Third Place Schlumberger Essay by Gina Trivellini

My shoes have wings. No, I’m not Hermes, nor did I just drink a can of Red Bull. Rather, my shoes have the ability to take me far beyond those sensible heels that reside in office cubicles worldwide; they will take me to the sky…literally. My name is Gina Trivellini, and my passion lies in aviation.

Since my first air show at eighteen months old, I’ve been fascinated by airplanes. For the past eight years I’ve been volunteering at my local municipal airport and museum, and more recently have begun taking flight lessons to eventually earn my pilot’s license.

I’m lucky enough to have parents who have driven me to explore my interest in airplanes. One of the programs they enrolled me in – an aviation camp a few summers ago – is the reason that I ultimately decided to pursue a career in aviation in the future.

Throughout my childhood I knew that I wanted to someday help improve the lives of others, but I was never sure what to say when asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Attending aviation camp was simply for fun – I got to go behind the scenes (and through countless metal detectors) in and around the Atlantic City Airport to see the runway pavement testing, baggage security screening, wind tunnels and a whole lot more.

One particular day at camp, a woman speaking about her career asked us, “Who here has considered becoming an aeronautical engineer?” A few boys – but only one girl – raised their hands. The woman went on to tell us that she was a rarity in a field dominated by males, but that she loved her job. She couldn’t emphasize enough how high the demand was for women engineers. Her words made such an impression that I couldn’t help but wonder if this was the career for me. Extensive research opened my eyes to endless opportunities. It wasn’t long before I realized that the ever-changing field of aeronautical engineering would allow me to do what I loved and see my impact on the world each and every day.

Elisabeth Posthill: Thoughts from WE12

1. I learned that the company Boston Scientific has a program called Close the Gap.  It aims to eliminate health care disparities, which are differences in the quality of health care simply due to racial or ethnic differences.
2. I also learned that not everything will be your dream job or situation, but you can still learn a lot from it and make the best of it.

Samantha Garrabrant: Thoughts from WE12

I had the opportunity to attend a workshop by Boston Scientific where they discussed a heart disease initiative that they started in conjunction with some other organizations.  It was all about raising awareness for heart disease and titled "Close the Gap".  I thought it was really special that the company makes medical devices, but goes the extra step to promote healthily lifestyles and equality as well.  More information can be found on their website, http://www.bostonscientific.com/your-heart-health/index.html.

I also got to attend a workshop present by collegiate members from Michigan Tech SWE, who gave us some tips about how to improve Evening with Industry for next year.

Emily Frantz: Thoughts from WE12

1. A presentation by Bechtel Corporation gave the basics of Small Modular Reactors, such as their Generation mPower project with Babcock & Wilcox.  The electric output of a small modular is less than 300 Megawatts, while a full nuclear power plant has an output of about 1000 MW.  One benefit is that these are built offsite and then brought in.  With the Generation mPower specifically, they are packaged in 180 MW increments and when installed, about 20 feet of it is above ground and 140 feet are below ground.
2. I also met Lynn Bresnahan, an RPI alumni, in her presentation "Where is my Crystal Ball?", on being unsure of your future.  The best advice to come from her presentation was that if you are not uncomfortable, you are not learning.

Jessica Stieglitz: Thoughts from WE12

I learned, via volunteering, how to make a product you’re producing the best it can be depending on whether you are aiming for long term customers or short term customers, different profit margins, and dependability. Over half of the process was planning, research, analysis, and discussion, and the rest of it had to do with engineering.

I also went to a workshop about working in a global group, which was mostly aiming at professional level members, but was also really relevant to working in groups for classes here at RPI. Most of it was communication and learning the culture of your group members, to avoid awkward circumstances. 

Cary Kaczowka: Thoughts on WE12

1. There are actually differences between the way men and women think! Our brains are spaghetti; everything is connected and we can be thinking about school and suddenly end up thinking about work or a haircut, or last year's spring break. Men's brains, however, are closer to waffles; there is a box for school, work, football, and for thinking about nothing. This may be why men might think we are a bit on the crazy/random side or why he might be flustered when the different 'boxes' start mixing together such as work friends and home friends.
2. There is a new professional SWE section: Hawaiian Islands! Maybe we should visit.
3. National SWE Members have access to the award-winning SWE journal online as well! This means you can forward interesting articles to friends or watch extra videos online.
4. Two new scholarships for Fiscal year 2014 include the Betty Shanahan Scholarship for a Graduate Student and an undergraduate scholarship for Native American Students!
5. As of two weeks ago, there were 20,541 societal members of SWE!
6. Look forward to We13 in Baltamore, MD on October 24th through 26th

Carly-Jeanne Gardiner: Thoughts from WE12

There were so many things happening at Conference that it was hard to go to everything.  I mostly attended Outreach events to pick up some new ideas.  At the Outreach Expo, I was able to see what other sections did for Outreach, and I learned how to get more involved with high schools in the area.

I did attend one non-Outreach event that left an impact with me: Emotional Intelligence.  During this session, the presenter discussed how to handle your emotions and how to not just control them, but to work through them and get past them.  She said that what is important to remember is that emotions never lie.  Your emotional response is always the correct reaction to the thoughts you are having.  You must change your thoughts to change your emotions.