Swe Podcasts

In celebration of Black History Month, SWE is highlighting African American women engineers who are breaking barriers in the technical track. For our first podcast during Black History Month, Bralade Koroye Emenajo, African American Affinity Group Lead of the Society of Women Engineers interviews Andrea Taffe, Certification Engineer at Collins Aerospace and Linda Thomas a recent retiree as a technical fellow with the Boeing Company in Seattle Washington. In this SWE Diverse episode, together they discuss obstacles they have faced as a female technical fellow in engineering, how industries can create a more diverse environment within their organization and how to find a healthy work/life balance.

Every morning as we scroll through the day’s news headlines, a question lurks. How can I trust what’s online as I listen to political debates and controversies – and how might the news that I read online influence my vote? These questions are more important than ever as the next presidential election nears. In this SWE Diverse episode, Chicago-based journalist and SWE Magazine contributor Sandra Guy speaks with Theresa Payton, CEO and co-founder of cybercrime-fighting firm Fortalice Solutions.

In this SWE Diverse episode, FY19 SWE President Cindy Hoover speaks with Sarah Joseph of the National Security Agency (NSA). Sarah is a Computer Science Researcher who holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science and a master’s degree in human-computer interaction. In this SWE Diverse episode, she discusses her knowledge of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and adversarial machine learning, as well as what it's like to work for NSA.

In this special edition podcast recorded live at WE19 in Anaheim, California, SWE past president Jessica Rannow speaks with Intel's Sierra Reid who explains the concept of 'job crafting,' and how we can all create and cultivate our ideal careers.

We think of Halloween as goblins and trick-or-treating. But this spooky holiday can also bring back memories of workplace horrors for women engineers. In this SWE Diverse episode, Chicago-based journalist and SWE Magazine contributor Sandra Guy speaks with several women who are telling their spooky stories — how they’ve overcome those terror-filled times so perhaps, you can be encouraged that you, too, can prevail.

In this SWE Diverse episode, FY19 SWE President Cindy Hoover speaks with WE19 Mega Session speaker Allyson Stewart-Allen about the importance of cultural understanding in our careers and business operations. In this episode, Allyson discusses the benefits of understanding different cultures, the cost of ignorance when it comes to other cultures, and what you can expect from her WE19 Mega Session, "Influencing Across Cultures."

Has SWE become more inclusive over the years? Find out in for this Diverse podcast featuring two Hispanic past SWE presidents—Anna Salguero and Alma Martinez-Fallon—and hosted by Bianca McCartt, co-lead of the SWE Latinos Affinity Group. Happy Hispanic Heritage Month, SWEsters!

Do women in STEM have to prove themselves more than men do? Are office politics more complicated for women than men? How does motherhood affect women engineers? In this SWE Diverse episode with WE19 Mega Session speaker Joan Williams, we'll address some of those gender bias issues and how to navigate them in the workplace.

Wondering if it's time for a career change? In this Diverse podcast episode, FY20 SWE President Cindy Hoover explores that topic with Jill Hauwiller, Founder of and Principal Consultant at Leadership Refinery. Jill is here to help you gain some insight on examining your career path and knowing when—and how—to make a move.

Wondering what the future of the engineering industry looks like? In this Diverse podcast episode, FY20 SWE President Cindy Hoover explores that topic with Sarah Watzman, PhD, of the University of Cincinnati Online. Learn what changes we can expect—including a shift in demographics, the role of artificial intelligence, and changing classroom dynamics.

In this Diverse podcast episode, FY20 SWE President Cindy Hoover speaks to Kim Varga, Director of Operations & Engineering at Schneider Electric. Learn how Kim has used disruption techniques to progress through the leadership ranks, and how you can employ these techniques to advance your own career.

In this Diverse podcast episode, SWE CEO Karen Horting speaks to our WE19 Friday Morning Keynote, Rachel Hutter. Learn about Rachel's unique background of engineering and theater, her career at Disney, her passion for SWE Conferences—and get a preview of her fun and inspirational keynote presentation!

(PART 2) In a two-part series on SWE's Diverse podcast, Anne Perusek, SWE's director of editorial and publications, and Troy Eller English, SWE's archivist, celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing and the SWE members who helped humankind reach the moon.

(PART 1) In a two-part series on SWE's Diverse podcast, Anne Perusek, SWE's director of editorial and publications, and Troy Eller English, SWE's archivist, celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing and the SWE members who helped humankind reach the moon.

In this Diverse podcast episode, FY19 SWE President Penny Wirsing speaks with Jelena Kovačević, the first female dean at New York University's Tandon School of Engineering. Raised in Serbia in the city of Belgrade, Jelena earned an electrical engineering degree from the University of Belgrade before moving to New York City to attend Columbia University. In her new role at Tandon, she is committed to getting more women interested in technology. Tandon's freshman class has more than double the national average of women in engineering, but Jelena wants that number to grow.

In this Diverse podcast episode, FY19 SWE President Penny Wirsing passes the metaphorical torch to FY20 SWE President Cindy Hoover. Learn about Cindy's educational, professional and societal background and her goals as the new SWE President, wrapped up with some parting words of wisdom from Penny in her last SWE podcast as host.

In this Diverse podcast episode, Gulnaaz Afzal—an international graduate student pursuing aerospace engineering—speaks about her experience coming to the US from India, obstacles she has faced and fought back against as a minority female engineer, and her passion for advancing D&I in the engineering world and for women in general.

In this Diverse podcast episode, Dr. Kristina Ropella, first female dean at Marquette University's Opus College of Engineering, speaks to FY19 SWE President Penny Wirsing about her goal of changing the face of engineering.

n honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, SWE Members Pearl Yamaguchi and Valerie Mencias discuss their experience as Asian Americans and reflect on how their culture has impacted or affected their engineering careers.

In celebration of Mother's Day AND the retirement of SWE's FY19 President Penny Wirsing, daughter Carrie Wirsing asks Penny about her SWE presidency, how she found work-life balance in her career, and what it feels like to retire from her profession.