Widener University
​Society of Women Engineers

Widener University’s student section of SWE is affiliated with the national SWE organization. SWE’s mission is to help women achieve full potential in careers as engineers and leaders, expand the image of the engineering profession as a positive force in improving the quality of life, and demonstrate the value of diversity. SWE helps to create personal relationships, support systems, and networking between women in engineering and technology and runs programs to show females of all ages that engineers work to solve real-world problems and improve the quality of life for all. Widener’s student section of SWE runs a highly popular and award-winning camp to introduce high school girls to the many possibilities of a career in engineering.

Annual Girls Engineering Mini Camp

An event that holds a special place in our hearts is the Engineering Mini-Camp for High School Girls. This outreach event allows us to encourage young women to pursue careers in STEM fields, and to act as role models for these women.

Girls in grades 9 -12 are invited to spend the day exploring Engineering and Computer Science careers with volunteers from Widener's School of Engineering and from the Philadelphia section of the Society of Women Engineers. The camp is designed as a series of hands-on laboratory activities that will highlight some of the technology areas in which engineers work and will bring attendees together with practicing engineers and female engineering students.

​The camp is a joint effort between Widener and the Philadelphia Section of the Society of Women Engineers, and over the past 15 years more than 2,000 high school girls have attended Widener's Engineering Mini-Camp which won Dow-Corning's national "Outstanding Outreach Event" in 2009. 

Laboratory sessions will include topics such as Roller Coaster Design, Robotics, Bridge Design, Biomedical Engineering, Water Treatment, Electric-Powered Lego Vehicles, Aerodynamics and Flight, Pavement Design with Chocolate Asphalt, Wind Tunnels, Computer Animation, Lie Detectors, Brain Computer Interface and more.