Workshops

This page was last updated 2/29/2008. The conference workshops are still being finalized so please check back for updates!

.	Technical Track	Professional Development Track	Personal Development Track	SWE Track
Workshop 1 Saturday, 10:15am-11:15am	Renewable Hydrogen Energy (Speaker: Dr. Mano Misra)	Salary Negotiations – How to be more effective! (Speaker: Seena Drapala)	Workplace Yoga (Instructor: Kathleen Randolph)	LCC - Conflict Resolution (Speaker: Esther Heller)
Workshop 2 Saturday, 11:30am-12:30pm	Alternative Fuels (Speaker: Dr. John Cushman)	Effective Communications Panel (Speaker: Sierra Anderegg, Suzanne Kirk, and Deborah Stromberg)	The Gender Chip Project (Speaker: Victorial Bernal)	CLCC - Team Building (Speaker: Tabitha Wong)
Workshop 3 Saturday, 2:30pm-3:30pm	An Introduction to LEED (Speakers: Teresa Kulesza & Kara Van Valkenburg)	Communication in the Workplace (Speaker: Misty Capriotti)	Work-Life Balance (Speaker: Shobha Mallarapu)	Region A Meeting (2:30-5:00) (Speaker: Elizabeth Hurley)
Workshop 4 Sunday, 9:45am-10:45am	Electric Vehicles (Speaker: Bob Tregilus)	Winning at the Game of Office Politics (Speaker: Jo Miller)	How Important Are Patents To Engineers? (Speaker: Adrienne Yeung)	Region A Collegiate Meeting (Speaker: Alice Pang)
Workshop 5 Sunday, 11:00am-12:00pm	Sustainable Future Panel (Speakers: C.P. van Dam, Seena Drapala, Rashi Tiwari, Nick Tsoulfanidis, and Gregory A. Kallio; Moderator: Kaustav Sinha)	Entry Level Professional Engineer Panel (Speakers: Ashley Pietz, Malia Francisco, Lindsey Schurig, Negar Feher, & Kristen Salinas)	Self Defense (Speaker: Susan Hubbard)	How to Host a Regional Conference (Speaker: Virginia Squire & UNR)

The production of hydrogen from water using solar light is a sustainable source of energy. It has the potential to reduce green house gas emissions. It is projected that the total energy demand in 2100 would be 46 Trillion Watts (TW). Sunlight provides around 14 Trillion Watts (TW) in 1 hour which is greater than the total energy consumed on the planet in a year. A recent discovery in the generation of high efficiency hydrogen from sunlight and water (along with photovoltaic) will be a solution for global warming and an avenue for a sustainable energy source in the future.

Our research into the use of halophytic microalgae as a biofuel crop is motivated by observation that existing oilseed or grain feedstocks derived from terrestrial plants cannot satisfy the current or projected transportation fuel needs of the U.S. Halophytic green algae are ideally suited as a non-seasonal, renewable energy resource for the arid western U.S. because they are 30 times more productive than terrestrial feedstocks (e.g., soy, canola), can be grown on marginal lands with brackish or saline water unsuitable for traditional agriculture, and provide the potential for directed carbon sequestration. Biofuel producing algae are one of the only avenues available for high-volume capture and reuse of CO2 generated in biomass-, coal- or natural gas-fired power plants and can provide the intermountain west with a major new “cash crop” without putting additional demands on freshwater supplies needed for residential, industrial and agricultural use. Nevada researchers and producers are uniquely enabled to leverage the geothermal, high solar radiation, ample land area, and salt basins to produce microalgea in a scalable and economically viable manner.

The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) - Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) - Green Building Rating System is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. This presentation will highlight the rating systems available from New Construction to Commercial Interiors, information on how to become a LEED Accredited Professional, a review of products and implementation techniques for sustainable design, and an overview of the statistics showing why LEED is one of the fastest growing trends in the building industry. Learn how architects, engineers, contractors, building owners and operators can make a difference.

Teresa Kulesza and Kara Van Valkenburg are both engineers and LEED Accredited Professionals who work for BJG Architecture + Engineering. They are both part of BJG's Green Team driving the company's sustainable efforts to make an impact through efficient use of resources both internally as a business as well as through their designs.

National security and the health of the planet are directly linked to America's dependence on, and consumption of, fossil fuels. In a country dominated by rich interest groups the only response is an organized and informed populace. Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are a proven form of transportation. Given the average household owns 1.9 vehicles and the average commute for 85% of Americans is less than 45 miles BEVs are the perfect choice for a second car. Coupled with the soon to be marketed plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) as a household's primary car, and a BEV as a secondary car, America's dependence on foreign oil would drop precipitously as would our greenhouse gas emissions.

Wind power has matured from a fringe technology to a mainstream contributor in the global energy landscape. As a source of reliable, secure, and clean energy, wind power is now an international, multi-billion dollar industry with sustained growth in recent years and projected into the future. As part of the panel discussion we will explore the history, technology, economics, policies, and issues of modern wind power so that attendees can better assess this technology and opportunities in this field.

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C.P. (Case) van Dam is a professor of mechanical and aeronautical engineering at the University of California at Davis, where he teaches in the Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering and heads the California Wind Energy Collaborative. He is actively involved in all areas of wind energy including the design and testing of wind turbine blades and works closely with industry.

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Seena Drapala is the Strategy Sourcing Leader for GE Energy's Bently Nevada products in Minden, Nevada. GE is a leader in Wind power with installations around the globe. Seena will represent GE's ecomagination vision and goals including wind solutions.

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Use of Electroactive Polymers for the conversion of energy has been given a lot of attention in recent years. One such material is Ionic Polymer Metal Composite (IPMC), which may be employed for converting mechanical vibration into electrical energy. Due to the inhereted advantages like small size, long life, flexibility and chemical stability the material may be applied for a large range of applications varying from biomedical to structures. The material may be used as a primary or secondary source as per the application.

Rashi Tiwari is currently a PhD student in Mechanical Engineering Department at UNR. Her area of recearch is with smart material application for sensor and actuator development. Rashi is the CEO and co-founder of NanoVation Inc., company that developes energy harvesters. The company received first prize in Governor's Cup and Lt. Governor Award in 2007 for the research on green energy.

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Nanomaterials provide a new generation of smart and cost-effective environmental remediation technologies. The ability to produce materials at nanoscale with large surface to volume ratio aids researchers to tackle some of the worlds most complicated and challenging cleanup issues. The ability to apply nanoparticles in-situ for detoxification of common environmental pollutants has made this technology commercially feasible.

Kaustav Sinha has been working in the area of developing sensors and materials for the past 4 years. As a teaching assistant, he has been associated with the Lemelson Center for Invention, Innovation & Entrepreneurship in guiding several senior spin out companies. Kaustav is currently working towards his PhD on developing smart materials and devices based on magnetorheological (MR) technology. He has been actively publishing his work in peer-reviewed journals, proceedings and patents. During the summer of 2007 he worked at the Ford global research and Merck Pharmaceutical R&D. He has also been recognized internationally in areas of total quality management by the international quality control council.

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Energy is the driving force of our advanced technological way of living. In general, the nations with the greatest consumption of energy enjoy the better living standards. Of the various forms of energy, electricity is the major component, about 40% of the total for the developed countries. The question is how are we going to secure the availability of the energy needed? What are the available sources that satisfy the following three requirements: (a) economic, (b) safe, and (c) environmentally benign?

Dr. Tsoulfanidis is Professor Emeritus of Nuclear Engineering of the University of Missouri-Rolla and Adjunct Professor at the University of Nevada-Reno where he served as Interim Chair of the Chemical & Metallurgical Engineering Department during 2005-07. He has written numerous technical papers. He is the author of a text entitled “Measurement and Detection of Radiation”, now in its 2nd Edition and the co-author of the book “The Nuclear Fuel cycle: Analysis and Management”, also in its 2nd Edition. His research areas are radiation protection and the Nuclear Fuel Cycle. Since June 1997, Dr. Tsoulfanidis is serving as Editor of Nuclear Technology, an international technical Journal published by the American Nuclear Society [ANS].

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“Green Building and Zero Energy Homes” The goal of green building is to significantly reduce the negative impact of buildings on the environment and on building occupants. One of the most important impacts is energy consumption, as residential and commercial buildings in the U.S. are responsible for 40% of total energy use and 72% of all electricity use. Zero energy buildings further emphasize energy-efficiency by balancing energy consumption with that generated on-site by renewable technologies. Several definitions of net zero energy homes exist; achieving any one of them requires a systems engineering approach, where all components of the house are designed with a common goal of energy efficiency. The U.S. DOE’s Building America Program seeks to establish design guidelines for achieving affordable zero energy homes in the production housing market. With specific attention to climate zones, these designs are expected to reduce all residential energy use in the U.S. by 19% by the year 2050 while the number of homes is expected to increase by 39%. [“The Potential Impact of Zero Energy Homes”, NAHB Research Center Report No. EG5049_020606_01, October 2006.]

Gregory A. Kallio is a professor in Mechanical Engineering at California State University, Chico.

Whether you are negotiating a salary for a new career or a promotion in your current field you need to be prepared. Having options always puts you in the best negotiating position. There is a lot of upfront work to be done to fully understand your options; prioritizing your wants, tabulating your accomplishments, defining your objectives, and understanding an employer needs are just a few. Being a good listener and develop a good working relationship will make you an attractive candidate for the position. Being creative and exploring win/win alternatives will build better solutions to secure the best possible salary.

Don’t miss the Region A soon to be award winning presentation on Effective Communication. This workshop will cover tools to improve your communication at home, school and work. Communication is a critical part of an engineer’s daily life and something that we as engineers are often criticized at not doing well. Don’t miss this fresh look at effective communication. This presentation will be documented and submitted to SWE as part of the Region Programming Excellence Award (Sponsored by IBM). The Award Program was created to fulfill two purposes: to recognize innovative region conference sessions, programs or events; and to provide encouragement for SWE members to create and share new materials and resources.

Lack of communication in the workplace is a problem for some workgroup teams in business today. Successful teams require effective communication in the workplace among the workers themselves as well as between managers and staff. Skilled managers who know good communication skills are necessary for team building. The functioning of any team can be improved by a combination of effective communication skills provided through training.

As an employee, manager or owner, you may feel frustrated and discouraged because:

• Lack of communication within the group
• Effective communication isn’t working in your organization
• Your team doesn’t function like a cohesive group
• You aren’t getting the results you want
• You never have enough time to get everything done

These problems are not insurmountable – they can be solved!

Whether you are managing a team or work group for the first time or the twenty-first time, certain skills are essential to your effectiveness. Successful employees, managers, and owners realize that effective communication in the workplace is a skill they can learn. They understand that team building is a process that requires leadership with everyone involved. They know how to motivate people to get the best results. They take appropriate action to manage their time and reduce stress. No matter how brilliant and invaluable your idea, it is worthless unless you can share it with others. For this reason, effective communication is crucial at every level of an organization. However, the ability to communicate effectively does not come easily to many people, and it is a skill that requires practice.

We begin practicing our communication skills even before we learn to walk. A newborn child communicates by crying, but it slowly learns to mimic its parents' speech. Eventually, the child discovers that certain speech patterns elicit different responses; one of the joys of parenting is trying to decipher the meaning behind certain “words.” Does “baaaaaw” mean that the baby wants his ball, his bottle, or his blanket? Slowly, through trial and error, the child learns to manipulate sounds to get what it wants, and as the child develops, this active oral practice leads to more nuanced and fluid conversations. In short, the child learns effective communication.

Is it possible to effectively navigate office politics without becoming a political animal?

Careers author Erin Burt warns “…avoiding politics altogether can be deadly for your career. Every workplace has an intricate system of power, and you can -- and should -- work it ethically to your best advantage.”

In this presentation, Jo Miller will share the steps to take to build your organizational savvy, understand the dynamics of power and influence in your organization, navigate office politics with ease, and gain access to hidden information and opportunities.

Come and meet a panel of successful entry level professional women engineers! During this discussion panelists will address what it means to be an entry level woman engineer in the 21st century, what differences they see between themselves and their colleagues, and where they see their future and the future of the engineering profession. Other topics of discussion will include how they determined that this job was right for them, what opportunities they see for themselves as leaders within their companies and how they fit in to their current work environment. Panelists include professionals 1-5 years into their engineering career.

Ashley Pietz graduated from San Jose State University last spring with her BS in Materials Engineering and currently works at Lockheed Martin in the Advanced Technology Center in Palo Alto. Her work for Lockheed Martin ranges from lab and cleanroom work to business travel and vendor collaboration. She has been an active member of SWE for the past 4 years and has held positions in SWE from the local to national level. Outside of work and SWE, Ashley enjoys spending time with friends and family and helping her husband restore classic cars.

Malia Francisco is a graduate of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in Mechanical Engineering. She has been working in the Aerospace Industry for three years. Currently, she works for Lockheed Martin in Sunnyvale, CA as a System Safety Engineer on a military communications satellite. Malia is actively involved in the Society of Women Engineers at all levels.

Lindsey Schurig graduated from California State University, Chico with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems. In her third year she joined SWE to meet other women in engineering fields, and ended up dedicating many hours as the Conference Chair, Awards Banquet Director, and Girl Scout Day Coordinator for our student section. Lindsey currently working as a Software Consultant for SunGard Public Sector Bi-Tech, in the process of completing my Masters in Business Administration and is currently the Secretary of Region A.

Negar Feher holds a BS in Aerospace Engineering from Cal Poly Pomona and is pursuing a MS degree in the Aero/Astro Department part-time at Stanford. Her first job out of college was at Lockheed Martin's Advanced Technology Center, in the thermal analysis group. She then moved to Sunnyvale to work for Lockheed's Commercial Space Systems, in the Assembly Integration and Test of Telecommunication satellites. She was the Thermal Vacuum Chamber Test Lead Engineer, where she directed technicians and engineers throughout the various test phases of the satellite. She's currently working in the Systems Engineering Department as a Mass properties engineer at Space Systems Loral in Palo Alto. She plays a major role in the design and manufacturing of satellites used by DirecTV, Siruis, Satellite Radio, and Cell Phone services. In her spare time she enjoys snowboarding, cycling and traveling with her husband.

Kristen Salinas is a recent civil engineering graduate of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and have been working in land development for just over two years. In that time, she has been at two different design firms and recently have been tackling the latest down turn in the residential market. Her early engineering experience hasn’t gone as smoothly as she imagined, but every road block is a great learning opportunity. She has discovered what she’s really passionate about – sustainable design, and although she don’t practice it everyday at work, she is inspiring my office to make it a priority in our firm and to our clients. Kristen enjoy staying active in SWE and Emerging Green Builders (EGB), as well as helping high school students find their niche in engineering with the ACE (Architecture, Engineering and Construction) Mentoring Program.

Hatha Yoga is an ancient set of physical postures and breathing exercises designed to bring the body, mind and breath into balance. In Workplace Yoga you will learn postures and breathing practices you can do at your desk, releasing physical tension and mental stress. Presented by: Kathy Randolph, The Yoga Center, 720 Tahoe St. #C, Reno, NV 89509, (775) 881-7848, www.theyogacenterreno.com.

How can we use media to inspire dialogue and bring more women into the engineering professions? In this workshop, participants will watch a short section of THE GENDER CHIP PROJECT, the 2006 documentary story that follows a remarkable and persistent group of college women at Ohio State University as they train in engineering, the sciences and the technological fields. Following the screening, we will present and discuss ways to use the film and our accompanying online toolkits and curricula to move viewers from insight to action around issues of gender equity. When presented in a range of public settings—from professional group meetings to college peer clusters and presentations for high school students—THE GENDER CHIP PROJECT provokes deep and wide-ranging conversations among women in the STEM fields, and serves as a springboard to build awareness and affect change at the institutional and policy levels.

This workshop offers strategies for setting priorities and achieving a balance between life and work. The speaker will also share her experiences and the lessons she learned in her effort to achieve work-life balance between work, family and community involvement.

Shobha Mallarapu is currently the President of Anvaya Solutions, Inc. Prior to that, she worked at two large corporations in various positions. She has a master's degree in Electrical Engineering and holds two patents and several publications. She also volunteers as the vice-president of a PTO, as a math tutor in a classroom, as a team mom for two basketball teams and in a Boy Scout troop.

"I have an invention that I would like to protect, but I do not know what to do or how to protect it." “I want to start my own business. What and how should I protect my assets?” Engineers are natural inventors and entrepreneurs and who frequently ask these questions. Engineers are always developing, inventing, and thinking about new improvements. However, many may be unaware of what to do and are even more unaware of the importance of protecting their ideas with a patent. This presentation will provide an overview of the patent process and even show how you can make money drafting patent applications for others!

Adrienne Yeung is the founder of Bitchin’ Patent™, a company dedicated to teaching entrepreneurs, business owners, and inventors basic patent law so that they can draft their own patent application to protect their inventions. She has been a patent attorney for over 8 years, an educator for over 10 years, and is a graduate from the University of San Diego with an LLM in Taxation, obtained her J.D. from California Western School of Law, and earned a B.S. in chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

This workshop is targeted towards women (but can easily benefit children, men, seniors, or anyone else who could become a victim to attack). The key to a successful plan for self-defense is to first have a plan and keep it simple. We will discuss how to prevent the need for using any self-defense techniques in the first place by being aware of your surroundings and not looking like an easy target. If you find yourself in a situation that requires physical action to escape, we will learn some simple techniques to increase your chances of getting away as fast as possible. This workshop is hands on and requires some light activity. Wear comfortable clothing and easy to remove shoes.

A good leader realizes that conflict reflects differences of perspective, and is actually healthy. In this interactive session, you'll learn factors which contribute to conflict, how to identify people's styles when faced with conflict and tips on how to resolve conflicts to make better decisions for your group.

Esther A. Heller is a SWE Fellow, Region A leadership coach and a diversity consultant. She is experienced in getting groups to come to consensus when opinions differ.

Do your section members work well together? Learn how to build a diverse, dedicated and effective team and discover the strengths that each member brings.

Tabitha Wong is the Region A Collegiate Leadership Coach Committee Lead and a Software Consultant for Intel Corporation. She has been a Collegiate Leadership Coach for the past 4 years.

Region business will be addressed at this region council meeting. New membership initiatives, travel fund update, financial report, and other region announcements will be discussed. The region awards banquet bids will be reviewed and voted on. All SWE members are invited to attend. This meeting is mandatory for COR representatives.

Collegiate section business and information will be addressed at this collegiate meeting. The new RCR and RCNE for next year will be announced. Additional topics include team roles and goals, how to maintain a section in good standing, section reports, financial reports, annual reports, web resources, national/region involvements, OCS awards, and the awards banquet. This meeting is mandatory for collegiate section presidents. All SWE members are invited to attend.

Do you enjoy the Region Conference, but wish it were closer to home? This is your opportunity to learn what is involved in hosting a Region Conference. Virginia Squire is the Region Events liaison to the Region Council. She will be joined by members of the UNR host committee to answer your questions and get you on the road to submitting a bid for the 2009 Region Conference. If you think your section may be interested in a future year, this is a good time to start getting geared up, too. Both Professional and Collegiate members are encouraged to attend.