Fall 2021 - Society of Women Engineers

SWE Magazine / Volume 67 Number 4 / Fall 2021

Feature Articles

Transforming Corporate Boards

While corporations and nonprofits have welcomed more women to their boards, experts contend that focusing on one form of diversity isn’t enough to ensure the breadth of perspectives needed to meet today’s unprecedented challenges, or to shift the boards’ focus from one of rubber stamping and compliance to one of strategy.

women deans science chemistry engineering

Women Engineering Leaders in Academe 2021

Since 2002, this annual series has profiled women engineering deans, who offer insight and share their reflections on the rewards and pitfalls of the position. In this year’s installment, we recall some of the highlights and provide a glimpse of where the career paths of these accomplished women have taken them.

large illustration of city and infrastructure

The State of Infrastructure

The increase in severe weather events is shining a spotlight on the need for more resilient infrastructure solutions. Results from the American Society of Civil Engineers report card on the current state of infrastructure in the United States, along with data from the World Economic Forum’s 2019 Global Competitiveness Report, provide the robust assessment needed to maintain systems now and invest in the future.

Special Section: Aspire to Inspire

Introducing FY22 SWE President Rachel Morford, the new board of directors, and the Society of Women Engineers’ theme for the year.

Taking Back the Internet

Since the COVID-19 pandemic struck in the spring of 2020, the internet has been experiencing a heightened level of criminal activity. Every 14 seconds, experts say, another business now falls victim to a ransomware attack. Email phishing campaigns have increased sevenfold. And globally, cybercriminals are launching fresh attacks on 30,000 websites a day, which is just under 11 million a year. Amid this chaos, women from a variety of backgrounds are proving to be part of a solution that encompasses both mainstream and less conventional methods.

Opening Thoughts

By Anne Perusek
Director of Editorial and Publications

Establishing diverse boards that are more than a rubber stamp for the CEO, that are strategic rather than compliant, is the real key. But how does such a board composition come about? → Read

SWE Forum

We recognized that whatever we were able to accomplish in the midst of a pandemic, our programs and services needed to maintain the quality people have come to associate with SWE. → Read

Closing Thoughts

By Karen Horting, CAE
Executive Director & CEO

Whether from the office, the kitchen table, or halfway across the world, we are connected, supporting one another to learn and grow in difficult times. → Read

News & Advocacy

→ A Closer Look at the Data

Higher education enrollments have taken a hit due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The impact is…

→ Putting Women at the Center of the G20

As the world struggles to recover from the devastation of the COVID pandemic, the Women’s…

→ SWE Magazine Earns APEX Awards

International competition recognizes the work of corporate and nonprofit publishers, editors, writers, and designers…

→ SWE “Leans in” to Change

Changes SWE made this past year around diversity, equity, and inclusion will position the organization…

→ Every Drop Counts

One water conservation solution has the potential to tackle multiple problems, with a promising array…

→ People: SWE Fall 2021

From breaking the glass ceiling in industry, academia, and research to an array of accomplishments…

→ Career Pathways

Women board members share insights into the intricacies and fulfillments of serving as a director.

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