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

AC 2007-1964: WHY PEDAGOGY MATTERS: FACULTY NARRATIVESSusan Lord, University of San Diego Susan M. Lord received a B.S. from Cornell University and the M.S. and Ph.D. from Stanford University. She is currently Associate Professor and Coordinator of Electrical Engineering at the University of San Diego. Her teaching and research interests include electronics, optoelectronics, materials science, first year engineering courses, as well as feminist and liberative pedagogies. Dr. Lord served as General Co-Chair of the 2006 Frontiers in Education Conference. She has been awarded an NSF CAREER and ILI grants. Dr. Lord’s industrial experience includes AT&T Bell Laboratories, General Motors

Conference Session

Perspectives for Women Faculty

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stacy Birmingham, Grove City College

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

away from theday-to-day research that draws us to the career in the first place. Satisfaction in teaching, whichis truly a passion of mine—was not to be found. I felt more like, and was, a person on stageattended by a cohort of TAs, speaking to an audience of 150 (sort of) interested students.Personal contact with students: to be avoided lest it take time from research, or more important,proposal writing. In a word (or three): what a mess.I felt a desire to focus more on personal scholarship, removed from the pressure of constantlyseeking money. I also enjoyed teaching, including working with more than 40 undergraduates inmy laboratory over the years at Michigan. This led to my search for positions in a smallerinstitution focused on teaching

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

activities. Results from student surveys andparent surveys will be presented. The paper concludes with recommended changes andimprovements in the program, as well as a discussion of adaptations that would create programssuitable for implementation at other institutions as well as programs aimed at a different targetpopulation.The three phases previously enumerated each build upon currently accepted educationalpractices. The robotics summer camp in particular used problem-based learning approaches,similar to those described in The Power of Problem-Based Learning2. This study clearlydemonstrates the significant benefits of teaching students how to think by using a problem-basedapproach. We also developed a mobile laboratory so that the summer camp can

Conference Session

Poster Session

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

C. Diane Matt, WEPAN

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

educational climate at colleges and universities in the U.S. The survey focused on 7 major areas: quality of teaching; quality of teaching assistants; quality of labs; quality of departmental assistance; general questions about engineering; levels of self confidence in academic courses; and demographic data. Pilot sites were able to add several questions that could be tailored to their institution. Analyses of the data, from over 8000 responses, focused particularly on differences between male and female students suggesting some interesting issues. Perhaps the most important implication from this pilot survey is that institutions need to identify why women and men perceive the undergraduate engineering experience differently

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

ability to survive and to attain the degree. “Recognizing thatstress and self-doubt are a natural part of any significant experience, including graduateschool, tends to help.” 2 In the past, white men went on for doctoral degrees while women stopped at bachelor’sdegrees, often in teaching. Differences between how men and women fare in doctoralprograms has only recently begun to attract attention. For example, Lazarus, Ritter, andAmbrose2 claim that many women meet “invisible barriers” that make the doctoral workeven more demanding. The barriers and the system are unknown to most women becauseof their marginal status in the system, with less access than men to information andcontacts. Even when engineering departments welcome women, they may later

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

College. He is currently a Ph.D. student in mechanical engineering at Michigan Technological University, developing research in the area of environmentally responsible design and manufacturing.Brenda Puck, University of Wisconsin, Stout BRENDA S. PUCK is a lecturer in the Technology Department at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. She teaches a variety of courses in support of the Technology Education and Engineering Technology programs. She received her M.S. in Technology Education from the University of Wisconsin-Stout. She has been on the “STEPS for Girls” faculty since the programs inception and will become the “STEPS for Girls” Camp Executive Director in the future.Peter Heimdahl, University

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

chair and, together, they mapped out a course schedule and toured the campus. A high school senior was invited by her eMentor to visit her research lab and assist in teaching an undergraduate course. The student was so excited to actually experience procedures she had only read about in textbooks (her high school did not have a lab). Even after the student left Hawaii for college, they have maintained a very close relationship. Currently, this student is also a contributing journalist to isisHawaii’s website, sharing her new experiences at an East Coast university.Pilot programIn October 2003, WIT Oahu and isisHawaii asked a central Oahu public high school -- MililaniHigh (MHS) – to participate in the

Conference Session

Perspectives for Women Faculty

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nicole Hawkes, WiSE / University of Southern California; Jean Morrison, University of Southern California; Cauligi Raghavendra, University of Southern California

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

regular set-up funds for the faculty position. 2. Major Support for Current Faculty (original program, 2001) Supplemental funding for major research projects through WiSE offers a way to offset barriers and life-cycle related obstacles that have been shown to slow or interrupt the careers of women faculty. Some of these barriers are subtle and can range from difficulties in meeting teaching and research demands while simultaneously raising a small child, to a reduced chance a new funding opportunities because of a lack of access to a network group. Funds may also be requested to take advantage of opportunities that arise unexpectedly and therefore are not funded through regular agencies and programs. Any USC faculty member in

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

developing strong leaders within the section. The officer team and executiveboard gives the students a great opportunity to learn and practice extensive leadership skills thatthey then carry with them into the rest of the campus and later into the work place.The entire officer team is given training at the three officer retreats during the year. The trainingis not limited to information about SWE and the section, but also includes leadership training andteam building activities. Being a part of the officer team teaches members to haveresponsibilities outside of academics, to interact on a one to one basis with other members of thesection and to manage their time and activities.Another integral part of the officer retreats is strategic planning for