careers in industry or academia. This paper describes the history, organizational structure,
funding, and successes of the Women in Engineering program.
MentorNet the E-Mentoring Network for Women in Engineering and Science: Results and Prospects
Wednesday, 3:30pm - 4:50pm
Technical presentation by Carol B. Muller, PhD, Founder and CEO and Jennifer Docker, PhD
MentorNet (www.MentorNet.net), the E-Mentoring Network for Women in Engineering and Science, builds technology
to for online mentoring and networking to advance technical women, the professions, the workforce, and society.
Our vision is three-fold: to establish excellence in large-scale e-mentoring, to create the e-community of choice
for women in engineering and science through online mentoring and networking, and to leverage that community for
positive social change. Since 1998, nearly 20,000 undergraduate and graduate students and professionals have been
matched in structured, one-on-one, email-based mentoring relationships. This session will detail this award-winning
organization, programs, results, and future plans. You, too, can participate!
Activity Based Physics at the US Coast Guard Academy
Thursday 9:00 - 9:20am
Technical Presentation by Michele Fitzpatrick
Over the past few years, a significant amount of research has been performed on how students learn physics.
The research has shown that students in activity-based environments outperform those in traditional lecture-based classes.
Beginning in the 2002-2003 academic year, the USCG Academy Physics faculty redesigned their calculus-based introductory
physics courses from the traditional lecture/lab format to a new activity-based format, taking the latest research into
account. Some of the goals addressed by this new format are: improve student learning, encourage teamwork through group
work, provide instant feedback, increase students' use of technology, and address different learning styles.
Engaging Students in Engineering: New Ways
of Preparing Engineers
Thursday, 9:30 - 10:00am
Presented by: Elaine Seat, PhD, University of Tennessee
Presentation will provide overview, organization and results of the
ENGAGE freshman program and the Engineering Communication and
Performance (ECAP) minor at the University of Tennessee. ENGAGE
addresses the needs of entering engineering students through an
innovative first year curriculum which integrates the engineering subject
matter of the freshman year, teaches problem solving and design by
application, and seeks to address the increased retention and graduation
of engineering students. The ECAP minor focuses on teaching
complementary skills to engineering students that better enable them to
use their technical skills.
Learning Community Model for First Year
Engineering Curricula
Thursday, 11:00 - 11:50am
Presented by: Jeffrey E. Froyd, PhD, Project Director, Foundation
Coalition, Texas A&M University
Overview, organization and results of The Foundation Coalition (FC)
Learning Community (LC) models in which students enroll in common
sections of two or more courses, work in teams in one or more first-year
courses, and make routine and extensive use of technology within and
outside the classroom. Currently six FC partners designed and
implemented first-year pilot curricula to enhance their programs for all
engineering majors. Several of these programs have demonstrated
increased retention for all students as well as specifically for women and
underrepresented minority students.
Personal Leadership in Academic and Professional Life
Thursday, 1:00 - 3:50pm
Presented by David Dyson, PhD, President, Dyson Leadership Institute
Attendance Limit: 50
For professors, faculty advisors, students, and practicing professionals.
Includes best practices of personal leadership summarized from over 20
years of study on how to develop professional and educational plans that
inspire and guide. This program complements the Why and How to
Develop a Leadership Program in Engineering Colleges seminar panel, the
Ethical Fitness and Decision-Making seminar, and the Leadership Seminar
for Women in Engineering.
Becoming Leaders: Successes of a Handbook and Workshop Series for Women in Engineering
Thursday, 4:00 - 4:50pm
Workshop presented by Carolyn J. Emerson, Past Director, Office for Women in Science and Engineering, Memorial University, St. John's NL, Canada
Attendance Limit: 35
Becoming Leaders: A Handbook for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology is a convenient reference on a range of topics significant in the workplace. The handbook has been enthusiastically received by women engineers internationally and has been widely adopted by organizations. A complementary workshop series delivers information from specific sections of the handbook in small group, one-day and half-day formats. These initiatives are successful because they are developed by women engineers from our own experiences and deliver strategies that work. Participants recognize common experiences and gain the tools and confidence to achieve positive results and advance in their career.
Coalition of Engineering Minority Societies and the Society of Women Engineers (CEMSWE) Arizona State University
Friday, 9:00 - 9:20am
Technical presentation by Dana C. Newell, Director of the Center for Engineering Diversity and Retention (CEDAR), College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Arizona State University
This paper provides a model study of how to create and maintain effective collaborations amongst diverse student organizations, WISE and MEP programs, community groups and industry partners in engineering and applied sciences. It will provide data from surveys conducted by student leadership of CEMSWE (SWE, AISES, SHPE and NBSE) over the past year, data from combined grant projects, recruitment and retention efforts. It will also provide overall college retention data to support the necessity of the collaborations between diverse student groups in engineering sponsored by MEP and WISE programs.
Distance Learning Options for Your Engineering Masters Degree
Friday, 9:00 - 9:20am
Technical presentation by Ellen Jordan, Project Manager, Midland Steel Company, Wathena, Kansas
Technology has made it possible to get your Engineering Masters Degree from your living room. Many universities have realized that there is a large group of Engineering graduates who would like to work towards their Masters degrees but cannot interrupt their career or family life to do so. By targeting their programs towards these individuals, the universities have been able to provide increased educational opportunities. Kansas State University has successfully built their Engineering Distance education program using a wide range of technologies to reach the student.
Strategies for Successful Learning at a Distance
Friday, 9:30 - 9:50am
Technical presentation by Charlene A. Dykman, PhD, Cameron School of Business, University of St.Thomas, Houston, TX
The paper offers strategies and critical insights into the paradigm of distance education for those learning at a distance. For example, there is discussion of pacing, visibility with the course instructor, understanding and addressing the concerns of the typical instructor, networking with other learners in the class, and maintaining a focus in your chosen direction across a wide array of class subjects taken in pursuit of the degree. There are also discussions of the best types of courses to take via distance learning, marketing your degree to prospective employers, and the type of student/learner who is most likely to succeed with this new approach to education.
The CURIE Academy: A Faculty Partnership Success Story
Friday, 9:30 - 9:50am
Technical presentation by R.J. Burt, PhD, Assistant Director, Women's Program,
The CURIE Academy, an annual summer engineering program for high school girls, was begun in 1995 as a small program planned and delivered by Women's Programs in Engineering, an administrative office with modest resources. The program was highly rated by the participants from Year 1, but it was not highly visible within the College, and the academic content of the program did not have significant faculty oversight or involvement. In 1997, a faculty advisory committee was formed. It had a limited mandate of suggesting topics for a central project. In the last three years, faculty enthusiasm and participation have become critical to the success of the program, and faculty involvement has become a program goal in itself. The CURIE faculty leadership committee has become an ambassadorial team, raising overall awareness and credibility of Women's Program initiatives within the College.
Title IX and 30 Years of Progress: Can the Law Help to Make Engineering Education More Accessible to Women?
Friday, 10:00 - 10:20am
Technical presentation by Catherine Pieronek, J.D., Director, Women's Engineering Program, University of Notre Dame
This paper will address the impact of Title IX on higher education over the past 30 years, concentrating on areas of interest to engineering educators. This paper will also include a brief review of the stunning gains made by women in intercollegiate athletics since the initiation of stepped-up Title IX enforcement efforts in the early 1990s, to determine whether similar tactics might be useful in increasing the enrollment of women in engineering and hard-sciences programs.
Tapping into the Modern Technology: Succeeding in a distant learning environment.
Friday, 10:00 - 10:20am
Technical presentation by Kawaljit (KJ) Chugh, PhD
Distance learning is the new wave of education. This paper talks about the challenges new engineering graduate students faces to adapt to this unique teaching method. The highlight will be the summary description about how the students should be knowledgeable about the expectations in a distant learning class and this paper will suggest different successful study methods in engineering graduate courses. The closing will consist of several vignettes of how graduate engineering students can adapt, learn technical information effectively, and analyze problems in a virtual class without depending entirely on the professor and the interaction with other students.
Resources, Methods and Attitudes Needed to Prepare for the PE Exam
Friday, 10:30 - 10:50am
Technical presentation by Juanita G. Miller, New Mexico State University
Examples of study methods, resources and learning techniques, both traditional and innovative, will be presented as a guide in preparation for the Professional Engineers Exam. Reflections from the authors own experience will be used. Comparison and background in adults learning will be referenced. Examples of advanced technology formats will be shown such as simulations and interactive courses.
Why and How to Develop a Leadership Program in
Engineering Colleges
Friday, 10:30 - 11:50am
Panelists:
Linda Lucas, PhD, Dean, UAB School of Engineering
David Dyson, PhD, President, Dyson Leadership Institute
Kim Patterson, Sr. VP for Human Resources, BE&K (formerly with SONY in California) and Leadership Advisor
Hack Sain, P.E, President, Alabama Society of Professional Engineers, and Founder, Sain Associates
C.H. "Stretch" Dunn, P.E., President and Director of Leadership in Engineering & Construction, Dyson Institute
Jennifer Gray, P.E., Sain Associates, president of SWE Birmingham Section and Leadership Program Advisor
Learn why engineering CEOs and managers increasingly want to hire
professionals with personal and team leadership capabilities. Receive
insights and ideas for how to start a leadership program that benefits
students as well as professionals in a college or corporate environment. This
one-hour program is design to complement the Personal Leadership in
Academic and Professional Life seminar, the Ethical Fitness and Decisionmaking
seminar, and the Leadership Seminar for Women in Engineering.
Educating Engineers as Industry Leaders and Change Agents
Friday, 11:00 - 11:50am
Presented by MIT Engineering Systems Division
In order for organizations to evolve and succeed, they need engineers who can lead -- engineers who are solidly-grounded in engineering, management and social sciences. Why has this need evolved? How can companies develop this kind of organizational muscle? And how can individual engineers grow in this new and vital way? Come hear students and graduates of the MIT Engineering Systems Division's academic programs discuss why they chose these innovative, integrative graduate programs that focus the combined strengths of engineering, management, and social sciences on complex system challenges. For technical professionals and college students.
Experiences With A Large Scale Girl Scout Math & Science Fair
Friday, 1:00 - 2:50pm
Presented by Elizabeth Fanning Philpot, Southern Company Services
and others
For the past 10 years, over 5000 girls have attended the Girl Scout Math &
Science Fair, here in Birmingham. The Cahaba Girl Scout Council Math
and Science Fair is a day-long event that promotes math, science, and
engineering to girls who are 7-16 years in age, by providing hands-on
activities and role models. For seven of these years, Ms. Philpot has
organized, staffed, and managed the event. Working with volunteers from
SWE, engineering/university/business communities, as well as Girl Scout
volunteers, has proven to be a unique challenge. Ms. Philpot will present her
experiences in organizing and managing such a large and successful event.
How to Work Successfully with Girl Scouts
Friday, 2:00 - 3:20pm
Presented by: Esther A. Heller, Girl Scout Committee Chair, Santa Clara Valley Section and Susan E. Anderson, Girl Scout Committee Co-chair, Career Guidance Chair, New England Shoreline Section.
Girl Scouting has always encouraged girls to explore careers in science and technology. SWE members have the knowledge to make engineering fun while being positive role models for Girl Scouts. This session will share information on how to partner with your local Girl Scout Council, give tips on bringing out the best in girls and discuss examples of successful SWE programs. The SWE Girl Scout Committee consists of several women who have a great deal of experience working within SWE and with Girl Scouts. Many are Girl Scout adults whose expertise can help your section build a strong partnership with your local Girl Scout Council and will be available at the workshop.
Academic Women in Engineering
Leadership Institute Workshop
Friday, 3:00 - 4:50pm
Workshop Presenters:
Judy Vance, PhD, Iowa State University
Bonnie Melhart, PhD, Texas Christian University
Patricia A. Nava, PhD, University of Texas at El Paso
Representatives of the Women in Engineering Leadership Institute will
facilitate open dialogue about the opportunities and need for engineering
and computer science women in academic leadership. Case studies of
paths to leadership will be presented. The workshop also includes small
group discussions and an overview of the WELI - in depth programs
developed to encourage and enable women to assume these leadership roles.
Hands-On Introduction to LabVIEW Graphical Development Environment
Friday, 3:00 - 5:00pm
Presented by: National Instruments
Want to get some hands-on experience using LabVIEW and virtual instrumentation? See how graphical programming with LabVIEW 7 Express can be used to acquire and analyze data that can be professionally presented in a user interface. Through this session, experience how intuitive the environment is by building your own programs that illustrate how to interface directly to data acquisition and instrument control hardware. Learn how LabVIEW can help you quickly create flexible applications while you gain knowledge of another programming language that is used in virtually every industry.
Society of Women Engineers Mentoring Girl Scouts
Friday, 3:30 - 3:50pm
Technical presentation by Sue Ellen Haupt, Utah State University
Utah State University (USU) College of Engineering is actively working to recruit and retain women in engineering. This project combines these two efforts to affect both goals at once. The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) section at USU has organized a mentoring system with the local Girl Scout service unit and professional women engineers. The primary idea is a top-down mentoring approach where activities are designed and run by women and girls that are a step ahead of the participants. In this way, each group is "paying back" the mentoring to the next lower level.
Discover Engineering Girl Guides Conference: Helping Girl Guides achieve their 'Engineer' badge
Friday, 4:00 - 4:20pm
Technical presentation by Lisa Anderson, Women in Engineering Committee, Engineering and Applied Science, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada
Ryerson University launched Discover Engineering in 1991, as a summer day camp targeting female high school students. In recent years, the program has expanded to include workshops bringing outreach activities directly to the classroom, and an annual one-day conference incorporating guest speakers, panel discussions, and hands-on activities. At the request of Girl Guides Canada, Ryerson has developed a new program - the Discover Engineering Girl Guides Conference. This one-day event provides Girl Guides, ages 9-12, with an opportunity to learn about engineering and earn their 'Engineer' badge. This paper will discuss the development, presentation and evaluation of this new program.
Engineering A Future 2003
Friday, 4:30 - 4:50pm
Technical presentation by Karen Ramsey-Idem, Ph. D., Materials Technology Manager, Fleetguard, Inc., and Sally J. Pardue, Ph. D., Mechanical Engineering Faculty Member, Tennessee Technological University
A SWE section partners with a local university, the public schools, local industries, and the Girl Scouts to develop and introduce an engineering outreach program. Outreach is conducted via a daylong engineering camp where fifty + volunteers worked with 72 female middle school students introducing basic engineering concepts. Each student completed four activities in a team environment, competed individually and as a team member, and took home a workbook explaining all ten experiments conducted that day. Experiments covered the field of engineering, illustrating basic concepts with fun activities. Details of the entire program included in the full paper.
K-12 Outreach Resource Room
Saturday, 11:00 - 4:50pm
Presenters and organizations with K-12 Outreach programs are invited to display literature for review and distribution to conference attendees.
Thinking SMART
Saturday, 11:00 - 11:50am
Presented by Rita Chamberlain, Director of Research Programs, Girls
Inc. of New Hampshire
SWE is partnering with Girls Incorporated to inspire all girls to be strong,
smart and bold. Since its founding as a national organization in 1945,
Girls Inc. has provided girls and young women with opportunities to
develop their skills and interests and realize their full potential. Girls Inc.
Operation SMART is one of the programs offered to girls ages 6-18.
Operation SMART is also at the epicenter of a philosophy or set of
characteristics that permeates and distinguishes all Girls Incorporated
programs: equity, exploration, empowerment and fun. Operation SMART
is a nationwide, hands-on, interactive program that introduces girls ages
6-18 to science, math and relevant technology.
Thinking SMART (a component of Operation SMART) is a national
project for girls and young women ages 12-18 to foster their interest in
pursuing education and careers in science, technology, engineering and
math by introducing them to the thought processes and methods
employed by professionals in these fields and providing them with
opportunities to take on real-life engineering challenges. Lessons learned
and first year successes will be shared.
Bridging Barriers: Using Digital Libraries to Attract, Retain and Mentor the Engineering Workforce of Tomorrow
Saturday, 11:00 - 11:20am
Technical presentation by Sarita Nair, Project Director, Education Development Center, Inc., Newton, MA
Educators and students committed to increasing female engineering interest and achievement, and to increasing both male and female acceptance of women as engineers, struggle to find resources to help them address these issues. A digital library is one innovative solution, containing high quality, digital content for use in engineering courses and incorporating services that encourage equitable integration of resources into the classroom, facilitate on-line community building, and enable mentoring of its users. Come learn about the Gender & Science Digital Library - an exciting and unique new collection of exemplary resources aimed at encouraging women to pursue engineering education and careers!
Introducing Girls to the Wonder and Promise of Technical Careers
Saturday, 11:30 - 11:50am
Technical presentation by Jennifer Topp, IBM Women in Technology Program (WIT), Manager, K-12 Initiatives
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, there will be 20 million new technical jobs created by 2008. In the health and computer industries alone more than 5 million new jobs will require math and science skills. In order to meet this demand, colleges will need to quadruple the number of computer science graduates. Learn how IBM is making math and science more enticing and fun for young women through its WIT K-12 outreach programs and how communities worldwide have benefited. A multimedia presentation and an interactive style will be used to present the material and engage the audience.
The EUREKA and SMART Programs at Girls Incorporated
Saturday, 1:00 - 1:30pm
Presented by Girls Inc., Central Alabama
This session gives an overview of two successful gender equity and
minority efforts of Girls Incorporated. The SMART program at Girls Inc.
promotes Science, Math, and Relevant Technology year round in after
school and summer day camp for girls aged 6yr-18yrs. The EUREKA!
Teen Achievement Program is a four week long summer camp program
for rising 8th and 9th grade girls. Each group has a two week session
exposing them to Science,Math, and Engineering on a university campus
setting. Both programs incorporate field trips, active learning, and local
science, engineering, and technology role models.
Engineering Options for Young Women
Saturday, 1:00 - 1:20pm
Technical presentation by Rachel M. Humphrey, RW Armstrong & Associates, Indianapolis, IN
In 1992, the College of Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Evansville began a program to attract women to the field of engineering. The program, named OPTIONS, invites twenty young women every year in June to participate in the week long camp, which features hands-on academic projects and job-site shadowing with women. The camp is open to high school girls who have completed their freshman year but have not yet graduated.
Reaching Out to Girls and Boys - Engineering Outreach for K-12
Saturday, 1:30 - 1:50pm
Technical Presentation by F. Carroll Dougherty, PhD, Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering, University of South Alabama
As the level of technology in our world increases, it becomes more and more important to reach out to girls and boys and excite them about the opportunities in engineering. If we can interest them in the possibilities, they will likely stay in their math and sciences classes as they go through elementary and secondary school and consider a college degree in engineering or another technical field. Unfortunately, it is often difficult for teachers and parents to find the right hands-on, age-appropriate materials to share with the students. This paper discusses several excellent web sites to help parents and teachers run hands-on demonstrations of engineering principles for today's students and tomorrow's new engineers.
Women In Technology (WIT): A Paradigm for Working Toward Systemic Change in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Education and Employment
Saturday, 1:30 - 1:50pm
Technical presentation by Leslie Wilkins, Maui Economic Development Board, Inc.
Seeing the need for systemic change in STEM education, in order to address the need of a qualified technology workforce, Maui's Women in Technology (WIT) Project focuses on addressing gender equity issues directly, working toward systemic change throughout the pipeline from education to workforce climate. WIT garners support of educators through first cultivating industry interest then demonstrating the pivotal role educators play in filling technology workforce needs. This paper will highlight WIT's successful STEM educational/training opportunities, developed for students and teachers centering around our technology assets and host cultural values while anchored by proven gender equity concepts.
How to Prepare and Search for a Job in Academia
Saturday, 2:00 - 3:30pm
Presented by: Semahat Demir, PhD, University of Memphis and
University of Tennessee and Siddika Demir, Bechtel Corporation
This presentation will include how to look for a job in academia, network,
prepare a Curriculum Vitae, interview, negotiate, and decide on an offer.
The work culture and the career paths in academia and industry will be
compared and contrasted. The presenters will also emphasize the
differences and commonalities of getting ready for a job search and a
career in industry and academia. This interactive presentation by two
authors will appeal to students, engineers and academicians who are
looking for a job, or a career change.
Promoting Diversity in Kansas' Future Technological Workforce Through Outreach Programs: The Boeing Experience
Saturday, 2:00 - 2:20pm
Technical presentation by Marsha A. Meili, Boeing, Wichita, KS
Diversity is an important value for the Boeing Company. To stay competitive in a global marketplace, we need a diverse technological workforce in the state of Kansas. Outreach programs are a means of cultivating this workforce. In the past two years, Boeing has participated in Girls Researching Our World (GROW), Teen Women in Science and Technology (TWIST), and "Engineer For a Day" activities with Kansas State University's Women in Engineering and Science Program (WESP). This paper will discuss these successful activities and provide evaluation data from this partnership.
Career Setting - The Bead Game Simulation
Saturday 2:00pm - 2:50pm
Interactive technical presentation by Rex Saoit, Agilent Technologies, Inc., Richardson, TX
How do people select their careers? Where to people start? Never before has the U.S. labor force been given more career options in its history. Nor has the U.S. labor force been given less guidance and less education on choosing a fulfilling career. This is especially true with our high school and college students. What's the cost? Perhaps choosing the wrong job in the wrong place at the wrong time. Participants are exposed to a 15 minute action-learning simulation of trading multi-colors beads. The exercise is fast-paced, easy to learn and has extreme interaction. The objective of the simulation is to transform the individuals' mindsets to three career setting principles. The effectiveness of this exercise will be detailed using student evaluations.
50/50 in 5 Years - Achieving Gender Parity in Engineering at Southern Methodist University
Saturday, 2:30 - 2:50pm
Technical presentation by Betsy F. Willis, Ph.D., Director, Student Programs and Outreach, School of Engineering, Southern Methodist University
Female and male high school graduates are equally prepared to pursue engineering, yet only 10% of the female population matriculates into freshmen engineering. Misinformation is the single greatest barrier to women entering engineering. Meeting young women in their realm with fun, hands-on outreach activities is critical to attracting more women into engineering. The Gender Parity Initiative, part of The Institute for Engineering Education at SMU, creates, implements, and disseminates model programs that increase women's participation in engineering at the national level. Three marquee programs that have reached gender parity or greater include Visioneering, It's A Girl Thing, and The Infinity Project.
Early and Sustained Gender Equity Programs Enrich Pipeline of Female Engineers
Saturday, 3:00 - 3:20pm
Technical presentation by Leslie Wilkins, Maui Economic Development Board, Inc.
Women in Technology implements programs that encourage women and girls to pursue education and careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). WIT has successfully implemented two programs discovered through a "best practices" review, FSEA and Project EAST, in Maui County and throughout the State of Hawaii for the past three years. Offering both programs has been a successful model for WIT as the complementary programs provide two key components that foster skills needed to succeed in engineering-confidence by hands-on experience is shaped through FSEA while critical thinking leading to innovative solutions is stimulated through EAST.
The Cinderella Project 
Saturday, 2:00 - 2:50pm
Workshop and presentation by Emma Seiler, National Academy of Engineering and Teresa Sappington, Oak Grove High School, Hattiesburg, MS.
The Cinderella Project is an engineering design activity for high school girls. It integrates the engineering design process and the biomechanics of the foot to design a comfortable, yet sturdy and stylish shoe. Once designing the shoe, the girls must then create a marketing plan to sell their shoes.
Emma Seiler is a Chrystine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Intern for the National Academy of Engineering. She is the former Outreach Graduate Assistant for the College of Engineering at Mississippi State University. She holds a B.S. in Biological Engineering and a Master of Civil Engineering from Mississippi State University.
Teresa Sappington is a Physics and Astronomy Teacher at Oak Grove High School in Hattiesburg, MS. She is the former Outreach Coordinator for the College of Engineering at Mississippi State University. She holds a B.S. in Chemistry-Physics Education and a M.Ed. in Secondary Science Education from Mississippi State University.
Design and Discovery - A Web Based Outreach Resource
Saturday, 3:30 - 3:30pm
Presented by Ilene Aginsky, Intel Corporation
The Intel(R) Innovation in Education group launched, Design and Discovery, a free curriculum and supporting resources for implementing an outreach program to interest youth ages 11-14 in design and engineering. The curriculum provides a hands-on, inquiry-based experience with identifying and designing creative solutions to everyday problems in the designed and engineered world. Students are introduced to fundamental design and engineering concepts and follow a design process that leads to building prototypes of their ideas. Students are encouraged to prepare and share the results of their work in a science and engineering fairs.
Problem to Working Robot in Six Weeks
Saturday, 4:00 - 4:20pm
Technical presentation by Seena Drapala, Quality Engineer for Energy Products New Product Introduction & Risk Management, GE Power Systems, Schenectady, NY
One reason girls do not enter engineering curriculums at the college level is because they have never been exposed to what engineers do! The FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science & Technology) experience provides an opportunity for both girls and boys to actively participate along side engineering mentors in a six-week problem to working robot solution. This paper will highlight how engineers can get involved with a FIRST team in their area or how to start a team. This paper will also address the benefits and results of one charter FIRST team's journey. Remarks are also made with regard to the planning, execution, structure, fundraising, communication, project and time management aspects required for a successful FIRST experience.
Mission Tetris: Teaching 8th Graders to Program in Java
Saturday, 4:30 - 4:50pm
Technical presentation by Emily Leventhal, The MITRE Corporation, Bedford, MA
Teaching an 8th grader to code is demanding to start, but teaching one with 4th grade math skills is extremely challenging. This course taught basic programming concepts and encouraged students to enjoy math, science and technology. By engaging students and allowing them to interactively learn we created a very effective method for teaching programming to students at this level and age. This paper will discuss the process for designing the course, programming conventions used to make coding in java possible for the students. As well as successes, lessons learned, and future plans to teach programming at this level.
JETS - A Proven Program to Encourage Secondary Students into Engineering
Saturday, 4:00 - 4:20pm
Betty Preece, SWE member, and other panelists
Are your looking for proven programs your section can use to encourage secondary students and teachers to take part in activities related to engineering? Then you need to learn how from this panel of a JETS national program director, teacher, student and alumnae. JETS has offered effective pre-college programs for over 50 years and its new programs are attracting many students. TEAMS, a design competition, NEAS on-line aptitude and interest questionnaire, and OUTREACH, a new program for guidance counselors, will be described. You can take home plans for your section and/or your company to join successfully with an engineering school to reach the secondary groups.
Opportunities to Make a Difference
Saturday, 4:30 - 4:50pm
Betty Preece, SWE member and Donna Mundy, HS/HT Southeastern Coordinator
High School/High Tech (HS/HT) is a national initiative of the US Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy. It is dedicated to providing educational enrichment, career information and internship opportunities for students with physical, sensory or learning disabilities. There are over 80 projects in 24 states. It is a community-based partnership of students, parents, academia, business and community leaders, Workforce Development Boards, state and local governments. Its goal is to encourage high school students to pursue their interests in math, engineering, science and technology. Ms. Donna Mundy, HS/HT Southeastern Coordinator, will describe the program and then teachers and students involved will provide their viewpoints on HS/HT benefits. Learn how you, your section and your company can make a difference not only in the lives of these students but also in increasing the supply of qualified technical workers.
ENTERPRISE TRACK PROGRAMS
Sponsored by DuPont
Mentoring: Protégé / Mentor Relationships
Wednesday, 2:00 - 2:50pm
Presented by: Kristen Poletto , Dupont and Robin E. McKay, DuPont
Attendance Limit: 25
As the workforce becomes more diverse and work more complex,
mentoring programs are an effective way to attract and develop our
talented workforce. Best practices for mentoring programs in DuPont are
based on four guiding principles, open to all employees, voluntary
participation, protégé driven, and management supported. In this
presentation, we will discuss the benefits of mentoring to both employees
and the corporation, guidelines on how to create and maintain a
mentoring program, and how to measure success of a program.
The Engineer: Your Legal Risks and Rights
Thursday, 9:00 - 9:50am
Presented by: Pamela D. Slate, BSME, J.D., Slate-Kennedy
An overview of the Federal False Claims Act and how it may impact
engineers will be provided. Actions that are brought under the False
Claims Act are sometimes called "qui tam" actions, and persons that bring
them are called "realtors" or "whistleblowers." The False Claims Act
prohibits a person or entity from submitting a false or fraudulent claim
for payment to the federal government. There are many ways in which
violations can occur, but violations often involve billing the government
for work that was not performed at all or work that was not performed in
accordance with contractual specifications. Also - guidance on (1) how to
recognize and report a violation; (2) how to protect yourself when
reporting a violation; and (3) how to avoid committing a violation.
Corporate Social Responsibility
Thursday, 10:00 - 11:50am
Executive Panelists:
Robert Holmes, Jr., Senior Vice President - Ethics and Business Practices, Alabama Power Company
Ms. Elizabeth C. Girardi Schoen, Senior Director Environmental Affairs, Pfizer Inc
Jonathan Low, Senior Fellow - Center for Business Innovation, Cap Gemini Ernst & Young
Ms. Nan McRaven, VP Communications and Public Affairs, Motorola SPS
Ms. Michele Lezama, Executive Director, National Society of Black Engineers
Ms. Catherine McKalip-Thompson, Sustainable Development Manager, Bechtel Systems and Infrastructure
Moderated by Colette Lewis, Design Engineer, Southern Company Services
The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arena is gaining worldwide public and consumer interest. CSR encompasses financial, social, and environmental issues amongst others. As CSR is gaining worldwide interest, more and more companies are developing CSR strategies to manage CSR initiatives. "For many companies, managing CSR is no longer seen as an extra cost or burden on hard-pressed management. Rather, CSR is increasingly viewed, not only as making good business sense, but also contributing to the long-term prosperity of companies and ultimately its survival" World Business Council on Sustainable Development.
During this interactive panel discussion, attendees will hear why major industries are making strides to engage CSR and the tools to effectively communicate initiatives to the public, employees and stakeholders. Attendees will also learn what the CSR drivers are, how CSR impacts business decisions, and how to introduce the value of CSR tools to leaders within their own organizations. Come learn how leading organizations are making the business case for CSR.
Building, Developing and Leading Effective Teams
Thursday, 10:00 - 11:50am
Presented by Ronna Frazier, DuPont, Tricia Bailey, DuPont and Kimberly H. Consalvi, DuPont
In today's highly competitive business environment, it is critical for
employees to work effectively and efficiently in teams if they are going to
help their respective organizations become and remain successful. This
session of a highly interactive series of experiential team building
activities focuses on helping you understand key principles of working in
teams, the advantages of team decisions, how to communicate in teams
and how to use conflict to solve problems.
Corporate Finance: Performance Measurement
and Benchmarking
Thursday, 1:00 - 1:50pm
Presented by: Tommie Cummings, CPA, Hardman, Guess,
Frost & Cummings
Ms. Tommie Cummings is an entrepreneurial accountant who left a
highly successful career with Ernst and Young to join with a few colleagues
and start their own private firm, Hardman, Guess, Frost & Cummings.
Her breadth of experience will be focused in this presentation to shed
insights on "Performance Measurement and Benchmarking". Basic tenets
of corporate finance will be reviewed along with a discussion of "red flag"
areas that women engineers as both shareholders and employees of public
(and private) companies should recognize. Highlights will include;
providing measurement and feedback for performance goals, identifying
potential cost cutting opportunities, quantifying the return on your
investment in selected improvement initiatives, analyzing year to year
performance trends, identifying measures unique to your business to set
targets and assess forecast accuracy, understanding industry trends and best
practices within and outside your industry, building a database of reliable
performance measurements, using quantitative scorecards, interpreting
your benchmarks, developing a roadmap for improvement and targeting
performance gaps to lead to the appropriate improvement plan.
Construction Marketing
Thursday 1:00 - 4:50pm
Presented by: Teresa Schissler-Boichot, Caterpillar Corporation
Construction marketing is an all-encompassing term, which takes into account selling, advertising, customer service, market variables, customer identification, competitive analysis, communication with customers, communication with employees, education, and public relations. This interactive presentation will clarify various situations a company or its employees may encounter and will explore alternatives that will give the company success and growth in the future.
Marketing in the construction industry is an oxymoron. For years, construction companies have been able to let the work come to them and did not need marketing in their business. In today's construction industry there is fierce competition and more and more large companies are buying up small companies. This means that in order to stay in business, companies need to learn how to provide exceptional customer service. In order to deliver this type of service, the company needs a marketing plan. A construction company cannot run their company the same as a retail store when it comes to marketing to the customer.
Survive, Elevate, Associate, and Leverage (S.E.A.L.)
Thursday, 2:00 - 2:50pm
Presented by: Jennifer Larson, Director of Family New Business with
Kimberly-Clark Corporation
Ever wonder what culture changes you will experience when you move
from the world of Academia to the corporate world? Learn how to
minimize the hurdles and achieve a smooth transition in this
workshop environment, where you will learn successful techniques to
apply in your own life.
Engineering and Public Policy
Thursday, 2:00 - 2:50pm
BJCC - 3rd floor, East Meeting Room M
Technical Paper Presentation by: Susan Kemp, President, ASME International
Engineers have a vested interest in participating in public policy development, as public policies directly impact virtually every aspect of the profession. This paper will discuss the techniques and tools to engage engineers in the public policy development process, including leadership training and advocacy opportunities, examples of effective public policy advocacy, as well as activities to inform engineering educators and students about the interface between engineering and public policy.
Business Ethics: Applying Best Practices
& Leveraging Commitment
Thursday, 3:00 - 3:50pm
Donna Davis, Director, Ethics & Business Conduct,
Northrop Grumman Corporation
The business practices of companies and organizations are under strict
scrutiny. Recent scandals have eroded public and investor confidence,
diminished employee trust, and stigmatized corporate America. As a
result, all organizations have greater responsibilities for implementing
sound ethics processes, as well as, boosting internal controls and ensuring
legal compliance. This workshop will explore the "best practices" of
leading companies in five essential program areas: strategic ethical
leadership, diverse communications and training, effective reporting and
disclosure, equity investigations, and auditing for continuous
improvement. Attendees are certain to reflect on their approach to
business ethics in new and challenging ways. More than ever before,
Directors and senior management are enthusiastically engaged in ethics
and business conduct programs. Participants will learn how to leverage
this renewed commitment to establish and maintain a robust ethics
program that not only mitigates organizational risk, but also serves as a
competitive discriminator.
Business Travel
Thursday, 3:00 - 4:50pm
Presented by DuPont employees Jennifer Bricker, Kim Raiford and Linda Stegman
In today's global market it is almost impossible not to have to travel for
the job. Learn proper business travel etiquette, tips on traveling overseas,
suggestions for handling work/life issues when traveling, and travel safety
Branding Through Credibility and Advocacy
Thursday, 4:00 - 4:50pm
Technical Paper Presentation by: Jennifer McLean, Vice President and Director, T & O Public Relations
More and more companies are being acknowledged, anointed and judged through third party advocates such as the press and analyst community. These trusted third party advocates can become the keystone in building the corporate perception of who the company is, what it does, its level of credibility and ultimately the brand.
Strategic processes are required to influence the editorial community encouraging them to deliver the purest brand positioning to a company's key constituencies. These processes are often overlooked and more traditional marketing practices supersede the unique opportunities that are available through a comprehensive brand-focused communications approach.
Environmentally Responsible Engineering and Supply Chain Management
Thursday, 4:00 - 4:50pm
Technical Paper presentation by Dr. Marilyn T. Gaska, Ph.D., Lockheed Martin Systems Integration - Owego
In 2002 Lockheed Martin was the recipient of the annual Circle of Excellence Award from Distribution Business Management (DBM) Association for providing technology leadership and an environmentally responsible supply chain model. This award recognizes ongoing efforts to balance technology and stewardship of the environment. As selection criteria and decisions come from the academic community, it is an excellent example of collaboration among education, enterprise, and environment organizations. In general, Lockheed Martin's vision "To be the world's best advanced technology systems integrator" is executed in the context of guiding values and principles that foster development of a culture of environmental responsibility.
Handling Tough People:Managing Up, Down
and Across the Organization
Friday, 9:00 - 9:50am
Presented by Ginny O'Brien, MS, CPBA, founder of
The Columbia Consultancy
Have you been ready to tear your hair out working with a difficult boss or
frustrated by a peer who undermines your every step? Or, have you been
stumped by how to motivate and energize your team? Learn strategies for
handling different kinds of people at work and how to stay grounded and
in control when dealing with difficult people.
Business Incubation: Resources to assist Entrepreneurs
Friday, 9:00 - 9:50am
Presented by Susan Matlock, Executive Director, OADI/UAB, and
President, The Entrepreneurial Center
http://main.uab.edu/oadi/ www.entrepreneurialctr.com
Participants will learn about "Business Incubation" - a dynamic process
of business enterprise development. Incubators nurture young firms,
helping them to survive and grow during the start-up period when they
are most vulnerable. Incubators provide hands-on management
assistance, access to financing and orchestrated exposure to critical
business or technical support services. They also offer entrepreneurial
firms shared office services, access to equipment, flexible leases and
expandable space - all under one roof. An incubation program's main
goal is to produce successful graduates, businesses that are financially
viable and free standing when they leave the incubator, usually in two to
three years. Thirty percent of incubator clients typically graduate each
year. According to the Impact of Incubator Investments Study, 1997, 87%
of incubator graduates are still in business. Ms.Matlock will use the Office
for the Advancement of Developing Industries (OADI), the University of
Alabama Birmingham's high-tech business incubator, as an example of a
successful Business Incubator program.
Work-Life Balance Panel
Friday, 10:00 - 10:50am
Presented by IBM
IBM is a recognized leader in work/life programs. For a record 15th year,
IBM has once again been named a "Top Ten" company in Working Mother
magazine's prestigious "Top 100" list. This year, the extensive application
process for the "100 Best" focused on how well companies are advancing
women and providing specific benefits like time off for new parents and
flexible schedules, critical for working moms. This panel discussion will be
moderated by IBM's manager of Work/Life initiatives and will include
technical women and technology executives who have achieved their
career goals while sustaining a fulfilling and active family life.
Doing Business with Big Business and the Government
Friday, 10:00 - 10:50am
Presented by: Joe Williams, Operations Manager, Bechtel/Jacobs LLC
The presentation will provide businesses which seek opportunities with the Government and it's large prime contractors an understanding of how the federal regulations assure and facilitate small business participation. Included in the briefing will be a discussion of the Public Law which requires the Government and large primes to provide for contract or subcontract opportunities to small businesses. At the conclusion of the presentation the audience will be provided sources of information which will allow them to target business opportunities offered by the Government and it's large primes. Everyone will have a greater understanding of the importance which small businesses provide to the overall success of the Government and it's large prime contractors as they execute their responsibilities to the public and/or their government clients.
Creating Your Future:What to do When You Get Laid Off
Friday, 11:00 - 11:50am
Presented by Ginny O'Brien, MS, CPBA, founder of
The Columbia Consultancy
In today's uncertain environment, there is no such thing as job security.
This course will provide you with strategies and tactics for managing your
way through a layoff. You will learn how to develop a job-searching plan
that will enable you to sell yourself in a tough market.
Engineering the Motherhood Process
Friday, 11:00 - 11:50am
Panel Presentation by: Susan Wilson, BP America
BP America's family-friendly policies are proving to be one of the company's greatest advantages in successfully recruiting and retaining some of America's best and brightest women engineers. Recognized by Working Mother Magazine as one the "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers," BP America understands the importance of creating family-friendly programs to help women achieve success in their personal and professional lives. Our panel of BP "Moms" will share how they are managing the unique challenges they face as women engineers trying to balance work and child rearing; and offer suggestions for helping make your company a better place for working mothers.
Resources and Considerations for Beginning a Business
Friday, 1:00 - 1:50pm
Presented by: Lowell Christy, P.E., Christy/Cobb Inc.
Lowell Christy is a well respected and established engineer and business
woman in Birmingham, Alabama. In 1981, Lowell Christy and Len Cobb
formed Christy/Cobb, Inc. Their structural engineering practice initially
focused on residential and commercial projects serving architectural
clients. Over the years, Lowell has developed management skills,
functioning as the prime design professional on many projects. Her
clients include state and local governmental agencies, engineers and
contractors as well as architects. Lowell will present the key resources and
considerations one must be aware of and the steps one must take before
launching into their own successful enterprise.
Women in Transportation: Mentoring at Different Career Stages
Friday, 2:00 - 2:50pm
Technical Paper Presentation by: Marsha Bomar, Street Smarts
A mentor is a trusted advisor, teacher, friend and role model helping an individual to achieve the greatest success in whatever she wishes to attain. Members of the Transportation Research Board Committee on Women's Issues in Transportation have focused on identifying the means to help women of all races and abilities choose to pursue and succeed in a career in the field of Transportation. Further, through the Women's Transportation Seminar, a pilot program is being implemented. This presentation will focus on the different mentoring opportunities available and the specific ones chosen for the pilot program.
Construction Marketing
Friday, 1:00 - 4:50pm
Presented by: Teresa Schissler-Boichot, Caterpillar Corporation
Construction marketing is an all-encompassing term, which takes into
account selling, advertising, customer service, market variables, customer
identification, competitive analysis, communication with customers,
communication with employees, education, and public relations. This
interactive presentation will clarify various situations a company or its
employees may encounter and will explore alternatives that will give the
company success and growth in the future.
Marketing in the construction industry is an oxymoron. For years,
construction companies have been able to let the work come to them and
did not need marketing in their business. In today's construction industry
there is fierce competition and more and more large companies are
buying up small companies. This means that in order to stay in business,
companies need to learn how to provide exceptional customer service. In
order to deliver this type of service, the company needs a marketing plan.
A construction company cannot run their company the same as a retail
store when it comes to marketing to the customer.
Technical Position to Manager:Making
the Transition Successfully
Friday, 2:00 - 3:50pm
Moderator: Carolyn Baker
Presented by DuPont employees - Julia F. Saia, Karen B. Wrigley and Barbara D. Tompkins-Brown
Ever wonder if the management track is right for you? What are the skills
necessary to be successful as a manager and how do those skills compare
with what has made you a successful technical professional? As today's
organizations become more streamlined, perhaps you will be called upon
to accept managerial responsibilities while continuing to contribute as a
technical professional? A panel of DuPont representatives will share key
learnings on making a successful transition from a technical role to a
leadership role. Learn strategies that will help you succeed as an effective,
dynamic and respected manager.
Protect your Home Network - Security and Practical Examples
Friday, 3:00 - 3:50pm
Technical Paper Presentation by: Mariana Hentea, assistant professor, Purdue University
As the public becomes more computer literate and electronic commerce environments, so the need for security grows due to the increasing number of computer and network attacks. Current statistics show that a computer is infected with a virus at each 10-12 hours period. Unauthorized accesses to personal records or sensitive information are common cyber attacks. In addition, the communications infrastructure towards more wireless will continue to change our life. However, cyber security concerns all levels from home users to state and local governments to specific industry sectors. The recent exhibition of SUPERCOMM 2002 recognized the new trend toward unified networks and more secure networks - both in the public network and home as well as wireless and Internet.
The objective of this workshop is to show the capabilities of technologies, demonstrate the use of appropriate technologies and measures to secure your home network. Examples of configurations and practical solutions are provided based on the choice of hardware and software products such as firewalls appliances, biometrics, antivirus software, virtual private networks, etc. Also, the workshop covers a comparison of the use of different cost-effective and efficient tools based on the user's needs and personal home network devices.
The workshop is recommended to everyone who uses the computer at home to access the Internet.
Trends in Hiring
Friday, 3:00 - 5:00pm
Presented by: Lisa L. Walker, Heidrick & Struggles
Discussion of trends in technical hiring, especially as it relates to executives in mid and late career. Insights will be shared on working first hand with CEO's on their RD&E hiring decisions and how the functions are evolving. For example: closer links between research and corporate strategy, R&D plus operations and GM skills, the increasing relevance of controls background even in chem. and mechanical roles, commercialization and direct customer interaction, etc. Is it beneficial to have sales & marketing experience on your resume? How important is a phone interview? Questions like these will be discussed and the floor opened to questions as well. We will also talk broadly about compensation, retention and industry nuances.
Recruiting Women to the Trades: Marketing Strategies that Work!
Friday, 4:00 - 4:50pm
Technical Paper Presentation by: Sharon Mecum, Maui Economic Development Board
Hawaii's Women in Technology Program has demonstrated to local employers and unions how simple marketing strategies greatly enhance the number of qualified female applicants organizations can draw.
This paper looks at the ways engineering and construction corporations typically market their job openings and the correspondingly low rate of female applicants who respond. We will then demonstrate increases in female applicants when organizations employ marketing strategies targeted directly to women for non traditional occupation employment.
A list of proven techniques to help corporations market construction and engineering jobs and apprenticeship programs to women will be provided.
The Role of Industry and Academia in Biotechnology Transfer
Saturday, 9:00 - 9:50am
Presented by: Linda C. Lucas, PH.D., University of Alabama at
Birmingham, Dean of School of Engineering
Students and faculty in engineering programs across the country
routinely work with scientists and engineers from industry. These
partnerships offer opportunities to both the academic and industry
investigators. Through those partnerships new products, new
technologies and even new companies have been formed. In this session,
examples of academic-industry partnerships will be presented.
Protecting your Intellectual Property: Publishing, Patents,
Trademarks & Copyrights
Saturday, 10:00 - 10:50am
Presented by:William H. Needle, J.D., Needle & Rosenberg, P.C.
An overview of patent, trademark and copyright law, including answers to
questions such as: How can I make sure I don't shoot myself in the foot if
I want to file a patent application? Why do I need to keep a lab notebook?
Can I copyright an idea? What's protectable about CABBAGE PATCH
KIDS dolls? What's the difference between trademarks and service marks
and do I care?
Supply Chain in the Healthcare Industry and its Affect on the Introduction of New Products
Saturday, 11:00 - 11:50am
Technical Paper Presentation by: Lisa Perrone
Effective supply chain management provides one area of opportunity for the industry to reduce the overall cost of healthcare, a major social and economic factor in today's world. New product development is the lifeblood, no pun intended, of the industry. Product proliferation will only increase as more effective and specialized means of disease prevention and treatment are developed. Typically considered to be at the leading edge of technology, the healthcare industry still has advances left to make in supply chain management. The supply chain must be adaptive to handle the developments the industry will make in the coming years.
Starting and Owning your Own Business - A Case Study
Saturday, 1:00 - 1:50pm
Presented by Martha Bidez, PH.D., Bidez & Associates
Dr. Martha Bidez founded BioHorizons Implant Systems, Inc. in 1995
while still a professor of biomedical engineering at the University of
Alabama at Birmingham. Today, the company is the 5th largest dental
implant company in the world, marketing its products in 21 countries
globally. This is the classic entrepreneurial story of technology transfer
out of the university environment into the global marketplace by the
inventor. Dr. Bidez will chronicle the first five adventurous years of the
company's life from her perspective as the founding CEO, a woman
engineer, and a committed social activist. This inspiring story will provide
a real-world case study of the ups and downs of the life of an
entrepreneurial woman engineer, finding the balance between
shareholder demands and corporate social responsibility. She'll also share
the personal financial and emotional costs of starting your own company
so that other women engineers can make an informed decision before
choosing this exciting, yet risky pathway.
Patents, Trademarks and Copyrights (Intellectual Property) for Engineers
Saturday, 1:00 - 1:50pm
Technical Paper Presentation by: Deborah Peacock, P.E., President, Peacock, Meyers & Adams
Whether you own your own business or work for a small or large corporation or government agency, intellectual property concerns all engineers. Patents protect inventions or allow competitors to prevent use of technology. Trademarks provide name recognition. Copyrights protect software, data, brochures and publications. Trade secrets involve technical secrets and business information, including customer lists. When and if you disclose or publish determines whether or not you can patent in the United States and foreign countries. Agreements affect who owns and commercializes rights. An overview of intellectual property with interesting stories is provided in the oral presentation. Bring your questions!
Developing a Professional Women's Network at your Company
Saturday, 2:00 - 2:50pm
Presented by Laurie Ramsay, Ford Motor Company
This seminar will take you through the steps of how a Professional
Women's Network was started at Ford Motor Company, and provide you
with ideas on how to start similar networks at your company. Discussion
will also center on how to form a SWE Special Interest Group at your
office, and what the pro's and con's are of starting up a network with SWE
members vs. an entire work organization.
The Nuances of Leadership
Saturday, 2:00 - 3:50pm
Presented by Judy Passwaters and Regina Bowie of Dupont
What makes a successful leader (and therefore a successful business)?
This workshop will look at different leadership styles and how to
enhance skills to be a dynamic leader in your organization.
Navigating Across the Cultural Divide: How to Facilitate Long-term Tech Transfer Relationships
Saturday, 3:00 - 3:50pm
Technical Paper Presentation by: Song Volk, ipCapitol
This presentation examines every stage of a tech transfer between a university and the private sector. Developing these relationships will increase efficiency and generate solid results. The presentation will highlight misperceptions, which get in the way of successful tech transfers, as well as offer case studies culled from actual legal cases. Strategies on how the worst-case scenarios of these disputes could have been avoided or can be avoided in the future will be discussed.
Mission Driven IP Corporate Policies
Saturday, 4:00 - 4:50pm
Technical Paper Presentation by: Riyon Harding, ipCapitol
Using a company's existing vision and mission statement along with the goals that it has established to achieve that mission, in order to manage its existing intellectual assets and define critical criteria for developing new intellectual property takes much of the mystery out of efficiently and effectively managing intellectual property. By identifying mission-aligned opportunities for new IP and developing a checklist of criteria for a company's existing IP based on the company's business objectives, the asset management process becomes strategic and effectively aids the company in attaining its vision.
ENVIRONMENT TRACK PROGRAMS
Sponsored by Southern Company
EPA Compliance Efforts (Where the Money Goes)
and the Impacts on Federal Regulatory Agencies
Thursday, 9:00 - 9:50am
Presented by: Leif Palmer, Associate Regional Counsel,
U.S. EPA, Region 4
The first part of this session will focus on EPA's environmental
enforcement efforts, including a discussion of the role of federal funding
for environmental compliance efforts by EPA and its state partners and
EPA's environmental compliance priorities. The second part will be a
discussion of the most common types of compliance actions, including
citizen suits, involved in the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and the
National Environmental Policy Act, and how those lawsuits affect federal
agencies and related stakeholders.
The Global Climate: An Environment of Change
Thursday, 9:00 - 11:50am
Presented by:
Dr. Ruth Reck, Director, National Institute for Global Environmental
Change
Dr. Deborah Clark, Co-Director, La Selva Biological Station for Tropical
Studies, Costa Rica
Dr. Ana Barros, Associate Professor, Environmental Engineering,
Harvard University
Dr. John Christy, Professor, Atmospheric Chemistry, University of
Alabama-Huntsville and State Climatologist
Dr. Graeme Lockaby, Professor, Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, Auburn
University
Governmental organizations and industry are working to increase
scientific knowledge about global climate issues to assist decision-makers
and stakeholders in making optimum choices that will impact the U.S.
and the world. This includes analyses of the atmosphere, water usage,
environmental adaptation and socio-economic considerations. This
session will provide an overview of some of the agencies involved in, and
technical discussions on, the state of the science on global climate change.
Presenters will highlight research on CO2 sequestration rates of different
forest types; climate modeling projections and comparisons; and
modeling potential hydrologic cycle changes due to climate predictions.
NEPA Changes
Thursday, 10:00 - 10:50am
Presented by: Jim Noles, Attorney, Balch & Bingham,
Birmingham, Alabama
All engineers should familiarize themselves with the National
Environmental Policy Act and the significant role it plays in a variety of
projects. An introduction to the NEPA process will be given along with
potential changes to the Act as envisioned by the Council for
Environmental Quality.

Case Study of 9 U.S. Companies' Environmental Management Systems
10:00 - 10:50am
Technical Paper presentation by Gwen Christini
This research investigates nine U.S. companies' environmental programs and their use of environmental
management systems (EMS) to understand how a facility manages wastes, emissions, resources, and energy
and makes associated decisions. Case studies consisted of a survey and site visit to inquire about EMS
characteristics and data requirements. We identified major components of the EMS, types of information systems,
data usage, and the value of the EMS. Results indicate that despite differences in corporate organization,
product line, and environmental burdens, facilities have surprisingly similar EMS structures. Major differences
included the use of information systems and links to non-environmental business data.
RCRA Updates; Region 4 EPA
Thursday, 11:00 - 11:50am
Presented by: Lael Butler, Geologist, Industrial Manufacturing
Corrective Action Oversight
According to an EPA estimate, of the 13 billion tons of industrial,
agricultural, commercial and household wastes generated annually, more
than 279 million tons (2 percent) are "hazardous" as defined by the
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Regulations. This presentation
is intended to provide an overall perspective on how RCRA works to
encourage hazardous waste minimization, how the RCRA program has
evolved during its 26 year history, the authorization of States and
especially how the RCRA program provides for monitoring, enforcing
and conducting oversight of corrective action for environmental
cleanups. In addition to a current review of the program, recent updates
of amendments will be covered.
Environmental Impact of Metal Leaching from Ammoniated Power Plant Fly Ash
Thursday 11:00 - 11:50am
Technical Paper presentation by Hao Wang, Xinjun Teng, Jianmin Wang and Heng Ban, University of Alabama at Birmingham
The objectives of this study were to quantify the effect of ammonia on the leaching of selected metals from coal ashes collected at coal-fired power plants; and to achieve a basic understanding of the ammonia-enhanced metal leaching in terms of ash-ammonia-metal interactions. Representative heavy metals, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Cd were selected for the investigation. A laboratory batch leaching procedure was established to characterize the leachability of these metals under different pH conditions and ammonia concentrations. The discussions focus on understanding the fate and transport of heavy metals in ammoniated fly ash disposal sites.
Equilibrium Solutions for Global Climate
Thursday 1:00 - 1:50pm
Technical Paper presentation by Dr. Sue Ellen Haupt, Utah State University
This discussion examines the impact of changes in thermal forcing on global climate patterns though determining equilibrium solutions to the geophysical fluid equations. Local solutions are analyzed as equilibrium modes of these equations and more global solutions are computed from an empirical inverse climate model. The impact of changes in the thermal forcing conditions on the observed modes of the atmosphere give an indication of changes in climate with global warming.
Greener Industry: A Growing Trend
Thursday, 1:00 - 3:50pm
Presented by:
Nicholas Gallopolous, Retired Engineer, General Motor's Research Lab,
Warren, Michigan
Dr. Robin Rogers, Director, University of Alabama's Green
Manufacturing Center
Stephanie Kutterer, Sustainability Engineer, Ford's Heritage Program
Dr. Delcie Durham, Director, National Science Foundation Benign
Manufacturing Program
Pam Swingle, Environmental Scientist, Region 4, U.S. EPA
The "greening" of industry represents a new goal, but the question arises,
"at what price?"New green technology must not only be clean, it must be
better overall in order to be sustainable. This introductory presentation
will cover a brief history, the principles, applications and role of the
engineer in industrial ecology. Representatives from the education,
industry and government arenas will each provide unique perspectives on
the growing trend of greener industry. Projects at the University of
Alabama's Green Manufacturing Center will be discussed, along with the
role of "green" in sustainable industrial development, and how the
concept of sustainability can be introduced into the workforce. Ford's
Heritage Program will provide an industry case study on its Rouge
Complex, a 21st Century icon of sustainable manufacturing and ecoeffective
business models. Federal government perspectives will be
provided by both the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through overviews of NSF's
Benign Manufacturing Program and EPA's new Resource Conservation
and Challenge Program, which combines efforts in hazardous waste,
green building, pollution prevention and other related areas.
The Role of Intelligent Transportation Systems in Addressing Homeland Security Challenges
Thursday 2:00 - 2:50pm
Technical Paper presentation by Dr. Virginia P. Sisiopiku, Ph.D., University of Alabama at Birmingham
One of the many aspects of homeland security deals with the security of the transportation system against threats and the effective response and recovery from terrorist acts. This paper looks at existing and emerging technologies from the area of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) that can advance the safety, security, and efficiency of the surface transportation system. The paper discusses ITS tools that hold promise in assisting preparedness, prevention, protection, response and recovery related functions. Moreover technological, institutional and other remaining challenges are discussed, along with the role of public and private stakeholders in using ITS options for deploying an effective Homeland Security system.
Urban Sprawl:What We Don't Know and Don't Think About
Thursday, 2:00 - 4:50pm
Presented by:
Dr. Kristina Ford, Community Planner, New Orleans, Louisiana, and
Author of "Planning Small Town America"
Dr. Bob Pitt, Professor, Environmental Engineering, University of
Alabama
Alan Powell and Kelly Sheckler, Mobile Source Program, Region 4,
Environmental Protection Agency
David Haynes, Senior Planner, Atlanta Regional Commission
Brian Martz, Environmental Manager, Allied Waste Industries/BFI
Urban Sprawl is low density, automobile dependent development beyond
the edge of service and employment areas. It is ubiquitous and its effects
are impacting the quality of life in every region of America, in our large
cities and small towns. In its path, sprawl consumes thousands of acres of
forests and farmland, woodlands and wetlands. It requires government to
spend millions extra to build new schools, streets and water and sewer
lines. In its wake, sprawl leaves boarded up houses, closed businesses,
abandoned and often contaminated industrial sites, and traffic congestion
stretching miles from urban centers. As a result, we suffer from increased
traffic congestion, longer commutes, crowded schools, worsening air and
water pollution, threatened water supplies, lost open space and wetlands,
destroyed wildlife habitat, higher taxes, and dying city centers. Now that
we are running out of greener pastures, many Americans consider urban
sprawl to be the fastest growing threat to their local environment and
quality of life. They are starting to question the wisdom of growing faster
than infrastructures can support or service. Some communities that once
welcomed development with open arms now consider the cost of lost
open land not worth the benefits of a new commercial development. This
discussion will introduce and address sprawl impacts on water quality
and quantity, transportation planning and engineering, air quality and
waste management. What can we, as taxpayers and engineering
professionals, do to reverse this trend? Case studies will include emerging
options in water/wastewater design and the Atlanta Livable Centers
Initiative considering alternate modes of transportation.
Using Concrete to Construct Green Buildings
Thursday 3:00 - 3:50pm
Technical Paper presentation by Martha G. VanGeem and Medgar L Marceau
LEED™ Green Building Rating System™ is a point-based system for certifying the level of a building's sustainability. Appropriate use of concrete can help a building earn up to 18 points out of the 26 required for certification. Using concrete can reduce urban heat islands, reduce water runoff, help meet minimum energy requirements, optimize energy performance, and increase the life of a building. The constituents of concrete can be recycled materials, and concrete can be recycled. Concrete and its constituents are usually available locally. These attributes of concrete can help lessen the impact a building has on the natural environment
Federal Audit Policy Program
Friday, 9:00 - 10:50am
Presented by: D.W.Wilson, Attorney, Tanner
and Guin, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
This session will discuss the Environmental Protection Agency's and
industries' use of the Federal Audit Policy put into effect a few years ago.
The Policy gives incentives for self-policing by allowing for penalty
waivers or reductions if regulated entities self-report violations. There are
very specific steps to be followed to receive the benefits of the Policy.
Learn how this program is available to your clients, what is required to
make use of the Policy, and how it has been used by regulated companies
in recent years.
In Defense of the Environment: Homeland Security
and Protection
Friday, 9:00 - 11:50am
Presented by:
Dr. Gene Corley, Senior Vice President,
Construction Technology Laboratories, Inc.
Mark Wagner, Vice President of Government Relations, Johnson Controls
Dr. Tom Voss, Director, Homeland Security and Infectious Disease
Research, Southern Research Institute
Dr. Shana Dale, Chief of Staff and General Counsel, Office of Science
and Technology Policy
On September 11, 2001, and again months later, our nation was under
attack. The attack on New York and Washington, DC, resulted in a severe
fire followed by collapse of three buildings and damage to others. As the
world watched, engineers asked questions. Months later, anthrax-laden
letters were distributed through the U.S. Postal System in D.C., Florida
and Connecticut. The American Society of Civil Engineers/Structural
Engineering Institute, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the
public health emergency response groups went into action to answer
many questions. This panel will present case studies and highlight
resulting implications and considerations for incorporation in future
design. Dr. Gene Corley will provide the results of the World Trade Center
study and its impact on the engineering community. Mark Wagner will
discuss lessons learned form the Pentagon attack. Dr. Tom Voss will cover
his role, and that of Southern Research Institute's, in the anthrax
microbiology and biological agent characterizations for the U.S. Postal
Service. Future policies and regulations impacting the engineering
community will be discussed, along with improved methods to
adequately identify and mitigate terrorist attacks. Dr. Dale will outline the
President's Office of Science and Technology's current and future plans
for research into homeland security issues.
Recycling of Crosslinked Polymers Using High Power Ultrasound
Friday 9:00 - 9:50am
Technical Paper presentation by Sayata Ghose, University of Akron
A recent method of recycling of thermosets is by the application of ultrasound when waves of certain levels, in the presence of heat and temperature, can rapidly break down the three-dimensional structure of crosslinked rubber making it reprocessable. The advantage of using ultrasound is that the process occurs in the order of a second or less.
Various types of crosslinked rubbers have been successfully devulcanized in the devulcanization reactor and subsequently revulcanized. The original, devulcanized and revulcanized samples are characterized. This research work also involves theoretical modeling of the devulcanization process treating the rubber as a viscoleastic solid.
The Clean Water Act: Status and Summary of Total Maximum
Daily Loads (TMDL) Program
Friday, 11:00 - 11:50am
Presented by:
Chris Johnson, Chief, Technical Support Section,
Water Quality Branch,Water Division, Alabama Department of
Environmental Management
Section 303(d) of the CWA and EPA's Water Quality Planning and
Management Regulations require states to identify water bodies which are
not meeting water quality standards applicable to their designated use
classification. TMDL for all pollutants causing violation of applicable
water quality standards are being established for each water body
identified as impaired. Over the last several years TMDL have become a
hot topic of discussion across the nation. Alabama, like most states, has
moved the TMDL Program to the forefront by making it a priority within
their respective water management/protection programs. The material
presented for this continuing education session will be twofold. First, a
general overview of Alabama's TMDL Program to include the
statutory/regulatory background, listing/delisting process for impaired
waters, and the TMDL development and implementation process.
Secondly, a more detailed look at the various modeling tools and
approaches used to develop TMDL within Alabama will be provided to
the audience.
Rational Design of Non-Fouling Surfaces
Friday 11:00 - 11:50am
Technical Paper presentation by Lauren B. Mangiola, Cornell University
Marine biofouling is the undesirable accumulation of microorganisms, plants and animals on artificial surfaces exposed to an aqueous environment. The purpose of this research is to develop a class of environmentally benign, multifunctional, antifouling coatings suitable for application on static and mobile structures in constant contact with water. The objective of this work is to (1) design non-fouling substrates comprised of PEG coatings with well known architectures, molecular weights and graft densities, (2) to fundamentally understand the surface mobility and adsorption characteristics of PEG molecules and (3) to characterize surface interactions of mobile PEG coatings with proteins.
Nuclear Electric Propulsion for Outer Space Missions
Friday 1:00 - 1:50pm
Technical Paper presentation by Dr. Chris Barret, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
Today we know of 66 moons in our Solar System, and a total of 100 extra-solar planets, and 33 Black Holes. In order to travel greater distances into our Universe, new and innovative space propulsion systems must be developed. It is important that the public be made aware of the tremendous space benefits offered by Nuclear Electric Propulsion (NEP) and the minimal risk it poses to our environment. This paper presents an overview of the reasons for NEP systems, along with their basic components including the reactor, power conversion units, electric thrusters, and the launch safety of the NEP system.
Currents of Change in Air and Water Quality
Friday, 1:00 - 3:50pm
Presented by:
Beverly Banister, Director, R4 U.S. EPA: Air, Pesticides and Toxics
Management Division
Grady Moore, Attorney, Balch and Bingham, Birmingham, Alabama
Jarred Taylor, Attorney, Maynard, Cooper
and Gale, Birmingham, Alabama
Larry Monroe, Ph.D., Program Manager, Emission Control Research, Southern Company Generation and Energy Marketing
Harry Ott, Director of Global Assurance, Coca Cola
Obtaining up-to-date, accurate regulatory and legal interpretations of new
policy is essential when dealing with environmental issues. Current
regulations, future legislation, and enforcement actions related to the Clean
Air and Clean Water acts will be discussed in this session. Examples of
technology and methods currently used to improve air and water quality
will include Southern Company's presentation on selective catalytic
reduction and Coca Cola's approach to water source protection planning.
Species Distribution: Interfacing with Ecosystems
Friday, 2:00 - 4:50pm
Presented by:
Will McDermond, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Jackson, Mississippi
Dr. Leonard Krishtalka, Director, Natural History Museum and
Biodiversity Research Center
Dr. Barbara Kimbell, Co-Director, New Mexico's Experimental Program
to Stimulate Competitive Research
Dr. Jim Gosz, Professor, Biology Department, University of New Mexico
Thomas J. Stohlgren, Natural Resources Ecology Lab, United States
Geological Service, Colorado State University
What does threatened and endangered mean? What regulations provide
for their protection? What trends are apparent? What efforts have
improved species distributions? This session will provide a regulatory
update on species concerns, along with new programs providing data
collection opportunities for scientists and engineers involved in
distribution analyses. The University of Kansas Biodiversity Research
Center, one of the programs highlighted in this session, launched an
international research initiative in "biodiversity informatics." Biological
data from millions of specimens of animals and plants are being
networked through research institutions and museums, like the
Smithsonian. These data are integrated and deployed via the web to
analyze and predict environmental phenomena such as species'
distribution, the potential spread and threat of invasive species, emerging
diseases and bio-terrorism agents. Another program that will require new
collaborations between engineers and scientists is the National Ecological
Observatories Network (NEON) which will incorporate state-of-the-art
instrumentation to study the environment. NEON will enable integrative
research on the nature and pace of biological change at local, regional and
continental scales. Additionally, the Long Term Ecological Research
Network is evaluating data from many sites to generate emerging patterns.
Types of collaborations needed and how such approaches can be adopted
by broad-scale environmental observing systems to answer the above
questions will be discussed.
Maintenance, Operation, and Health Effects of Mkuranga Well Project: A Preliminary Evaluation
Saturday 2:00 - 2:50pm
Technical Paper presentation by Maggie Montgomery, Tolly Mbwette, Babu Leshale
This study examines the impact of a rural drinking water and health program in Tanzania. The study took on three main parts: water quality testing, household surveys, and review of local health records. The results indicate that all of the wells produce clean and safe water. In contrast, many of the natural sources have fecal coliforms above the allowable limits. The community is supportive of the wells, yet their utilization of the wells depends on their priorities and water availability. The main challenge for the future is long-term community commitment both in terms of well maintenance and behavior change.
A Realistic Approach to Water System Security
Saturday 4:00 - 4:50pm
Technical Paper presentation by Kristine McCaffrey, Kennedy/Jenks Consultants
For water agencies, assessing vulnerability with respect to a malevolent threat, such as a terrorist act, is a marked departure in approach from previous security and emergency planning efforts. Following the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the Security and Bioterrorism Act provided $89 million to the U.S. EPA to provide grants to improve the security of water supplies by reducing water system vulnerabilities to terrorist attacks, enhancing water infrastructure security, and improving water purveyors' emergency response. Large water agencies, those serving more than 100,000 customers, are tasked with completing Vulnerability Assessments by March 31, 2003. Small and medium-sized water agencies will also be responsible for completing Vulnerability Assessments within the next few years. The Vulnerability Assessments are intended to identify the critical facilities within the system and develop recommendations to improve system security.
Emerging and Alternative Energy Technology
Saturday, 9:00 - 10:50am
Presented by:
Doug Newman, Manager, Sustainable Energy Planning Office, The Gas
Technology Institute in Chicago
Roxann Leonard, Senior Research Engineer, Power Systems
Development, Southern Company
Dr. Christine Sloane, Director, FreedomCAR and Advanced Technology
Strategy, General Motors
Dr. Alan Lane, Director Fuel Cells Research, Center for Advanced Vehicle
Technology, University of Alabama
Energy is fundamental to our society-it powers our homes, businesses,
and industries. As the population has continued to grow, so has the
consumption of energy. With growth comes the challenge to meet the
demand for increased energy and services in a manner that is affordable,
reliable, and environmentally responsible. This panel will present an
introductory overview of emerging and alternative energy resources, the
inherent costs associated with development and marketing of alternative
energy technologies, and current research and pilot test results of these
technologies. The International Gas Union will highlight the International
Competition for Sustainable Urban System Design, which challenges eight
nations to develop urban designs 100 years into the future, integrating
energy, environmental, building, transportation and social systems into
sustainable local and global resources. Representatives from Southern
Company and GM will discuss the strides and improvements in coal
gasification and hydrogen-based fuel cell technologies in FreedomCAR.
Additional fuel cell research will be presented by the University of
Alabama's Center for Advanced Vehicle Technology.
Problems Associated with Drinking Water Quality in a Developing Country - A Case Study of Benin City, Nigeria.
Saturday 10:00 - 10:50am
Technical Paper presentation by Mrs. Idahosa-Aghedo, O. I., University of Benin, Nigeria
Potable drinking water is essential for the health of people living in any community. With frequent incidences of water-related diseases such as typhoid fever, cholera, dysentery, etc. in Nigeria, however, much is left to be desired in this regard. This paper examines the sources of drinking water available to the people of the country using Benin City as a case study. It studies the quality of drinking water at selected distribution sources, homes, restaurants, etc., with a view to making comparisons with internationally accepted standards. It recommends methods of improving the quality of drinking water available to the people.
Clean Diesel Technology and Benefits
Saturday 11:00 - 11:50am
Technical Paper presentation by Dr. Karen Ramsey-Idem, Ph. D., Fleetguard, Inc.
Current diesel technologies and regulation standards in both the U.S. and the European Union are examined. The differences in diesel technology use between Europe and the U.S. is examined and discussed. The importance of a new fuel infrastructure for diesel in the United States is illustrated with reference to current availability in Europe. The impact of diesel technology upon the U.S. economy is examined and discussed. Details of regulations and diesel technology research will be provided.
Careers in Industry as an Environmentalist
Saturday, 1:00 - 1:50pm
Panel presentation by Dupont employees: April S. Hinson, Paula M. Suggs, Maria Angelo, Tracie Haygood and Janina Douglas
Opportunities to contribute and advance in environmental careers within
industry are numerous as the concept of sustainability moves to the
forefront. Building a sustainable society requires professionals from many
different fields together working on environmental solutions. Panelists
will discuss their personal experiences in a broad range of environmental
positions including technical, managerial, policy, outreach & advocacy.
Oh My God You're Nuclear!
Saturday 1:00 - 1:50pm
Technical Paper presentation by D.M. Ingoe, Exelon Nuclear
Nuclear Power currently generates 20% of the United States electricity. It is the cleanest large source of power generation and offers a solution to the ever increasing energy demands of this country. The authors of this paper intend to illustrate the benefits and risks associated with nuclear power generation and its effect on the environment. Since nuclear power does not burn like coal, our nations number one source of energy, it does not emit any green house gases. Nuclear power is fueled by Uranium, which is mined in a similar fashion to coal, but with some key differences. Coal mining requires seventeen times more earth to be moved than Uranium and it requires deeper more dangerous mining techniques to be used. At the 2002 National Society Women Engineers Conference, the authors heard a group of engineering students and their professor mutter the words which have become the title of this paper, "Oh my God, You're Nuclear." Why is there such negativity associated with Nuclear Power? Most of the misconceptions about nuclear power comes from the waste produced by nuclear power generation. The authors will discuss the reprocessing of nuclear waste and the safe transportation and storage of it. Nuclear power provides a safe and environmentally responsible means of producing electricity.
Environmental Risks and Impacts:What do the Numbers
Really Mean?
Saturday, 3:00 - 4:50pm
Presented by Kimberly Y. Markiewicz, Dupont, Karl V. Markiewicz, Ph.D, DuPont and Lucy H. Fraiser, Ph.D., D.A.B.T.
What do you think when you hear that something you eat or drink
could cause cancer? How about when the newspaper reports that eating
certain fish will expose you to harmful levels of mercury? If it's been
stated that exposure to a particular chemical has a 1 in a million risk for
cancer, how worried should you be? This session will explore the
meaning of the numbers associated with environmental risks and
impacts. Learn how to read the reports and understand the real issues
that may not be readily apparent.
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