audio by year 2010

George Brewster SWE Grassroots Oral History Interview, Clip 1, 2010


2:55 minutes (2.67 MB)
Mono 44kHz 128Kbps (CBR)

George Brewster, a Fellow of the Society of Women Engineers and a retired manager of salary recruiting at Corning, Inc., explains how his mother's experience as one of the very few women Postmasters in the 1940s and 1950s made him more sensitive to the discrimination women faced in traditionally male occupations. As an example he describes an incident early in his career as a recruiter for Corning in which male employees played a joke on a new female engineer which bordered on sexual harassment.

This oral history interview was recorded February 7, 2010 as part of the SWE Grassroots Oral History Project. The interviewer is Jane Daniels. This excerpt was selected and produced by the SWE Archivist. The excerpt may have been edited for length, however the intent of the interviewee's words remains the same. Audio excerpts may be used for research and educational purposes only.

Peggy Layne SWE Grassroots Oral History Interview, Clip 1, 2010


3:51 minutes (3.53 MB)
Mono 44kHz 128Kbps (CBR)

Peggy Layne, an environmental engineer and past president of the Society of Women Engineers, discusses what led her to to be a Congressional Fellow on Capitol Hill in 1998 through a program run by the the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

This oral history interview was recorded November 5, 2010 at the Society of Women Engineers WE10 Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida, as part of the SWE Grassroots Oral History Project. The interviewer is Troy Eller. This excerpt was selected and produced by the SWE Archivist. The excerpt may have been edited for length, however the intent of the interviewee's words remain the same. Audio excerpts may be used for research and educational purposes only.

George Brewster SWE Grassroots Oral History Interview, Clip 2, 2010


5:11 minutes (4.75 MB)
Mono 44kHz 128Kbps (CBR)

George Brewster recounts how he first became involved in the Society of Women Engineers in 1979 at the urging of colleague and woman engineer Jacqueline LaBarre. He discusses why his company thought it was important to participate in SWE, as well as the differences he noted between male and female engineers. Brewster, a retired manager of salary recruiting at Corning, Inc., is a Fellow of the Society of Women Engineers and a recipient of its Rodney Chipp Award.

This oral history interview was recorded February 7, 2010 as part of the SWE Grassroots Oral History Project. The interviewer is Jane Daniels. This excerpt was selected and produced by the SWE Archivist. The excerpt may have been edited for length, however the intent of the interviewee's words remains the same. Audio excerpts may be used for research and educational purposes only.

George Brewster SWE Grassroots Oral History Interview, Clip 3, 2010


9:10 minutes (8.4 MB)
Mono 44kHz 128Kbps (CBR)

George Brewster discusses how some companies changed workplace policies and procedures in the 1980s and 1990s to attract and accommodate women engineers, particularly those who are mothers. He also describes how the local section of the Society of Women Engineers benefited women engineers at his company. Brewster, a retired manager of salary recruiting at Corning, Inc., is a Fellow of the Society of Women Engineers and a recipient of its Rodney Chipp Award.

This oral history interview was recorded February 7, 2010 as part of the SWE Grassroots Oral History Project. The interviewer is Jane Daniels. This excerpt was selected and produced by the SWE Archivist. The excerpt may have been edited for length, however the intent of the interviewee's words remains the same. Audio excerpts may be used for research and educational purposes only.

George Brewster SWE Grassroots Oral History Interview, Clip 4, 2010


4:11 minutes (3.83 MB)
Mono 44kHz 128Kbps (CBR)

George Brewster describes how the Society of Women Engineers has changed since he first became involved in 1979, including its rapid growth and the move the annual conference from the summer to the fall to better match employer recruitment periods. He also laments how the number of women in engineering has plateaued over the past decade. Brewster, a retired manager of salary recruiting at Corning, Inc., is a Fellow of the Society of Women Engineers and a recipient of its Rodney Chipp Award.

This oral history interview was recorded February 7, 2010 as part of the SWE Grassroots Oral History Project. The interviewer is Jane Daniels. This excerpt was selected and produced by the SWE Archivist. The excerpt may have been edited for length, however the intent of the interviewee's words remains the same. Audio excerpts may be used for research and educational purposes only.

Peggy Layne SWE Grassroots Oral History Interview, Clip 2, 2010


6:02 minutes (5.52 MB)
Mono 44kHz 128Kbps (CBR)

Peggy Layne describes how her desire to clean up the environment led her to pursue an environmental engineering degree at Vanderbilt University in the late 1970s. Layne is the director of the AdvanceVT program at Virginia Tech and is a past president of the Society of Women Engineers.

This oral history interview was recorded November 5, 2010 at the Society of Women Engineers WE10 Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida, as part of the SWE Grassroots Oral History Project. The interviewer is Troy Eller. This excerpt was selected and produced by the SWE Archivist. The excerpt may have been edited for length, however the intent of the interviewee's words remain the same. Audio excerpts may be used for research and educational purposes only.

Peggy Layne SWE Grassroots Oral History Interview, Clip 3, 2010


5:57 minutes (5.46 MB)
Mono 44kHz 128Kbps (CBR)

Peggy Layne describes the policies and programs instituted by the AdvanceVT at Virginia Tech in the 2000s to support women science and engineering faculty members, including supporting a childcare center and modifying duties and stopping the tenure clock to accommodate faculty members who use maternity or paternity leave or who need to take time off to care for sick family members. Layne is the director of the AdvanceVT program at Virginia Tech and is a past president of the Society of Women Engineers.

This oral history interview was recorded November 5, 2010 at the Society of Women Engineers WE10 Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida, as part of the SWE Grassroots Oral History Project. The interviewer is Troy Eller. This excerpt was selected and produced by the SWE Archivist. The excerpt may have been edited for length, however the intent of the interviewee's words remain the same. Audio excerpts may be used for research and educational purposes only.

Peggy Layne SWE Grassroots Oral History Interview, Clip 4, 2010


6:01 minutes (5.51 MB)
Mono 44kHz 128Kbps (CBR)

Peggy Layne recalls that she the Society of Women Engineers as an undergraduate student at Vanderbilt University in a show of support and solidarity and attended a few meetings at large SWE sections during her professional career. However, she explains that she did not become deeply involved in the society until she moved to North Carolina and the small section their actively recruited her for leadership positions. Layne is the director of the AdvanceVT program at Virginia Tech and is a past president of the Society of Women Engineers.

This oral history interview was recorded November 5, 2010 at the Society of Women Engineers WE10 Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida, as part of the SWE Grassroots Oral History Project. The interviewer is Troy Eller. This excerpt was selected and produced by the SWE Archivist. The excerpt may have been edited for length, however the intent of the interviewee's words remain the same. Audio excerpts may be used for research and educational purposes only.

Peggy Layne SWE Grassroots Oral History Interview, Clip 5, 2010


6:07 minutes (5.61 MB)
Mono 44kHz 128Kbps (CBR)

Peggy Layne describes her work on the Society of Women Engineers statistics committee and the Board of Directors in the 1990s, including the financial difficulties SWE faced in the mid-1990s and the long search for an executive director for the society. She explains that her involvement in SWE was important because it developed skills that transferred to her career and because it provided and professional and social network as she moved around the country for her career. Layne is the director of the AdvanceVT program at Virginia Tech and is a past president of the Society of Women Engineers.

This oral history interview was recorded November 5, 2010 at the Society of Women Engineers WE10 Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida, as part of the SWE Grassroots Oral History Project. The interviewer is Troy Eller. This excerpt was selected and produced by the SWE Archivist. The excerpt may have been edited for length, however the intent of the interviewee's words remain the same. Audio excerpts may be used for research and educational purposes only.

Stacey DelVecchio SWE Grassroots Oral History Interview, Clip 1, 2010


7:42 minutes (7.05 MB)
Mono 44kHz 128Kbps (CBR)

Stacey DelVecchio describes how her interest in math as a child led her to pursue mechanical engineering at the University of Cincinnati. She explains how she struggled to find her career path and place in engineering until she went on a plant trip during an interview at Caterpillar, Inc. DelVecchio, a manager at Caterpillar, Inc., is the 2013-2014 president of the Society of Women Engineers.

This oral history interview was recorded November 3, 2010 at the Society of Women Engineers WE10 Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida, as part of the SWE Grassroots Oral History Project. The interviewer is Troy Eller. This excerpt was selected and produced by the SWE Archivist. The excerpt may have been edited for length, however the intent of the interviewee's words remain the same. Audio excerpts may be used for research and educational purposes only.

Stacey DelVecchio SWE Grassroots Oral History Interview, Clip 2, 2010


3:37 minutes (3.31 MB)
Mono 44kHz 128Kbps (CBR)

Stacey DelVecchio describes her transition into management at Caterpillar, Inc. She explains that she volunteered to be a shop foreman to better understand production processes and gain the respect of the production workers. DelVecchio is the 2013-2014 president of the Society of Women Engineers.

This oral history interview was recorded November 3, 2010 at the Society of Women Engineers WE10 Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida, as part of the SWE Grassroots Oral History Project. The interviewer is Troy Eller. This excerpt was selected and produced by the SWE Archivist. The excerpt may have been edited for length, however the intent of the interviewee's words remain the same. Audio excerpts may be used for research and educational purposes only.

Stacey DelVecchio SWE Grassroots Oral History Interview, Clip 3, 2010


4:49 minutes (4.42 MB)
Mono 44kHz 128Kbps (CBR)

Stacey DelVecchio explains that she had a supportive family and did not particularly feel gender discrimination as a female engineering student in the 1980s. She started to understand the need for organizations like the Society of Women Engineers after she was passed over for a promotion, received a cold shoulder from coworkers after receiving a promotion, and heard male coworkers say that they didn’t care if their daughters got degrees because they were going to marry wealthy boyfriends. She offers a story about her five-year-old nephew deciding that women could be engineers “as long as the boys get the corner office.” DelVecchio, a manager at Caterpillar, Inc., is the 2013-2014 president of the Society of Women Engineers.

This oral history interview was recorded November 3, 2010 at the Society of Women Engineers WE10 Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida, as part of the SWE Grassroots Oral History Project. The interviewer is Troy Eller. This excerpt was selected and produced by the SWE Archivist. The excerpt may have been edited for length, however the intent of the interviewee's words remain the same. Audio excerpts may be used for research and educational purposes only.

Stacey DelVecchio SWE Grassroots Oral History Interview, Clip 4, 2010


2:32 minutes (2.32 MB)
Mono 44kHz 128Kbps (CBR)

Stacey DelVecchio describes what skills women engineers should develop in order to advance in their careers. She offers the example of the different confidence levels exhibited by a male intern and a female intern reporting on their projects. DelVecchio, a manager at Caterpillar, Inc., is the 2013-2014 president of the Society of Women Engineers.

This oral history interview was recorded November 3, 2010 at the Society of Women Engineers WE10 Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida, as part of the SWE Grassroots Oral History Project. The interviewer is Troy Eller. This excerpt was selected and produced by the SWE Archivist. The excerpt may have been edited for length, however the intent of the interviewee's words remain the same. Audio excerpts may be used for research and educational purposes only.