A Note from the President

By Ursula Towne

In a world where you can be anything, be kind. ~ Unknown

Some of you may not believe it but it’s February already this year in 2020. Myself, I can’t seem to figure out where the time has gone. I’ve had some shake-ups in my life already that remind me how fragile our network is. I’m in a world now where I have lost a son (2017) and a father (2020) and the future holds much uncertainty. I think there are lessons in the experiences we endure, and we can choose to be victorious based on the outcome or we can choose defeat. The easiest way to view change is as a loss. The tougher road and often the one filled with the most personal growth is the one fraught with adversity and setbacks. Most of you reading this article made a tough choice in choosing engineering. You knew it would be difficult and that is a mark of your own courage. Know that we have these opportunities because of those who came before us and fought for the rights for us to be able to have an education and to vote. We come from a long line of women, both directly, and indirectly, who didn’t back down in the face of adversity when given a challenge. We all have this strength within us.

February is a big month for SWE-CI. We have multiple large outreach events and we get a wonderful opportunity for recognition for the hard work many of us do as we accept a proclamation from Peoria’s mayor, Jim Ardis for our efforts in STEM outreach.
Our section has been getting excited for the remaining events in this fiscal year as well as trying to determine who will be strong candidates for the next fiscal year. Maybe it’s you! Don’t forget to make your elections for our own local council.

Survey link- https://forms.gle/brDxrbCAT5PnFZnb8

It’s easy to take our everyday freedoms and opportunities for granted. I really enjoy hearing about stories from the time in our country in which people fought for change and equality. If this interests you, I think you will find this enjoyable and educational:
 

Society Individual Awards - Due March 31st

A new individual award this year is patent recognition award.

SWE-CI Member Spotlight 
Meet Melanie Willi, Caterpillar Inc.

Hey everyone, my name is Melanie and I'm currently a system integration engineer for the Motor Grader team at Caterpillar, based in Decatur. I'm originally from the Peoria area and am a third generation Caterpillar employee. I share that because my journey to engineering started as a little kid, with a mechanical engineer Dad and a math teacher Mom, I was always encouraged towards math, science, and technical learning. I developed a passion for mechanical engineering and the product development process after joining a FIRST Robotics Competition team my junior and senior years of high school. I went on to attend the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign and graduated with a bachelors in Mechanical Engineering in 2011. During my time in school, I worked for Caterpillar as an intern for three years through their parallel co-op program. Upon graduating, I entered the Engineering Rotational Development Program and after that spent five years working as an Engine Installation and Cooling Designer for both the Tractor and Motor Grader teams. I've been working as an Integration Engineer for two years now and love getting to see the big picture of product development as well as get into the details of a variety of system designs and how they work together.

Outside of work, I am the Decatur Area Representative for SWE-CI, the Board Treasurer for a local non profit called the Good Samaritan Inn, and play in several volleyball leagues year round. I enjoy all types of outdoor activities including backpacking, camping, and bass fishing. I spend a lot of time working on home improvement projects and hanging out with my dog, Ada (named for Ada Lovelace, the first female engineer!).

I wasn't involved in SWE during college, but am passionate about their mission and have greatly benefited from the networking and professional development opportunities since joining the workforce. I am especially passionate about bringing awareness to and sharing these resources across our region. 

January's Events

SWE-CI Annual Brunch 2020 - Happy New Year!

New Year Brunch ( Decatur)

Decatur Area SWE members kicked off 2020 with a brunch at local restaurant Red Barn Kitchen on January 11th. Everyone had a great time catching up after the holidays and brainstorming ideas for SWE activities in our area next year. We were especially happy to be joined by former SWE CI EC member & our dear friend Roberta Branco who moved to Chile in 2019. Roberta was back in Illinois for the holidays and was able to join us for a much needed catch up.
 

We have brought slime to the Dream Center a few times over the past two years that we have been holding the collaborative Teen Teacher STEM series program brought to this venue which was the result of collaboration between SWE-CI and University of 4H Extension Office of Peoria with our dedicated adult volunteers. There was a new feeling in this program which I felt for the first time on Friday, February 7th.  First off, the interest in our little group of kids and teens doing “science” has grown immensely, so much so that we now have to have two sessions of kids who come to the session so that we can satisfy all of them. The next change I have felt is that we have progressed beyond relaying information to the teens in this group. I have seen such amazing mentor abilities growing in these older students. This was the first time that the slime recipe was already such a known thing for the Dream Center teens they could adjust the recipe with chemist-like skills. These mentors were fully capable of directing young kids who were having a tough time or had never made slime before. And Man! Did we make slime! We made playdoh, stretched gobs of putty and made slime the likes of which would bring gasps to students of all ages. There was glow in the dark slime, thermochromatic slime and magnetic slime. There was slime that had such personality it got named. With this knowledge these kids now have, I can see this will be a thing they may teach their own children someday and this felt like the most amazing gift of all.

 

On Wednesday Feb 11^th 2020, SWE Central IL received a Proclamation from the City of Peoria IL for its STEM Outreach efforts and  participation in engineering week. National Engineering Week events will begin with a free admission day at Peoria Riverfront Museum on Sunday Feb 16^th from noon-5PM. SWE-CI will have a booth at the museum with lots of STEM activities for the kids! Bring your family for a fun day and don’t forget to stop by our booth!

Pictures of SWE-CI members (Ursula Towne, Christiana Aguirre and Sowmya Nagesh) receiving the Proclamation on behalf of SWE-CI Outreach Committee.

https://www.facebook.com/peoriail/videos/195953574986886/?epa=SEARCH_BOX

Video

http://peoriail.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=8&clip_id=535

The Caterpillar Mom’s Employee Network is a resource for all Mom’s who work at Caterpillar.  This group supplies Peer to Peer support to mom’s in all of life’s twist and turns.  The 1^st Wednesday of each month the group holds a support call to allow mom’s the ability to ask questions about a specific concern and also discuss that months topic.  The group discusses topics for all ages groups and all situations.  To get involved in the Caterpillar Mom’s group become a member of the Yammer Community HERE and get all the latest information or ask questions of the community.
 
If you have questions about the group please feel free to contact either Heather Ulrich (Ulrich_Heather@cat.com) or Stephanie Taylor.
 

To register or learn more, click on each webinar.