UNT SWE

​
​Society of Women Engineers
University of North Texas
Section C082

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COVID-19 ruined your summer plans… now what?

4/28/2020

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​Hey SWEsters! Final exams are just around the corner. Soon, we will be saying hello to the beautiful summer season. This year, summer will definitely look different from how it looked in previous years. Although the future is unpredictable, there are somethings we can individually control. We can control how we spend our time and efforts. COVID-19 may have slowed down the pace of things, but the clock is still ticking as usual. Your time is precious, and the last thing you want to do is waste it. Whether you had your summer plans ruined by this pandemic or haven’t even thought about summer plans, now is the time to return to the drawing board.
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At our end of the year engineering panel, one of our panelists challenged us to draw today's plan by looking ahead. This means we have to ask ourselves questions about our career aspirations, then work backwards. What is your dream job? What are the requirements for that job? Do some research. Requirements could range from having a degree in a type of engineering, to knowing a particular programming language.  Now given the current situation, how can you prepare for that job? That may include earning a certificate, taking some online classes, or even connecting with people that currently have that job. This will take hard work and research, but what other time to get this done than during the summer.

To get you started on your summer plan drawing board, here are a couple of ideas:

Summer classes: At UNT, registration for summer classes are open. Summer classes are a good way to get ahead in your degree plan. This may decrease your course work for the following semester and reduce the amount of time/money you spend in college. Although summer classes are fast paced, you can take as little as 2 credit hours per summer session. This will give you the time to study and fully understand the course material. Since summer classes are online, you can attend classes from the comfort of your room!
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​LinkedIn Learning: This is by far one of the best resources out there to advance your career. LinkedIn Learning provides a wide range or courses from solid works to professional development strategies. It also provides certificates once you have competed particular courses. As a UNT student, you have access to all of these resources for free. Yes SWEsters, for free. These are certifications that will expand your knowledge beyond the classroom and put you one more step towards that dream job. You can find more information on LinkedIn learning and how to get started through the link listed below.
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​Volunteer tutoring: This is an excellent way to give back to the community and add meaning to one’s life, while at home. A good way to get this done would be through UPchieve. They offer tutoring services and college counseling for high school kids from low income backgrounds. The goal is to ensure every student regardless of economic status has access to good academic support. A lot of high school students are struggling with the recent change. This is an opportunity to use your skills and knowledge to serve other students. The link to UPchieve will be listed below for more information.
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​These are just a couple of ideas to get you started. We wish you all success on your final exams. Keep up the motivation and don’t lose hope. UNT SWE got you!



Important links
Summer classes: https://registrar.unt.edu/registration/summer-registration-guide
LinkedIn Learning for UNT students: https://itss.untsystem.edu/divisions/mrs/linkedin-learning
Volunteer at UPchieve: https://upchieve.org/volunteer
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Happy Earth Day!

4/22/2020

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​Happy Earth Day SWEsters! It’s been a rocky year, but the hope is that we can still find things to make us happy and give us hope! Today marks the 50th anniversary of the celebration of earth day. Earth day is the largest secular observance in the world. Over a billion people commemorate this day of action to promote a clean environment, and policy changes that make sustainability a priority.
 
In celebration of Earth day, Here are 5 facts about our environment and sustainability. These facts will provide more insight on how you can help keep our environment clean. It all starts with personal responsibility.
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1) Aluminum can be recycled uhhm... till infinity
Aluminum is used to make a number of items we use in our everyday lives: cans, foil, bottle tops, trays and much more. Most items we use can only be recycled a couple of times. For example, after one use, plastic is usually recycled into fabric because it can no longer be recycled. On the other hand, Aluminum can be melted and reformed without losing any quality. Recycling Aluminum saves about 95% of the energy needed to make the metal from raw materials. Aluminum can be recycled forever. Think about this the next time you’re about to throw out a can in the trash.
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2) Modern glass bottle takes about 4000 years to decompose
Yes SWEsters, 4000 years or even longer in landfill. Glass bottles are very quick to recycle and package. A glass bottle could be recycled, packaged and back on the shelf within 30days. Also, the energy saved from recycling one glass bottle could be used to run a compact fluorescent bulb for 20 hours. To recycle a glass bottle, ensure it is kept intact and not broken. As of right now, there is no market to recycle broken glass.

3) Only 3% of our planets water is drinkable
You were probably taught that we have more water that land in planet earth; that is correct. However, only a very small percentage of the water we have can actually be used. Only 2.5% of the total global water is fresh water. Of the total fresh water, 68% is locked up in ice and glaciers. Furthermore, about 30% of freshwater is in the ground. Rivers make up 0.49% of surface water, and this is where we get a large portion of our water. Water is continually collected, purified and distributed in the natural hydrologic cycle. This is also known as the water cycle.


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4) Home electronics consume energy even when switched off
SWEsters, it’s not enough to simply turn off your home electronics, but also unplug them. Appliances that use a clock, LCD panel or your television and microwave consume energy even when turned off. Devices that have a sleep or stand by mode are never completely off. For some reference, a rear projection television consumes about 48.5Watts of power even when turned off. Unplugging your devices will save energy and money!

5) Heat from the earth is a clean and renewable energy source
This form of heat energy is known as geothermal energy. Energy from this source could be used to power pumping systems or complex power stations. As we try to reduce our use of fossil fuels, geothermal energy is an affordable and sustainable source. As of 2013 Geothermal facilities produced approximately 68 billion KWH of electricity to meet the annual needs of more than 6million typical US households. There is definitely a lot of opportunity for growth and research in this field. SWEsters, this is a field that you might want to look into during your career path.


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​As engineers, we have a major role to play in saving our environment from harm. It goes beyond singing the popular jingles “reduce, reuse, recycle.” It starts with taking personal responsibility in our day to day lives. Then, we use innovation and critical thinking to design and create solutions. We have a challenge ahead of us, are you ready to take it on?
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​Happy Earth day SWEsters. Keep up the motivation in your school work, look out for future events on our social media, and keep our earth happy!
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Thriving in Online Classes

4/12/2020

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In our earlier blog post, we talked about changing your strategy to succeed for the rest of the semester. Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, all classes at UNT have been transitioned to an online format. This was something that was drastic and unexpected. For most people, taking an online class is something they have never experienced. The fact is, the strategies to succeed in online classes are quite similar to succeeding in in-person classes.
 
Before we get into the tips and tricks for online classes, the first step is to change your language. Think about a phrase or word someone told you that really hurt. You may have even had a physical response to the pain caused by crying. The same way words from people hurt us, is the same way the language we use hurt ourselves. One might not have a physical response, but it definitely affects us. It affects our motivation, will power, effort, and ability. For the next few weeks (and rest of your life really), I urge you to be kind to yourself. Instead of saying “I am going to fail this class” say “I am going to try my best.” It won’t be easy, but you will get through it standing. That being said, here are 4 tips to help you to adjust to online classes.
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1) Get up from your bed: Yes SWEsters, you need to stand up, make your bed, take a shower, get some food to eat, and drink water. Do all this because it is good for your health. Also, it shows you are still in control of your life. For most people, this pandemic shattered their plans and dreams. All of a sudden, the things we usually did, that made us “us” are taken away. SWEsters, just because you can’t do everything, doesn’t mean you can’t do anything. Yeah, you can’t go out and eat with friends. Still, you can brush your teeth, prepare a simple meal and video call your friends. If you can take control of little things in your life, then you will be prepared for even bigger things like online classes. 
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2) Make a schedule: This step is a tricky one. Making a schedule is not as easy as it seems. Hence, why a lot of people end up never following their schedule. As humans, we are creatures of habit. However, monotony drains us. That is the conflict. We make a schedule, and by the 4th day, we’re tired of doing the same thing every day. The first thing is to determine what end of the spectrum you belong to. Do you thrive in everyday consistency or do you want to do something a little different every day? That should affect your schedule and how you block out study time. Regardless, you still have to make some sort of schedule. It could be a weekly/daily schedule. You can spice things up and change up your routine every week. In future blog posts, we will go more in depth on how to make a good schedule. 
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​3) Attend online classes and virtual office hours: This step is simple. Attend the class. Attend the class. Attend the class. Yes, you’re really tired. Yes, you are stressed. Yes, your professor has never taught an online class and is struggling. SWEsters, what are you still going to do? Attend that class. Attend the class because: you will get something out of the class (no matter how little), it shows you are trying to succeed, your professors put a lot of effort into preparing class material for you, and because you paid for it. Also, make use of office hours. With everything being online, most professors actually have more opportunities to provide office hours.
 
4) Set SMART goals: Set goals for the rest of the semester. Another good acronym here is SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-Bound). Your goals should consist of all five. Don’t stretch yourself beyond your breaking point. At the same time, don’t underestimate your abilities. You are not mediocre but you are not a superhero either. Be SMART. Set goals, and tell your friends about those goals so that it becomes more concrete. Also, ask one of your friends to be an accountability partner so that you have someone to hold you to your word.
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​This is it for this week SWEsters. Online classes cannot defeat you. Get up from you bed, make a schedule, attend that class, and set SMART goals. SWEsters you got this!
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A letter from UNT SWE to You

4/6/2020

2 Comments

 
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From; UNT SWE
 
Hello SWEsters,
        What can we say? A LOT has happened in the past few weeks. Just for a bit of recap, all classes are now online, the university doors are closed, Denton has put in place “Stay at home” orders, millions are now unemployed, internships have been rescinded or postponed, and a lot more. I list all of these so we can face the reality of the situation. No one planned for this to happen. A lot of us didn’t sign up for online classes. People had plans for the rest of the semester. As an organization, we had a lot lined up for you all, but this is where we are now. We must play the game with the cards we have been given. SWEsters, hope isn’t lost. The game isn’t over. The cards have been changed, so our strategy must too. At this point, I want to invite you reading to close your eyes, take a deep breath in and out.
 
Our officers had a meeting a few weeks ago, to brain storm on the next steps. We had to answer some tough questions; “What does this change mean for our members and student organization?” “What does this mean for our classes?” “How will this situation affect graduation or our entrance into the job market?” The answers to some of those questions were heart breaking. However, something we all realized was that this was a season filled with opportunity and alternatives. I mentioned earlier that our strategy must change given the situation, but what does that even mean? What does that look like? It means although online classes may not be your preferred method of learning, you have to make them work for you now. Changing your strategy means finding alternative ways to bond/have fun with your friends. It means using money saving tips/tricks if you are part of the millions that are now unemployed.
 
At UNT SWE, our strategy change is to turn up our social media/online presence. We want to help you all adjust to the current situation like engineers. Engineers are problem-solvers, inventors, and designers. We don’t want you all to simply survive but thrive in this situation. Hence, we have a lot still in store for you this semester. Our blog will feature a number of topics to help with online classes, social isolation, boredom, laziness and much more. We have movie nights and game nights to give you at least some sort of escape. We have different fun social media activities in the works. SWEsters, we got you!
 
Let me end with this old Persian adage, “this too shall pass.” Everything is temporary. Yes, someday we will walk into a restaurant to sit and eat. Someday, we will go back to our class rooms to be face to face with our professors and friends. Someday, we will return to our jobs. SWEsters, we will be reunited face to face. At this point, I invite you to take a moment and think about the first thing you will do once this quarantine is over. Email your answer to untswe@gmail.com for some SWE points!
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Wash your hands, keep up the hard work, create motivation to do your work, don’t lose hope and look out for our next blog/social media post. “This too shall pass.”
                                            
                                                                                                                                    To; you
 


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  • Home
  • About
    • Professional and Faculty Sponsors
    • Documents
  • Members
    • New Members
    • Member of the Month
    • Alumni
  • Officers
  • Newsletter
  • Blog
  • Donate
  • Events
    • Conferences
    • General Meetings
    • Volunteer Opportunites
    • Social Events
    • SWE Celebration
    • Engineering Diversity Panel
  • Products