TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Alabama’s chapter of the Society of Women Engineers recently received second place among medium-sized sections in the Outstanding Student Section competition at the National Conference in Milwaukee, Wis.

“While being recognized in the Outstanding Student Section is great for our students and the University, its greatest value comes from what the students have learned in the process,” said Dr. Beth Todd, UA’s SWE chapter adviser and associate professor of mechanical engineering.

The award is based on how closely the chapter follows the SWE strategic plan developed at the beginning of the academic year. Students develop a mission statement and objectives that align with the national SWE plan. At the end of the school year, students write a final report which allows them to evaluate their plans as well as communicate their successes.

UA’s SWE chapter has a tradition of placing in this category at the national conference; in 2003 they won third place and in 2002 they won first place. The organization focuses on encouraging young women to consider engineering as a career, while allowing its members to provide services to the community, and exhibit the significance of diversity of the College of Engineering.

SWE was founded in 1950 and is a non-profit educational and service organization. SWE is the driving force that establishes engineering as a highly desirable career aspiration for women.

In 1837, UA became the first university in the state to offer engineering classes and was one of the first five in the nation to do so. Today, the College of Engineering, with about 1,900 students and more than 95 faculty, is one of the three oldest continuously operating engineering programs in the country and has been fully accredited since accreditation standards were implemented in the 1930s.