Betty Shanahan, CEO of Society of Women Engineers, to speak Jan. 17 about broadening the appeal of engineering

Betty Shanahan, CEO of Society of Women Engineers, to speak Jan. 17 about broadening the appeal of engineering

Betty Shanahan, executive director and chief executive officer of the Chicago-based Society of Women Engineers, will give a talk, "Our Obligation to the Future – Broaden the Appeal of Engineering," at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 17, 2008, in the auditorium of Schulze Hall on the downtown Minneapolis campus of the University of St. Thomas.

Shanahan's talk is the centerpiece of an evening event hosted by St. Thomas’ School of Engineering, “Engineering Minnesota’s Future: A Critical Partnership Opportunity,” which brings together academics and business people interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. 

The event includes technology exhibits between 5 and 6 p.m. and 7 and 8:30 p.m. in Schulze Hall and a 7:30 p.m. panel discussion in Schulze Hall auditorium.

Panelists, whose discussion will be moderated by Shanahan, will include:

  • Jill Gugisberg Wall, aerospace coordinator at Farnsworth Aerospace Elementary Magnet School in St. Paul
  • Kathe Nickleby, director of the Engineering Leadership Program and assistant principal of Mahtomedi Public Schools
  • Dr. David Rhees, executive director of the Bakken Museum in Minneapolis
  • Dr. Ronald Bennett, founding dean of the St. Thomas School of Engineering.

The event is free and open to the public. Obtain more information and register online at www.stthomas.edu/engineering/events  or call (651) 962-5750.