In recognition of their hard work both on campus and in the community, the West Virginia University Section of the Society of Women Engineers has been named the 2013-2014 Student Organization of the Year.

SWE is a not-for-profit educational and service organization that empowers women in engineering fields to succeed and advance academically and professionally. The section at WVU was established in 1988.

Morgantown native Britta McCombie, president of SWE and a senior industrial engineering major, is proud of the time and effort each member put in to help make the organization the best at WVU.

“It’s great to be recognized for the number of hours we spend on planning our outreach and professional networking events, participating in community service and serving the University the best we can,” she said.

SWE averages 600 community and outreach service hours a year and hosts numerous events for the Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources including the Murder Mystery Lunch, Eighth Grade Visitation Day and the Engineering Formal. On April 5, SWE will host Girl Scout Day, where the members will lead math- and science-related activities for Girl Scouts in the Morgantown, W.Va., area.

The WVU section was also awarded its first-ever bid to host the SWE Regional Conference in 2015. This, McCombie says, is the organization’s greatest accomplishment because of the respect it will bring to the Statler College and WVU.

SWE advisor John Zondlo, professor of chemical engineering at WVU, said the award “gives recognition to all the hard work and effort the SWE members have put in over the years.”

To win the honor, student organizations had to apply to the Student Government Association, which narrows the field down to the top three organizations. From there, representatives from the organizations make presentations before the SGA on why they deserve the honor.

McCombie said the winning the award was “such a rewarding feeling.”

“I’ve grown as a person in my leadership skills and confidence and I hope that all of our members and officers can say the same,” she said.

-WVU-

wbk/03/27/14

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