14) WEG Attire Guide

To change the way the world thinks about energy, Webber Energy Group members must impress diverse audiences with their research, work, and professionalism. Personal appearance is a central component of projecting professionalism at conferences, meetings, and around campus. Dressing professionally communicates our belief that our work is important and our intent to share our research effectively to a large audience.

14.1 Conferences and Symposia

WEG members frequently attend conferences (such as IMECE or AAAS mentioned in Section 9.1.5) and other organized events. In general, you should dress up to attend these events. At a conference such as IMECE, there is a range of acceptable attire. When presenting at or attending a conference, male members of the Webber Energy Group could reasonably choose to:

• Wear a two-piece suit, button-up shirt, and tie
• Wear dress slacks or trousers, a button-up shirt, sweater, and tie
• Wear either of the above without a tie

Wearing a sweater with the outfit is acceptable, as well, especially during winter events.

There are several additional viable options for female members of the WEG.

• Wear a pantsuit or skirt suit and button-up shirt or blouse
• Wear dress slacks or trousers, a button-up shirt or blouse, and sweater
• Wear a business-appropriate dress with suit jacket or sweater

While presenting, it is desirable to dress more formally than when simply attending a conference. Wearing a tuxedo or a three-piece suit would be too formal, while wearing jeans, shorts, or tennis shoes to a conference should also be avoided. Occasionally, there are causal events such as a happy hour where jeans are acceptable.

14.2 Meetings and Other Events

Our dress code is less pre-determined for meetings between WEG members and external collaborators. In general, avoid shorts, flip-flops, t-shirts, and jeans when representing Dr. Webber and the WEG to the community at large. Special events, such as giving testimony at the state legislature or attending a university-sponsored gala, could require special, more formal attire and should be researched on a case-by-case basis.

14.3 Around the Office

At a minimum, group members should wear footwear, pants, and a shirt, allowing for reasonable substitutes. There is not an expressed policy against wearing athletic clothing in the office. However, students should keep in mind that it is common for prospective students, research sponsors, or other university figures to drop by unannounced. Therefore, it is often useful to keep a change of clothes in the office as a contingency. The offices and hallways of the Engineering Teaching Center are commonly cooled to below 70  F. Most students bring a sweatshirt or similar item to the office to wear if they become cold.

In general, we should strive to dress ourselves in a manner that does not embarrass Dr. Webber and the group at large. Looking nice will not make your research successful, but dressing poorly and unprofessionally can distract your audience from the work. Examples are shown in the table below.

Table 3: The table shows a summary of appropriate attire for WEG events