Effective Community Partnership's for Women in STEM

Carrie-Ann Miller

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Conference: 2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Publication Date: June 10, 2012
Start Date: June 10, 2012
End Date: June 13, 2012
ISSN: 2153-5965
Conference Session: Community Engagement in Engineering Education: Program Models
Tagged Division: Community Engagement Division
Page Count: 13
Page Numbers: 25.502.1 - 25.502.13
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--21260
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/21260
Download Count: 359

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Paper Authors

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Carrie-Ann Miller LCSW State University of New York, Stony Brook

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Carrie-Ann Miller, LCSW, is Director of the Women in Science and Engineering, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY 11794-2200. Email: Carrie-Ann.Miller@stonybrook.edu. Phone: 631-632-9648. She has a B.A. (1978), SUNY at Stony Brook, in interdisciplinary social science with minor in women studies, and a M.S.W. (1982), SUNY at Stony Brook, School of Social Welfare, in integrated practice. From 2004- present, she is Director of the Women and Science and Engineering Program, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, SUNY at Stony Brook. From 2001-2005, she was Faculty Director of the Community Service Learning, Living Learning Major, SUNY at Stony Brook. From 1997-Present, she is Adjunct Professor, School of Social Welfare, SUNY at Stony Brook . From 1997-2004, she was Executive Director of Suffolk Psychiatric Service, Clinical Instructor SUNY at Stony Brook. She was Co-PI for several years with Paul Siegel, on TechPREP and STEM Tech. TechPREP is a program that provides 90 hours of education in the areas of computer science, mathematics, and physics, and engineering to middle school girls from under-served school districts. It also provides college mentors for each student. STEM Tech is a collaborative program that engages community and industry partners and WISE student mentors in developing STEM Tech Clubs. The clubs will service girls from underserved school districts. Each club will use service-learning to exam and come up with a design for an environmental issue. The designs will be built using the engineering design model and presented at a capstone event. She served on the Connect To Tech Advisory Board as a member on this network of school personnel, industry leaders, and community members, whose goal is to further the education of students on Long Island in STEM areas. She has been a Long Island Regional Service Learning Network, Advisory Board member. Members provide curriculum and technical assistance to school districts that are interested in developing a service learning pedagogy. Her focus has been on science and engineering programs. She has been a member of the Brookhaven National Laboratory's Women in Science group for the past four years. She partnered on the Forward to Professorship grant. This will provide workshops to WISE students and post graduates on how to negotiate the post graduate years. The program will also provide mentoring for young women. She developed and implemented the Macro Social Work class for the master's degree program at Stony Brook University. Collaborators include David Ferguson (Stony Brook University, Department of Technology and Society), TechPREP; Judy Murrah, Motorola Foundation and Connect To Tech; Paul Seigel (SUNY at Stony Brook), TechPREP proposals 2008, 2009, and 2010; Simmerjeet Gill (Brookhaven National Laboratory BWIS); and Bonita London-Thompson (SUNY at Stony Brook-Psychology Program), “Advancing Women in Science: Building Engagement through Academic Transitions.”

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Abstract

Effective Community Partnership for Women in STEM The Women in Science and Engineering Program (WISE), established in 1994 withfunding from the National Science Foundation is a nationally recognized program. WISE is acomprehensive program that engages women in science, mathematics and engineering (STEM)fields. Strategies to achieve its goals include: frequent faculty contact, specially created courses,extensive mentoring system, individualized academic advising, and co-curricular activities thatinvolve graduate students, faculty, scientists and engineers. This paper focuses on how WISEand community partner’s work in tandem to enhance, support and strengthen the opportunitiesand the programs offered to 6th grade through college age students. The College WISE programhas a proven record of attracting high achieving students and retaining them. Two examples ofhow our work together has created additional pathways for women interested in STEM educationon Long Island will be examined. Both programs, TechPREP and STEM Tech, bring middle andhigh school girls, from underserved areas, school curriculum to life using the pedagogy ofservice learning. Through these partnerships our ultimate goal is to increase the diversity ofeducation and the subsequently the workforce in the region. Our corporate partnerships such as with the Motorola Solutions, Northrop Grumman andComputer Associates provide technical and practical experiences for students in the form ofinternships and professional development. Our community partners, such as the Suffolk CountyGirl Scouts and local school districts, provide the recipients of the programs, staff, training,space and expertise. Pre-and post surveys over the past three years of TechPREP have shown anincrease in knowledge and interest in STEM by its students. Both programs engage youth,college students, industry volunteers and faculty in applying their classroom knowledge to reallife situations utilizing an Engineering Design Model coupled with service learning. Participantsand staff are trained using the pedagogy of service learning by the experts at the LIRSLN. TheSTEM Tech clubs are co-facilitated by WISE students, industry representatives, and teachers.The students work together to identify environmental issues that concern them. They doresearch, design, build and create a project that addresses the issue. Both programs includereflection as an integral part of the process. They conclude with a capstone program andrecognition of their achievements that celebrates all of the partners. WISE, TechPREP, STEM Tech and their collaborators have common goals: to raiseawareness, recruit and retain women interested in STEM education and careers. Communitypartnerships enhance the experience that young women have while building a supportivecommunity of like-minded people. Together we have strengthened, enhanced and provided newpathways for women interested in STEM education and careers.

Citation
Format

Miller, C. (2012, June), Effective Community Partnership's for Women in STEM Paper presented at 2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, San Antonio, Texas. 10.18260/1-2--21260

TY - CPAPER
AB - Effective Community Partnership for Women in STEM The Women in Science and Engineering Program (WISE), established in 1994 withfunding from the National Science Foundation is a nationally recognized program. WISE is acomprehensive program that engages women in science, mathematics and engineering (STEM)fields. Strategies to achieve its goals include: frequent faculty contact, specially created courses,extensive mentoring system, individualized academic advising, and co-curricular activities thatinvolve graduate students, faculty, scientists and engineers. This paper focuses on how WISEand community partner’s work in tandem to enhance, support and strengthen the opportunitiesand the programs offered to 6th grade through college age students. The College WISE programhas a proven record of attracting high achieving students and retaining them. Two examples ofhow our work together has created additional pathways for women interested in STEM educationon Long Island will be examined. Both programs, TechPREP and STEM Tech, bring middle andhigh school girls, from underserved areas, school curriculum to life using the pedagogy ofservice learning. Through these partnerships our ultimate goal is to increase the diversity ofeducation and the subsequently the workforce in the region. Our corporate partnerships such as with the Motorola Solutions, Northrop Grumman andComputer Associates provide technical and practical experiences for students in the form ofinternships and professional development. Our community partners, such as the Suffolk CountyGirl Scouts and local school districts, provide the recipients of the programs, staff, training,space and expertise. Pre-and post surveys over the past three years of TechPREP have shown anincrease in knowledge and interest in STEM by its students. Both programs engage youth,college students, industry volunteers and faculty in applying their classroom knowledge to reallife situations utilizing an Engineering Design Model coupled with service learning. Participantsand staff are trained using the pedagogy of service learning by the experts at the LIRSLN. TheSTEM Tech clubs are co-facilitated by WISE students, industry representatives, and teachers.The students work together to identify environmental issues that concern them. They doresearch, design, build and create a project that addresses the issue. Both programs includereflection as an integral part of the process. They conclude with a capstone program andrecognition of their achievements that celebrates all of the partners. WISE, TechPREP, STEM Tech and their collaborators have common goals: to raiseawareness, recruit and retain women interested in STEM education and careers. Communitypartnerships enhance the experience that young women have while building a supportivecommunity of like-minded people. Together we have strengthened, enhanced and provided newpathways for women interested in STEM education and careers.
AU - Carrie-Ann Miller LCSW
CY - San Antonio, Texas
DA - 2012/06/10
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Effective Community Partnership's for Women in STEM
UR - https://peer.asee.org/21260
DO - 10.18260/1-2--21260
ER -