Welcome to the Region J Blog!

Hello everyone!  My name is Jenelle Parson, your Regional Collegiate Communications Editor (RCCE) for FY12. I will be updating the blog regularly, so be sure to check back for updates!  I am looking forward to a great year. If you have any suggestions, comments, or questions, feel free to contact me at rcce-j@swe.org.

- Jenelle

Reminder: Section Reports were due on January 1

Hello Everyone,

I just wanted to give you a friendly reminder that reports were due on January 1. So please get these into Elaine (rcr-j@swe.org) as soon as possible. You can just use the same report as you turned in last time, or you can just turn a new one.

-Jenelle

Reminder: RCT Team Call Tomorrow

Hello everyone,

I just wanted to remind you that there is an RCT call tomorrow from 7-8 Pacific Time. We recommend that section presidents attend the call, but other people are welcome! Such as general members, SWE Counselors, Faculty Advisors…etc.

The Dial-in No is 218-339-4300

Participant Access Code: 797789#

A little taste of what we’re covering:

• EINs
• Reports
• Bylaws
• Missing section information
• Western Regions Conference

Hope to hear your lovely voices tomorrow!

photo cred: http://iron-phoenix.deviantart.com/art/BANANA-PHONE-66542050

December Hot Topic: Balancing Your Break (Without Breaking Your Back)

Hello Everyone!

Sorry this is a little late! I guess I’m still trying to balance my break! So, I thought I would talk about different things that I hope to accomplish this break.

1. Get all that work that I should have done over term done!

• I do research with one of my professors. I was pretty good at doing research during the term, but during the last couple of weeks of the term I fell way behind. So, since most of us have 4 weeks break instead of the normal 3, I’m taking advantage of the first week to get my research worked on! I’m also starting on writing abstracts and presentation for the upcoming ANS conference next month.

2. Grad School Applications

• For all of you seniors, this is a biggie. I know for most of mine due dates are in February! So, start asking for letters of Recommendations and get that thing filled out! It takes forever to write in all the information they want. So, I’m going to attempt to work on them at a leisurely rate.

3. Spend time with Family and Friends

• During the second week of the break (so next week!!) my best friend is coming back on leave for a week. I’m really excited to spend time with her. We’re going to go out and experience the Portland night life (which I haven’t done yet since I turned 21). I’m excited to see a different side of the city.
• My brother is also coming back on leave! He’s coming the last week of the break. I’m looking forward to going on late night Shari’s runs and other shenanigans.
• I also haven’t seen the rest of my family in a month and a half, so I look forward to leisurely days spent at my grandparents house, playing with my dog, and Beaverton trips with my sister.

4. RELAX

I know! I have a lot of things to do over this break! So, my game plan:

• First Week: Get most of my work done that I have neglected over the term
• Rest of the Break: Accomplish everything else at a leisurely rate.

-Jenelle

Photo cred:

• http://www.ziggymarley.com/images_covers/family_time_300.jpg
• http://www.123tagged.com/Comments/Relax.aspx

No Region Collegiate Team Meeting Tonight

Hello Everyone-

I just wanted to let you know that we will not be having a Region Collegiate Team Meeting tonight. We will have our next one in January.

Hope you all are having a good Winter break so far. I know I am.

-Jenelle

Joint Regions Conference Early Bird Deadline TOMORROW 12/1

Hello Everyone!

I just wanted to remind you that the deadline for the joint regions conference registration is tomorrow 12/1! Click here to register!

-Jenelle

A Note From Gonzaga University

Here is a little blurb from Lee Margaret Ramsay from Gonzaga University:

Hello Region J!

The girls from Gonzaga wanted to leave a note saying how much fun we had at the National Conference in Chicago and how great it was to meet all of you!

The Conference was a great success for all seven of us; we worked on our networking skills and many of us had multiple interviews and a few of us even have job offers. We were also able to explore a great city and eat a lot of deep-dish pizza. We also had fun representing our Region in the Subject Matter Expert Bowl.

 

With the National Conference being such a good experience, we are currently looking to raise funds to attend the Region J Conference in Honolulu. However, the Conference is quickly approaching and we’re running short on fundraising ideas. If you guys have any suggestions on fundraising programs that have worked well in the past, please pass them on! Our fundraising programs thus far have included:

-Solicitations to local engineering firms, professors, Dean

-Water balloon catapult competition

-Bake Sales

Please, share your conference experiences with us, as well as your fundraising ideas! We hope to see all of you at the Region Conference in Honolulu.

 

Reminder: RCT Team Call Tomorrow

Hello everyone,

I just wanted to remind you that there is an RCT call tomorrow from 7-8 Pacific Time. We recommend that section presidents attend the call, but other people are welcome! Such as general members, SWE Counselors, Faculty Advisors…etc.

The Dial-in No is 218-339-4300

Participant Access Code: 797789#

A little taste of what we’re covering:

• EINs
• Reports
• Bylaws
• Missing section information
• Western Regions Conference

Hope to hear your lovely voices tomorrow!

photo cred: http://iron-phoenix.deviantart.com/art/BANANA-PHONE-66542050

RCS Update: Reflections on WE11 Senate Meeting

Here is a little update from our Region J Collegiate Senator: Amanda Dang

Analyzing the results of the SWE national senate meeting, my feelings were mixed about the progress that was made.

On one hand I was more than pleased with the level of thoughtful and progressive effort made towards the Mega Issues, in addition to the efficiency and preparation that was displayed when voting on the various motions.

On the other hand, I could not help but to be a little disappointed at how difficult it was for me, a collegiate member, to relate to some of the issues faced by professionals. As made particularly evident during a Senate discussion on the definition of an “involved member,” collegiate members are generally motivated to become active in SWE as a method of gaining support for overcoming  obstacles (typically those accompanying the transition from an academic to professional career) that differ from those of professional members, or at least in regards to priority.

It was upon meditating this trend that the light bulb in my brain finally flickered to life, leading me to the issues that I would like to focus on for the rest of this year:

1)      How big is the gap between collegiate and professional priorities? Is this gap deterring collegiate members from seeking a greater awareness of SWE national senate developments?

2)      Is there a way to add more collegiate issues to the national agenda when the senate is predominately comprised of professionals? If so, how can we make collegiate members more aware of how the national organization can have an impact on them?

The next step is to reach out to the different collegiate sections of Region J and get feedback. While the issues seemed valid from discussion with other collegiate members at the conference, I look forward to getting a better understanding how other fellow students stand on these topics.

Hot Topic: Thanks to Engineering

Hello Everyone! Sorry it’s been awhile since I last posted; I’ve been trying to get caught up on classes after conference!

This hot topic is just basically to highlight cool engineering things that I am thankful for:

1. Keys.

I know that this seems like such a silly thing to be thankful for, but I remember how grateful I am for it every time I come home and yay! no one’s stolen my things! Or when I go out to my car in the morning to drive to class and yay! my car is still there because no one has stolen it. So, I’ve included a couple of things that you may not know about keys:

• Wooded locks and keys were used in Egypt as early as 4,000 years ago! It is said that Theodore of Samos invented the key in 6th century BC.
• There are double-sided and even four-sided keys, which make it difficult to pick the lock, since there’s multiple sides!
• Some new high-tech car keys, such as for Mercedez-Benz use an encoded infared beam to communicate codes with the car. One of these keys can cost up to 400 USD!

2. Can Openers.

I never realized how much I enjoy can openers, until I wanted a cup of soup for dinner and then realized I did not have a can opener to open it with. I could have given up and had a sandwich for dinner, but I was determined to have some soup. So, I got out a knife and decided to do what they do on those survival shows and I stabbed the can. I expected it to go in and then, presto I’d have soup in my bowl. Oh, no. I ended up spending half an hour trying to get my knife in the can and the soup out! It was a terrible and my roommate ended up buying me a can opener the next day: lesson learned. So, here are some facts about the can opener:

• Tin cans were used to preserve food as early as 1772, but can openers weren’t invented until the 1850s!
• The first can openers looked like a claw.
• The rotating wheel openers – which I am more used to – were first patented in 1870.

3. Windshield Wipers.

 

Being from the Pacific Northwest, I’m very happy that my car has windshield wipers, so I can see where I am going when it’s raining out! Here are some facts about the windshield wiper:

• It was invented by a woman! Mary Anderson in 1903. It was operated using a lever inside the car.
• The first intermittent wipers are invented by Robert Kearns – which is actually an interesting story! On his wedding night his left eye became completely blind after a champagne cork hit his eye. For him, the constant movement of the wiper blade troubled his vision. So, that got him thinking about creating an intermittent wiper! And eventually made it in 1963.
• Now there are “smart” windshield wipers, which actually sense rain! Cool.

 

Thank you Engineering!

Photo cred:

• http://noexcuseshr.blogspot.com/2011/10/thankful.html
• http://photo-dict.faqs.org/phrase/280/keys.html
• http://itp.nyu.edu/~scv201/2007/02/free_body_diagraming_can_opene.html
• http://irvingoilchangeandautorepair.com/windshield-wiper-blade-replacement/

Collegiate Meetings at WE11

Hello Everyone!

I hope that you’re all excited for WE11 (I know I am). I was just wanting to remind you all of things that you should go to.

• Region J Meeting: Thursday (October 13) 2-3, Joint meeting and 3-4 Collegiate meeting in MP West, W175B
• Region J Collegiate Leaders Meeting Friday (October 14) 7:30 - 9am in MP West, W175B

It’s really important that you go to these meetings. The one on Thursday will be a great way to hear about what’s going on in the region and to discuss important topics with collegiates and professionals in the region! The one of Friday we will be talking about best practices and other things to help improve our sections. We will also have a ***fun*** activity planned! So be sure to go!

Also remember that you get a point for every collegiate that goes to the meeting!!

-Jenelle