Women in engineering…women in automation…

I missed this when it first came in, so the notice is short…but anybody who is in the Houston area, or who can get to Houston for this meeting, please take notice…
Over the years, I have worked with many women in automation…some of the mst briliant engineers I’ve ever had the privilege of working with. It is still too bad that automation is a career that many women don’t even recognize as a career path that is open to them, even after Brett Butler played a female instrument tech at what was pretty clearly the Amoco Wood River Refinery on her lamentably short-lived television show, “Grace Under Fire.” It only ran five seasons, and could arguably still be on.
–Walt
Fieldbus Center To Host Nexus of Instrumentation Women Gathering
Networking group formed to boost presence of women in the instrumentation
workforce
BAYTOWN, Texas, August 17, 2006 — The Fieldbus Center at Lee College will
host a meeting of the Nexus of Instrumentation Women (NIW) on Thursday,
September 14, 2006, at the Bayer Conference Center, Lee College, Baytown,
TX. “Instrumentation Technician” will be the featured profession as topic of
discussion. The meeting will provide an opportunity for women involved in
the instrumentation industry to discuss their daily work life and share
common insights and experiences.
Comprised of current students and alumni of Lee College, the Nexus of
Instrumentation Women was formed with the expressed goal of increasing the
presence of women in the instrumentation workforce. As a National Science
Foundation (NSF) initiative, the group provides mentoring opportunities
between women studying in the instrumentation field and those professionally
employed within it.
A successful inaugural meeting was held June 22, 2006, where attendees
identified initial action items for the group, which include: establish a
career mentoring program for women, identify the importance of career goals,
provide a forum for discussion of workplace issues, increase awareness of
possible career directions, promote useful organizations, and share
information regarding employment opportunities.
Nexus of Instrumentation Women was conceived by Fieldbus Center staff
members Marsha Swimmer and Jessica Schrock, in collaboration with Lee
College instrumentation faculty member Richard Tunstall. Mary Cannon, of
Tyco Controls and an Instrumentation Systems and Automation Society (ISA)
officer, volunteered her time and expertise in the creation of the group.
An upcoming activity of NIW will be participation in Young Automation
Professional (YAP) Fest, to be held during ISA EXPO 2006, October 17-19,
2006, in Houston, TX. Plans for YAP Fest will be finalized during the
September 14 meeting. All instrumentation industry newcomers, students and
professionals are invited to attend. For additional information, please
contact Jessica Schrock at (832) 556-4446 or email mailto:jschrock@lee.edu.