The Frontiers of Flight Museum hosted its 14th annual event Moon Day on July 16th, 2022 , the largest space exposition in Texas! This year’s theme was “Technology Drives Exploration”, and they had Apollo 13 Astronaut Fred Haise as keynote speaker. The intention of the 14th annual Moon Day was to continue their tradition of educating, motivating, and inspiring the next generation.
In 2009 Moon Day was established, not only to celebrate the Apollo 11 landing anniversary, but to also showcase the past, present, and future of space exploration. Over the last thirteen years, Moon Day has grown to become an extraordinary event of family-oriented space-themed exhibits, activities, and presentations geared to all ages. Notable past Moon Day Keynotes include Astronauts Walt Cunningham, Janet Kavandi, Doug Wheelock, John Blaha, Bernard Harris, and Dan Bursch.
Dallas SWE was one out of many exhibitors that participated in Moon Day. And we had a blast! Visitors, especially children participated in our activity to create a marshmallow moon lander to keep the astronauts safe. While this challenge didn’t really land them onto the moon, the visitors built landers and learned the concepts of energy, gravity, and the Laws of Motion. A huge thanks to our amazing event lead Ashley Johnson and SWE volunteers Teri Cate, Domanique Johnson, Adele Houlder, Pratiksha Jaju, Sara Heurta, and Kayla Lombard for their help in making Moon Day 2022 a huge success.
On Saturday, September 17 th , Dallas SWE hosted our first membership event of the year with our FY23 Kickoff Brunch! We had a lovely turnout and engaging conversation with everyone who attended. Our President, Rana, kicked off the announcements by thanking our newest Dallas SWE Sponsors, Qorvo, and Analog Devices. Throughout brunch, each table had deep conversations, impactful networking, and a great time connecting with one another and making new contacts within our community. We had a great turnout with maxed out capacity and a full waitlist, indicating the Dallas SWE members are eager to get back to being together again in person!
Thank you to all of our Dallas SWE members and friends who were able to make it and our officers for sharing more about the exciting upcoming events we have planned. We would like to thank True Food Kitchen in Dallas for hosting us and Claire Jordan and Sammy Zellner for assisting in planning the event. We look forward to many more exciting in person events with everyone soon, with our next being our first professional development event of the year on September 29th . We hope to see you there!
Dallas SWE is pleased to recognize Jennifer Franklin as a Member of the Month for October 2022! With our Member of the Month program, Dallas SWE seeks to recognize some of our non-officer members whose technical contributions, leadership accomplishments, or SWE volunteer service are particularly noteworthy. If you would like to nominate a Dallas SWE member for his/her contributions, please email us at dallas.swe@gmail.com.
Check out Jenny’s story below!
Growing up, I always had an interest in math and science which lead me to pursue engineering. My engineering journey started at the University of Oklahoma. While there, I studied environmental engineering and was on the school’s rowing team. As a student athlete for all four years, I didn’t have much time to be an active member of SWE. However, I was still very lucky to be surrounded by an amazing group of women and coaches who inspired and supported me and my engineering goals. Four tough years and two Big XII Championships later, I graduated in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering.
My passion for water resources eventually lead me to Quiddity Engineering, a Civil Engineering firm, in Houston, Texas. I started as a Design Engineer in 2017 in the Conveyance and Transmission Division of the Water Practice. I first obtained my certification as an Engineer-in-Training, and, more recently in 2021, became a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Texas. While working as a Design Engineer and now a Project Engineer, I was able to grow my technical, project management, and leadership skills. My experience includes the design of wastewater transmission and collection lines, large diameter waterlines, water and wastewater utility replacements/rehabilitations, and water and wastewater system computer modeling and master planning. In my current role as a Project Engineer at Quiddity Engineering, I continue to work on water and wastewater infrastructure projects for public clients (i.e. Cities, Water Authorities, etc.). I love that the work I do can positively impact communities across Texas. Outside of work and SWE, I am involved with the American Water Works Association, Water Environment Association of Texas, and non-profit organizations including the Quiddity Foundation.
I officially joined SWE a few years ago while living and working in Houston, and I joined the Dallas Chapter after moving to Dallas about a year ago. This is my first year on the Membership Committee with Dallas SWE, and I am excited to get more involved. In the past few years, I’ve enjoyed being able to volunteer with SWE (Design Your World) and take part in the book clubs (previously in Houston and now Dallas). I am grateful for the opportunity to give back through SWE, and I am looking forward to connecting with and supporting more members while on the Membership Committee. Although I am newer to the Dallas Chapter, I’ve already witnessed how amazing and hardworking this group of members is.
The mentors and teammates I’ve had throughout my life, whether that’s been at home, school, or the office, have been invaluable, and I see how SWE is able to provide that mentorship and support for so many women. What I like most about SWE is the network of people it’s created who are passionate about uplifting and supporting girls and women in STEM. One thing I’ve learned, as an engineer and former rower, is how powerful a supportive team around you can be.
Dallas SWE Outreach is partnering with the Perot Museum’s Connecteen Program to share our experiences in engineering fields with high school students. This is an exciting opportunity to share your STEM journey and encourage the next generation of future engineers! The events will take place on October 21st and November 18th from 11:30am – 1pm. Please click here to learn more about the Perot Museum’s Connecteen program!
We need 2 – 3 volunteers for each date who are willing to sit on a small panel geared towards high school students and share their engineering journey (college journey, why you picked your field of engineering, what your day-to-day looks like, etc.). Please fill out the EventBrite for the October or November event and an Outreach Member will be in touch. Please only volunteer for one date. Thank you!
Come join us for a lively discussion with current women students of the mechanical engineering department at UTD! This event provides an opportunity for future women mechanical engineers to ask questions and get insight on the world post-graduation. Looking for volunteers with a mechanical engineering background to participate in this roundtable and share their unique perspectives.
Boxed lunches and refreshments will be provided. Please let us know if you have any dietary restrictions.
Orthofix will be hosting its Virtual Diversity Information Session on September 22nd at 2 PM CST via Zoom. Please click on the link below to register and receive your Zoom invite for the event. Please see the flyer for more details!
