Conference Session

Poster Session

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Amy Bentow, American Society of Mechanical Engineers; Richard Blais, Project Lead the Way; Laura Bottomley, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; Catherine Didion, National Academy of Engineering; Norman Fortenberry, National Academy of Engineering; Christina Vogt, National Academy of Engineering

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

AC 2007-1933: BUILDING GENDER EQUITY INTO EXISTING PROGRAMS:PERSPECTIVES FROM PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING ASSOCIATIONSAmy Bentow, American Society of Mechanical EngineersRichard Blais, Project Lead the WayLaura Bottomley, Institute of Electrical and Electronics EngineersCatherine Didion, National Academy of EngineeringNorman Fortenberry, National Academy of EngineeringChristina Vogt, National Academy of Engineering Page 12.332.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2007 Building Gender Equity into Existing Programs: Perspectives from Professional Engineering AssociationsAbstractThe Center for the Advancement of Scholarship on

Conference Session

The Impact of Curriculum on the Retention of Women Students

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lisa Davids, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott; Heidi Steinhauer, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott; Darris White, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

AC 2007-428: THE INFLUENCE OF HANDS-ON FEMALE STUDENT PROJECTTEAMS ON THE CONFIDENCE OF WOMEN ENGINEERING STUDENTSLisa Davids, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-PrescottHeidi Steinhauer, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-PrescottDarris White, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Page 12.1437.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2007 The Influence of Hands-On Female Student Project Teams on the Confidence of Women Engineering StudentsAbstractBased on recent statistics by the US Department of Labor, only eleven percent ofAerospace Engineers and only 5.6% of Mechanical Engineers are women1. Over 85% ofthe engineering students at Embry Riddle

Conference Session

Climate Issues for Women Students

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stephen Krause, Arizona State University; Dale Baker, Arizona State University; Chell Roberts, Arizona State University

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

joining the freshman engineering culture as a student. The researcherwas embedded in the freshman engineering classroom for one year. Class activities involved twoteam-based design projects. With the goal of investigating the context and process of learningengineering, Sherry recorded her learning progress, self-efficacy, and observations in a journaland discussed her experiences with other researchers involved in this project. Data wereexamined through the lens of Bandura’s self-efficacy model. At the beginning of the class,Sherry started with moderately high self-efficacy; however, poor team communication andfailure in her first design project significantly decreased her perceived self-efficacy. She also hadtool phobia due to unfamiliarity with

Conference Session

Retention Programs for Women Students

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kimberly Douglas, Kansas State University

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

events.Prior to fall 2004, WMW had a single project manager who was an engineering student.This individual was selected in the spring of each year to serve during the followingacademic year. This leadership structure required that a new project manager be trainedeach year and occasionally the learning curve was fairly steep. During the 2004-2005academic year, WMW transitioned to a leadership structure that provided morecontinuity. Specifically, each year WMW has two project managers, one senior projectmanager and one junior project manager. Essentially, applicants for the projectmanager’s position agree to a two year term. Project managers are selected so that one isan engineer and one is a scientist. The project managers create the mentoring groups

Conference Session

K-12 Programs (Co-sponsored by K-12 Division)

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lynn Fujioka, isisHawaii and Women in Technology; Sheryl Hom, isisHawaii and Women in Technology; Leslie Wilkins, Maui Economic Development Board

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

AC 2007-2310: ISISHAWAII: THE POWER OF ONE PLUS ONE FOR BRINGINGGIRLS AND YOUNG WOMEN INTO THE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERINGPIPELINELynn Fujioka, isisHawaii and Women in Technology In 2002, Lynn Fujioka left the advertising industry after 25 years to launch isisHawaii, a women's online mentoring resource. Since partnering in 2003 with The Women in Technology (WIT) Project (a statewide workforce development initiative administered by The Maui Economic Development Board and funded, in part, by the U.S. Departments of Education, Agriculture and Labor), Lynn's new-found passion in educational outreach provides a rewarding outlet for her creative and business skills.Sheryl Hom, isisHawaii and Women in

Conference Session

Poster Session

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

C. Diane Matt, WEPAN

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

aboutWEPAN to ASEE WIED members and further to enhance and support dialog and collaborationbetween WEPAN and ASEE.WEPAN HISTORY 1990-2002In 1990 there were fewer than 10 formally organized Women in Engineering programs in theUnited States. While future projections for the employment of engineers was strong there weremarkedly fewer graduates in engineering, primarily white males, than there had been a decadebefore. This prompted industry and engineering programs to reconsider the demographics ofengineering programs nationwide. Thus those Women in Engineering programs which werealready in place were inundated with requests for assistance for developing new programs.Women in Engineering Program directors from Purdue University, Stevens Institute

Conference Session

Climate Issues for Women Students

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Xiang-Yun Du, Aalborg University; Anette Kolmos, Aalborg University

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

othersand to the society) and ‘collaborative’ [28]. In this way, the Problem Based Learning environment hasbeen assumed to be supportive for women’s learning in that it is associated with social, sociological,cultural and environmental concerns and learners are expected to be collaborative, communicative, andresponsible for management of learning [5, 13, 14, 25].This paper intends to examine whether and how a student-centred learning environment, Problem Basedand Project organized Learning (PBL) can be used as an educational strategy for recruiting women toengineering in Denmark. The paper is based on data from two PhD studies which were conducted at anengineering university in Denmark where PBL environment has been provided. The first study

Conference Session

Poster Session

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Cottrell, University of North Carolina-Charlotte

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

imminentshortage of scientists, technologists, engineers, and mathematicians; further, female high-schoolstudents show little interest in pursuing careers related to engineering.1 This lack of interest maybe a significant factor in understanding the “Extraordinary Woman Engineers Project” whichreported that currently fewer than 10% of the nation's engineers are women in spite of the factthat girls do not lag behind boys in grades or test scores in either math or science.2 The program presented by this paper represents perhaps part of the solution to thisparadox by investing in the female youth of today through proven hands-on learning techniques.3This paper reports on a local initiative by the University of North Carolina at Charlotte to investin

Conference Session

Retention Programs for Women Students

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Helene Finger, California Polytechnic State University; Tracy Van Houten, University of Southern California; Barbara Curry, California Polytechnic State University; Jennifer Harris, United Parcel Service; Malia Francisco, United Parcel Service; Betsy Sale, United Parcel Service

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

binder for students.There are also usually two Team Tech Directors who are also selected via an application andinterview process. They are responsible for finding a corporate partner, selecting the project andstudent team members, managing the scope, schedule and budget of a year long, multi-disciplinary project and presenting the project at the SWE National ConferenceThe last position in this core is the Professional Section Liaison. She is the contact between theSWE student section and the SWE Central Coast Professional Section. She organizesprofessional/student events and works with the professional section to organize events to reachout to the community to educate them about engineering possibilities/disciplines.Campus Relations CoreThe

Conference Session

Perspectives for Women Faculty

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elizabeth Creamer, Virginia Tech; Margaret Layne, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

AC 2007-202: ELEMENTS OF THE WORK ENVIRONMENT THATCONTRIBUTE TO THE ABILITY OF ENGINEERING FACULTY TO MANAGEWORK-LIFE TENSIONSElizabeth Creamer, Virginia Tech Elizabeth Creamer is a Professor of Educational Research and Evaluation and Director of Research and Assessment for the ADVANCE VT project at Virginia Tech. She is the co-PI or PI of over $1.5 million in grants from the National Science Foundation that address issues of women's under-representation in science and engineering. She teaches graduate courses in mixed methods and qualitative research methods.Margaret Layne, Virginia Tech Margaret (Peggy) Layne is the Director of the ADVANCE VT Project at Virginia Tech and a doctoral

Conference Session

The Impact of Curriculum on the Retention of Women Students

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Keathly, University of North Texas; Robert Akl, University of North Texas; Ryan Garlick, University of North Texas

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

of robots can attract new female students to computerscience and engineering. As a result of this research, and our experience hosting the BESTRobotics competition, we conducted one-week Robotics Day Camps for young women enteringthe ninth, tenth and eleventh grades; one camp was offered at the North Texas Research Park inDenton and a second at a second UNT campus in south Dallas. The motivation for these campswas to increase the number of women selecting computer engineering as a field of study.The Robotics Camps were organized around team, project-oriented activities that utilize anumber of mobile resources, including laptops and the BOE-BOT (Board of Education BasicStamp Microcontroller Carrier Board produced by Parallax

Conference Session

Perceptions of Women's Success in STEM

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elizabeth Litzler, University of Washington; Catherine Claiborne, University of Washington; Suzanne G. Brainard, University of Washington

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

butthere are differences. Sustainability of a program can be achieved with external funding and noinstitutional support. Institutionalization is achieved when the university makes a “permanent”financial commitment (i.e. line item) to a project or some aspect thereof. Ideally, a college oruniversity could and would fully fund and completely institutionalize a project like ADVANCE.However given budget constraints, it is most likely that a combination of sustainability andinstitutionalization is necessary for ADVANCE and projects like it to continue at the institutionallevel.In this preliminary study, the authors draw on conceptual frameworks of institutionalization andinstitutional theory to analyze issues of sustainability and institutionalization

Conference Session

K-12 Programs (Co-sponsored by K-12 Division)

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jeanne Hubelbank, WPI Evaluation Consulting; Chrysanthe Demetry, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Shelley Errington Nicholson, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Stephanie Blaisdell, Independent Consultant; Paula Quinn, Independent Consultant; Elissa Rosenthal, Marketing Research Consultant; Suzanne Sontgerath, Independent Consultant

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

institutions including Rice University in Houston, the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. While at MCPHS Shelley was awarded the National Association of College Student Personnel 2004 Best Practices in International Education and Learning award.Stephanie Blaisdell, Independent Consultant STEPHANIE BLAISDELL is a consultant for women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematic) projects, based in Memphis, TN. She directed women in engineering programs at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Arizona State University and has authored over 30 publications on the topic of girls and women and STEM. Stephanie co-directed

Conference Session

Perceptions of Women's Success in STEM

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Susan Metz, Stevens Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

. Susan served as principal investigator or co-principal investigator of several national projects including: Project to Assess Climate in Engineering (PACE), a current study involving 25 universities; FacultyfortheFuture.org, a website designed to support women and underrepresented minorities interested in pursuing faculty positions in the STEM fields; Achieving Success in Academia, a program to assist junior women faculty to navigate the tenure system; Making the Connection, an initiative designed to increase awareness of engineering among students in grades 3-12; and Increasing Access for Women in Engineering, a curriculum and technical assistance project to establish or

Conference Session

Issues of Diversity

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Carol Burger, Virginia Tech; Soyoung Lee, Virginia Tech; Anne Laughlin, Virginia Tech; Peggy Meszaros; Elizabeth Creamer, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

projects.Soyoung Lee, Virginia Tech Soyoung Lee, Ph.D., Post-doctoral Fellow, Women in Information Technology project, Virginia Tech, USA. She has written and presented 13 papers and over 10 posters about Korean immigrants, women in information technology, decision making, community capacity, family life education, and parent-child relationships at national- and international- level conferences and symposia.Anne Laughlin, Virginia Tech Anne Laughlin, Ph.D. candidate, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Virginia Tech, USA. Past roles include: Assistant Director for Virginia Tech’s Career Services Office, and Applications Analyst for Virginia Tech’s Web Application Research and

Conference Session

K-12 Programs (Co-sponsored by K-12 Division)

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mary Virnoche, Humboldt State University; Elizabeth Eschenbach, Humboldt State University

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

Engineering. She completed a postdoc at the Center for Advanced Decision Support in Water and Environmental Systems (CADSWES) at UC Boulder. Beth’s career goals include increasing the diversity of engineering students and improving education for all engineering students. Three of Beth’s current projects are: 1) an NSF planning project for the Collaborative Large-scale Engineering Analysis Network for Environmental Research, 2) an NSF Scientific Leadership Scholars project providing 4-year scholarships to 30 students in computer science, environmental recourses engineering and mathematics and 3) a water resources curriculum project using CADSWES software

Conference Session

Issues of Diversity

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Fonda Swimmer, Northern Arizona University; Karen Jarratt-Ziemski, Ft. Lewis College

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

left out. Program content also varied, with someprograms focusing on activities such as job shadowing of professionals while others concentratedmore on hands-on project based learning. Page 12.956.11The goals for NAU’s STEP UP Engineering Camp were to stimulate and nurture interest in S &E careers through hands-on activities, providing multiple points of interaction with femaleengineering professionals who would be strong role models for participants, and allowingparticipants to get a glimpse of college life. Additionally, as Northern Arizona University islocated in Flagstaff, Arizona, adjacent to a number of Native American communities and

Conference Session

Recruitment and Retention Topics

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rose Mary Cordova-Wentling, University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign; Steven Thomas, Lockheed Martin Corporation

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

the positive aspects included:Teamwork oriented; results driven culture; and high accountability.This study examined both the positive and negative roles that workplace environment and cultureplay in the career development of women in information technology. The literature has describedthe IT workplace culture as having certain characteristics that are unique to the industry andunique to White male culture. The IT culture has been described as largely white, maledominated, anti-social, individualistic, and competitive. Although many of these workplacecharacteristics were supported by this study, it was the collaborative and teamwork orientedaspect of their workplace environment and working together on projects and building closerelationships

Conference Session

Issues of Diversity

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Julie Mariga, Purdue University; Alka Harriger, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

Science Foundation's recent publication describing211 projects designed to attract and retain women and girls in science, engineering, andtechnology-related disciplines. More than more $90 million has been poured into these projects,and still the numbers of women are declining.6Male/female attitudes toward science and technology begin to diverge as early as elementary andmiddle school and continue into high school. It is during this period that girls develop anunderstanding of what social roles are appropriate for them.7 They have reservations about the Page 12.68.2seemingly male “computer culture” as they watch boys utilizing computers for

Conference Session

An International Perspective

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Carmen Maldonado, University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez; Tatiana Ramirez, University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez; Idalis Vazques, University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez; Alexandra Medina-Borja, University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

ofapplications and enrollments into engineering careers of female students as compared to theirmale counterparts. The latest statistics in the United States talk of a 60% gap (i.e. 20% vs. 80%female and male enrollments respectively). Currently, about ten percent of America’s engineersare women, despite the fact that women make up 46 percent of the nation’s workforce1. And thisscenario is not likely to change soon. According to the Extraordinary Women Engineers Project(EWEP) study released in April 20052, a staggering number of high school girls – more than 90percent – do not even consider engineering as a career option. Further, only three out of 85 girlsin a EWEP online focus group of academically prepared students indicated that they wereplanning to

Conference Session

MentorNet

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mary Jo Wellenstein, Milwaukee School of Engineering; Sandra Courter, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Susannah Sandrin, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh; Karen Showers, Wisconsin Technical College System; Leslie Wilkins, Maui Economic Development Board; Jennifer Chou-Green, MentorNet; Carol Muller, MentorNet; Laurie Mayberry, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Ann Bloor, Milwaukee School of Engineering; Isla Yap, Maui Economic Development Board

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

Wilkins, Maui Economic Development Board Wilkins is Vice President of Maui Economic Development Board in Hawaii.Carol Muller, MentorNet Muller, PhD, is CEO and Founder of MentorNetJennifer Chou-Green, MentorNet Chou-Green is Director of Programs at MentorNet.Ann Bloor, Milwaukee School of Engineering Bloor is Director of Research Administration at MSOE.Laurie Mayberry, University of Wisconsin-Madison Mayberry is Assistant to the Provost University of Wisconsin-MadisonIsla Yap, Maui Economic Development Board Yap is Project Manager, Women in Technology Project Maui Economic Development Board. Page

Conference Session

Retention Programs for Women Students

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kieran Sullivan, Santa Clara University; Ruth Davis, Santa Clara University

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

to their abilities, while the women were more likely to attribute successto outside help.Consistent with this finding, much of the recent research suggests that women’s persistence inengineering is tied to their self-efficacy in the field. Self-efficacy “refers to beliefs in one’scapabilities to organize and execute the courses of action required to produce givenattainments.”2 This includes dimensions of confidence in one’s abilities, commitment to a chosenpath, and positive feedback with respect to accomplishments. It is based on an individual’sperception, not always in agreement with an objective assessment, of one’s performance. Thewebsite of the Assessing Women in Engineering Project provides a wealth of references in thisarea

Conference Session

Perceptions of Women's Success in STEM

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Maria Brunette, University of Massachusetts-Lowell; paula rayman, University of Massachusetts-Lowell; meg bond, University of Massachusetts-Lowell; Lu Yuan, University of Massachusetts-Lowell

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

Figure 1. Flowchart of Delphi Study. Groundwork In-depth Literature Review on “Workplace Factors Associated with Women's Success in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields Project Selection of 8-10 Directors REPRESENTATIVE Research Themes

Conference Session

Retention Programs for Women Students

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gretchen Hein, Michigan Technological University; Amy Monte, Michigan Technological University; Kerri Sleeman, Michigan Technological University

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

students in general and underrepresented groups in particular. Project RISE(Retention Initiative in Science and Engineering) initiated campus Learning Centers in gatewaycourses. Through this program, various centers have been developed and staffed since the 1990s.There are viable learning centers in Chemistry, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering,Mathematics, Physics, and Engineering (Statics, Dynamics, Mechanics of Materials). In addition,the university supports the MTU Writing Center, Modern Language Learning Lab, Center forComputer-Assisted Language Instruction, and tutoring services. The Learning Centers areutilized in two ways. First, students who need help with homework or course concepts can obtainassistance on an as-needed basis from

Conference Session

An International Perspective

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mary Anderson-Rowland, Arizona State University; Bianca Bernstein, Arizona State University; Nancy Felipe Russo, Arizona State University

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

, Mary-Anderson-Rowland and Regents' Professor Nancy Felipe Russo are collaborators on that project. Dr. Bernstein is.a professor of Counseling Psychology, Educational Leadership & Policy Studies, and Women’s Studies at Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ. She recently completed a term as Director of the Division of Graduate Education at the National Science Foundation, after eight years as Dean of the Graduate College at ASU. Dr. Bernstein specializes in counseling research on stress and cognitive mediation, gender and ethnic issues, and clinical supervision, and in higher education on broadening participation of women and minorities in science and engineering careers, preparing

Conference Session

Perspectives for Women Faculty

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stacy Birmingham, Grove City College

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

accomplished in the past year and what I wanted to accomplish in thenext three years. Only occasionally did I meet with my department chairs over the years todiscuss my career, however. I also started my faculty career before the implementation of aformal faculty mentoring system, and did not have the friendly advice of a trusted colleague toguide me, nor did I actively seek out such advice.I was in a quandary: according to the plan—never articulated in the academy, but generallyunderstood by all—everything was fine. Like Balboa upon finding the Pacific Ocean, rather thanjoy, I was professionally void. While large-scale research was fun and rewarding, I found that itlacked a certain satisfaction. Perhaps it was that as projects get bigger, one moves

Conference Session

The Impact of Curriculum on the Retention of Women Students

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rose Marra, University of Missouri; Barbara Bogue, Pennsylvania State University; Kelly Rodgers, University of Missouri; Demei Shen, University of Missouri

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

AC 2007-124: SELF EFFICACY OF WOMEN ENGINEERING STUDENTS ?THREE YEARS OF DATA AT U.S. INSTITUTIONSRose Marra, University of Missouri ROSE M. MARRA is an Associate Professor in the School of Information Science and Learning Technologies at the University of Missouri. She is PI of the NSF-funded Assessing Women and Men in Engineering (AWE) and Assessing Women In Student Environments (AWISE) projects. Her research interests include gender equity issues, the epistemological development of college students, and promoting meaningful learning in web-based environments.Barbara Bogue, Pennsylvania State University BARBARA BOGUE is Associate Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics and Women in

Conference Session

Recruitment and Retention Topics

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Susan Lord, University of San Diego; Michelle Camacho, University of San Diego

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

feminist pedagogy. The ideal suggeststhat the professor is a partner among students, not one assuming an omniscient authority Page 12.1611.5position. Having an open stance to questioning and critique, however, is difficult to achieve; 4nearly all feminists interviewed for this project acknowledged the challenges embedded inattempting to achieve, on the one hand, a balance between earning the respect of students inorder to guide them and, on the other, negotiating an egalitarian role among students.From this qualitative data (based on the feminist pedagogy participants interviews and theliterature), a

Conference Session

Recruitment and Retention Topics

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elizabeth Godfrey, University of Auckland

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

prestigious ( i.e. lower entry requirements) in the same discipline area; • lower in sub-degree courses than degree courses (in the same discipline area); • lower in computer oriented engineering courses with a hard core computer programming emphasis; • higher in courses with chemical and life science orientations (e.g. chemical, environmental); • higher in some double degrees that permit a broadening of studies (i.e. arts or science) rather than more of the same thing (i.e. computer science).A project report commissioned by the European Union11 similarly commented that national,institutional and discipline specific differences appeared highly likely to provide a complexpicture, where the culture would be

Conference Session

Potpourri Session

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Danny Bee, University of Wisconsin-Stout; Brenda Puck, University of Wisconsin, Stout; Peter Heimdahl, University of Wisconsin-Stout

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

activities,and the LEGO Mentors, all of whom were either current students or alumni of the manufacturingengineering program, were each assigned to one of the four teams. The mentors wereresponsible for guiding the teams through the brainstorming, problem solving, and technicalmatters of robot design and programming. Three of these four mentors were female, anadditional aspect to demonstrate to the campers that women can be successful in engineering.The four teams, each having ten team members were responsible for developing their ownsolutions to the design project.The design project, “Rube’s Smart House”, was introduced to the campers at the end of day 1.The project, created in true Rube Goldberg style, was a fun problem to be addressedautonomously