IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine

A relatively new magazine from the IEEE, one that I just heard about the other day in the most recent What's New @ IEEE in Libraries. It looks very interesting and has the potential to be a great showcase for issues surrounding women in engineering and science in general.

There have been three issues so far: v1i1, v2i1 and v2i2.

From the Letter from the Editor, Karen Panetta, in the first issue.

The goal of this magazine is to be your resource for helping to attract, retain, and sustain women in the engineering and science fields. For parents and educators, IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine will showcase the exciting career opportunities in the IEEE fields of interest and provide you with access to successful outreach activities that will help encourage children to pursue engineering. The magazine will also provide networking and career support whether you are a student, young or seasoned professional, or reentering the workforce.

*snip*

Oftentimes, I am met with questions about the need for the existence of groups such as WIE. Less than 30% of all engineers are women, with the majority of this number falling in the chemical and biomedical engineering fields. Electrical engineering and
computer engineering still continue to be the most underrepresented engineering fields for women. The attrition of women in the electrical engineering profession also shows that women are leaving the discipline at extremely high rates. Women are a valuable untapped resource that makes up 50% of the world’s workforce. This, coupled with the fact that there are so few women pursuing engineering, is evidence that a problem exists and demands action. Furthermore, we often forget that places in the world still exist where women are not allowed to pursue education, never mind the possibility of pursuing an engineering career. There are countries that have IEEE chapters, yet women are still not permitted to present their work due to cultural issues. IEEE WIE is committed to overcoming the barriers that have kept women from pursuing and advancing in their careers.

I couldn't have said it better myself!

Some highlights from the first three issues:

• Women engineers fight numbers lag by Ionescu, C.
  
  
• Building a strong: foundation for the future: Monkeys, machines, and museums all playing a part in education
  
  
• Looking at the Big Picture: Joan “JPEG” Mitchell Battles the Gender Divide by Keller, J.C.
  
  
• For the love of engineering by Salim, N.
  
  
• Bringing real-world relevance into engineering classrooms by Peress, R.
  
  
• Blending technology and the law for cyber security [Women to Watch] by Wax, H.
  
  
• Guarding ethics in engineering [The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly] by Wax, H.
  
  
• Becoming leaders [Career Advisor] by Prives, L.