The results of the 35th annual Great Women in Engineering and Science Essay Contest are in! The competition was fierce again this year with 35 entries from 7 schools in Colorado and Wyoming. A panel of 8 volunteer judges enjoyed reviewing all of the essays. Congratulations to every entrant! 

The top three awards are a $75, $50, and $25 prize in addition to a science kit and science book. The honorable merit recipients will receive a science kit, and the honorable mention recipients will receive a science book. The top three award winners are listed below in no particular order. They will also be announced in a video that will be shared with the teachers of the finalists.

Emerson Rosenau of Parker, CO for an essay on Catherine (Kate) Gleason. Emerson attends 6th grade at Parker Core Knowledge Charter School and was sponsored by teacher Heather Puckett.

Anika Sharma of Parker, CO for an essay on Sophie Germain. Anika attends 6th grade at Parker Core Knowledge Charter School and was sponsored by teacher Heather Puckett.

Amulya Thakkalapatti of Parker, CO for an essay on Beatrice Hicks. Amulya attends 6th grade at Parker Core Knowledge Charter School and was sponsored by teacher Heather Puckett.

The Society of Women Engineers Rocky Mountain Section awards scholarships each year to students entering college and students in college in CO & WY. These scholarships are meant to help students continue to excel and reach their educational goals. This year’s scholarship recipients were honored at the SWE RMS Spring Summit Award Ceremony on April 2nd.

This year’s Lottye Miner Scholarship recipient is Madeline Blankenship. This scholarship is in memory of Lottye Miner who was an early Life Member of SWE, and very active in counseling students and providing career guidance. Our recipient, Madeline, is a Ph.D. candidate in Bioengineering at the University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus. She is passionate about working with young people and empowering women within and outside of her studies. She is designing a socially assistive robot for the rehabilitation of children with severe motor disabilities. Additionally, she works with two STEM outreach programs and is a barre instructor. Madeline will graduate in August 2023.

The Pioneer Scholarship is in memory of three pioneering women engineering graduates of the University of Colorado and charter members of SWE: Hilda Counts Edgecomb, Elsie Eaves, and Lou Alta Melton Merrill. Graduating in 1919 and 1920, they established an early forerunner of SWE. This year’s Pioneer Scholarship recipient is Amy Zhang. Amy is also a Ph.D. candidate in Bioengineering at the University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus. Her research is in Inclusive Design and Engineering where she is passionate about improving navigation support for power wheelchair users. Her goals include to one day continue this work through running her own research lab.

Our Dorolyn Lines Scholarship recipient Jessica Woodard. This scholarship is in memory of Dorolyn Lines who graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1923 and was one of the charter members of the Denver Section of SWE.  Like Dorolyn Lines, Jessica is pursuing her Masters of Science in Mechanical Engineering at University of Colorado Boulder. Her passion for regenerative medicine and medical device development led her to pursue a graduate degree after her undergraduate biomedical engineering degree. Furthermore, she is  working through SWE’s Collegiate Leadership Institute seminars which equip collegiate students to be global leaders.

This year’s Incoming Freshman scholarship recipient is Jonnina Edmunds from Cheyenne East High School in Cheyenne. She will be studying Biomedical Engineering & Chemical and Biological Engineering at Colorado State University. As a freshman, Jonnina dislocated her patella and struggled to recover only to get re-injured and need surgery. This sparked her interest in medical procedure design and creation of medical technology. This inspired her to decide to pursue engineering so she can make a difference in patient care. Jonnina is very musically talented- she plays 11 instruments and is involved in many school and community music groups. She has also been involved in Girl Scouts for 13 years leading and participating in many service projects.

This year’s Incoming Freshman scholarship recipient is Amanda Klabunde from Poudre High School in Fort Collins. She will be studying Mechanical Engineering with an emphasis on Biomedical at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. Amanda has always been fascinated about how the body works. As a child, she went hunting with her dad and remembers trying to identify all the organs and pondered how our bodies so carefully regulate the various systems and processes that keep us going. After a family member was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, that inspired her to complete a capstone project on diabetes and the possibility of pig pancreas transplants into humans. Amanda is involved in many clubs and activities at her school and her church. She has been involved in the Girl Scouts troop, Girls Experiencing Camping, Canoeing, and Cycling Outdoors where she has become a valuable leader and helping plan and prepare trips and camps for younger girls.

This year’s Incoming Freshman scholarship recipient is Sophie Stevens from Peak to Peak Charter School in Lafayette. She will be studying Mechanical Engineering at California Institute of Technology. As a child, Sophie dreamed of becoming an astronaut and going to Mars. Last summer Sophie interned with NASA and developed an interface for the SAGE III telemetry database using Python and SQL.  Her internship taught her perseverance, the importance of work-life balance, and equipped her with the confidence to take on tough challenges. She now dreams of becoming CEO of an aerospace software company in the future.  Sophie is involved in many clubs (including SWE) at her school and is on 2 soccer teams. Sophie is a strong advocate for Type-1 diabetes awareness and understanding; she has worked alongside senators and state representatives to draft and influence legislation that impacts not only Colorado, but the entire country.

Congratulations to this year’s amazing SWE RMS scholarship recipients!!

The SWE RMS Section Awards are presented to SWE RMS members, teams, or collegiates who have made an outstanding contribution to activities within SWE RMS during the fiscal year. Nominees are judged based on the significance of the achievements cited on behalf of the nominee and on the contributions of the nominee to various SWE RMS activities. RMS Summit Awards were recognized at the 2022 Spring Summit event held on April 2, 2022, at the Colorado School of Mines campus. This year RMS recognized the following members for their outstanding achievements and contributions to the section. 
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After a year plus of virtual meetings and Zoom socials, it feels like face to face get togethers are a bit weird and wonderful at the same time. As the Vice President of Membership for FY22 one of my focus areas was in person events that could reconnect the RMS membership as well as welcome new members. As a new member of the section myself, I was excited to have the opportunity to plan and execute in person events and meet my new SWE group.  

The first in person event for the Rocky Mountain section since March of 2020 was held on Sunday August 29th 2021 at the Anthem Community Park in Broomfield. This was an ideal location for our FY22 Welcome Picnic! The picnic structure was large with plenty of tables and ample space to mingle and keep comfortably distant. We had around 20 RMS members attend and some even brought their family or pets (Photo 1). The weather was warm, breezy, and sunny making for quite a lovely afternoon. The section provided drinks and ​