Nearly 14,000 women engineers descended on New Orleans for WE25, the Society of Women Engineers’ annual conference, the largest known congregation of women engineers, technologists, employers, and allies. Attendees gathered Oct. 23-25 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center to hear expert speakers, learn from technical and professional skills sessions, and celebrate their successes.
This year’s conference included a bustling career fair where students and professional engineers met with hundreds of recruiters representing companies and universities. Career fairgoers shared their resumes, presented their accomplishments, and learned about engineering jobs at every level. Many attendees received job offers and co-op opportunities on the spot.
The conference’s theme, “Embrace Your Story,” was central as three keynote speakers shared how they turned adversity into success. Thursday’s opening keynote speaker, Ruth D. Jones, Ph.D., encouraged attendees to view their time at the conference as an investment in themselves and their future legacies, even prompting audience members to shout, “It’s all about me,” at key moments during her presentation.
At Friday’s keynote address, aerospace engineer and entrepreneur Melanie Lang invited audience members to be authentic at work and take calculated risks. “If anyone tells you to stay in your own lane, go build your own highway,” Lang said.
Semiconductor engineer Thy Tran closed the keynote series on Saturday by explaining how her family’s history as refugees from Vietnam in 1975 helped her build resilience and perseverance. She encouraged engineers to “dream big, live fully, and keep on learning.”
SWE’s Inspirational Insights sessions covered topics such as how bosses and employees can align their goals and work together; how to build responsible, ethical artificial intelligence systems; turning self-care and authenticity into career strengths; and the current state of sustainable energy. (For more on this topic, read “Renewables Rising.”)Â
Roberta Rincon, Ph.D., SWE director of research and impact, and Emily Knaphus-Soran, Ph.D., senior research scientist at the Center for Evaluation and Research for STEM Equity (CERSE) at the University of Washington, presented findings from the latest research on women in STEM globally. Dr. Rincon noted that because the U.S. federal government has canceled hundreds of grants to fundamental research organizations such as the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Education, reliable public data on the state of women in STEM in the United States has become more challenging to collect.
Dr. Knaphus-Soran is part of the CERSE team that produces SWE’s compilation of peer-reviewed research on women in STEM published annually in the State of Women in Engineering issue of SWE Magazine. She noted that, as in years past, recent research confirms the existence of persistent and pervasive gender stereotypes that often discourage women from participating in engineering and other STEM professions. “And engineering and computer science, among all STEM disciplines, tend to be more gender biased,” she said.
All keynote addresses and Inspirational Insights were recorded and will be available for a limited time at SWE’s Advance Learning Center, advancelearning.swe.org/. Certain Inspirational Insight sessions offer continuing education units/professional development hours for those who view the entire session and pass a post-session knowledge check with a score of 80% or higher.
On Friday night, SWE presented its APEX Awards, which recognize the highest level of accomplishment in SWE leadership, advocacy, and academic, managerial, and technical leadership across various disciplines. Priti Wanjara, Ph.D., principal research officer for National Research Council Canada, received this year’s Achievement Award, the Society’s highest honor. (Read her acceptance speech on page 61.)
SWE hosted students aged 10-18 at its annual precollege STEM event, Invent It. Build It (IIBI). Some 295 students from local schools in New Orleans, along with their caregivers and teachers, engaged in build-and-learn activities on Saturday to inspire students to see themselves as future designers and engineers. Roughly two-thirds of the students identified as being from an historically underrepresented group. The event garnered local media coverage from television stations WWL-TV, WVUE-DT, WDSU, and DNSU-TV. Emily Burnett, SWE associate director, global programs, outreach, and student programs, appeared on-air explaining that IIBI encourages students to develop an early STEM identity and envision themselves as future engineers and technologists. The conference was also featured in an article in Biz New Orleans.
As in years past, Diverse, a SWE podcast, set up a studio on-site for recording podcasts with invited guests and speakers, giving passersby a glimpse into the recording process. The podcasts will be released over the next several months.
A SWE boutique allowed SWE sections to sell a variety of SWE-branded merchandise. A yoga and relaxation lounge, and a lactation room offered comfortable spaces for privacy and leisure.
The Society will hold WE26 Nov. 5-7 in Boston, as well as several WE Local events around the U.S. and the world throughout 2026.
