Prinda Wanakule
FY12 GradSWE GMC
This panel session addressed the growing presence of graduate students in SWE, and the many opportunities for growth and leadership for this collegiate membership sub-sect. This session especially highlighted the creation of graduate student focus groups, or committees, in several collegiate sections across the US, and discussed several membership incentives for graduate SWE members.
Panelist and moderator Prinda Wanakule (University of Texas at Austin and SWE Graduate Member Coordinator) started off the discussion with an overview of the Graduate SWE Committee at UT Austin, one of the older and larger graduate SWE groups in the US. Tabitha Voytek (Carnegie Mellon University) followed with her successful experiences with the SWE Grad Greets program at CMU. Younger graduate groups of different sizes were also represented by Courtney Faber (SWE Graduate Branch at Cornell University), Marcella Vaicik (SWE Group for Grads at the Illinois Institute of Technology), and Rebecca Macdonald (SWE Graduate Student Group at the University of Alabama).
Each representative gave an overview of the leadership and reporting structure of their specific graduate group, the types of programs and activities held for graduate students, membership and attendance, and their budget/finances.
Lastly, Tricia Berry (Women in Engineering Program Director at the University of Texas at Austin) gave an administrator’s perspective on how to effectively engage with Faculty and University Administration to improve the quality and content of graduate student professional development programs.
Panelist and moderator Prinda Wanakule (University of Texas at Austin and SWE Graduate Member Coordinator) started off the discussion with an overview of the Graduate SWE Committee at UT Austin, one of the older and larger graduate SWE groups in the US. Tabitha Voytek (Carnegie Mellon University) followed with her successful experiences with the SWE Grad Greets program at CMU. Younger graduate groups of different sizes were also represented by Courtney Faber (SWE Graduate Branch at Cornell University), Marcella Vaicik (SWE Group for Grads at the Illinois Institute of Technology), and Rebecca Macdonald (SWE Graduate Student Group at the University of Alabama).
Each representative gave an overview of the leadership and reporting structure of their specific graduate group, the types of programs and activities held for graduate students, membership and attendance, and their budget/finances.
Lastly, Tricia Berry (Women in Engineering Program Director at the University of Texas at Austin) gave an administrator’s perspective on how to effectively engage with Faculty and University Administration to improve the quality and content of graduate student professional development programs.
