SWE Grassroots Oral History Project

Denise Griffin SWE Grassroots Oral History Interview, Clip 1, 2009

teller — Wed, 05 May 2010 15:11:11 -0400

Denise Griffin, an electrical engineer and past president of the Society of Women Engineers Boston Section, discusses her decision to become a stay-at-home mother after her company began downsizing during her maternity leave. She explains the role SWE has played in maintaining her professional identity while being out of the workforce.

This oral history interview was recorded October 16, 2009 at the Society of Women Engineers WE09 National Conference in Long Beach, California, 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.

Denise Griffin SWE Grassroots Oral History Interview, Clip 2, 2009

teller — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 08:50:34 -0400

Denise Griffin describes her experiences as an electrical engineering student at Tufts University, such as joining the Society of Women Engineers to make female friends and learn more about what she could do in her career. Griffin is an electrical engineer and past president of the SWE Boston Section.

This oral history interview was recorded October 16, 2009 at the Society of Women Engineers WE09 Annual Conference in Long Beach, California, 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.

Denise Griffin SWE Grassroots Oral History Interview, Clip 3, 2009

teller — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 08:52:08 -0400

Denise Griffin describes how her work with volunteer groups and the Society of Women Engineers have allowed her to take risks and taught her how to motivate people and project teams. Griffin is an electrical engineer and past president of the SWE Boston Section.

Diana Madden SWE Grassroots Oral History Interview, Clip 1, 2009

teller — Wed, 05 May 2010 15:37:00 -0400

Diana Madden, a member of the Society of Women Engineers Philadelphia Section, discusses being the SWE Counselor for the Drexel University Collegiate Section, and the benefits both she and the Drexel students have received from the relationship.

This oral history interview was recorded October 15, 2009 at the Society of Women Engineers WE09 National Conference in Long Beach, California, 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.

Diana Madden SWE Grassroots Oral History Interview, Clip 2, 2009

teller — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 09:10:36 -0400

Diana Madden explains how her co-op experience with engineering consulting company Schiller and Hersh turned into a full-time position after she graduated with an electrical engineering degree from Drexel University. Madden is a member of the Society of Women Engineers Philadelphia Section, and the SWE Counselor for the Drexel University Collegiate Section.

This oral history interview was recorded October 15, 2009 at the Society of Women Engineers WE09 Annual Conference in Long Beach, California, 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.

Diana Madden SWE Grassroots Oral History Interview, Clip 3, 2009

teller — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 09:13:03 -0400

Diana Madden describes her experiences as a female electrical engineering student at Drexel University in the early 2000s. While there were many female students and professors in her mathematics courses, there were very few in her engineering classes. Madden is a member of the Society of Women Engineers Philadelphia Section, and the SWE Counselor for the Drexel University Collegiate Section.

Diana Madden SWE Grassroots Oral History Interview, Clip 4, 2009

teller — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 09:15:10 -0400

Diana Madden describes her involvement in the Drexel University Society of Women Engineers collegiate section in the early 2000s, including serving as the section president and starting a controversial Mr. Engineer pageant. Madden, an electrical engineer, is a member of the Society of Women Engineers Philadelphia Section and the SWE Counselor for the Drexel University collegiate section.

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

teller — Thu, 06 May 2010 16:46:45 -0400

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.

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

teller — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 08:33:45 -0400

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.

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

teller — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 08:43:38 -0400

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.

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

teller — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 08:45:15 -0400

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.

Jan Williams SWE Grassroots Oral History Interview, Clip 1, 2009

teller — Wed, 05 May 2010 15:55:36 -0400

Jan Williams, a member of the Society of Women Engineers Central New Mexico Section, discusses the difficulties of being the primary caretaker for her children while working as an engineer and manager at Sandia National Laboratories, and how familial responsibilities affected the progress of her career.

This oral history interview was recorded October 14, 2009 at the Society of Women Engineers WE09 Annual Conference in Long Beach, California, 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.

Jan Williams SWE Grassroots Oral History Interview, Clip 2, 2009

teller — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 12:25:58 -0400

Jan Williams talks about the nontraditional route she took to become an engineer, after first receiving a degree in Spanish. She describes her experiences as a reentry engineering student while working and raising a family in the 1980s. Williams is an engineering manager at Sandia National Laboratories and a Fellow of the Society of Women Engineers.

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

teller — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 10:45:55 -0500

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.

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

teller — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 10:06:05 -0400

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.

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

teller — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 10:07:25 -0400

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.

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

teller — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 10:08:44 -0400

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.

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

teller — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 10:09:43 -0400

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.

Sharon Cascadden SWE Grassroots Oral History Interview, Clip 1, 2009

teller — Thu, 06 May 2010 15:48:29 -0400

Sharon Cascadden, a Fellow of the Society of Women Engineers, talks about her decision to study chemistry and engineering at UCLA despite a high school aptitude test which steered her toward traditional occupations for women. She also explains how raising her family interrupted her pursuit of a bachelor's degree, which she began as a chemistry major in 1956 at UCLA but did not complete until 1980 as an engineering major at California State University in Northridge.

This oral history interview was recorded October 13, 2009 at the Society of Women Engineers WE09 Annual Conference in Long Beach, California, 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.

Sharon Cascadden SWE Grassroots Oral History Interview, Clip 2, 2009

teller — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 09:25:36 -0400

Sharon Cascadden discusses a reentry program run by SWE member Dr. Bonita Campbell at California State University in Northridge in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The program was intended to quickly prepare women engineers who had not worked in the field for a long time to reenter the engineering workforce. In addition to updating their technical skills, the program also featured workshops such as one on assertiveness training, in which Cascadden recalls “One of the things we needed to learn to say was, ‘No, I don’t make the coffee,’ because that was sort of what was expected of any woman in the room at the time.” Cascadden is a retired materials engineer and a Fellow of the Society of Women Engineers.

Sharon Cascadden SWE Grassroots Oral History Interview, Clip 3, 2009

teller — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 09:27:04 -0400

Sharon Cascadden recalls her experiences as a reentering female engineering student at California State University in Northridge in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She explains how skills she developed while doing volunteer work as a stay-at-home mother transferred to the classroom and her career. She also recalls that the only female engineering faculty member at the time, Dr. Bonita Campbell, was given an office on a floor that did not have a women’s restroom. Cascadden is a retired materials engineer and a Fellow of the Society of Women Engineers.

Sharon Cascadden SWE Grassroots Oral History Interview, Clip 4, 2009

teller — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 09:28:44 -0400

Sharon Cascadden explains how contacts in the Society of Women Engineers helped her to find both her materials engineering jobs at Hughes Aircraft. She describes some of the materials testing projects she worked on for the missile and space programs. Cascadden is a retired materials engineer and a Fellow of the Society of Women Engineers.

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

teller — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 15:50:09 -0400

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

teller — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 15:54:52 -0400

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.

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

teller — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 15:57:46 -0400

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.

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

teller — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 16:00:11 -0400

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.

One Giant Leap For Womankind

teller — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 11:00:00 -0400

When Neil Armstrong first set foot on the moon 42 years ago this month on July 20, 1969, he proclaimed that it was “one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind.” Behind the scenes, the lunar landing reflected a giant leap for womankind, as well.

In 1957, Russia grabbed world headlines by successfully launching its first Sputnik satellite. The achievement shocked citizens, scientists, and politicians of the United States, who worried that the Soviets were gaining the upper hand read more »