Thursday, April 12, SWE sponsored a study break with Dr. Sarah Spence Adams, a professor of math and electrical engineering who has been at Olin since the first year of classes and was recently named one of the 300 best professors in the country. About twenty students attended. Over vegan brownies, strawberries, and apples, she answered questions and told stories about topics as far ranging as dancing, the math curriculum at Olin, her family history, and her college experience.

What a whirl spring semester has been with the recurrence of Candidates’ Weekends! It is hard to believe that the Class of 2016 acceptance letters have gone out from Olin admissions. Once again, SWE was involved all three weekends through the Club Fair and Open House. For the final two Saturdays of February and the first Saturday of March, campus was bustling with high school seniors and their families. During the 3 hours at club fair, we explained what SWE does at Olin and how candidates may become involved once they reach Olin’s campus, or that of another school, in the fall. We used a button maker to invite candidates to stay at our table a little longer and start casual conversations. Many parents were interested in hearing about Olin SWE as well. As the only national organization represented on campus besides IEEE, many parents appreciated knowing that SWE exists. The last weekend, one of the parents encouraged us by pulling out his plastic fork and exclaiming, “May the fork be with you!” Furthermore, SWE’s presence with current and future students was promoted by us wearing our newly designed “Power On” T-shirts.

On Saturday, March 3rd, five Olin SWE members attended the Region F SWE conference at MIT. The day began with continental breakfast and the keynote speaker Natalie Givans, Senior Vice President of Booz Allen and an MIT alum. Following the keynote was a presentation on the status of the organization from the SWE FY12 President-Elect, Alyse Stofer. The rest of the day included many useful workshops, such as how SWE can be helpful in the professional life and how variances in culture around the world can affect business, as well as a career fair and networking lunch in the MIT Stata Center. On Su

On Saturday, March 10, eleven current Olin students and eleven alumni enjoyed good food and each other's company at the brunch organized by SWE and the Student Networking Committee. The venue, The Cottage in Wellesley, provided gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan options, the most popular of which were the capellini crab cakes, polenta cakes, quiche, and salmon. Most alumni were graduates of the class of 2006, but there were a couple from each of the classes of 2007 through 2009. Attendees were seated at two long tables in a private room for 24, which enabled plenty of student-alumni interac

In preparation for the Spring Career fair at Olin, SWE organized a presentation about how to network more effectively, done by Meghan Murray, one of our senior members. People who attended were able to learn helpful networking tips and how to be attractive to companies to get their desired internship.

The Region F Collegiate Leadership Forum held on February 4, 2012, was hosted by the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. A diverse group of SWE members from MIT, URI, UMass Lowell, Tufts University, and Olin College attended the event. The forum began with lunch and a keynote presentation by Denise Griffen, a current employee at TripAdvisor who has been involved in SWE throughout her life. Following the presentation was a session of speed networking during which members of different schools shared stories about their chapters and addressed topics as membership, fundraising, and outreach. Then, Governor Andreas Karalus of Region F gave a presentation on Strategic Planning while junior SWEFL members Maggie Su and Annie Zeng attended a leadership and mentorship breakout session.

On December 8, SWE hosted a birthday study break for the previous SWE advisor Oscar Mur-Miranda, where he told stories about his life and diversity. We provided cake, Pinkberry frozen yogurt, and cheese and crackers.

On November 10, SWE hosted a study break for all students with two other clubs, Open and GCSP (Grand Challenge Scholars Program), where the current SWE advisor Zhenya Zastavker was invited to speak about diversity in engineering education. We provided sushi, Thai curry, and Russian cold cuts. Zhenya shared personal stories and engaged us in a conversation about becoming aware of our differences.

The Saturday workshop, which took place on November 5th, was attended by had 34 of Needham elementary school's 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. The kids learned about 5 different branches of engineering through various hands-on activities. These included programming in Scratch, building a mechanical machine driven by a motor, looking at the design of motion mechanisms in toys, learning how to make a circuit with an LED with brightness controlled by a potentiometer, and studying the material properties of some household items. The event had 12 Olin SWE volunteers and was reported to be a big succes

This fall, SWE broadened its scope to host an on-campus event for the families of faculty and staff. Headed by Tara Krishnan, SWE organized a Halloween Festival for faculty and staff to bring their children and spouses to enjoy holiday festivities and food. Board members spread the word via talking directly to professors and staff. Once a date was established, SWE advertised by emailing the entirety of faculty and staff. We had families R.S.V.P. so that we could buy the appropriate quantity of supplies and food. Sixteen SWE board and general members collaborated to make this event a success.