SWE - May Newsletter

• SWE June Meet & Greet
• Networking Events
• Women in Technology of the Heartland May Mixer
• STEM Ecosystem Connect Series: Connecting Pathways
• Outreach Opportunities
• Science Olympiad Tournament
• Aqua Africa - Build a Hut Program
• Aim for the Stars Summer Camp
• Girls Inc. - EUREKA program
• SWE FY26 Committee Opportunities
• SWE Calendar

Thursday, June 12

1911 S. 67th St.

4:30 - 6 p.m.

Come any time. Bring a co-worker. Enjoy some fun conversation.

If it is nice, we will try to meet outside. Look for the SWE Meet & Greet Sign

NETWORKING EVENTS

Register at: https://bit.ly/WiTHRegister and join WiTH for a lively evening of connection and conversation at their May Mixer!

Women in Technology of the Heartland (WiTH) is bringing together area user groups—along with the local tech community—for a casual, fun-filled networking event.

This is a great opportunity to meet new people, learn about different user groups in the area, and discover new ways to get involved.

Thanks to their generous sponsor, Cordova, they will have delicious food, music to set the vibe, and a cash bar to keep things festive.

Come ready to mix, mingle, and make meaningful connections!

Please be sure to Register today so they can plan appropriately for food.

Part of the 2025 STEM Connect Series

Organized by Omaha STEM Ecosystem

When: Tuesday, July 15

Time: 4:30 – 7 p.m. Happy hour from 4:30 - 5

Where: MCL Construction, 14558 Portal Circle, Omaha

Gain a better understanding of the status of STEM programming, opportunities, and needs in Omaha. Participate in discussions designed to develop the connection between business and education to address future workforce needs in NE.

Register through Eventbrite: Connecting Pathways Tickets, Tue, Jul 15, 2025 at 4:30 PM | Eventbrite

VOLUNTEER OUTREACH OPPORTUNITIES

Volunteer for the Science Olympiad National Tournament!

Over Memorial Day weekend (May 23-24), the University of Nebraska will host the Science Olympiad National Tournament, welcoming top middle and high school students from across the country. This is a great chance to showcase UNL and engage with future leaders in STEM.

They need volunteers to help with:

Event Preparation: Assist with campus planning, administrative tasks, and preparing materials.

Day-of Support: Help with logistics, guiding teams, setting up spaces, or assisting with registration.

Campus Ambassadors: Provide tours and share insights about UNL with students and families.

Select a morning shift, an afternoon shift, or all day. Even a few hours of your time can make a big impact. To volunteer, go to Volunteers | 2025 Science Olympiad National Tournament | Nebraska or contact Jordan Slagle at jslagle10@unl.edu for more details.

Volunteers of all ages are welcome!

Our SWE section is partnering with the Omaha 4-H Extension Office to lead a summer STEM camp for 6-8th graders. The students will meet twice a week at the Extension office on 80th & Center for 3 weeks, for 3 hours each session.

In this engaging, hands-on engineering camp sponsored by 4-H and Aqua Africa, youth entering 6-8th grade will work as individuals and teams to learn engineering skills required to build an African hut in a village in Africa. Huts will be using off-grid technology to produce energy for power and water transportation. They will be learning about construction, solar energy and civil engineering.

The camp dates are on Tuesday and Wednesday, June 17, 18, 24 and 25, July 8 and 9 from 9-noon. If you are able to help with any one of these dates that would be great.

If you are interested in learning more about how you can be involved, contact Janis Pfingsten at 402-672-3482 or email her at janis.pfingsten@centurylink.net

Aim for the Stars is looking for a few guest speakers on June 16, June 23, July 14, and July 28. We will be working with 4th-5th grade campers. You can talk about your work as an engineer, what made you interested in pursuing a career in a STEM field, how robotics is used in your work, or be part of a discussion panel.

If you are interested but need more information, please contact Jeanne Stewart, our SWE president who will be working with this summer camp, at easternnebraskaswe@gmail.com

To learn more about this Summer Camp program visit Camp Descriptions | Aim for the Stars | University of Nebraska Omaha

Girls Inc. of Omaha’s Eureka! Program is currently seeking organizations, companies, and individuals to host high school students for a 4-week externship experience in July 2025.

These externships are often life changing and allow the opportunity for the interns to experience their career interests before college!

Dates: July 8 – July 31, 2025

Time: 3–4 hours/day, Monday–Thursday

Externship = Internship "outside" of Girls Inc.

Stipends provided to students by Girls Inc. (Hosts may donate to help cover costs — optional!)

Transportation provided by Girls Inc.

Hosts will receive full support from Girls Inc. staff

Externship Presentation Ceremony: August 3 (Hosts are invited, but not required to attend)

Girls Inc. is not limited to the career interests on this list! They have plenty of girls interested in exploring different career options.

If you or anyone you know may be interested in getting involved, please contact Mkeegan@girlsincomaha.org.

Are you looking for leadership experience? SWE is a great way to build your leadership skills. You do not need experience. We will train you!

Do you want to work with our youth?

Do you like to work with media and communication?

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We are looking for people to serve on several committees. These committees include outreach, program development, membership and communication.

We realize that we are all volunteers and have other commitments, so we try to be very flexible with your time. By having more than one person serve on these committees it will help our SWE section be more active in the community and make us a stronger organization.

The term for each committee chair/member will be through June 30, 2026. If you would like to take one of these positions, either as a Chair or as a member of the committee, or have questions, contact our Section President Jeanne Stewart at easternnebraskaswe@gmail.com .

COMMITTEE POSITIONS

Membership Committee

This committee works with the Membership Chair, welcoming all new members to our section. They will keep in touch with new members throughout the year making sure that they are welcome to attend our events, remind them of upcoming events/outreach opportunities, etc.

Outreach volunteers

Members of our outreach team coordinate with the Outreach Chair, working with youth, doing presentations, after school activities, working with such agencies as 4-H, Girl Scouts, Girls Inc., or any other opportunity that may arise. The committee chair reaches out to these volunteers about 3 times a year. Volunteers are usually able to make their own schedules for activities.

Program Development Committee

This committee works with the chair to facilitate activities and events on a monthly basis. May be asked to coordinate one or two events, help with providing ideas for speakers or topics for future meetings.

Collegiate Counselor – UNL or UNO

· Coaches the collegiate section by providing advice and resources on SWE, speakers, industry, etc.

· Works with faculty advisor to ensure section is in good standing with university

· Ensures the section is in good standing with SWE HQ

· Encourages award and scholarship applications and collegiate member participation at WELocals and society conferences

· Encourages graduating students to transition to professional SWE membership and stay involved

· Attends the monthly Section Board meetings and provides a brief Chair report

Estimated monthly commitment is 1-2 hours.

Newsletter Editor

· Author/creates Section monthly E-Blast/newsletter in coordination with the Program Development Chair

· Coordinates with the Webmanager on posting to section website

· Attends the monthly Section Board meetings and provides a brief Chair report
Estimated monthly commitment is 2-3 hours.

Webmanager

· Updates and adds information to the website

· Gathers useful information for the website from the officers and members

· Relays member feedback received from the website to the officers

· Attends the monthly Section Board meetings and provides a brief Chair report (Teleconference)

· Submits information to the President for the monthly SWE-Blast to members, as applicable
Estimated monthly commitment is 2-3 hours.

May 19 - Women in Technology May Mixer - 5-7 p.m.

June 12 - Meet & Greet - 4:30 - 6 p.m. - Inner Rail at Aksarben Village

July 10 - Celebrating SWE - 5 p.m. - Gretna/Ashland area

July 15 - Connecting Pathways - STEM Ecosystem - 4:30 - 7 p.m.

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Website: https://easternnebraska.swe.org/

Email: easternnebraskaswe@gmail.com