Diversity Programs And Nuclear Engineering Education: Outreach, Retention, And Engagement

Lisa Marshall; Mohamed Bourham

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Conference: 2007 Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Honolulu, Hawaii
Publication Date: June 24, 2007
Start Date: June 24, 2007
End Date: June 27, 2007
ISSN: 2153-5965
Conference Session: Partnerships in Nuclear and Radiological Engineering Education
Tagged Division: Nuclear and Radiological
Page Count: 7
Page Numbers: 12.559.1 - 12.559.7
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--2523
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/2523
Download Count: 538

Paper Authors

biography

Lisa Marshall North Carolina State University

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In Fall 2001, Marshall became the Director of Outreach Programs for the Department of Nuclear Engineering at North Carolina State University. Her research interests lie in enrolment management and engineering education. She is a ‘geography of science’ doctoral student at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Before joining NC State University, she worked in enrolment management for several years at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada.

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biography

Mohamed Bourham North Carolina State University

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Bourham joined the Department of Nuclear Engineering at North Carolina State University in 1987. He is presently the Interim Department Head. As full professor, his research interests include plasma-matter interactions, from interaction with solids to liquids to energetic combustible materials to fabrics and microorganisms. He also is an associate faculty in the Department of Biomedical Engineering with research focusing on medical imaging.

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Abstract
NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract

Diversity Programs and Nuclear Engineering Education: Outreach, Retention, and Engagement

Mohamed Bourham and Lisa Marshall Department of Nuclear Engineering at North Carolina State University

Abstract Diversity programs are paramount to nuclear engineering education. It is a process that must begin with pre-engineering programs and become an integral part of the outreach, retention, and engagement mandate of nuclear engineering programs. How does a nuclear engineering program engage in this initiative? Who are the stakeholders, and what roles do they play? How does an industry develop strategies to broaden perception of nuclear science and technology? North Carolina State’s Nuclear Engineering program has developed partnerships – on- and off-campus – to increase participation and subsequently affect the number of diverse students graduating and embarking on a nuclear engineering career. Strategies for implementation will be the focus of this paper.

Keywords Nuclear engineering; K12 outreach; diversity programs; women in engineering; minorities in engineering; undergraduate program

Introduction

Past issues of American Society of Engineering Education’s Prism and the American Nuclear Society’s Nuclear News highlight a concern about diversity within engineering and nuclear engineering.1 Referring to the Report of the Congressional Commission on the Advancement of Women and Minorities in Science, Engineering and Technology Development, there is supporting evidence of a troubling trend: low diversity numbers in engineering and nuclear engineering.2 The number of Hispanic, Black, and Asian nuclear engineers are below overall engineering figures, and there is low representation of women entering the discipline. A multi-layered approach to improving these numbers is needed from an overall societal well-being perspective.

Proceedings of the 2007 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2007, American Society for Engineering Education

Citation
Format

Marshall, L., & Bourham, M. (2007, June), Diversity Programs And Nuclear Engineering Education: Outreach, Retention, And Engagement Paper presented at 2007 Annual Conference & Exposition, Honolulu, Hawaii. 10.18260/1-2--2523