Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Region E Conference, Philadelphia, PA February 21 st, 2015 Building on the experience of enthused women engineers to enhance gender diversity in engineering Deeksha Seth PhD Candidate
Drexel Graduate Women in Science and Engineering Valerie Tutwiler Lesya Ekshyyan Kristyn Voegele founded in 2010 Biomedical Engineering Science & Health Systems College of Engineering College of Art & Sciences School of Public Health Kerry Hamilton Marissa Powers Josa Hanzlik founder
DGWISE MISSION AND ACTIVITIES Mission and Objectives To enhance the graduate experience of women in science and engineering To improve the environment of women pursuing careers in science and engineering To increase the representation of women in science and engineering at all levels of Drexel University Events and Activities Networking and career development skills Community service and outreach to the local Philadelphia community, with a focus on girls and young women in science and engineering. Personal development skills and the balance of work, everyday life, and wellbeing, issues concerning women in the workplace 2011-12 2014 2013 2015
Presentation Agenda Outreach background DGWISE outreach examples Motivation for a recent pilot DGWISE study on women in engineering DGWISE study and results Discussion of the results Lessons learned and recommendations
What is STEM outreach? Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) outreach A meaningful and mutually beneficial collaboration with partners in education, business, public and social service. It represents that aspect of teaching that enables learning beyond the campus walls, that aspect of research that makes what we discover useful beyond the academic community, and that aspect of service that directly benefits the public 1 Activities to improve STEM literacy, awareness, and enthusiasm Activities to encourage students to pursue further education and careers in STEM 1. Ray, E. 1999. Outreach, engagement will keep academia relevant to twenty-first century societies. Journal of Public Service & Outreach 4: 21-27.
Gender perspectives and outreach STEM outreach can help close the gender gap 1 The girls in particular really enjoy Science Squad, because most of the presenters are women. But I also think a lot of the boys think it s really interesting that it s all these girl scientists that come in. It might change their image of who a scientist is, a little bit. - Science Squad member, UC Boulder 2 1. Hill, C., Corbett, C., and St. Rose, A. (2010). Why so few? Women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, American Association of University Women, Washington, DC 2. Laursen et al. 2007. CBE-Life Sciences Education 6(1) 49-64
DGWISE outreach activities Community outreach events at museums. Educational outreach events at public library. Pic: Parachute design activity at the Free Library The Franklin Institute on a community night Community outreach events in city Pic: The Philadelphia Science Festival Honickman Learning Center The Franklin Institute on a STEM career awareness day
Long term partnerships DGWISE Outreach Activities Women in Natural Sciences (WINS) Science Fair Judging IPRAXIS Science Fair project mentorship Our Mother of Sorrows Middle School, West Philadelphia
Long term partnerships DGWISE Outreach Activities Women in Natural Sciences (WINS) Science Fair Judging IPRAXIS Science Fair project mentorship Our Mother of Sorrows Middle School, West Philadelphia Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream Volcanos Rockets
Background 66% of 4 th grade girls reported they like math & science 1 Only 18% of engineering undergraduates are females 1,2 Women earn higher percentage of degrees than men, but men earn a higher percentage of science and engineering degrees 2 Women hold 18.8% of the engineering degrees 2 Women are also underrepresented in STEM at a professional level, especially engineering 2 Women occupy <25% STEM jobs 3 Women occupy 12% engineering jobs 2,3 1. Verizon, "Inspire her Mind," Verizon, [Online]. Available: http://www.verizon.com/powerfulanswers/inspirehermind/. [Accessed 01 08 2014]. 2. National Center for Science and Engineering Stats and Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Econonic Sc, "Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering," National Science Foundation, 2013. 3. J. Finamore, D. Foley, F. Lan, L. M. Milan, S. L. Proudfoot, E. B. Rivers and L. Selfa, "Employment and Educational Characteristics of Scientists and Engineers," National Science Foundation, 2013.
Hypotheses & Motivation Broadening participation from women in the STEM field Studies have shown features that influences motivation, self-efficacy, and interest of women in STEM Integration of theory with applications 1 Perception of the field that does NOT impede communal goals such as helping others 2,3. Emphasizing real-world applications of STEM work 4 Hands-on project based learning 5 Good exposure to female role models and mentors 5 Active mentoring and interaction with mentors 5 1. I. J. Busch-Vishniac and J. P. Jarosz, "Can diversity in the undergraduate engineering population be enhanced through curricular change?," Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering, vol. 10, pp. 255-282, 2004. 2. B. L. Benderly, "Choosing Between Science and Caring," Science Careers from the Journal Science, 3 December 2010. 3. A. B. Diekman, E. R. Brown, A. M. Johnston and E. K. Clark, "Seeking congruity between goals and roles: a new look at why women opt out of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers.," Psychological Sciences, vol. 21, no. 8, pp. 1051-1057, 2010. 4. C. Hill, C. Corbett and A. S. Rose, "Why So Few? Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics," American Association of University Women, Washington, DC, 2010. 5. L. Orwin and N. Lape, Interviewees, The Science Behind Graduating A Class With Majority Women Engineers. [Interview]. 10 July 2014.
Objective The objective of the study is to understand the types of influences that encourage females to select engineering and the activities that support their well-being which in turn can help retention of women in the field.
Method and Data Collection Pilot study conducted via an online survey Responses were kept anonymous Raffle drawings for participants DATA COLLECTED Age group Program enrollment/ research area GPA/journal and conference DGWISE participation record Expectations and outcomes from DGWISE Motivation and interest in engineering Personal and academic influences
DGWISE pilot study results I.A N = 34 GPA Min : 2.7 Max : 4.0 Ave : 3.7 Years @ Drexel Min : 0.25 Max : 8 Ave : 2 2.5 years DGWISE participation Social : 20 Academic: 16 Outreach: 13
DGWISE pilot study results I.B Field of study Number of participants Lab population Min : 1 Max : 20 Ave : 6-7 Female Lab population Min : 1 Max : 7 Ave : 2-3
DGWISE pilot study results - II
DGWISE pilot study results - II
DGWISE pilot study results II.A
DGWISE pilot study results II.B
Their first memories related to home Being from a family of engineers, I have always had a bent towards analyzing things/objects and always wanted to be an engineer Yes, I was five years old, my dad had given me a VCR to take apart and put back together. I was having so much fun doing it I enjoyed fixing things, figuring out how they worked, and suggesting to my parents how to make it better In fourth grade I measured the conductivity of different household objects. I remember how amazed I was at how much fun I was having. I didn't want to grow up and not have fun so I decided I wanted to be an engineer I remember the day when I decided to become an engineer after my 10th grade. My brother is a rolemodel for me. I would like to be a successful engineer like him
Their first memories related to home Being from a family of engineers, I have always had a bent towards analyzing things/objects and always wanted to be an engineer Yes, I was five years old, my dad had given me a VCR to take apart and put back together. I was having so much fun doing it I enjoyed fixing things, figuring out how they worked, and suggesting to my parents how to make it better In fourth grade I measured the conductivity of different household objects. I remember how amazed I was at how much fun I was having. I didn't want to grow up and not have fun so I decided I wanted to be an engineer I remember the day when I decided to become an engineer after my 10th grade. My brother is a rolemodel for me. I would like to be a successful engineer like him
Their first memories related to school At a summer camp third year of high school about women in engineering Yes in my high school I was so fascinated about physics and tried to perform experiments on the existing theory When I was a kid, I was all over the board. I had interests in entomology, vulcanology, astronomy, egyptology, art, dance, etc. It wasn't until college that I settled into one branch of science. I chose physics because it gives me the background necessary to pursue ANYTHING I want. In 7th grade TechEd class, one of our modules was to build something, given the materials and equipment in the lab (i.e plastics, metals, solders. electric saws, etc.) I can't remember if it was supposed to be medicallyrelated, but I decided to create a model of an artificial heart similar to the Jarvis My high school professor really got me interested and it motivated me to pursue a career in clinical psychology.
Their first memories related to school At a summer camp third year of high school about women in engineering. In my high school I was so fascinated about physics and tried to perform experiments on the existing theory When I was a kid, I was all over the board. I had interests in entomology, vulcanology, astronomy, egyptology, art, dance, etc. It wasn't until college that I settled into one branch of science. I chose physics because it gives me the background necessary to pursue ANYTHING I want. In 7th grade TechEd class, one of our modules was to build something, given the materials and equipment in the lab (i.e plastics, metals, solders. electric saws, etc.) I can't remember if it was supposed to be medicallyrelated, but I decided to create a model of an artificial heart similar to the Jarvis My high school professor really got me interested and it motivated me to pursue a career in clinical psychology.
Their first memories combination of both I was always a kid that wanted K'nex and not dolls (unless they were Disney dolls of course). I took apart my dad's video camera, and a TV to see how they worked. You can imagine my parents were less than pleased to see those disassembled. But I always saw myself as a corporate business type person. It wasn't until I was a junior in high school when I first started considering engineering as a profession. My teachers recognized that I was very good at physics and pre-calc and helped me to look into how I could help people, still perform business roles, and use my abilities in math and science in a career My mom had really wanted me to be a pharmacist, but I didn't like the idea because I wasn't really interested in pure chemistry and drug design. My dad had gone to Drexel for Chemical Engineering, so I began to think of this as an option. I talked to my high school Chemistry teacher about my dilemma, and she suggested that I attend Women in Engineering Day at Princeton University. That was when I really fell in love with engineering, and knew that I wanted to become an engineer.
Their first memories combination of both I was always a kid that wanted K'nex and not dolls (unless they were Disney dolls of course). I took apart my dad's video camera, and a TV to see how they worked. You can imagine my parents were less than pleased to see those disassembled. But I always saw myself as a corporate business type person. It wasn't until I was a junior in high school when I first started considering engineering as a profession. My teachers recognized that I was very good at physics and pre-calc and helped me to look into how I could help people, still perform business roles, and use my abilities in math and science in a career My mom had really wanted me to be a pharmacist, but I didn't like the idea because I wasn't really interested in pure chemistry and drug design. My dad had gone to Drexel for Chemical Engineering, so I began to think of this as an option. I talked to my high school Chemistry teacher about my dilemma, and she suggested that I attend Women in Engineering Day at Princeton University. That was when I really fell in love with engineering, and knew that I wanted to become an engineer.
Their first memories outside influences I made a device that measured the charge of falling rain droplets as part of a science fair project when I was in high school. I didn't win in my division at the district level, but I got an award from a local college's "Women in Engineering" organization to continue my research. Up until that point I had mostly just done science fairs because they were fun. Sometime around then I started to wonder if this might actually be a possible career path for me I went to a SWE Event at my local college when I was in high school. I met women who were working as engineers and really enjoyed their job
Their first memories outside influences I made a device that measured the charge of falling rain droplets as part of a science fair project when I was in high school. I didn't win in my division at the district level, but I got an award from a local college's "Women in Engineering" organization to continue my research. Up until that point I had mostly just done science fairs because they were fun. Sometime around then I started to wonder if this might actually be a possible career path for me I went to a SWE Event at my local college when I was in high school. I met women who were working as engineers and really enjoyed their job
Lessons Learned : from influences on choice Getting younger girls excited about science and engineering Strategic event planning that engages parents, to include households that do not have engineers. Strategic partnerships with K-12 schools to engage teachers. Improving public understanding of engineering. (recall: National Academy of Engineering reports, Dr. Christina Cunningham s research, Harris Interactive) Leveraging partnerships with organizations such as SWE, DGWISE and others who aim to promote participation from females (role models and successful women engineers)
DGWISE pilot study results - III
DGWISE pilot study results III.A
DGWISE pilot study results IV.A Impact of participation in DGWISE on members experience Opportunities to reach out to community and spread STEM awareness Connection with women with similar interests and experiences I really like meeting women in other disciplines and talking to them about challenges they face. I feel like having this DGWISE community really helps to empower women in science at Drexel, and by reaching out to our local community, we can empower female children/high school-ers to pursue careers in science! it's great to meet other engineers, especially women, or to reconnect with friends/colleagues I have not seen in a while. I also like that it provides me with the opportunity to engage in outreach activities and community service [It] helps me understand that there are others who have [similar] experiences it helps to know that there are other females out there like me
DGWISE pilot study results IV.B "It's a boy thing" needs to be proved wrong Personal motivation for retention " The fact that the numbers are so low makes me want to do my part to change it Personal perseverance and to I think I'm still that curious kid. I like it because it's fun. It always has been for me. Hopefully it always will be The possibility for changes and improvements I could accomplish for my home country, especially in improving education and environmental awareness encourage more women in leadership positions The promise of a stable job in a field that is constantly evolving and demanding research to fix new (and old) problems
Lessons Learned : from influences on retention Getting younger girls excited about science and engineering Building interest based on personal experiences Showing the gains in knowledge adaptive activities, chance to share work Establish perception of the field as innovative Financial security Strengthening faculty and family support Chance to become role models & mentors High school middle school elementary school Encouraging curiosity and using engineering to address it Demonstration societal and communal impacts of engineering
Questions