The Society of Women Engineers Honors Engineering Graduate Student Genevieve Kane with SWE Outstanding Collegiate Member Award

The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) has recognized Genevieve Kane of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for her impact on the Society as well as the engineering community with the SWE Outstanding Collegiate Member award. Genevieve will the award at SWE’s annual conference, WE17, in Austin, Texas on Oct. 27, 2017 during the formal awards banquet.

The SWE Outstanding Collegiate Member award recognizes Genevieve for her outstanding contribution to SWE, the engineering community and her campus. Genevieve has worked as an advocate for women in engineering over her collegiate career, and is currently the FY18 Graduate Member Coordinator of the Society.   In this role, acts as the leader of the GradSWE community, and is the advocate for all graduate students across SWE’s 38,000 member organization.  In her tenure on the GradSWE leadership team, Genevieve established a society wide mentoring program aimed at graduate students, and expanded her leadership team and advocacy efforts to include resources aimed at international needs and globalization of SWE, as well as resources for professional, part time and returning students.  Genevieve continues her work at a Regional level as well, advocating for women in STEM through K-12 outreach efforts across the entire Northeast, and aiding in the development of SWENext clubs for high school aged students in Upstate New York.

“It’s an honor to be recognized by SWE as a recipient of the Outstanding Collegiate Member Award,” said Genevieve.  “As a high school student and early collegiate, I realized that I was interested in engineering, and I turned to members of my local SWE organization for support and inspiration.  I continue to do so throughout my graduate career.  One of the key missions of SWE is to demonstrate the value of diversity, and to improve the quality of life for women in STEM.  I hope that by creating a space for graduate students to network, and to seek guidance, they will be able to face the difficulties of graduate school head on, and have the support they need to be successful in reaching their goals.”

The award also recognizes Genevieve’s continuing dedication to SWE’s mission – striving to highlight the impact and importance of women in engineering across the globe, leading by example, and demonstrating that a career in engineering can be a fulfilling, rewarding pursuit for women of any background.

“Genevieve and our other collegiate members have had a tremendous impact on the Society as well as their campuses,” said Jonna Gerken, president of SWE, and Rensselaer alumni. “Involvement in SWE from the collegiate level is so important to driving home our mission to change the perception of careers in engineering and inspire more women to reach their full potential in the field.”

For more information about SWE, visit www.swe.org. For more information about GradSWE, visit https://swegrad.wordpress.com/.

About SWE:  The Society of Women Engineers (SWE), founded in 1950, is the world’s largest advocate and catalyst for change for women in engineering and technology. The not-for-profit educational and service organization is the driving force that establishes engineering as a highly desirable career aspiration for women. To ensure SWE members reach their full potential as engineers and leaders, the Society offers unique opportunities to network, provides professional development, shapes public policy and provides recognition for the life-changing contributions and achievements of women engineers. As a champion of diversity, SWE empowers women to succeed and advance in their personal and professional lives. For more information about the Society, please visit www.swe.org or call 312.596.5223.