Officers & Advisors
SWE 2023-24 President: Deepti Gautam (she/her)
Deepti is a senior student majoring in Electrical Engineering. She has been part of SWE since the Spring of 2022. In the future, she will like to focus especially on renewable energy systems as there is an increase in high demand for energy and environmental sustainability around the world. She believes that it will provide her an ample opportunity to contribute as well as help to improve the quality of life not only for this generation but also for the next generation.
"It is found that out of 20% of women engineering graduates, 40% of them either quit or never enter the profession. With gender stereotypes still being unaddressed in this field, I wish to be a part of change where this can be addressed and resolved. As an aspiring female engineer, I would like to create an environment where younger generations of female and underrepresented students will have no hesitation to enter or stay in this field in the future. SWE's values and missions are so close to my own goals to support underrepresented groups in STEM so I am very proud to be part of SWE working towards the goal with everyone as one. "
Email: dgautam@pdx.edu
SWE 2023-24 Vice President: Elizabeth Burnham (she/her)
Elizabeth is pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering complemented by a minor in Business. She was born and raised in Ukraine, and relocated to the United States in 2015. Her aspirations for the future are in the field of Biomedical Engineering, and she hopes to undertake a masters program at OHSU. In the meantime, she is particularly enthusiastic about exploring smart buildings and HVAC systems, where she believes sustainability intersects with innovation to aid us in shaping a better future.
As a newly welcomed member of Society of Women Engineers, I am excited to be part of a community of like minded, strong women who share passion for engineering. My decision to join stems from a firm belief in the transformative power of diversity and empowerment of women in the engineering field. Not only does SWE come to inspire each other, but are also dedicated to inspire future generations, and cultivate an inclusive environment without barriers.
Email: burnhame@pdx.edu
SWE 2023-24 Treasurer: Crystal Jadach (she/her)
Crystal joined PSU in fall of 2021. She is a post-bac and is a junior in the environmental engineering program. She hopes to work in renewable energy once graduated.
“SWE has offered me the opportunity for me to meet other women in the male dominated field of engineering. It is so inspiring to meet many talented women through all stages of their careers.” She hopes to inspire young women to pursue scientific fields.
Email: cjadach@pdx.edu
SWE 2023-24 Secretary: Bhavani Gunda (she/her)
Bhavani joined PSU in Fall 2022 specializing in Electrical and Computer Engineering. She loves studying in PSU and enjoying every moment of it along with her love for the weather here. In her free time she likes to draw pictures, listen to music, travelling, making new friends, exploring the outside world to learn more . She suggests everyone to join PSU for a successful life.
I am very glad to be a part of SWE(Society of women Engineers) as I love to help people with their problems and provide them with a solution with as best I could do and SWE gave me this opportunity to interact with lots of people. I respect the policies and rules of SWE and I promise to follow them all the time and to give my best to my role and SWE as well.
Email: gunda@pdx.edu
SWE 2023-24 Media Coordinator: Shiva Kumar Bodulla (he/him)
Shiva has joined PSU in the Winter 2023 as an international student to pursue his masters in electrical and computer engineering specializing in Design Verification and Validation, Computer Architecture. He is eager to learn from experienced professionals and collaborate with diverse teams. He has 1.5 years experience working as an application developer at Accenture, India. He loves traveling, cooking, exploring new cultures and photography.
I am very eager to be part of SWE and contribute to the SWE core values: Integrity, Inclusive environment, mutual support, trust and professional excellence. I look forward to work with this excellent team and make a big impact.
Email: shivak2@pdx.edu
SWE 2023-24 Communication Officer: Sonali Fernando (she/her)
Sonali is currently a Ph.D. student with a focus on electrical engineering. Her journey at PSU began in 2018 as a Master's student. Looking ahead, her aspirations revolve around working on computer architecture-related projects.
SWE has been an incredibly enriching experience, providing a platform where I could take up diverse societal and local leadership roles. These roles have allowed me to actively engage with the community, organize fun activities, and facilitate professional workshops. I am looking forward to contributing to the PSU SWE chapter.
Email: narmada@pdx.edu
SWE 2023-24 Activities Director: Shruthi Malathkar (she/her)
Shruthi is a graduate student majoring in Electrical and Computer Engineering. She joined PSU in the winter of 2023. She is expected to graduate by June 2025. After her graduation, she will love to contribute her knowledge to the semiconductor industry by being part of any innovative research in modern technology. She is curious to be part of the innovative brains of the modern electronics industry.
My graduate professor introduced me to SWE. SWE represents the brave and smart women engineers who are consistently thriving to achieve their goals not only to represent themselves but also to prove that women are also stronger in society. My zeal to join SWE as an activities director is to build communication with such successful and strong women in engineering. I would like to organize both technical and non-technical workshops to build a large network of women. I feel blessed that I am privileged to organize technical events like educational workshops and career fairs to help students enlarge their career opportunities.
Email: smalath2@pdx.edu
SWE 2023-24 Events Coordinator: Snigdha Reddy Baddam (she/her)
Snigdha is an Electrical and Computer Engineering major. She joined PSU in January 2023. With a passion for technology and semiconductors, she is eager to blend her academic pursuits with hands-on experiences through SWE.
Email: snigdhab@pdx.edu
SWE 2023-24 Events Coordinator: Minh Le (she/her)
Minh Le is a junior in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Business. She joined PSU in the fall of 2022. She hopes to work in the robotic field after graduating. In her free time, she enjoys exploring the outdoors, hiking with her dog, trying to cook new recipes, and art projects.
"I am excited to work with SWE team members at PSU. I love to meet other people, especially in the field of STEM. SWE gave me this opportunity to interact with many different talented people and I could explore and learn more from other people."
Email: minhl@pdx.edu
SWE 2023-24 Members at Large: Sri Hari Anne (he/him)
Sri Hari is an international graduate student from India, majoring in Electrical and Computer Engineering. He joined PSU in winter of 2023. He plans to work in the Computer Architecture field after graduating. In his free time, he enjoys exploring the outdoors, photography, running, and trying out new food.
"I am excited to work with the SWE team at PSU. During my time here, I hope to contribute to the SWE chapter and gain valuable professional and networking skills."
Email: srihari@pdx.edu
SWE 2023-24 Faculty Advisor: Yuchen Huang (she/her)
Yuchen is a senior instructor and director of Digital IC Design graduate program track in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department. She worked at Intel Corporation for 21 years before joining PSU. Teaching is her passion. She loves teaching and finds teaching intellectually stimulating and thinks teaching is the most rewording job.
“I am honored to be the Faculty Advisor for the PSU SWE organization. I will do my best to support this organization, help grow the organization and help this student section to be a success.”
Email: yuchen@pdx.edu
SWE 2023-24 President Emeritus: Olivia Garcia (she/her)
Olivia is a first year Civil Engineering student pursing her bachelors of science. She has been part of SWE since Fall 2022. She plans on working in project management in a structural engineering firm in the future.
Email: og7@pdx.edu
SWE 2023-24 Professional Liaison: Mimi Shang (she/her)
Mimi is a senior mechatronics manufacturing engineer at Daimler Trucks North America. She received her BS and MS in mechanical engineering from Portland State University. Her past SWE involvement includes section president at P.S.U. and regional senator. She is passionate about air quality and environmental justice and is a founding member and lead mechatronics engineer for AirWear Devices.
"SWE showed me that I could be successful and thrive in this male dominated industry. We must set examples and create better equity for the next generation of underrepresented STEM students and colleagues."
Email: mimigshang@gmail.com
SWE 2023-24 Professional Liaison: Anushka Bhardwaj (she/her)
Anushka is a PH.D. student at PSU in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department specializing in Semiconductor Physics and Devices. She wants to work on creating an environment for PSU students where they feel comfortable in exploring their ideas and sharing with people who could promote them. One of her goals as a part of the SWE team is to bridge the gap between the academic world and life outside and after that. She will strive to prepare students for the challenges in the STEM world and thus make the transition easier for them. She plans to do this through organizing activities and events that help members explore, learn, discover and network with experienced professionals and with people who would like to be a part of this journey.
“I believe that there is a science behind everything in life, so I would like to invite everyone at PSU to explore this concept and discover new things in their respective fields of interest. If I am not occupied with my research and coursework, you will find me exploring places, doing yoga and learning to play violin. I cherish human values and aspire to be a better human being everyday by putting my empathetic abilities to better use."
Email: anbh2@pdx.edu
SWE 2022-23 Faculty Advisor: Melinda Holtzman (she/her)
Melinda is a senior instructor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department. She worked in the electronics industry before finding her true passion is education. Besides being the P.S.U. faculty advisor, she also organizes monthly networking lunches for the professional SWE chapter.
“SWE has given me a sense of community and support over many years of working in a male-dominated field. With every SWE event, I’m inspired by the intelligent, dynamic, hard-working women in this organization. I want to do whatever I can to help this student section be a success.”
Email: holtzman@pdx.edu