In May, 2014, Penn State hosted Joint IEEE International Symposium on the Applications of Ferroelectric, International Workshop on Acoustic Transduction Materials and Devices & Workshop on Piezoresponse Force Microscopy. One of the personal highlights is the Women in Engineering (WIE) event that accompanies the official program of the conference and is hosted by IEEE UFFC Society President Dr. Jian-yu Lu. Over the past century, women have made great advancements in the science, technology, engineering & math (STEM) fields. While it is positive to see women's presence increasing in both a research and industrial settings, there is still a large underrepresentation in STEM fields and many various issues that still persist for women in sciences. The meeting is a networking event that provides a space for people of all genders to meet and discuss women's issues and allows women to connect and develop community with one another. This year, the UFFC hosted a breakfast meeting and presentation by Dr. Lynn Ewart of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center [NUWC].

Dr. Ewart has had an illustrious career that started out at Brown University where she achieved her Ph.D., M.S. and B.S. in engineering Materials Science. She followed that with a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before becoming a Ceramic Research Engineer at the Army Research Laboratory. In 1996, she joined the NUWC team and has shown a tremendous influence on the institution and the field of ferroelectric research through her work on the Ferroelectric Standards Committee. Through looking at her career path, Dr. Ewart shared insights into her own successes overseeing the science and technology (S&T) research and community at NUWC and engaged in important discussion with the people in attendance whose careers are only just beginning.

The IEEE WIE is committed to advocacy and advancement of women in engineering and "envisions a vibrant community of IEEE women and men collectively using their diverse talents to innovate for the benefit of humanity[1]" and does so through organizing events and receptions at all IEEE major technical conferences. Membership is free to students and lifetime members. The upcoming IEEE International Ultrasonics Symposium in Chicago will host a WIE luncheon on September 4th, 2014. I hope to see you there.

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