Now Open: WE21 Call for Participation

Inspire others at WE21! Our WE21 Call for Participation is now open.

You have it within you: the potential to inspire.

Help girls discover the excitement of STEM. Be the reason a young woman believes that she can do it, too. Change the minds of those who are set in their ways. Show others what’s possible when you believe in yourself and the limitless potential of your future. WE21 presentation submissions are now being accepted! Submit your presentation for SWE’s Annual Conference.

In 2021 SWE will host WE21 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The conference will take place October 21-23. This year’s theme is “Aspire to Inspire”.

More than 250 sessions will be selected to be presented at WE21.

Deadline to Submit: March 22, 2021

Speaker selection for any WE Conference is highly competitive. To improve your chances of being selected, carefully follow the WE21 Call for Participation Guidelines to see best practices for each question, the review metrics, and description for each track, specialized area of focus, and career level.

Session tracks available for WE21 include:

1. Advocacy & outreach: This track is inspired by SWE’s advocacy strategic goal; focusing on advocating for future generations of women in engineering and technology.
2. Career management & development: This track examines tools and best practices to assist in managing and advancing careers in engineering and technology.
3. Diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI): This track is based on SWE’s vision of a world with gender parity and equality in engineering and technology. Topics within this track focus on removing barriers, biases, and obstacles within the profession and promoting inclusive environments.
4. Technical innovations: Sessions in this track are given by technical experts, including but not exclusive to SWE Technical Fellows. Sessions include topics on cutting-edge technologies and emerging techniques in diverse engineering specialties.
5. Self-management & development: This track addresses topics to improve and grow personally.
6. Strategic leadership: This track focuses on how leaders shape the performance and success of organizations, including SWE, and those that they manage/lead, including the needed leadership skills to meet the myriad of opportunities, challenges, and demands STEM leaders face.

Specialized Areas of Focus

Specialized Areas of Focus have been updated for WE21. The intent of the specialized areas of focus is to provide professional development for key areas of expertise.

1. N/A: for the general audience
2. Entrepreneurship: this focus area is for those interested in or actively involved in creating and maintaining new business ventures.
3. Late career & retirees (LCR): this focus area provides programming and participation for the LCR demographic. It includes presentations on a broad range of topics showcasing their career expertise and SWE legacy.
4. Men as allies: this specialized content focuses on ways to gain men as allies as well as content that encourages men to be allies. It features allies who will share insights on their proven record championing DEI.
5. Organizational development: this specialized content is used to identify techniques for organizational improvements and change.
6. Small business: this focus area includes sessions for employees, managers, and owners of small businesses.
7. STEM reentry: this focus area is for engineering professionals who have taken a career break for two or more years and want to re-join the STEM workforce. The sessions are for both individuals reentering the workforce and organizations considering launching a program.
8. SWE leadership: this focus area is for and by SWE leaders. Session content is specific to SWE (governance, SWE’s leadership competency model, strategic initiatives, etc.).
9. Women in academia: this area of focus examines career paths and opportunities for women in academia. Administrators, faculty, and graduate students within the academic community will share insights, research, and experiences.
10. Women in government and military: this area of focus examines various career paths and opportunities for women in government and the military. 

Learning Levels

1. Foundational: content focuses on awareness and factual recall; appropriate for those with limited experience (0-2 years) with the subject matter and often introduces subject matter.
2. Intermediate: intermediate content builds on existing knowledge attendees have with the content and is appropriate for those who are seeking to build upon their existing knowledge. Oftentimes, sessions provide learning outcomes that can be applied to attendees work or professional lives. Appropriate for those with 3-9 years’ experience.
3. Advanced: appropriate for those looking to implement new content and programs because they have experience applying the foundational and intermediate concepts. Advanced level content is often appropriate for those with 10-20 years’ experience.

For questions, contact conferencemanager@swe.org. We hope to see you in Indianapolis!