In the words of Helen Keller, “alone we can do so little; together, we can do so much.”

There’s strength in numbers and in a male-dominated field, women can find support in each other when developing their careers. Whether it’s through mentor-mentee relationships, or simply as sounding boards for challenges in the workplace, everyone needs an outlet and a support network professionally. The Advancing Women Engineers team has compiled a list of organizations dedicated to support the engineering field, many of which are specific to women or other marginalized groups. Have you considered membership lately?

Society of Women Engineers

For more than six decades, SWE has supported women engineers by providing a place and voice within the engineering industry. With a passion for their members’ success, SWE aims to “empower women to achieve full potential in careers as engineers and leaders,” as well as improve the image of engineering and demonstrate the ability to have positive quality of life while being diverse and inclusive. Explore SWE’s website here.

American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE)

Dedicated to bringing together engineering educators from across engineering and engineering technology fields, the ASEE is focused on developing collaborative solutions that promote excellence in instruction, research, and practice of the engineering field. In addition to focusing on educators themselves, the ASEE focuses on students with their vision to bring “excellent and broadly accessible education empowering students and engineering professionals to create a better world.” Learn more about ASEE at their website here.

National Society of Professional Engineers

The National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) was established in 1934 with a simple goal: to create an inclusive, nontechnical organization dedicated to the interests of licensed, professional engineers, regardless of practice area, that would protect engineers (and the public) from unqualified practitioners while building public recognition for the profession. Factoring in values like ethics and accountability, professional qualifications, professional advancements, and unity, NSPE envisions a “world where the public can be confident that engineering decisions affecting their lies are made by qualified and ethically accountable professionals.” Learn more at NSPE’s website here.

Alpha Omega Epsilon

This professional and social sorority was established with the goal of increasing the number of women in engineering. Ideals and objectives of the organization hope to further the advancement of female engineers and technical scientists while building friendships. Striving for scholarship and academic achievement, the sorority hopes to enlighten female engineers and technical scientists to the opportunities available to them. Learn more about AOE on their website here.

American Society of Civil Engineers

Representing more than 150,000 members of the civil engineering profession in 177 countries, this international organization is a leading provider of technical and professional conferences and continuing education, the world’s largest publisher of civil engineering content, and an authoritative source for codes and standards that protect the public. Interested in what else the ASCE does for the Civil Engineering field? Visit their website here.

Engineers Without Borders – International

This international organization is a branch-off program from “Engineers Without Borders” this program aims to create a new generation of global engineers, collaborate on projects and studies worldwide, and create an opportunity to share ideas, experiences, technical knowledge, and documentation. This goal of synergy amongst members supports their vision for “a sustainable world where engineering enables long-term positive social and global development for the benefit of people and the environment everywhere.” Interested in the work EWB-I does around the world? Explore on their website here.

How will you network and find your support team as your career progresses? If you know someone who is a great mentor, or a program that’s helping female engineers flourish in their careers, click the box at the top right to submit a nomination! We want to hear all about these AWEsome people and their activities.