Past Events
Missed these opportunities? Make sure to check our newsletter by adding yourself to your email distribution list (contact: swe.mainechapter@gmail.com) or connect with us on LinkedIn.
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Build. Create. Innovate. 2025
Members of the Maine SWE Professional Section and the University of Maine SWE Collegiate Section teamed up to host a hands-on engineering activity at the Build. Create. Innovate. Event, organized by the Girl Scouts of Maine in Bangor on October 18, 2025. At our booth, kids aged 3-12 were challenged to build the tallest lightweight structure they could using…
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Technical Tour: UMaine Advanced Manufacturing Center
On October 17, 2025, the Maine SWE Professional Section had the privilege of touring the Advanced Manufacturing Center (AMC) at the University of Maine in Orono. We were warmly welcomed by the AMC team and guided through a comprehensive walkthrough of their state-of-the-art facility, where we observed precision machining systems, advanced fabrication tools, robotics stations,…
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Technical Tour: Bath Iron Works
On October 16, 2025, the Maine SWE Professional Section toured the main shipyard of Bath Iron Works (BIW) in Bath, Maine, led by one of our members, Wendy Greenbaum. We had the opportunity to walk through the heart of one of the nation’s premier ship-building facilities, where BIW designs, constructs and supports complex surface combatants for the U.S. Navy….
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Intergenerational Communication Workshop
On September 23, 2025, Maine SWE had the privilege of hosting a powerful and engaging workshop led by Julie Guerette-Vafaee from HumanAlyze Consulting. The session centered on intergenerational communication and explored key themes such as career management, team dynamics, and change management. From the start, Julie captivated the audience with personal storytelling, thought-provoking questions, and insightful frameworks…
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Fall 2025 Welcome Meeting (In-Person)
Fall 2025 Welcome Meeting (In-Person) Eleven members of our Maine SWE community came together on August 28, 2025 in Portland to make new friends, learn about what’s new with Maine SWE, get a sneak peek at our upcoming FY calendar of events, and to play engineering bingo for SWE prizes and swag! Thanks to all…
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April 2025 IDEXX Tour
📅 IDEXX Tour On April 17th Maine SWE was treated to a tour of some of the production facilities at IDEXX Laboratories’ at their headquarters in Westbrook Maine! Associate Director of Manufacturing Engineering Mark Baranyi and our very own Izzie Grant (New Product Transfer Engineer II at IDEXX), provided us with a fascinating and engaging peek into the world of veterinary diagnostic…
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Take Apart a Toaster 2025 Recap
🔧✨ This past Saturday, March 8th, the Maine Section of the Society of Women Engineers hosted our annual Take Apart a Toaster event with the Girl Scouts of Maine—and it was a huge success! We welcomed 16 Girl Scouts, along with their Troop Leaders, Parents, and six amazing SWE volunteers for a hands-on engineering experience….
On Thursday February 20th, three Maine SWE professionals joined the UMaine SWE section for a virtual panel discussion on career paths, professionalism, and how to make an impact early in your career. The panelists shared valuable insights from their experiences in both industry and graduate school, offering advice to help collegiate members maximize their internships and post-graduation opportunities. The Maine SWE Section is thankful for its strong relationship with the collegiate section and looks forward to future collaborations. A special thanks to our panelists: Amanda (Abbot), Ashley (Watts Water), and McKayla (UMaine Graduate School) for their time and expertise!
On Tuesday February 18th, Maine SWE and the PMI Institute of Maine co-hosted an evening of learning as we explored thought-provoking topics about AI Agents and Generative AI.
Our guest speaker for the evening was Alison Lane of the Maine Small Business Development Centers.
This was a popular event with great turnout, and a highly engaged and enthusiastic audience for this wonderful presentation by Alison. The event concluded with an interactive activity that invited the audience to explore AI engagement, prompt generation, and discussion around thoughtful use of AI tools for both personal and professional benefit.
The Maine SWE Professional Section hosted a virtual panel of female engineers at various stages of their career. The panelists focused on challenges and best practices related to communication. Our Assistant Treasurer, Rebecca Costigan, hosted and facilitated the discussion.
Meet our Panelists:
Amber Simmons graduated graduated from the University of Maine in 2009 with her B.S. in Civil Engineering and then in 2015 with her P.S.M. (Professional Science Master’s) in Engineering and Business. Amber began her engineering career in composites in 2011 then transitioned to the steel industry in 2016 and is currently a Project Manager at Newport Industrial Fabrication. During undergrad, she participated in UMaine SWE and was appointed Secretary (’07/’08) and President (’08/’09).
Wendy graduated from the United States Merchant Marine Academy in 1983. She was in the fourth class with women and graduated with a license to operate ocean going steam and Diesel ships as a 3rd assistant engineer. During her time at the Academy, she had to do her “sea year.” That included working on cargo ships. Wendy went all over the world on those ships and was the first woman to work on many of those ships. After graduation, Wendy went to work for Gibbs & Cox, Inc and worked for them for 22.5 years. She worked on the lead ship design for the DDG 51 Class ships. Those are the ships BIW has been building since the 1980s. She also worked on the lead ships design for LCS 1. In 2005 she went to work for BIW where she worked on the design, construction and test and activation of the DDG 1000 Class ships, as well as design and construction of DDG 51 Class. Wendy was able to have a new line of pipe fittings qualified. She is now working on a new destroyer design.
Helen C. Watts PE has over 40 years of industrial, bridge, commercial, marine, and residential hands-on professional engineering experience, plus 12 years of operating Helen Watts Engineering, PLLC as a structural engineer. She is a licensed civil engineer in 18 states, and is active in SWE, ASCE, SEAM, and TFEC. Helen is author of the Graphic Handbook of the Pretty Good House (2021). She’s a graduate of the University of Maine and the University of New Hampshire. Helen serves on the Town of Bowdoin Planning Board.
Many thanks to Amy, Katherine, and Elissa for taking a break from their busy holiday schedules to join us for a cozy Maine SWE social at Oxbow Blending and Brewing in Portland on December 15th! We had a lovely time sharing stories and experiences, making new friends, and enjoying the spirit of the holiday season!
–Diane Edinger, Maine SWE Vice President
We joined the Manufacturers Association of Maine (MAME) on Wednesday, October 2, 8 AM – 4 PM, at the USS Albacore Museum (569 Submarine Way, Portsmouth, NH 03801) for a Deep Dive into the Trades.
Go beyond the tour: After exploring the Albacore submarine, get hands-on with interactive STEM activities to test your engineering and problem solving skills.
Training & Opportunities: Learn about our boot camp-style training programs and upcoming pre-apprenticeships offered in partnership with local community colleges.
Career Connects: Chat with trade professionals from various fields, and discover diverse career paths you might not have considered.
Build Your Future: Explore shipyard job openings and understand the growing demand for skilled professionals.
Most if not all of us met engineers we hadn’t previously known, but some of us got to chat with old friends and laugh about decades-old memories as well. I served as advisor to the UMaine Collegiate section for many years and I’m always happy to chat with UMaine graduates again.
We reviewed the calendar for the year, hoping we keep up the momentum! Several members volunteered to support the scholarship committee in the spring by reading scholarship applications, supporting social media efforts, and planning meetings. We also received a variety of industrial tour, outreach, and social event suggestions.
Looking forward to seeing even more of you at future events!
–Karen Horton, Maine SWE Treasurer
Sip on your beverage of choice and join Maine SWE and the Project Management Institute of Maine on Tuesday, March 19 as we co-host a Wine and Webinar from 6:30-8 pm. After brief introductions to the two organizations, we will watch Future-Proofing your Career: Work Trends to 2030, a webinar from the SWE Advanced Learning Center, and pause to reflect and discuss in breakout rooms.
This is a fully virtual event.
More details about the webinar are included below.
- Course Description: This interactive course will address how the global workplace, organizations and employees will change in the next 10-15 years. Author and futurist Alexandra Levit will explore what the future of work has to offer – from technology advances to the human advantage. By discussing the implications of these developments, individuals will be in an excellent position to be both productive and competitive in the workforce of tomorrow.
- Learning Outcomes:
- Recognize how 21st century demographics will impact who is available to work, and where
- Identify what hybrid teams are, and describe the unique skills of both humans and machines
- Identify ways to succeed in an environment with differing and frequently changing work arrangements
- Speaker: Alexandra Levit is the author of the new book Humanity Works: Merging Technologies and People for the Workforce of the Future and the bestselling They Don’t Teach Corporate in College. A partner at People Results, she helps Fortune 500 and government organizations and their leaders prepare for the future of work through proprietary research, consulting, and program development.
Take Apart a Toaster Event
March 9th – 9am to 12pm
Region 10 Technical School, Brunswick ME.
SWE Maine volunteers shared their love of engineering with Girl Scouts of Maine. Cadette Girl Scouts (and some responsible Juniors) got to reverse engineer broken household items.
- Items disassembled included:
- Vacuum cleaners
- Keyboard
- Bluetooth speaker
- Toaster
- DVD player
With our membership spread out across the state, we introduced the concept of City Hub Hosts. These hosts are centrally located in key areas around the state, and they will be responsible for helping to coordinate local events such as our upcoming holiday parties. We plan to host a dinner for our members (and any interested colleagues!) in mid-January. The details for these dinners are currently being determined, and we will share them soon.
Augusta Area
With the holidays behind us, Maine SWE is planning networking gatherings at several locations around the state. You do not need to be a SWE member to attend one of these, and we encourage you to bring coworkers or other women engineers that you know.
The Augusta-area gathering will be:
Where: Burano’s, 192 Water Street, Hallowell, ME
When: Wednesday, January 31, 5:30 (this is a date that would work for several of us who replied to an earlier RSVP)
Who: you and other women engineers
What: chance for networking, getting to know each other, discuss possible SWE activities all while enjoying excellent pizza and other dishes at Burano’s (formerly Bruno’s, they have locations in Hallowell, Bath and Scarborough).
Email aecarter2419@gmail.com to RSVP
Bangor Area
Where: Green Tea Restaurant (Japanese) by the Bangor mall at 11 Bangor Mall Blvd, Bangor, Maine.
There is ample parking. Asked if anyone has a preferred date the week of Jan 22. We are thinking of meeting at 6 pm, but we could do 5:30 if that’s easier for everyone to come directly after work. Email swe.mainechapter@gmail.com to RSVP.
Waterville Area
Where: 18 Below at 18 Silver Street, Waterville, ME
When: Tuesday, January 30 at 6 pm.
Email swe.mainechapter@gmail.com to RSVP.
Lewiston/Auburn Area
Where: bon Vivant at 133 Lisbon Street, Lewiston, ME
When: Wednesday, January 31 at 6 pm. Email swe.mainechapter@gmail.com to RSVP.
Portland Area
Where: Foundation Brewing – 1 Industrial Way, Suite 7 Portland, ME 04103.
When: January 22nd 5:30pm-7:30pm
Email libbymdonovan@gmail.com to RSVP.
Portsmouth, New Hampshire Area
Where: 110 Grill at 103 Hanover Street, Portsmouth, ME
When: Thursday, January 25 at 7 pm.
Email swe.mainechapter@gmail.com to RSVP.
Date: Wednesday, November 8, 2023
Time: 7-8:30 pm
We met virtually to watch and discuss a webinar from the SWE Advanced Learning Center. The selected topic was Get Out of Your Own Head: Understanding and Unraveling Stereotype Threat.
In-Person Option
Date: Thursday, October 19
Time: 4-6 pm
Location: Terrarium (98 Cross St N, Portland, ME 04101)
We met in a relaxed and casual environment. Terrarium is a garden center, serving house-made snacks, local craft beer, wine, coffee, and tea. While we made terrariums, we announced our calendar of events. This was an opportunity to mingle with other female engineers and to sign-up to assist with our many efforts.
Virtual Option
Date: Thursday, October 12
Time: 7-8 pm
For those who were unable to attend our in-person gathering, we hosted a virtual meeting to share the same content about our plans for the fiscal year. We included time for an interactive activity to allow us to get to know one another over the screen.