In this episode of Diverse: a SWE podcast, Sofie Zalatimo (she/her), elementary outreach chair at Cal Poly SWE, and Shayne Conner (she/her), vice president of community outreach at Cal Poly SWE, dive into the details of Cal Poly SWE’s annual “Fourth Grade Days” event, which reached over 1,500 students this year.
In conversation with FY25 SWE President Karen Roth (she/her), Zalatimo and Conner share behind-the-scenes insights into managing event volunteers, creating age-appropriate activities, and inspiring the next generation of leaders by exposing pre-college students to STEM.
Listen to the episode on SWE’s website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Speaker: Sofie Zalatimo, Elementary Outreach Chair, Cal Poly SWE
Sofie Zalatimo is entering her junior year studying mechanical engineering at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.
Through the Cal Poly Society of Women Engineers, Zalatimo discovered her passion for outreach during her freshman year, and she took on the role of Elementary Outreach Chair as a sophomore. In February 2023, she led Cal Poly SWE’s annual 4th Grade Days initiative and expanded the event to reach over 1,500 students, the majority of whom attend schools with limited STEM enrichment opportunities.
Zalatimo is continuing in her role as Elementary Outreach Chair this upcoming year and looks forward to further developing outreach events to expand access to STEM, share her passion for engineering, and empower a diverse generation of engineers.
Outside of her SWE involvement, Zalatimo works as a student researcher in Cal Poly’s Human Motion Biomechanics Lab. In the lab, she is investigating wearable sensor-based methodologies for balance and gait analysis in children. She is also developing biomechanics lessons for local elementary and middle schools, utilizing her SWE outreach experience in a different setting.
Speaker: Shayne Conner, Vice President of Community Outreach, Cal Poly SWE
Shayne Conner is a senior studying mechanical engineering at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and the vice president of community outreach of the Cal Poly Society of Women Engineers.
She has a big passion for outreach with younger students and spreading her love for engineering. SWENext was one of the big influences in her life that led her to studying mechanical engineering, so she loves to give back to the community that rose her up.
Last year as high school outreach chair, Conner organized and hosted an overnight event for 100 incoming students to experience engineering at Cal Poly and meet future friends in SWE. This year, leading Cal Poly SWE’s amazing outreach program, her goal is to continue to impact and inspire the local community around San Luis Obispo, including schools with little to no STEM programs for students.
Conner is also involved with the Cal Poly Prototype Vehicles Laboratory, working as mechanical lead on their speed land record solar car project “DAWN” and their electric long-range racecar “MILA.” She loves throwing herself into technical challenges and is working this summer at Boeing on environmental testing of system components. She loves mechanical systems and figuring them out, but also enjoys working in teams.
Host: Karen Roth, FY25 SWE President
Karen Roth is an experienced Department of Defense leader in cyber, artificial intelligence, and digital engineering. Roth has taken her proven skills in strategic thinking, communication, and partnership development to create a global ecosystem for the Air Force and to be a trusted fiduciary for the nonprofit boards she has served.
Roth is the Deputy Director of AFWERX, the innovation arm of the Department of the Air Force. She leads the strategy and execution across the $1.3b portfolio through AFVentures, Spark, Prime, SpaceWERX, and the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs, which serves to expand the defense industrial base for advanced technologies, empower Airmen and Guardian talent, and drive faster technology transfer to operational capability.
Roth has a zeal for supporting women in STEM. Her commitment has led to her participation on several not-for-profit boards, including the Society of Women Engineers, where she has served as treasurer and director of professional excellence. She also serves as an advocate for women in other organizations such as the Girls Scouts and the regional engineering executive council.
She holds an executive MBA from Indiana University Kelley School of Business. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in software engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology and a master’s degree in systems engineering from Cornell University. She is currently completing an executive certificate in public leadership from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
She serves SWE in a personal capacity and does not represent the U.S. Government or the U.S. Air Force in this role.
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