Conference Session

Panel: What Funding Agencies Look For

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jane Daniels, Henry Luce Foundation; Kathleen Christensen, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation; Jessie DeAro, National Science Foundation; David Ruth, Elsevier Foundation

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

Graduate School of City University of New York.Jessie DeAro, National Science Foundation Dr. Jessie DeAro is Program Director for the ADVANCE program at the National Science Foundation (NSF), a program to increase the representation and advancement of women in academic science and engineering careers. She has worked with several programs related to access to higher education for underrepresented minorities, women, and persons with disabilities for 10 years in the Federal government. She started her Federal career after earning a doctorate in physical chemistry from the University of California at Santa Barbara with a Presidential Management Fellowship (PMF) which she used to work with

Conference Session

Issues of Persistence in Engineering

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Catherine Amelink, Virginia Tech; Elizabeth Creamer, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

Assessment for VTAdvance, another project funded by the National Science Foundation. Creamer’s disciplinary background is in the field of higher education. Her research interests involve issues related to faculty careers, work, and lives, including gender differences in the factors associated with faculty publishing productivity. Creamer teaches courses in qualitative research including Qualitative Methods in Educational Research I and II and EDRE 6794: Mixed Methods in Educational Research. Creamer is recognized in Who’s Who in Education and is a recipient of the 2005 College of Liberal Arts and Human Studies Research Grant. She is the author or co-author of three books and 45 refereed

Conference Session

Focus on Faculty

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ane Johnson, Virginia Tech; Margaret Layne, Virginia Tech; Janis Terpenny, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

academic careers.4 Yet women faculty have indicated high levels of interest inleadership positions.5 With NSF ADVANCE support, Virginia Tech, a STEM-dominantuniversity, has sought to empower women faculty to overcome the barriers to leadership.This paper reports on how leadership programs focusing on women faculty can increase therepresentation of women in leadership roles across campus at a STEM-dominant institution. Byproviding multiple strategies to empower women faculty at varying stages of their careers,ADVANCE leadership programs sought to enhance their capabilities and productivity astechnical and administrative leaders and as scholars. This was done, in part, by bringing womenfaculty together at many points during the project to reflect on

Conference Session

Panel: Effecting Change in Higher Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Priscilla Nelson, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Theresa Hunt, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Cherrice Traver, Union College; Pamela Eibeck, Texas Tech; Zulma Toro-Ramos, Wichita State University; Cheryl Schrader, Boise State University; Mary Roth, Lafayette College; delcie durham, University of South Florida

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

engineering programs remains an enormously difficult task, and thecontinuing isolation experienced by women in non-life-science engineering and technologyprofessions across sectors of academe, government and industry complicates and jeopardizes thesuccess and sustainable future of the engineering education.The efforts of organizations and programs such as ADVANCE, WELI, WEPAN, and SWE andother professional societies have supported the career advancement of women and have evenfacilitated the growing number of engineering women in higher education administration.Opportunities for the women in such positions to convene and share research and solutions tocollectively address some of these issues, however, have remained limited. The WomenEngineers in

Conference Session

Attitudes, Self-Confidence, and Self-Efficacy of Women Engineering Students

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Holly Matusovich, Virginia Tech; Ruth Streveler, Purdue University; Ronald Miller, Colorado School of Mines; Barbara Olds, Colorado School of Mines

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

Following the examples set by these researchers, thisstudy does not differentiate among the terms self-concept of ability, self-efficacy andexpectancies of success and considers all under the single term ability beliefs. As shown inFigure 1, ability beliefs address the question, “Can I do this task?” or specifically in this study“Can I be an engineer?”. Using the expectancy-value framework, researchers have shown that competence beliefs arelinked to actual performance in an activity 9, 15, contribute to beliefs about what tasks areimportant 16, 17, decrease with increasing age for primary and secondary school children 16, andpredict career aspirations. 18, 19Methods This research incorporates multiple case study methods with each participant

Conference Session

Focus on Faculty

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Barbara Hacker, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona; Winny Dong, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona; Mary Lucero Ferrel, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

project is attempting to change the culture of the campus inorder to increase the number of women faculty in STEM and to help further the careers of thosealready on campus. Mentoring Circles have been created to allow networking among a smallgroup of women and reduce the burden on any individual of implementing such a program.IntroductionMentoring programs have been implemented to improve the retention and increase the success offaculty at many universities, especially for women in the male-dominated fields of science andengineering.1, 2, 3, 4 A number of different models have been used for the mentoring programsincluding the traditional dyadic relationship of a mentor and protégé, referred to as the groomingmentoring model, a less-structured

Conference Session

Panel: Taking a Break from Academia

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bevlee Watford, Virginia Tech; Lesia Crumpton-Young, University of Central Florida; Susan Davidson, University of Pennsylvania; Leigh McCue, Virginia Tech; Noel Schulz, Mississippi State University

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

AC 2009-506: TAKING A BREAK FROM ACADEMIABevlee Watford, Virginia TechLesia Crumpton-Young, University of Central FloridaSusan Davidson, University of PennsylvaniaLeigh McCue, Virginia TechNoel Schulz, Mississippi State University Page 14.1120.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 Taking a Break from AcademiaAbstractThis paper presents the input received from four faculty members who “took a break” from theirregular academic life. The panelists responded to the following questions: • Where were you in your academic career when you decided to take a break? • What were the factors that motivated you to pursue this activity? • What

Conference Session

Women in Engineering Division Poster Session

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elizabeth Dell, Rochester Institute of Technology; Jeanne Christman, Rochester Institute of Technology; Teresa Wolcott, Rochester Institute of Technology; Maureen Valentine, Rochester Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

researchedother ways to improve retention.A study by WGBH Educational Foundation for Extraordinary Women Engineers showed thatfemales seek careers that are enjoyable, have a good working environment and where they feelthey can make a difference.4 Similarly, another study found that women look for careers thatinvolve support, camaraderie, accomplishment and growth. Focus group data from these studiesshowed that women did not perceive technical careers to have these qualities.5 It is important thateducators convey to engineering students how a career in engineering can fit these descriptions.If in the first years of a program, women do not see that engineering can fulfill these types ofcareer aspirations, they may leave the program. A study by the

Conference Session

Issues of Persistence in Engineering

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Peggy Meszaros, Virginia Tech; Catherine Amelink, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

Factors Promoting or Discouraging the Intent to Remain in EngineeringIntroductionInterest in the declining numbers of U.S. students choosing careers in science,mathematics and engineering (SME) emerged as a topic for discussion in the 1980’s.Numerous reports documented this early decline and called attention to the need tounderstand reasons for and to prevent migration out of SME fields. 1, 2 Gender losses wereobserved by Astin and Astin1 to be greater among men, but given the greater proportionalloss of women, their under-representation was magnified during the undergraduate years.Confounding this overall decline was the observation that SME losses came from a poolof disproportionately able undergraduates. 3, 4, 5 Efforts to identify the

Conference Session

Potpourri

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mary Anderson-Rowland, Arizona State University

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

SHPE Educator of the Year 2005, and won the National Engineering Award in 2003, the highest honor given by AAES. In 2002 she was named the Distinguished Engineering Educator by the Society of Women Engineers. Her awards are based on her mentoring of students, especially women and underrepresented minority students, and her research in the areas of recruitment and retention. A SWE and ASEE Fellow, she is a frequent speaker on career opportunities and diversity in engineering. Page 14.172.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 An Academic Scholarship Program for Transfer Students in

Conference Session

Issues of Persistence in Engineering

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Carol Burger, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

abilities required to complete anundergraduate engineering degree at the institution; essential educational experiences; strengthsand weaknesses of the institution in supporting undergraduate education; and what those beinginterviewed perceived as efforts that could be made to promote the recruitment and retention ofwomen in undergraduate engineering majors and into future engineering careers. During thefocus group meetings with undergraduate women in engineering, we asked about theirperception of the university and college environment for women in class and out-of-class, factorsthat had led them to decide to major in engineering, and the careers they planned for themselves.The interviews and focus group discussions were audiotaped with the

Conference Session

Attitudes, Self-Confidence, and Self-Efficacy of Women Engineering Students

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Moshe Hartman, Retired; Harriet Hartman, Rowan University

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

posed in this paper is how persistent are gender differences in engineeringorientation and achievement, once we control for engineering discipline, cohort, and year in theprogram. More specifically, we ask: 1. Do gender differences persist in grades, engineering self-confidence, satisfaction with engineering major, satisfaction with peers, and commitment to engineering as a career, even when major, year, and cohort are controlled? 2. Is there an interaction between gender and major, so that women and men in the same major have different reactions/achievements in engineering? 3. How much variation in these variables is there between majors (women or men)? 4. Is there a clear pattern of variation in any of these

Conference Session

Women in Engineering Division Poster Session

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Noel Schulz, Mississippi State University

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

the PIC IV Chair from 2008-2010. She has also been active in the IEEE Power & Energy Society and served as Secretary for 2004-2007 and Treasurer for 2008-2009. Page 14.1011.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 Recharge your professional and personal activities through an International SabbaticalAbstractFaculty careers are very demanding. The first six years we focus on activities related to tenureand promotion. Faculty are busy developing course notes, getting research programs growing,supervising graduate students, writing papers and proposals, and many other

Conference Session

WEPAN and WIED Joint Panel: Life after Tenure--Leadership Roles in Academia

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Donna Reese, Mississippi State University; Priscilla Nelson, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Patricia Davies, Purdue University; Cheryl Schrader, Boise State University; W. M. Kim Roddis, George Washington University

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

successful once they have.Panelist IntroductionsDr. Priscilla Nelson is currently serving as director of international programs, having steppeddown from her position as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at the NewJersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) at the end of 2008. Priscilla has degrees in geology andstructural engineering and a PhD in geotechnical engineering. She began her faculty career at theUniversity of Texas at Austin where she advanced through the ranks from assistant to fullprofessor. Priscilla spent 11 years at NSF serving in many roles before assuming her currenttenured faculty position at NJIT.Dr. Cheryl Schrader is currently dean of engineering at Boise State University where she hasbeen since 2003. Cheryl’s

Conference Session

Issues of Persistence in Engineering

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rose Mary Cordova-Wentling, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Cristina Camacho, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

, buta discouraging academic climate and women not feeling part of a larger engineering community.Researchers have concluded that women need to be provided supports such as mentors, rolemodels, networks, career counseling, and social opportunities in order to attract and retain themto technical fields (Amenkhienan & Kogan, 2004; Cohoon, 2006; National Academy of Science,2007; National Research Council, 2006; Seymour & Hewitt, 1997; Wentling & Thomas, 2007)Many studies that have concentrated on the recruitment and retention of women in engineeringhave studied the factors that affect the educational journey of students at the pre-college

Conference Session

Women in Engineering Division Poster Session

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elizabeth Cady, National Academy of Engineering; Norman Fortenberry, National Academy of Engineering; Catherine Didion, National Academy of Engineering; Karen Peterman, Goodman Research Group, Inc.

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

students also need to have confidence in their own skillsin engineering and a network of peers and mentors who can support them through their studiesand their careers [5]. Another important element, especially for girls, is having a role model towhom they can relate on a personal level, rather that a role model who is perceived as being astar in the field and thus unapproachable [3]. This indicates that undergraduate women inengineering could effectively mentor younger students because they would be able to relate tothem as individuals. Finally, the assessment of one longitudinal program that brought scienceinto elementary schools indicated that parents increased the amount of time spent talking aboutscience with their children over the course of

Conference Session

Panel: Forming an Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Julie Mills, University of South Australia; Judith Gill, University of South Australia; Suzanne Franzway, University of South Australia; Rhonda Sharp, University of South Australia

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

member of the teamapproached the then Director of the Research Centre for Gender Studies (RCGS) at theUniversity of South Australia to see if any members of the centre would be interested in workingwith her, to undertake qualitative research to support the national qualitative study that she hadjust managed to explore the careers of women engineers in Australia. The Director (theeducation member of the team) then approached the sociologist and economist team members Page 14.1111.4and secured their initial interest. A key feature at the time was the existence of the ResearchCentre for Gender Studies which enabled cross campus and cross

Conference Session

Focus on Faculty

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kristen Constant, Iowa State University; Sharon Bird, Iowa State University

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

.1 Numerous studies have investigated the barriers encountered bywomen with aspirations of university careers, many referred to in “Beyond Bias andBarriers”, a 2006 report by the National Academy of Sciences.1 These studies seek toprovide a deeper understanding of various issues including those pertaining to the careerpipeline, and faculty recruitment, retention and advancement. Recognizing the critical needfor full participation of women in the sciences, the National Science Foundation hassupported for the last 7 years efforts to study and improve recruitment and retention ofwomen faculty in the sciences through the ADVANCE Institutional Transformationprogram.2 Work within this program has allowed researchers to study multi

Conference Session

Women in Engineering Division Poster Session

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jessica Rohlfing, Arizona State University; Erin Kube, Arizona State University; Brandon Yabko, Arizona State University; Erika Murguia, Arizona State University; Jennifer Bekki, Arizona State University Polytechnic; Bianca Bernstein, Arizona State University

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

ofgraduate school completion1 In the physical sciences and engineering, attrition is most commonwithin the first three years2,3. While women represent 22% of the doctoral students inengineering, they receive only 17% of the doctorates; the dropout rate for women is roughlytwice that of male PhD students in the same fields4,5. Additionally, even women who persistthrough their doctoral program remain unlikely to actually embark on a career in science orengineering; 36.5% of women with degrees in science, compared to 27.4% of men, never beginscience careers5.The purpose of CareerWISE, an NSF-funded research program, is to improve the retention offemale STEM doctoral students (and, indirectly, the likelihood of their entry into STEM-relatedcareers

Conference Session

Issues of Persistence in Engineering

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Matthew Ohland, Purdue University; Michelle Camacho, University of San Diego; Richard Layton, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Russell Long, Purdue University; Susan Lord, University of San Diego; Mara Wasburn, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

, first year engineering courses, feminist and liberative pedagogies, and student autonomy. Dr. Lord served as General Co-Chair of the 2006 Frontiers in Education Conference. She has been awarded NSF CAREER and ILI grants. She is currently working on a collaborative NSF-funded Gender in Science and Engineering project investigating persistence of women in engineering undergraduate programs. Dr. Lord’s industrial experience includes AT&T Bell Laboratories, General Motors Laboratories, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and SPAWAR Systems Center. Page 14.675.1Mara Wasburn, Purdue University

Conference Session

Women in Engineering Division Poster Session

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

J. Carter Tiernan, University of Texas, Arlington; Lynn Peterson, University of Texas, Arlington; Robyn Johnson, University of Texas, Arlington; Jamila Phillips, University of Texas, Arlington

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

knowledge and experience with potential students. When we walk into a classroom, it seems always to start a bit quiet and tense but by the end of the presentations the students have so much to ask that it feels so rewarding just to be there. A lot of the young women are very shocked to see other women pursuing engineering careers and it is very encouraging to them.”Research shows that stereotypes about engineering turn young women away from those careers3so by having female student ambassadors as role models we encourage young women to considerengineering as a viable career choice. Our peer recruiting program began in Fall 2006 with agroup of 3 peer recruiters, one of whom is still a recruiter as a senior. Since 2006

Conference Session

Attitudes, Self-Confidence, and Self-Efficacy of Women Engineering Students

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kristian Trampus, University of Texas, Tyler; Fredericka Brown, University of Texas, Tyler; Michael Odell, University of Texas, Tyler

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

ascomplementary and not as mutually exclusive. One way to increase the technical pool andattract women and minorities to technical careers is to “change the conversation” 1 and focus onpromoting understanding of engineering and technology literacy to the public. Even withincreased efforts nationwide to recruit women and minorities in the STEM fields, there seems tobe a missing piece. How can the attrition rate of women and minorities be improved?Much attention has been paid to the attitudes and interests of female students regarding theirdesire to pursue postsecondary education in STEM as well as their persistence in these efforts.Various initiatives have been launched to increase the recruitment and retention of thesepopulations through outreach

Conference Session

Women in Engineering Division Poster Session

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elizabeth Creamer, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

, provide avisible recognition of the unique set of challenges faced by female faculty members inengineering.Results from the larger study indicate that even when controlling for many other individual andinstitutional characteristics, the proportion of undergraduate women in engineering has asignificant effect on women's intent to remain in the major and men's and women's interest inpursuing engineering as a career. Some institutions with low proportional enrollments ofwomen in engineering have found ways to offset some of the negative effects of the visibilitythrough a culture of interactions that communicate care and respect for student’s commitmentto engineering. Further research will compare how the impact of some measures of institutionaland

Conference Session

Attitudes, Self-Confidence, and Self-Efficacy of Women Engineering Students

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Angela Bielefeldt, University of Colorado, Boulder

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

for the greater good and canhelp people in poverty. This branch works more directly with the people who it serves than otherbranches of engineering. I really like this focus on service and in whatever I do, I want to helpmake the world a better place." She was deciding between a career in EVEN or becoming adoctor.Some example quotes from female students in the Civil Engineering class include: “[I enjoyed] physics and math classes in high school… but I thought that a career should have a greater impact on people.” “This part of engineering takes into account public welfare and works for the benefit of society by building structures that help to make the world a safer place with higher standards.”One of the female students in the

Conference Session

Potpourri

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Catherine Pieronek, University of Notre Dame

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

, including those specifically spelled out in the Title IX implementingregulations, as well as identifying promising practices to promote gender equity:27 admissions,recruitment, outreach and retention; faculty advising and career counseling; research participationand classroom experiences; treatment of students and faculty on the basis of parental/maritalstatus; safety policies; and sexual harassment policies.17,18,19,20,21 NASA’s reports make clear thatthe agency examined admissions statistics, retention statistics, data relevant to the utility ofparticular policies such as family leave, and more. Where NASA identified potential problems,such as the chilly or toxic climate in one physics department, it did take into account the opinionsof

Conference Session

Women in Engineering Division Poster Session

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Moore, Petroleum Institute; lana El Chaar, Petroleum Institute; Lisa Lamont, Petroleum Institute

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

women’s’ hands. Family attitudes about femaleemployment and a woman's ability to combine both work and family responsibilities areoften identified as key to accessing work and remaining within the labor force.Second, and this is particularly relevant for our study, social conditions often dictate thatwomen need to abide by what is known here as a "code of modesty". This recommendssegregation of men and women in the quest to guard family honor. This code is adheredto in varying degrees by different groups within the society and often confines women toseeking work in predominantly female work environments, such as schools. Engineeringundergraduates who wish to pursue their chosen career will have no choice but to workwith male counterparts.As we

Conference Session

Attitudes, Self-Confidence, and Self-Efficacy of Women Engineering Students

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Carmen Villa, Texas A&M University; Carolyn Clark, Texas A&M University; Jennifer Sandlin, Arizona State University

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

. Grant, H., & Dweck, C. S. (2003). Clarifying achievement goals and their impact. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85, 541-553.15. Dweck, C.S. (2006). Is math a gift? Beliefs that put females at risk. In S. J. Ceci & W. Williams (Eds.), Are sex differences in cognition responsible for the underrepresentation of women in scientific careers? (pp. 47- 55). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.16. Tinto, V. (2005). College student retention: Formula for student success. . In A. Seidman (Ed.), College Student Retention. Formula for student success (pp. ix-x). American Council on Education CT: Praeger.17. Lincoln, Y. S., Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Newbury Park, CA:Sage.18

Conference Session

Potpourri

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rachelle Reisberg, Northeastern University; Amanda Funai, University of Michigan; Bala Maheswaran, Northeastern University

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

can implement similar support programs andlearn from our work. Materials, including the physics and chemistry help sheets, will beincluded in the appendix.BackgroundWomen continue to be underrepresented in engineering, earning only 19.3% of bachelor’sdegrees in engineering1 and holding only 11% of engineering positions.2 Despite being asacademically prepared and academically successful as men, they can lag behind men byexhibiting lower levels of academic satisfaction and lack of self-esteem.3 Traditionalassumptions about career options have been reinforced in society and have projected stereotypesthat discourage talented women from continuing in engineering. This is evidenced by researchthat has found a dramatic drop in women’s self-efficacy