Swe Podcasts

Melissa Marshall, TED speaker and founder of Present Your Science, shares actionable advice to help scientists and engineers share their work to non-technical audiences in this episode of Diverse. Hear practical tips for improving your presentation skills, plus two key communication pitfalls to avoid. Marshall offers additional insights on the role of visual aids in slides, building confidence, and how AI is impacting the future of communication in STEM.

Dive into SWE’s award-winning Academic Leadership for Women in Engineering (ALWE) program with two inspiring engineers who are making their mark! Dr. Gisella Lamas, FY25 chair of SWE’s Women in Academia Committee, and Dr. Sanjana Yagnambhatt, member of SWE’s Women in Academia Committee, share their personal experiences as participants in the ALWE program. Hear what inspired them to pursue careers in academia, the lessons from ALWE that influenced them the most, and why the leadership skills and diverse community that ALWE provides are imperative in the academic space.

Negotiation happens every day in the workplace — from negotiating a job offer, to pushing back on a proposed initiative, to simply saying no. In this episode of Diverse, author, speaker, and leadership consultant Selena Rezvani shares actionable tips to help women engineers improve their negotiation skills and become their own self-advocates. Hear strategies and scripts to start tricky conversations, overcome common objections, and manage trade-offs. Rezvani shares a personal story that influences the way she sees negotiation and discusses the importance of mentors and peer networks.

Learn how endowed scholarships work and how they make an impact on the next generation of women engineers in this episode of Diverse! Mary Zeis, SWENext coordinator for the SWE Pittsburgh Section, and Jessica Dresang, vice president & project manager with Carollo Engineers, share their personal motivations behind endowing scholarships with SWE in conversation with FY24 SWE President Alexis McKittrick. Hear what differentiates an endowed scholarship from other forms of giving, how endowed scholarships work behind the scenes, and why they are an ideal option for those looking to leave a long-term legacy.

Every day around the world, engineers get dressed to go to work. But due to a variety of appearance-based biases, picking out what to wear can be complicated for some women in STEM. Dr. Lindarti Purwaningsih, principal process engineer, integration engineering at GlobalFoundries, delves into the societal norms, biases, and personal experiences that shape the way women engineers dress in the workplace in this episode of Diverse. Drawing from her popular talk at WE Local Munich, Purwaningsih explores how dressing authentically can empower women in engineering and how organizations and leaders can foster a more inclusive workplace environment for all.

In this episode of Diverse, Diniece Mendes, director of the office of freight mobility at the New York City Department of Transportation, and Monica Morales, water resources engineer and project manager at Jacobs, share their experiences of being featured in the IMAX film “Cities of the Future.” In conversation with Laurie Shuster, editor-in-chief of SWE Magazine, Mendes and Morales discuss the surprising aspects of being part of a movie, how it has impacted their careers, and valuable networking advice for women engineers looking to create unique opportunities for themselves. Learn more about the women who are bringing engineering to the screen in the Summer 2024 issue of SWE Magazine.

On July 1, 2024, Karen Roth assumes the role of President of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), concluding Dr. Alexis McKittrick’s one-year term as SWE President. In this episode, McKittrick sits down with Roth to pass the torch, offer words of advice, and share her favorite moments and memories of helping over 47,000 women in STEM “Live Without Limits” over the past year. Roth discusses why she chose “Together We Rise” as her theme, reflects on what she’s most excited about for the year ahead, and shares the impact that SWE has had on her life, personal growth, and career.

Explore the many ways that engineers can get involved with public policy ― from learning about the issues, to speaking to legislators, to even running for office! Jenny Tsao, lead of the SWE Public Policy Affinity Group, provides tips for women in STEM who want to start getting involved in public policy. Katherine Culbert, engineer and candidate for Texas Railroad Commission, unpacks her decision to run for office and the lessons she has learned through this experience. Host Karen Horting, CEO and executive director of SWE, moderates the discussion and shares her public policy memories and experiences, including with SWE’s annual Congressional Visit Days. Please note that as a 501(c)(3) organization, SWE is strictly nonpartisan and cannot endorse political candidates.

In this episode of Diverse, SWE Senator and Global Ambassador Blanca Rosa Navarro Piedra shares her inspiring journey, from being the first SWE member in Costa Rica to establishing two SWE affiliates in the country In conversation with FY24 SWE President Alexis McKittrick, Ph.D., Navarro Piedra details her advocacy work in Costa Rica, including several joint outreach projects with international partners. Hear her advice for those who want to advance women in engineering around the globe, as well as the story of how Navarro Piedra got started in a STEM career.

Working moms in STEM face a unique set of challenges, and they don’t always get the support they need in the workplace. Heather Ulrich, new product introduction program manager at Caterpillar, joins us on this episode to share how she started a moms group in her company to provide connection, resources, and support for working moms. Hear the steps Ulrich took to bring this group to life, the biggest challenge faced along the way, discussion topics the group covers, and advice on how listeners can establish moms groups in their own organizations.

Prachi Tomar, associate engineer and AI research analyst at Exelaration, shares how she pivoted from mechanical engineering to software engineering on this episode of Diverse: a SWE podcast. Hear practical steps that engineers can take to enter the software field, how women in STEM can position themselves to succeed in the world of AI, and Tomar’s reflections on moving to the U.S. as an international student.

Carey Smith, chair, president, and CEO of Parsons Corporation, joins us on this episode of Diverse: a SWE podcast to discuss her journey from engineer to corporate leader. Hear which skills from Smith’s engineering background were most valuable as she took on higher leadership roles, the global infrastructure trends and challenges she sees on the horizon, and her reflections on how diversity leads to a more inclusive and engaged workforce.

Vidhya Thiyagarajan, FY24 SWE collegiate director and an associate scientist in chemical commercialization technology at Merck, joins us on this episode of Diverse to shine a light on the SWE collegiate experience. Interviewed by Karen Horting, CEO and executive director of SWE, Thiyagarajan reflects on starting a SWENext Club at her high school and getting involved with SWE at the University of Pittsburgh. Hear her tips for making the most of SWE during college and her advice for women and girls who are thinking about pursuing engineering.

To celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month while acknowledging that May is also Mental Health Awareness Month, the SWE Asian Connections Affinity Group shines a light on mental health stigmas in Asian cultures in this episode. Vandana Khanna, head of global digital finance transformation at Kenvue, shares her personal experiences and discusses how companies can better promote mental health awareness. Dr. Katherine Nguyen Williams, clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego and supervising psychologist at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego, discusses the cultural nuances she has encountered in addressing mental health within the Asian community. Sarah Koenig, associate director for manufacturing cost modeling at Pratt & Whitney, a division of RTX, moderates this important conversation.

Mrinal Karvir, senior software AI engineering manager at Intel, joins us on this episode of Diverse to shed light on the different types of biases that exist in AI systems and the impacts of each one. Hear how Karvir became passionate about the field of responsible AI and her reflections on what is being done across the industry to reduce bias in this technology. You can learn more about bias and other ethical challenges within AI in the Spring 2024 issue of SWE Magazine.

In addition to her role as process development manager at Boston Scientific, Nichole Elff (she/her) is one of the fastest drag racers in the world! She joins us on this episode of Diverse to discuss her journey and share how hobbies can improve your leadership potential in the workplace. Hear how Elff got started with drag racing and modifying cars, how to integrate your hobbies into your professional brand, and her reflections on being a woman leader in the male-dominated fields of engineering and drag racing.

Wendy Cocke, founder of Engineering Leadership Solutions, shares actionable advice on how to run your engineering career like a small business, embrace flexibility, and navigate the future of work in this episode of Diverse. In conversation with FY24 SWE President Alexis McKittrick, Cocke also reflects on the impact SWE has had on her career, including a story of how several SWE members helped refine her WE Local Baltimore keynote address.

Inaas Darrat (she/her), director of chemical sector services at Trinity Consultants, joins us on this episode of Diverse to share her journey as a chemical engineer and her insights on how to make STEM fields more welcoming to all. Darrat reflects on her experiences as an Arab American woman in engineering, including common misconceptions, the positive changes she has seen over time, and ideas for listeners who want to become stronger allies. Hear how she course-corrected her career by leaving a Ph.D. program, her leadership advice for women engineers, and her own experiences of overcoming unconscious bias.

Two accomplished STEM leaders joined us live in the WE23 Diverse Podcast Studio to share emerging trends and career advancement tips in the public and private sectors. Tamika Abbott, director, office of security technology at the U.S. Department of State, discusses innovations in the security space and details her career journey in the public sector that included missions across the globe. Jackie Reeves, director of IT operations - endpoint solutions at Abbott, reflects on the latest developments in the medical technology industry and shares her experience of reentering the workforce after a career break.

Dive into the stories of Nora Stanton Blatch Barney and Elsie Eaves, two pioneering women engineers who shaped the landscape of STEM, in this episode of “Tales From the Archives,” a sub-series of Diverse. Troy Eller English (she/her), chief archivist at SWE, explores how these women defied the norms of their time and blazed the trail for the women engineers of today. She shares the career advice Eaves offered to women engineers in the 1930s and encourages present-day listeners to reflect on their own roles in shaping STEM history.