Conference Session

Issues of Outreach and Interest in Engineering

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Meagan C Pollock, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

and most diverse representation of STEM professionals to students. InAugust of 2012, the inaugural training workshops were conducted as an effort to "Equip anArmy" of volunteers to go forth and: 1) Share with students why they love working in STEMcareers, 2) Explain to students the impact they can have on the world by working in STEM, and3) Show students the diversity of real-life women and men in STEM. Using guided, inquirybased instruction and learning, participants/volunteers reflected on their personal stories, anddeveloped strategies for how to talk to students about STEM careers using correct and positivemessaging[11].Two workshops were conducted, and evaluations and reflections from the first, informed thesecond. Each workshop was

Conference Session

Undergraduate Student Issues II

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ann Sharon Lourens, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) Port Elizabeth South Africa

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

reduce stress and anxiety and to provide moral support, WELA members receivedexamination survival packs 6 .In celebration of the successful first year of WELA, an Inspirational Students booklet waspublished featuring the first WELA members. Professional photographs were taken of the Page 23.1180.4WELA members, and each member wrote a self-reflective article on what it meant to be a part ofWELA, and of the engineering world, as well as what they had learnt and gained during theirfirst year as WELA members 6. Special awards were given to acknowledge and celebrateacademic and other achievements of WELA members.2.1.2 WELA Senior programmeThe WELA

Conference Session

Institutional Transformations

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Canan Bilen-Green, North Dakota State University; Roger A. Green, North Dakota State University; Christi McGeorge, North Dakota State University ; Cali L. Anicha, North Dakota State University; Ann Burnett, North Dakota State University

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

institutional transformationinvolves multiple interventions which take into account (1) the effects of institutional policiesand practices; (2) campus climate, reflecting attitudes and behaviors that diminish women’sadvancement; and (3) knowledge and skills for success in teaching, research, and leadership.Because men are recognized as vital partners in achieving institutional transformation forgender equity, the ADVANCE FORWARD project deliberately cultivates alliances with menfaculty and administrators. The Campus Climate component of the project focuses upon the institutional andindividual responsibilities for working toward a gender diverse faculty and a supportive,inclusive, collegial environment, and tying institutional rewards to success

Conference Session

Issues of Outreach and Interest in Engineering

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sara A. Atwood, Elizabethtown College; Joshua M Frey, Elizabethtown College

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

system, component, or process to meet desired needs. 2 (design an activity or demonstration to teach a concept using creativity and innovative ideas) 3 ABET f. Understanding of professional and ethical responsibility. (need for outreach and science education to the public, professionalism) 4 ABET g. Ability to communicate effectively. (to a non-technical audience, with multimedia presentation and in written report) 5 ABET i. Recognition of the need for and an ability to engage in life-long learning. (reflect on experience and continuing outreach after graduation) The undergraduates performed the outreach activity at a local Junior High

Conference Session

Undergraduate Student Issues II

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robin Fowler, University of Michigan; Lorelle A Meadows, University of Michigan

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

sense of belonging in their university engineering program. The items were modified slightly to change “Engineering program” to “College of Engineering” to reflect our participants’ university context. Half of the items on this scale were reverse-coded (and were flipped for analysis, such that higher number reflects higher sense of belonging). The Cronbach’s alpha of 0.725 is considered acceptable, though it is the lowest reliability of the constructs measured.• Cost. We measured cost (whether the effort, stress, and time to engage in the engineering program is worth the cost) with a cost scale developed by Parkes and Jones25. This scale, which has been validated with an undergraduate population, but not one of

Conference Session

Undergraduate Student Issues: Persistence

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jennifer A. Skaggs, American University in Cairo

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

theory of self-authorship3 will be introduced as the theoreticalframework for looking at the individual through the lenses of context and institution, as well asthe larger cultural paradigm. Next, the methodological framework informing the research designand the research design and methods used throughout this study will be offered. Finally, theresearch findings of identity development and formation of females who have persisted inundergraduate engineering programs and how this impacts their professional choices will bediscussed.Literature ReviewResearch reflects increased enrollments of females in STEM majors; for example, women makeup the majority of those studying the physical and life sciences (57%). Yet the proportion ofSTEM major females

Conference Session

Undergraduate Student Issues: Persistence

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mary Moriarty, National Science Foundation; Susannah Howe, Smith College; Elena Rose Yasinski, Carnegie Mellon University

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

College created a pilot job shadow program for women in engineering. Job shadowing is aworkplace-based learning experience that introduces students to career areas and provides theopportunity to spend a day or two observing a professional in the field. The overarching goal ofthe project was to explore the effectiveness of job shadowing by undergraduate womenengineering students as a means of improving interest and persistence in engineering. Shadowparticipants created reflective interest statements, spent a day observing engineeringprofessionals, and reported on their experiences at a panel presentation for their engineeringclassmates. A mixed methods research plan was developed and implemented in order to assessthe impact of the job shadow

Conference Session

Undergraduate Student Issues: Culture

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rosalyn S. Hobson, Virginia Commonwealth University; Cindy Jong, University of Kentucky; Donna Joy Dockery; Mary Hermann, Virginia Commonwealth University; Teresa Jones Carter, Virginia Commonwealth University

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

analyzing interview transcripts also receive training.Second InterviewThe second interview allows participants to describe the details of present experience through anarrative about her current career, including what she learns formally and informally throughother people, mentors, or job assignments that influences her STEM career decision-making. Theinterviewer asks the participant to reflect back on the history of her choices by describing theturning points, significant life or job events, and experiences that led to STEM career persistenceor decision to leave. The researchers are attuned to both overt as well as minimally expressedbias and discrimination issues and seek to build rapport in a manner that allows furtherexplication of how these

Conference Session

Undergraduate Student Issues: Culture

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lorelle A Meadows, University of Michigan; Denise Sekaquaptewa, University of Michigan

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

bestpractices, women or minorities on teams can experience negative outcomes. Their perspectivesare not always considered valid by majority teammates, and they are often assigned unimportanttasks3, 4, reflecting a societal stereotype of majority men as engineering “experts.” Moreover,under-representation of one’s social group (e.g., gender or race) in the academic environment canlead to reduced performance as a result of stereotype threat, i.e. the concern that poorperformance may appear stereotype-confirming to others5, 6, 7. The isolation that these studentsfeel on their teams may lead to diminished feelings of belonging in their field and lower retentionamong these individuals8.Despite the employment of best practices, our earlier analysis of

Conference Session

Retaining and Developing Women Faculty in STEM

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kacey Beddoes, Purdue University; Corey T Schimpf, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Alice L. Pawley, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

productive, then you’re good to go. And if people think that you’re just off having a bunch of kids all the time and you’re not doing your work…that reflects negatively on you. But at the same time…there’s…all these guys in the department…who have kids, right? And I don’t think it’s ever reflected negatively on them that they’ve had kids.Similar concerns over stigma for women were echoed by numerous others. In fact, oneparticipant reported that she did not even tell colleagues about her pregnancy until her eighthmonth of pregnancy because she believed they would judge her negatively, and she was alreadyat a disadvantage because she had less “respect and stature” than older, male colleagues. Otherfemale participants believed

Conference Session

Undergraduate Student Issues: Culture

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elizabeth Litzler, University of Washington; Julie Ann Lorah, University of Washington

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

of the PACE surveys and the publication of the CTC report in 2008 results in aninteresting natural experiment. This paper examines changes at the PACE schools from 2008 to2012 specifically around survey items about perceptions of the engineering field, and perceptionsof flexibility in engineering. These particular items were thought to reflect the ideas in the CTCmessaging. The paper describes the activities at the schools that saw key improvements on theCTC related survey items, and those schools that did not see as many improvements. This Page 23.77.2research paper provides evidence of the influence of the CTC interventions at the PACE

Conference Session

Undergraduate Student Issues: Culture

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Thomas E. Pinelli, NASA Langley Research Center; Cathy W. Hall, East Carolina University; Kimberly Marie Brush, NASA Langley Research Center; Jeannine B. Perry, Continental Research Associates, Inc.

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

professionals.23,24,25 Some of the areas included are: oral communication, writtencommunication, science, mathematics, ethics/social responsibility, teamwork/collaboration,creativity/innovation, information technology application, professionalism/work ethic, self-direction, analytical thinking, reading comprehension, and critical thinking/problem solving.These go beyond basic knowledge in one’s area of expertise and reflect important skillsnecessary in today’s workforce as well as the workforce of tomorrow.23,25,26 These also representareas of weaknesses frequently cited by human resource personnel and senior executives withrespect to new college hires.24 There is definitely a need to provide opportunities for students todevelop these skills and to

Conference Session

Institutional Transformations

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jenna P. Carpenter, Louisiana Tech University; D. Patrick O'Neal, Louisiana Tech University

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

in the faculty lunches, but in more depth and with moreopportunity for engagement and reflection. Others have been designed for administrators andother key (male) leaders in the college in an effort to educate them about gender and climateissues in a non-threatening environment. Topic selection is influenced by popular sessionsfrom the monthly luncheons, faculty requests, issues of interest that surface from evaluation ofother programs, as well as serendipitous opportunities.As suggested by the formative project assessment to date, this approach appears to haveencouraged changes in attitudes and behavior related to climate issues in both women andmen STEM faculty. For example, Dr. Scott Page delivered a lecture on diversity in October2012

Conference Session

Undergraduate Student Issues: Culture

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Marie C Paretti, Virginia Tech; Courtney S Smith-Orr, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

informal networks provide the interview participants with access to help on homework,experiences of older students that inform decision making, guidance on the relative importanceof various courses and topics, and a host of related support issues.Discussion and ConclusionsThe findings from these interviews suggest that while overt experiences of gender stereotypes orsexism may be decreasing, some biases persist. Participants in this study demonstrated some ofthe same reluctance to talk about these gender biases seen in the work of earlier scholars such asTonso1 and Dryburgh4. At the same time, the women who participated in these interviews allenacted multiple strategies for negotiating those biases, some of which reflect shifts from

Conference Session

Retaining and Developing Women Faculty in STEM

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ziyu Long, Purdue University; Patrice Marie Buzzanell, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Klod Kokini, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Robyn F Wilson, Purdue University; Jennifer C Batra, Purdue University ; Lindsey B. Anderson, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

her mentors through aresearch collaboration, “I was very lucky to have a colleague … three or four years into myassistant appointment, who got a very large grant that I was kind of dragged into, fell into byaccident, who really showed me how to run a very large grant and how to do different kinds ofresearch.” In this case, Berta received mentoring as part of a seemingly natural process when sheworked with her colleague in this research project. Reflecting on this experience, Berta nowconsiders her colleague to be an important mentor to her (see Figure 1). Other participants notedthat their mentors were people with whom they taught and/or collaborated in various ways. Although most of the reported multiplex ties between mentor and mentee

Conference Session

Undergraduate Student Issues II

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nadia M Alhasani, The Petroelum Institute

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

than institutionalized spaces, reflecting the way the young generation is ableto handle the want for advanced technology and the need for comfortable spaces. Spaces aredesigned with the young women in mind. They exhibit splashes of color, extensive art work andnon-traditional furniture. Quiet spaces are complemented with “sukoon” and “mummy’s” roomsdedicated to short naps and breast-feeding simultaneously.The third and final problem addressed by the WiSE Program is the issue of working in a male-dominated industry like the oil and gas industry especially in the Middle East. While this issueseems to be the same in most countries, it is quite different for the PI since all our students areexpected to work for the local oil and gas industry. This

Conference Session

Institutional Transformations

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Karen J. Horton PE, University of Maine; Amy Fried, University of Maine ; Mary Madden, University of Maine

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

to initiate administrative structures and processes, and support early efforts. Thepermanent Director hired had been a faculty member at the institution and the internal evaluatorfor the initiative. In her role as evaluator she had attended several AIC meetings and observedthe dynamics and process. Upon assuming the role of Director, she advocated for changes in theAIC with the goal of creating more input and ownership into institutional changes targeted by theADVANCE grant.The second year and the AICAdditional changes in the AIC’s operations grew out of the core team’s reflections on the firstyear of the grant and the feedback offered by the external evaluator after a campus visit near theend of year one. The external evaluator made two key

Conference Session

Retaining and Developing Women Faculty in STEM

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Katherine Fu, MIT; Tahira N Reid, Purdue University; Janis P. Terpenny, Iowa State University; Deborah L. Thurston, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Judy M. Vance, Iowa State University; Susan Finger, Carnegie Mellon University; Gloria J. Wiens, University of Florida; Kazem Kazerounian, University of Connecticut; Janet Katherine Allen, University of Oklahoma; Kathy Jacobson

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

reflects the overall lowrepresentation of minorities and women in the mechanical engineering profession. Workshopattendees develop crucial skills to help them negotiate, network, navigate and lead change, andcommunicate. In addition, connecting attendees within the design community early in theircareers, will give them opportunities to support each other throughout their careers. Ourhypothesis is that building a community that provides networking and support, opportunities forcollaboration, and professional development, will lead to greater career success, personalfulfillment and professional happiness, retention, and greater participation/contribution fromwomen and minorities, as suggested in the literature.Literature ReviewAlthough the

Conference Session

Undergraduate Student Issues: Persistence

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Christine Valle, Georgia Institute of Technology; John D. Leonard II, Georgia Institute of Technology; Ann Marie Blasick, Georgia Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

together. There may be a severe lack of consistency inhow the data is measured from one institution to the next. For example, each institution maydefine what constitutes appropriate AP (Advanced Placement) or transfer credit differently thananother.Also, it has long been known that the selectivity of an institution influences its retention statisticsin a positive way. For example, Astin’s work20 shows conclusively that an institution’sgraduation rate is primarily a reflection of its entering student characteristics. That is, selectiveinstitutions tend to have higher than average retention rates because they tend to have superiorresources and because of the motivating effect, for students, of a peer group with high aspirationsand superior academic

Conference Session

Undergraduate Student Issues: Persistence

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Cate Samuelson, University of Washington; Elizabeth Litzler, University of Washington

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

of work they would be doing post-graduation, as well as the kind ofwork they would not be expected to do, and how the work related to and reflected what theywere currently learning in coursework. Further, they appreciated having the opportunity to applywhat they were learning in classes to real-life situations and problems. This provided them withgenuine problem-solving experiences that allowed them to develop additional skills that wouldbe useful in the professional realm, such as communication and collaboration skills.Stayers, in particular, described internships and/or co-ops as providing them with variousnetworking opportunities. In some cases, these relationships took the form of mentorships, wherethe engineering professionals advised

Conference Session

Institutional Transformations

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Pamela S. Lottero-Perdue Ph.D., Towson University

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

remain. The theoretical lenses of social learning theory and communities of practice are fruitfulways to consider the experiences and suggestions of female STEM faculty at ECU. Each of theparticipants in this study has been engaged in one or more professional communities of practice,including STEM departments and interdisciplinary teams, at ECU. The domains of thesecommunities are shaped by the objectives of the participants’ respective disciplines, and theiracademic roles to attend to research, teaching, and service. The very fact of their hiring placed Page 23.1088.5the participants into these communities, reflecting their competence