Collection

2025 Rocky Mountain Section Conference

Authors

Benjamin Bruxvoort; Nehemiah Emaikwu; Kim Trenbath; Jason Schmidt

students to the buildingscience disciplines and builds connections to industry (JUMP into STEM, n.d.).As part of this work, multiple researchers investigated the broader impact of the competition onits participants, and documented the successes and challenges of engaging students through thecompetition (Bruxvoort et al., n.d.; Fumo, 2024a, 2024b; Hubbard et al., 2021; Rippy et al.,2022). In addition, Rippy et al. (2022) conducted a longitudinal look across 4 years of theprogram’s operation, distilling key themes of success including how students felt the competitionhad impacted their career path; promoted and valued a range of perspectives; providednetworking, mentorship, and team-forming experiences; and given real-world, applied

Collection

2025 Rocky Mountain Section Conference

Authors

Abigail Rose

, 2022). The number of studentsadmitted, retained, and graduated from these programs appears to demonstrate that PBA worksin proving student aptitude and future success. In support of the aforementioned, Kuskin statesthat PBA is not simply an “easy-in”; it represents an “enormous challenge for these students,however: they must gauge their own ability and be willing to withdraw” (2019). McAndrew(2023) adds that “performance pathways derive from an institution’s established, accreditedBEYOND AFFIRMATIVE ACTION…/ROSE 5curriculum, which is already designed to challenge and engage learners to programmatic andinstitutional standards.” Although supporters argue that PBA fosters an

Collection

2025 Rocky Mountain Section Conference

Authors

Chika Winnifred Agha; Rebecca Atadero; Amir Hedayati Mehdiabad

: ethics, equity, learning experiences of engineers, early-career engineers, reflexivethematic analysisIntroductionEngineers hold a professional obligation to safeguard public safety and well-being, a duty thatunderscores the necessity for engineering educators and professional institutions to adequatelytrain engineers in these responsibilities (Cech & Finelli, 2024). However, early-career engineersface numerous challenges during the initial stages of their professional journey, particularlywhen navigating job role demands and organizational expectations (Jesiek et al., 2021). Thesechallenges are compounded by a gap in the preparation of engineers for the workforce (Korte etal., 2015; Grajdura & Beddoes, 2022), as engineering education

Collection

2025 Rocky Mountain Section Conference

Authors

Randy Hurd; Sulabh Khadka; Dustin Grote

) department-level goals—recruit students to the major andenhance diversity in the major. To a large extent, these programs have been nicely successful. STEM Summer Bridge programs have been useful in preparing students to get ready forcollege-level STEM courses and challenges since the time these programs were first started inthe nation (Raines, 2012). Although STEM summer bridge programs generally have a positiveimpact on all participants' knowledge and skills in STEM, some may have differential effects onstudents based on their socioeconomic status (Copper et al., 2000) or gender (Xu & Lastrapes,2022). In a study focused on experiences based on students’ gender (Xu & Lastrapes, 2022),male student’s sense of belonging in STEM had both

Collection

2025 Rocky Mountain Section Conference

Authors

Abigail Neering; Mitchell Keck; Julia Reyna; Natcin Sorensen; Travis Price; Randy Hurd

) incorporatesappropriate engineering standards and multiple constraints, and 2) is based on the knowledge andskills acquired in earlier course work” (Criteria for Accrediting Engineering Programs, 2022 –2023, n.d.). The typical goal of projects like these is to have students apply fundamentalengineering theory (Mueller, 2002), and develop new skills that will benefit them in their futurecareers (Landis et al., 2024) (Forsberg et al., 2024). Students are often given the assignment tocreate a useful product, system, or analysis that showcases their engineering knowledge andskills and are then evaluated by their instructors or engineering professionals (Bechara, 2024). Inaddition to completing the project, students are required to work in teams, create and

Collection

2025 Rocky Mountain Section Conference

Authors

Angela Bielefeldt; Malinda Zarske

lagged malestudents by 3% or more for 3 of the most recent 5 years.Table 1. Retained in Engineering College (red if women lag men by 3% or more; bold if >5%) ENG entry college 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2nd Fall retention %, males 86 82 88 87 88 87 85 89 91 91 2nd Fall retention %, females 84 83 84 82 85 83 85 84 85 89 6th yr graduation %, males 69 70 71 74 77 70^ 6th yr graduation %, females 66 72 72 68 68 66^^ 5-yr graduation rateThus, research exploring conditions that might lead female students to leave engineering athigher rates than male students at this

Collection

2025 Rocky Mountain Section Conference

Authors

Alexander Aronov; Daniel Knight, University of Colorado, Boulder; Angela Bielefeldt; Joseph Polman; Fabiola Palomar

design enabledus to examine differences across groups—specifically between posters originating from the AirQuality Inquiry (AQIQ) and Soil Quality Inquiry (SQIQ) arms of the program, as well as acrossclassrooms. The mixed-methods nature of the study bridges the gap between qualitative contentanalysis and statistical testing, thereby providing a nuanced view of how inquiry-based STEMlearning manifests in these artifacts.Sample and Data CollectionA total of 185 posters were selected for analysis. The posters were chosen from recent academicseasons (2021-22 and 2022-23) and represent work from both the AQIQ and SQIQ programs.Table 1. Number of Posters by School, Academic Year, and Poster TypeNote: Schools A & D had multiple different classes