Catherine Didion

Promising Programs: A Cross-National Exploration of Women in Science, Education to Workforce

A “program” is an organized effort to improve delivery of a practice or service to a population. In the context of this volume, the central goal of programs is the participation of women (and girls) in a series of planned activities, which taken together, place or keep them on a path toward a science-based degree or career. To be sustained over time, a program must have financial support, consistent leadership, a visibility that attracts participants, exposes them to essential experiences, and facilitates the acquisition of skills and technical (disciplinary, occupational) culture.

Results from a pilot survey of engineering and engineering technology students in 2-year and 4-year institutions

Taking full advantage of community colleges as sources of science and engineering majors is a critical component of U.S. science and technology policy. Although data are available on the number of degree recipients in engineering and engineering technology (e/et) at the associates degree level, there are not reliable data on either the number of community college students who intend to transfer to baccalaureate e/et programs or the number who successfully make the transition. As a first step in examining this issue, the current project is a pilot study with a purposeful sample of 35 community colleges and 15 engineering colleges in the U.S. The survey of the identified institutions is completed. Institutions provided information on the number and demographic information of students who have or will transfer to four-year e/et programs. Issues with data collection and results are discussed.

Workshop — Less teaching, more learning: A toolkit for classroom transformation

The aim of the workshop is to empower participants to be able to utilize research-based tips for recruiting, retaining, and advancing female students in engineering by better engaging the diverse skills, interests, and backgrounds of their female students and by connecting educational activities to engineering opportunities. This workshop highlights research-based strategies and practical steps to build engineering career awareness and recruitment, enhance retention, and promote academic advancement in engineering coursework by pre-college and undergraduate students with an emphasis on young women. We will use scenarios to model the use of the strategies in and out of classroom settings. Participants will identify barriers to engaging others in use of research-based methods and to brainstorm strategies to overcoming the barriers. Group work will be emphasized. Three reference booklets and three 10-minute videos will be provided to each registrant.