Women In Engineering Programs Research Articles

A Time for Reflection: Looking back on the accomplishments of 2013 [The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly: Engineering FACTS

The start of the year is always one of reflection and planning. In reflecting on 2013, everything seems to have rushed by incredibly quickly. We ended the year with over 450 affinity groups that conducted 800+ inspirational outreach activities, engaging professional workshops, or advancing networking events around the world. I want to thank our wonderful 2013 IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE) Committee and global volunteers who helped us accomplish much and worked to lay a strong foundation of new initiatives. In planning for 2014, I welcome the energetic 2014 WIE volunteers who have committed to help shape the WIE program and expand our impact worldwide. Thank you for your continued engagement. I wish you the best as we celebrate WIE's 20th anniversary.

A holistic approach to supporting women and girls at all stages of engineering education.

In 2010 enrollment of women in Canadian engineering undergraduate programs was 17.7%. Although this reflects a slight increase in the number of female engineers since 2005, much effort is needed to increase diversity in the profession by fostering interest in, recruiting and supporting this group. The following outlines the holistic methods used by the University of Waterloo’s Women in Engineering (WiE) group to support females in all stages of their educations (Kindergarten to Post Graduate). Early Engagement of girls in grade K-8 is used to foster interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and inspire them to enroll and succeed in these courses in grade 11 and 12. Programing for high-school students are designed to highlight how individual interests can be paired with many engineering fields and can lead to a fulfilling professional career. Many WiE programs for elementary and secondary girls are delivered in “girls only” environments to reduce some of the social pressures that may play a role in discouraging them to pursue STEM interests. To further this, the location of each programs is chosen to suit the audience by providing a safe, accessible and comfortable environment, either on campus or within the girls’ communities. Once young women choose engineering, the WiE group offers opportunities for support at the University of Waterloo. These opportunities range from networking with classmates and alumni to mentoring and professional development. These programs are organized both at a faculty and staff level as well as through a student driven platform. Through engagement and support for female students over the continuum of education WiE helps to inspire more women to pursue and enjoy careers in engineering, contribute to diversity of ideas within the profession and create role models for future engineering students.

Now They're Cooking

It's a common saying these days that “it's all about who you know.” For jobs and other exciting opportunities, networking and building relationships is paramount. The IEEE and Women in Engineering strongly support networking among members and, similarly, the aptly-named Women in Engineering program at the University of Delaware (not officially affiliated with the IEEE) is working hard to do so as well.

Spotlighting: Emergent Gender Bias in Undergraduate Engineering Education

“Spotlighting” is the singling out of women by gender in ways that make them uncomfortable. It has three forms: Type I is singling out with the intention to harm (overt sexism); Type II is doing so with neutral intentions (tacit sexism); and Type III, a new type of gender bias, is singling out women with the intention to help them. In a longitudinal, qualitative study including three types of schools, undergraduate women engineers named Type III spotlighting due to women in engineering (WIE) programs as the direct or indirect cause of their primary gender-bias difficulties. Two changes to WIE programs are suggested to reduce Type III spotlighting: (1) offer their benefits either to all students or based on academic, not demographic, criteria, and (2) expand WIE programs to “conduct in engineering” programs that would emphasize pre-emption of non-professional behavior, and would be more inclusive of other biases.

THE ASSESSING WOMEN IN ENGINEERING PROJECT: A MODEL FOR SUSTAINABLE AND PROFITABLE COLLABORATION

Women in engineering (WIE) programs work to recruit and retain women in undergraduate engineering programs and are a crucial part of the nation's effort to attract more women into engineering professions. For WIE programs to be maximally effective, they must have access to validated assessment instruments for measuring the effectiveness of their recruitment and retention activities. The Assessing Women in Engineering (AWE) project, sponsored by the National Science Foundation, aims to develop such instruments. This article describes the AWE project's unique collaboration between a l-VIE director and an assessment professional to develop exportable assessment instruments and models for WIE programs nationwide, thus allowing them to assess their programs'activities and ultimately provide data for makingviellinfonned evaluation decisions.

A Six‐Year Longitudinal Study of Undergraduate Women in Engineering and Science*

AbstractIn 1991, the Women in Engineering (WIE) Initiative at the University of Washington was funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to conduct a longitudinal study of undergraduate women pursuing degrees in science or engineering. Cohorts of approximately 100 students have been added to the study each year, for a current total of 672 participants. The objectives are: (a) to determine an accurate measure of retention by tracking individual students through their science and engineering academic careers; (b) to examine factors affecting retention of women in science and engineering; and (c) to evaluate the effectiveness of WIE's programs targeted at increasing enrollment and retention of women in science and engineering. These programs include interventions primarily during the freshman and sophomore years, which are critical attrition points. The results of this study are reported annually to the Dean of Engineering and related departments for consideration in policy formulation. Annual results of the study have shown consistent patterns of persistence factors and barriers for these high‐achieving women; most notably a significant drop in academic self‐confidence during their freshman year in college. In addition, individual tracking of these women has shown a retention that is much higher than the estimated national average for engineering and science students.

1991 NSF Graduate Research Fellowships

The National Science Foundation offers support for highly talented beginning graduate students through the Graduate Fellowships Program, Minority Graduate Fellowships Program, and Graduate Fellowships for Women in Engineering Program. These programs are designed to address a matter of mounting national concern: the dwindling number of U.S. citizens who plan to enter graduate school in preparation for careers in science or engineering.