Conference Session

Build Diversity in Engineering Graduate Programs

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Renee Baker, Rochester Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

of Technology (RIT) are raising the bar for universities nationwide. One move, which isthe focus of this article, is RIT’s Annual “Future Faculty Career Exploration Program.” Thisunique program furthers RIT’s diversity efforts by bringing students nearing the end of theirdoctoral studies and postdoctoral assignments to Rochester to receive the “RIT treatment.” Sincethe program’s inception in October of 2003, more than 150 scholars have been invited to attendthe annual program. The program has become so widely acclaimed that 185 and 235 applicationswere received in the past two years, respectively, to fill 27-30 allocated slots. This level ofresponse clearly demonstrates the interest of young scholars and their desire to visit the academyfor

Conference Session

Developing Young MINDS in Engineering - Part II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mary Anderson-Rowland, Arizona State University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

Educator of the Year 2005, and 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 15.147.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010An Evaluation of Academic Scholarship Programs by Program and EthnicityAbstractSince 2002

Conference Session

Developing Young MINDS in Engineering - Part I

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sarah Jones, Louisiana State University; Kelly Rusch, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge; Warren Waggenspack, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge; Roger Seals, Louisiana State University; Vaneshette Henderson, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

well academically, and they had a cumulative GPA  of 3.383. With respect to programs, the students have evaluated the seminars positively. The2008 freshman cohort reported that they were actively participating in many of the careerservices (Career Services Center - 88%) and academic assistance programs (Center for AcademicSuccess - 77%) that would impact their academic success, professional development and overallbalance of life.IntroductionFulfilling the need for college graduates in science, engineering and technology has beenidentified as a critical element in maintaining the United States’ progress and leadership in acompetive, technology driven world economy1. Unfortunately, overall enrollment in engineeringdegree programs has declined

Conference Session

Developing Young MINDS in Engineering - Part I

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Carol Gattis, University of Arkansas; Todd Shields, University of Arkansas; Bryan Hill, University of Arkansas; Shannon Davis, University of Arkansas

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

STEM fields. Page 15.238.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010 ECAP: A Recruitment-to-Graduation Program for Underrepresented Engineering StudentsAbstractThe University of Arkansas College of Engineering recently completed the first twoyears of a comprehensive program called the ‘Engineering Career Awareness Program’(ECAP). This program is supported in part by an NSF grant titled “Breaking Barriers:Pathways to Graduation for Underrepresented Talent (ECAP)” (NSF award #DUE-0807180). This program successfully removed traditional barriers to students fromunderrepresented groups entering and

Conference Session

Attracting Young MINDS in Engineering - Part I

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Juan Castilleja, The Boeing Company; Rachel Jackson, Rice University; Natalia Salies, Rice University; Brent Houchens, Rice University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

pursue higher education and careers in theSTEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields. Rice Universityundergraduate and graduate engineering students (mentors) volunteer weekly withunderrepresented high school students (mentees) at three Houston public schools to solve aspecified engineering design problem. The design project mechanism allows mentor/menteerelationships to form naturally, and thus opens up communication regarding college, financialaid, and futures in engineering. Perception and Environment Surveys (P.E.S.) are administered tothe mentees at the beginning and end of the DREAM program, each semester, in order to gaugementee knowledge of college admissions, financial aid, careers, and long-term earning

Conference Session

Developing Young MINDS in Engineering - Part I

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elyce Winters, Stony Brook University; Imin Kao, Stony Brook University; Jennifer Dellaposta, SUNY Stony Brook College of Engineering and Applied Sciences; Christine Szaraz, SUNY Stony Brook College of Engineering and Applied Sciences

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

and social support have beenidentified as important to the career development and academic progress of all students”(Hackett, et al, 1992, p. 528)8; they contend that the stress and anxiety “…experienced bystudents in engineering programs might be a source of lowered academic and career self-efficacy” (p. 529)7 and go on to argue that “… coping skills and social support may moderate thepossibly detrimental effects of a stressful academic program,” (p.529)7. These findings“…provide some evidence for the relations of lower levels of stress and more social support toenhanced self-efficacy and academic achievement,” (Hackett, et al, 1992 p.535) 8 and seem toanticipate the recommendations of the National Academies of Science (2005) 12 and

Conference Session

Developing Young MINDS in Engineering - Part II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Richard Harris, Northeastern University; Carrie Boykin, Northeastern University; Bala Maheswaran, Northeastern University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

first demand was a demand for 50 new academic scholarships for Black Students bySeptember of 1968; and by 1971, a demand that at least 10 percent of the incoming freshmanclass be black and to establish a Program such as Project Ujima to aid in the recruitment,retention, support, and academic/career/personal/cultural development of Black students.Shortly thereafter, in February 1969, the Black students submitted a proposal for an Afro-American Institute (AAI) and a Black Studies Department, which the Board of Trustees grantedpermission for the use of a building referred to as the Forsyth Annex to serve as the first AAIhome.The Ujima Scholars Program, formerly known as Project Ujima, grew out of the establishment ofthe African-American Institute

Conference Session

New Research & Trends for Minorities in Engineering

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Maria M. Larrondo Petrie, Florida Atlantic University; Ivan Esparragoza, Pennsylvania State University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

resources available to inform, motivate, fund, mentor, promote, and support minorities andwomen to pursue a career in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, but finding theseresources is not easy. MIND Links gathers and updates each year links to resources in anorganized manner that is useful for parents, students, professionals, academics andadministrators. Special attention is paid to provide useful resources to every stage of forming theengineer, including • Exploratory and motivational stage: K-12, enrichment activities, competitions • Preparatory: scholarships, fellowships, rankings of undergraduate and graduate engineering programs, internships • Professional careers: publications, salary surveys, organizations

Conference Session

Attracting Young MINDS in Engineering - Part II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nancy Warter-Perez, California State University, Los Angeles; Jianyu Dong, California State University, Los Angeles; Eun-Young Kang, California State University, Los Angeles; Huiping Guo, California State University, Los Angeles; Mauricio Castillo, California State University, Los Angeles; Alexander Abramyan, California State University, Los Angeles; Keith Moo-Young, California State University, LA

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

successfully recruited women and minorities graduate fellows forits second year. Of the nine fellows 44% are women and 56% are Hispanic.The two primary goals of the IMPACT LA Program are to 1) change teachers, students, andparents’ perceptions of engineers and encourage K-12 students to explore engineering andresearch careers, and 2) to enhance the communication and research skills of graduate fellows.To achieve these goals, during the summer workshop teachers participate in a wide range ofexploratory research experiences designed by fellows to introduce teachers to their researchareas. During the school year fellows expose students to their research in different waysincluding informal research discussions, videos showing fellows conducting their

Conference Session

Developing Young MINDS in Engineering - Part II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Showkat Chowdhury, Alabama A&M University; Mohamed Seif, Alabama A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

involved diverse aspects such as planning and scheduling, purchasing, performingcalculations and analysis, coordinating logistics, and design reviews. They were mentored byfaculty advisors. In addition, several minority students were engaged in undergraduate researchutilizing cutting edge technology, which also provided them financial support. Another surveyconducted shows that, these research/project experiences have brought excitement in theirlearning process, had a tremendous impact on their careers, motivated the minority students tobecome successful engineers, improved their learning outcome and self-confidence, preparedthem to join the national engineering workforce and improve diversity, and even motivatedsome of them to pursue graduate

Conference Session

Developing Young MINDS in Engineering - Part I

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Tanya Ennis, University of Colorado, Boulder; Jana Milford, University of Colorado, Boulder; Beth Myers, University of Colorado, Boulder; Jacquelyn Sullivan, University of Colorado, Boulder; Diane Sieber, University of Colorado, Boulder; Daniel Knight, University of Colorado, Boulder; Ann Scarritt, University of Colorado, Boulder

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

student interestin, and knowledge of, an engineering career — supported by creating a strong community amongGoldShirt students and the larger college population. Another goal is to ensure that students areprepared to academically perform in a traditional engineering program after their transitionalGoldShirt year. By achieving all Program goals, we seek to create a national model forsignificantly boosting recruitment, retention and graduation of under-prepared students inengineering.The Engineering GoldShirt Program enrolled its first cohort of 16 highly-motivated yet under-prepared students in fall 2009. In the pilot group, 11 represent the first-generation in theirfamilies to attend college, 13 are underrepresented minority students, and seven

Conference Session

Attracting Young MINDS in Engineering - Part II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jamila Cola, Georgia Institute of Technology; Douglas Edwards, Westlake High School; Margaret Tarver, Tri-Cities High School; Donna Llewellyn, Georgia Institute of Technology; Marion Usselman, Georgia Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

underrepresented minoritiesto the STEM pipeline is the first step towards engaging them in the science, engineering, andtechnology enterprise. Despite several barriers preventing minorities from entering andremaining in STEM fields, there are many best practices to encourage and inspire minorities tocontribute to STEM careers. Page 15.747.2Page 15.747.3Page 15.747.4Page 15.747.5computer, aerospace, agricultural, biomedical, and mechanical engineering disciplines. Thirteenof the NSBE Jr. members that chose science and engineering fields were female. 15 10 Other

Conference Session

Build Diversity in Engineering Graduate Programs

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Abhijit Nagchaudhuri, University of Maryland, Eastern Shore; Terry Teays, Johns Hopkins University; Mary Bowden, University of Maryland at College Park; Guangming Chen, Morgan State University; Richard Henry, Johns Hopkins University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

spent much of his career conducting research on stars that pulsate and working with NASA spacecraft. Later he became involved in managing scientific projects. He served as the director of a scientific research center for a major corporation and operated his own consulting firm. In recent years he has been focused on issues of space science education. He was in charge of education activities for the Hubble Space Telescope and later became the Director of NASA’s Origins Education Forum. He has served as the Assistant Director for Maryland Space Grant Consortium since March, 2006.Guangming Chen, Morgan State University Dr. Chen is an associate professor in Industrial Engineering

Conference Session

Developing Young MINDS in Engineering - Part I

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lisa Massi, University of Central Florida; Michael Georgiopoulos, University of Central Florida; Cynthia Young, University of Central Florida; Alfred Ducharme, University of Central Florida; Cameron Ford, University of Central Florida; Kim Small, University of Central Florida; Patrice Lancey, University of Central Florida; Divya Bhati, University of Central Florida

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

years (freshman and sophomore) of a student’s college career in a STEM (Science,Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) discipline. In the book Talking About Leaving, WhyUndergraduates Leave the Sciences4, it is stated that nationally 40 percent of undergraduatestudents leave engineering programs, 50 percent leave the physical and biological sciences, and60 percent leave mathematics. The losses are disproportionately greater among women andminorities (also seen with the one-year retention numbers at our university; see Table 1).Thefeeling of a small college experience and a supportive learning community are some of thefeatures that make EXCEL a successful, retention program. Over 90% of the 2006 EXCELapplicants (n = 247) indicated in their

Conference Session

New Research & Trends for Minorities in Engineering

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Paul Imbertson, University of Minnesota-ECE; Anders Sonnenburg, Xcel Energy; Munira Masoud, Xcel Energy; Meron Demissie, Mortenson Construction

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

wind energy, make essential measurements & educate the community about the technology, leading up to the actual wind turbine implementation.On March 17th 2008, BRIDGE’s outreach team arranged a field trip for 35 high school studentsfrom North High to visit various laboratories in the STEM areas at the University of Minnesota.This was an eye-opening experience for many of the students involved.Based on results of a questionnaire that was completed after their tour; 68% of the studentsshowed positive interest in thinking about a career in STEM, 86% of the students showedpositive interest in returning

Conference Session

Build Diversity in Engineering Graduate Programs

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ali Ansari, Virginia State University; Jahangir Ansari, Virginia State University; Krishan Agrawal, Virginia State University; Arthur Fridrich, Virginia State University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

been seen at the mastersand doctoral levels 3.The National Science Board has concluded that the number of native-born S&E graduates Page 15.666.2entering the workforce is likely to decline unless the nation intervenes to improve success ineducating S&E students from all demographic groups, especially those that have beenunderrepresented in S&E careers 4.National Science Foundation data also shows that in 2005, a total of 466,003 S&E degrees wereawarded to US citizens and permanent residents. African-Americans earned 39,283 (8%) of theawarded Bachelor of Science degrees, yet they composed 15% of the population. The NSF datashowed

Conference Session

Attracting Young MINDS in Engineering - Part I

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Laura Bottomley, North Carolina State University; Jerome Lavelle, North Carolina State University; Louis Martin-Vega, Saigal

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

fundamental engineering skill areas, we are able toimprove interest, excitement and pursuit of engineering as a plan of study and career in newways. This effect is particularly needed among historically under-represented populations inengineering.IntroductionIn the current engineering environment we are faced with several distinct problems with respectto the future development of our workforce. One is that students graduating from our K-12school system, although excellent in recall of fact, are not technologically literate in the broadestsense of the term1. (Note, that this does not mean that US students are not technically capable.Technological literacy equips an individual to confront life situations and enables them toidentify the technological

Conference Session

Build Diversity in Engineering Graduate Programs

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ram Mohan, North Carolina A & T State University; Ajit Kelkar, North Carolina A&T State University; Narayanaswamy Radhakrishnan, North Carolina A&T State University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

outsidetheir alma mater and are looking forward to acquiring new skills and degrees that will make themprofessionally more competitive. However, most students have entered graduate school directlyfrom their undergraduate semesters, armed with Bachelors degrees, but unhappy with the jobmarket and their career prospects.Just as their motives for being in this class are diverse so are the academic backgrounds of theCSE graduate students. Many students have undergraduate degrees in mathematics orengineering, whereas some have majored in biology, business, physics, and agricultural sciences. Page 15.301.6Their level of knowledge of statistics is also varied

Conference Session

Developing Young MINDS in Engineering - Part II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Cynthia Finelli, University of Michigan; Lorelle Meadows, University of Michigan; David Lorch, University of Michigan; Cinda-Sue Davis, University of Michigan; Guy Meadows, University of Michigan

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

. (Biomedical Engineering) from the University of Michigan. His research focus is on the mechanical properties of dynein, a molecular motor protein. He has also been involved in teaching and course development through the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching, the College of Engineering, and the M-STEM Academy.Cinda-Sue Davis, University of Michigan Cinda-Sue Davis, Ph.D., has directed the University of Michigan Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Program since 1984. Using intervention programming, advocacy, and research, the program encourages girls and women, from elementary school through graduate school, to consider careers in science, engineering and mathematics through. Dr. Davis has

Conference Session

Developing Young MINDS in Engineering - Part II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert Freeman, University of Texas, Pan American; Horacio Vasquez, University of Texas, Pan American; Arturo Fuentes, University of Texas, Pan American; Cristina Villalobos, University of Texas, Pan American; Stephen Crown, University of Texas, Pan American; Robert Wrinkle, University of Texas, Pan American; Olga Ramirez, University of Texas, Pan American; Miguel Gonzalez, University of Texas, Pan American

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

to adapt as opportunities and applications inthese fields evolve. The project is achieving its goals via Challenge-Based Instruction byintroducing the Legacy Cycle to STEM students early and often.Table 3 shows the selected STEM key courses where CBI was implemented in the first andsecond year of the project. Among the selected STEM key courses, Calculus I, Calculus II, andPhysics I are early career science courses that most STEM students have to take. A significantnumber of engineering courses were also selected since mechanical engineering faculty at UTPAwere already participating and/or interested in doing extensive curriculum reform starting withthe freshman course of Introduction to Engineering. While Statics and Dynamics are keycourses

Conference Session

Attracting Young MINDS in Engineering - Part I

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ruba Alkhasawneh, Virginia Commonwealth University; Rosalyn Hobson, Virginia Commonwealth University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

in STEM disciplines, calculus is a major obstacleduring their career decision as well9.Summer transition programs play a key role in achieving necessary mathematics preparation forthe upcoming academic year. As in [10] engineering “math-based” retention programs had asignificant impact on students’ performance on their first mathematics course. Another studyrevealed that there was no significant impact of such program on participant’s performance11.Nevertheless, the results from the same study showed that program participants’ performancewas at lease the same as non-participants’ performance. Virginia Commonwealth University(VCU), similar to many other institutions, has calculus as the first required mathematics coursein the engineering

Conference Session

New Research & Trends for Minorities in Engineering

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Amy Freeman, Pennsylvania State University; Anita Persaud, Pennsylvania State University; Drey Kharem, Pennsylvania State University; William Rothwell, Pennsylvania State University; Edgar Yoder, Pennsylvania State University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

AC 2010-2401: MONEY, MATH AND ENGINEERING GRADUATION: MOREHIGH SCHOOL FUNDING COULD MEAN MORE UNDERREPRESENTEDENGINEERSAmy Freeman, Pennsylvania State University Dr. Amy L. Freeman, is the Assistant Dean of Engineering Diversity at The Pennsylvania State University where she received her PhD in Workforce Education and her MS in Architectural Engineering. She has over twenty years of experience in diversity advocacy, and currently manages several retention programs targeting women and underrepresented technical students at all levels of the academic and career development pipeline. She is the current president of the National Association of Multicultural Engineering Program Advocates (NAMEPA).Anita

Conference Session

Attracting Young MINDS in Engineering - Part II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brenda Hart, University of Louisville; Fashaad Crawford, University of Louisville; Katheryn McAnulty, University of Louisville

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

enrollmentfor fall 2007 was 1,293 students and only 218 were female (16.86%). Overall enrollmentof female students at the Speed School has averaged 18 percent since 2006 and finallyrose to 20 percent for fall 2009. National statistics reflect the same patterns.For more than 20 years the Speed School has had an active chapter of the Society ofWomen Engineers (SWE) with the Director of Student Affairs serving as its long termfaculty advisor. Various programs have been conducted to introduce young women andother under-represented minorities (URMs) to careers in engineering with varied amountsof success. In 2005, the president of the SWE chapter approached the faculty advisorwith a new idea – the notion of inviting incoming female students to an

Conference Session

New Research & Trends for Minorities in Engineering

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Christina White, Columbia University; Richard Crawford, University of Texas at Austin; Kris Wood, University of Texas; Austin Talley, University of Texas, Austin

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

stated that working with kids orsome form of teaching would affect their futures in engineering, and over 30% stated that theirfamilies have made an impact on their career choices. For example, one female participant statedthat ―conversations with my family‖ influences her future practice as an engineer. If moreopportunities were made available to women in these interest fields, including more study abroadopportunities and more humanitarian engineering efforts, women might become more interestedin the fields of engineering to make an impact on their communities.Natural disasters are significant problems for people worldwide – the motivation for the secondqualitative question. In response to it, each participant describes priority engineering

Conference Session

Developing Young MINDS in Engineering - Part I

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Atin Sinha, Albany State University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

builds skills,techniques and methodologies applicable throughout their science career and establish a core ofexpertise in minority institutions around which a local sustainable student research experiencecan develop.PACER program is implemented by training one or two faculty/student teams from minorityserving institutions each year during 9 weeks of summer by providing them skills in electronics,real time programming, design and management which they apply to design, fabricate andoperate a small (~500 gm) science experimental payload carried to the edge of space in a heliumfilled balloon. During the following academic year, the teams return to the respective campuses,organize new student groups and replicate the activities of the previous summer

Conference Session

Build Diversity in Engineering Graduate Programs

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Tiffany Simon, Columbia University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering