Conference Session

LGBTQ+ Track - Technical Session IV

Collection

2018 CoNECD - The Collaborative Network for Engineering and Computing Diversity Conference

Authors

Kristin Boudreau, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; David DiBiasio, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Paula Quinn, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Zoe Reidinger

Tagged Topics

Diversity, LGBTQ+

priority of achieving diversity of sexual identity came later to nationalconsciousness and has been more difficult to promote. Only four years ago, ASEE drewbitter criticism when its official magazine, Prism, published a letter expressing anti-gayopinions. The incident prompted not just criticism of the editorial staff but alsoobservations that the community of engineering educators remains timid about discussingthese most difficult topics of difference and inclusion.1 Such timidity, some engineeringeducators argued, discourages necessary change to support greater inclusivity within theengineering profession. In recent years, however, ASEE has dramatically altered itsstance on issues pertaining to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and

Conference Session

LGBTQ+ Track - Technical Session III

Collection

2018 CoNECD - The Collaborative Network for Engineering and Computing Diversity Conference

Authors

Kyle F. Trenshaw, University of Rochester

Tagged Topics

Diversity, LGBTQ+

pipeline” (Pell, 1996; Wickware, 1997) and a “chilly climate” (Flam, 1991) in thephysical sciences more generally. For LGBTQ+ individuals, however, claims about underrepresentation inengineering cannot be made because there is no baseline with which to compare. This study providesone small window into the underrepresentation of LGBTQ+ individuals in engineering by investigatingthe following research questions: 1. Are LGBTQ+ students underrepresented in engineering within a large, public, Midwestern university system context based on campus climate survey response rates? 2. How do LGBTQ+ engineering students’ experiences within that university system inform our understanding of their relative representation?MethodThis study

Conference Session

LGBTQ+ Track - Technical Session IV

Collection

2018 CoNECD - The Collaborative Network for Engineering and Computing Diversity Conference

Authors

David J. McLaughlin, University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Genny Beemyn, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Tagged Topics

Diversity, LGBTQ+

)topics while the students in the class literally cast light—building LGBTQA-themed electronic light displays. An engineeringprofessor will teach the students how to create and program the displays, and the director of the Stonewall Center will lead thestudents in discussions about LGBTQA issues in the news and in their own lives. Some of the topics to be covered include theintersections of racial and LGBTQA identities, the campus climate for LGBTQA students, and the legal and political rights ofLGBTQA people today”. The intent is to offer students from all campus majors an interesting, accessible combination of topicsand an inclusive learning environment.1. IntroductionSTEM fields, and engineering in particular, struggle to achieve diversity [1

Conference Session

LGBTQ+ Track - Technical Session III

Collection

2018 CoNECD - The Collaborative Network for Engineering and Computing Diversity Conference

Authors

Robyn Sandekian, University of Colorado, Boulder

Tagged Topics

Diversity, LGBTQ+

Initiative Letter to support efforts to increase theparticipation of women and underrepresented minorities (URMs) in engineering education. Inthat letter, the signatories pledged to provide “educational experiences that are inclusive andprevent marginalization of any groups of people because of visible or invisible differences” [1,Para. 3, emphasis mine]. Beyond race/ethnicity and externally perceived gender, visible andinvisible differences encompass dissimilarities of physical and mental abilities, religious andpolitical beliefs, as well as sexual and gender identity. However, those topics have beenfrequently overlooked in the context of engineering. The lack of data regarding engineers whoidentify across these spectrums has limited the full