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2003-1797

Women in Engineering and Technology Program at Purdue University North Central

Martha Garcia-Saenz and Madonna Tritle Purdue University North Central

Abstract: A mentorship program for Women in Engineering and Technology began in the 2002 Spring Semester at Purdue University North Central. The program empowers women in technical fields. Given the high potential for women in engineering and technology and the low enrollment that engineering and technology programs have averaged, it is imperative for educators to address this issue and help female students realize and explore their potential. This paper describes how to start a program like ours, at a small college with no budget, and explains the steps, vision, direction, boundaries, benefits and ways in which to get such program started. It also assesses the tangibles and intangibles from a mentorship program like ours.

Introduction:

There are a small number of female high school students that are interested in engineering and technology and enrollment in this field at the college level. However, there is a high potential for women in engineering and technology. At the end of the nineties, the percentage of women enrolled nationally was close to 20% 1, with a growing rate around 0.3% annually.

It is imperative for educators to address this issue and help female students realize and explore their potential. Purdue University North Central (PNC) is aware of this issue. Traditionally we have male dominate classes in Engineering and Technology programs, and we have a high necessity to help female students withstand negative peer pressure and show the students female role models to inspire them. At PNC, we have a small female enrollment in Technology as shown on the following Table 1. 2

“Proceedings of the 2003 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2003, American Society for Engineering Education”

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Garcia-Saenz, M., & Tirtle, M. (2003, June), Women In Engineering And Technology Program At Purdue University North Central Paper presented at 2003 Annual Conference, Nashville, Tennessee. 10.18260/1-2--11853