Oct. 12, 2006 — The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) announced Alka Patel as a recipient of SWE’s 2006 Distinguished New Engineer Award. Patel is being recognized for her technical excellence, academic and professional achievement, and civic participation in support of the mission of the Society of Women Engineers.

Alka Patel is an attorney with Pepper Hamilton, LLP, with a practice based on intellectual property. As a patent attorney, Patel prepares and prosecutes patent applications in the areas of materials, chemicals, medical devices, manufacturing processes, and business methods. Additionally, she provides infringement analyses and patentability opinions, assists in securing trademarks, and copyright registrations, and develops intellectual property strategies for consumer product manufacturers, service providers and others.

Prior to her position at Pepper Hamilton, Patel practiced patent law at Webb Zieseheim Logsdon Orkin & Hanson, PC, where she prepared and filed U.S. and foreign patent applications and secured patents for manufacturing processes, steel manufacturers, medical devices and business methods. Prior to that, Patel worked as a sales engineer assistant for GE Industrial Systems where she provided technical and sales support to distributors in the Pittsburgh area. Patel began her career at Timken Latrobe Steel as a manufacturing engineer and metallurgist working in the plant.

Patel has been an active SWE professional member since 1998 and has been involved in various roles in the SWE-Pittsburgh Section. Patel served two consecutive terms as president of the Pittsburgh section. During her tenure as president, she initiated the section’s involvement in the fundraising effort Shop for a Cause, transitioned the section newsletter to an electric format, and oversaw an increase in membership. Prior to being president, she also served as vice president of career guidance for two years and section secretary for two years. Patel also volunteered much of her time to mentoring programs that encourage and support young women in engineering and has participated in numerous conferences as a panelist on engineering, graduate school, and alternative career paths for engineers.

In addition to her involvement with SWE, Patel serves on the boards of YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh and the Girl Scouts Trillium Council.

Patel received her BS in materials science and engineering from the University of Pittsburgh. In 2001, she completed her JD and MBA degrees from Duquesne University.

Founded in 1950, the Society of Women Engineers is a not-for-profit educational and service organization. SWE is the driving force that establishes engineering as a highly desirable career aspiration for women. SWE empowers women to succeed and advance in those aspirations and be recognized for their life-changing contributions and achievements as engineers and leaders.