Begell House Inc.
Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering
JWM
1072-8325
22
3
2016
A MENTORING BRIDGE MODEL TO PREPARE STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES IN THE STEM FIELDS AT TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY
183-197
10.1615/JWomenMinorScienEng.2016015452
Mohammed A.
Qazi
Department of Mathematics, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL
David M.
Shannon
Department of Educational Foundations, Leadership, and Technology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL
Overtoun
Jenda
Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Auburn University, Auburn, AL
Brittany
McCullough
Office of the Provost - Special Projects and Initiatives, Auburn University, Auburn, AL
Gerald
Griffin
Departments of Biology & Psychology, Hope College, Holland, MI
Ardelia M.
Lunn
Counseling Center, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL
students with disabilities
STEM fields
higher education
mentoring bridge model
broadening participation
This article seeks to describe programmatic elements of a successful novel model established at Tuskegee University, one of the oldest Historically Black Institutions in the country, to increase degree production among students with disabilities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and their representation in the STEM workforce. Qualitative and quantitative program outcomes are discussed.
"HOW DO I SHOW THEM I'M MORE THAN A PERSON WHO CAN LIFT HEAVY THINGS?" THE FUNDS OF KNOWLEDGE OF LOW INCOME, FIRST GENERATION ENGINEERING STUDENTS
199-221
10.1615/JWomenMinorScienEng.2016015512
Jessica M.
Smith
Colorado School of Mines, 1500 Illinois Street, Golden CO, USA
Juan C.
Lucena
Colorado School of Mines, 1500 Illinois Street, Golden CO, USA
funds of knowledge
socioeconomic class
engineering
social justice
low income students
first generation students
ethnographic research
This article draws on ethnographic research with low income, first generation (LIFG) students at an engineering university and community college to explore the relevance of the students' funds of knowledge for engineering and strategies for converting those funds of knowledge into economic, cultural and social capital. Specifically, it finds that by virtue of their background experiences, LIFG students develop funds of knowledge in designing and solving problems in the midst of scarcity, empathizing, and recognizing the sociotechnical nature of engineering problem definition, solving and design. This paper argues that these funds of knowledge position them to excel in making the social justice dimensions of engineering visible, but that they must first be converted into different forms of capital with high exchange rates within engineering.
HISPANIC FEMALE STEM FACULTY IN PUERTO RICO: RESULTS FROM AN NSF ADVANCE NETWORKING WORKSHOP
223-243
10.1615/JWomenMinorScienEng.2016015372
Frances D.
Carter-Johnson
Education and Human Resources Directorate, National Science Foundation, Arlington, VA, 22230
Angela
Byars-Winston
Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53715-2634
Renetta G.
Tull
The Graduate School at UMBC, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, 21250
Beatriz
Zayas
Ana G. Mendez University System, San Juan, P.R., 00928-1345
Carlos
Padin
Ana G. Mendez University System, San Juan, P.R., 00928-1345
Hispanic women
STEM faculty
academia
career advancement
diversity in STEM
Hispanic female faculty, especially those in Puerto Rico, remain understudied in the National Science Foundation's ADVANCE'S efforts. To address this need, a strategic, inter-institutional collaboration funded by an ADVANCE grant was initiated to investigate the challenges and opportunities for Hispanic female STEM faculty in Puerto Rico that may influence their professional and career advancement. This paper reports the initial results of a programmatic workshop intervention delivered to 50 participants drawn from 15 of Puerto Rico's leading public and private universities. Based on the New Exploration for Transforming Work, Opportunities, Research and Knowledge (NETWORKing) model, a multi-modal workshop was designed and implemented that included interactive panel presentations, group discussions, poster sessions, and reports from national and international activities discussing Hispanic female faculty in STEM. Data from a faculty climate survey were collected that assessed participants' perceptions of their university and department climate, resources, supports and barriers. A key finding was the presence of aspiration-experience gaps between the types of research, teaching and service opportunities required for advancement in academe and the experiences of the majority of the female faculty in the sample. Implications for practice and policy are discussed.
THE SCISSOR EFFECT: CHALLENGES AND RESPONSE STRATEGIES FOR ENCOURAGING MOROCCAN WOMEN TO PURSUE ENGINEERING AND SCIENCE CAREERS
245-257
10.1615/JWomenMinorScienEng.2016011170
Samantha
Adams
Department of Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16803
Scarlett R.
Miller
School of Engineering Design, Technology, and Professional Programs, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
scissor effect
entrepreneurship
Morocco
women
engineering
In the United States, women represent 18% of engineering and science undergraduates and 14% of the engineering and science workforce. In contrast, in Morocco women comprise a more generous portion of the engineering and science student population representing 50% of entering undergraduate science, engineering, and technology (SET) students. After graduation, however, the percentage of women in Moroccan industry falls to levels similar to those in the U.S. This largely unexplored phenomenon is known as the "scissor effect" and describes the loss of human capital that occurs between the time women enter higher education and the time they enter SET industry careers. The objective of this research was to identify the perceived challenges and factors that contribute to the significant reduction of female engineers in SET fields after college graduation in Morocco. In order to accomplish this, a series of focus groups and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 undergraduate and graduate students from two Moroccan engineering and science universities. The analysis of these findings revealed numerous factors that contribute to women's underrepresentation in the SET workforce, including perceived stereotyping, discrimination, work/life balance concerns, and internalized gender norms. The results of the study are used to identify response strategies to minimize this scissor effect in SET careers in Morocco.
A QUALITATIVE EXAMINATION OF RURAL CENTRAL APPALACHIAN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT KNOWLEDGE OF THE COLLEGE PROCESSES NEEDED TO MEET CAREER GOALS
259-280
10.1615/JWomenMinorScienEng.2016013308
Cheryl
Carrico
Department of Engineering Education, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
Holly M.
Matusovich
Department of Engineering Education, Virginia Tech, 345 Signature Engineering Building, Blacksburg, Virginia, 24061, USA
STEM-H
Appalachia
college process preparedness
high school
low SES
first generation college
College preparedness of high school students is often measured as a student's academic readiness for college. However, college readiness can also be viewed as a student's understanding of the process of "getting to" an appropriate college. This study defined college process preparedness (CPP) as a student's understanding of the process of choosing, applying to, and entering a college capable of providing the education required for that student's career goals. CPP is particularly important within rural Central Appalachia (RCA) where the post-secondary education attainment is below, and poverty rates are above, the national averages and there are fewer white-collar jobs. In addition, CPP is particularly important to science, technology, engineering, math, and healthcare (STEM-H) fields that often require post-secondary education. To examine CPP in RCA, this study used qualitative interviews with 24 high school students to answer the research question: What factors emerge as important for rural Central Appalachian high school students' college process preparedness? Using Social Cognitive Career Theory as a lens to guide our research found seven categories that contribute to student CPP that are consistent with, yet extend, current literature. The relevance of parental work experience and education appear to mediate the emerged CPP categories. Additionally, specific outreach from colleges to high schools was an important influence in student CPP. Finally, the results identified patterns between student levels of CPP and RCA characteristics, of being a continuing generation Appalachian, being a prospective first generation college student, wanting to remain local, and the importance of job income and stability.