ASEE International Forum 2014
Bringing Women in STEM to the Table
Summaries of “Un Foro de Mujeres en STEM” - LACCEI 2013 y
Conversatorio: Mujeres participando en STEM – WEEF 2013
Renetta G. Tull, Ph.D.,
Associate Vice Provost, Graduate Student Development & Postdoctoral Affairs, UMBC
@Renetta_Tull, #ASEEAnnual
PROGRAM AGENDA WOMEN IN STEM FORUM, LACCEI 2013
Opening Comments: Short Introduction & Importance of Forum - Renetta Tull
 Welcome: Maria Larrondo Petrie, LACCEI Director
 Statement of welcome: Bevlee Watford, American Society of Engineering Education
Setting the Stage: Data and Background State of Women in STEM in the Caribbean and Latin
America. Marta Beltran Martinez - Organization of American States (OAS)
Successful Projects Project Synopsis: ADVANCE Hispanic women in STEM, Beatriz Zayas, Universidad
Metropolitana, Puerto Rico. Includes: “A President's Perspective on Facilitating Women's Leadership"
from Carlos Padin - Chancellor, Universidad Metropolitana, Puerto Rico .
Project Synopsis: New Mexico State NSF LSAMP/REU - FOCUS: undergraduate women, Delia VallasRosales, Industrial Engineering, New Mexico State University
Overcoming Barriers
Implicit Bias: Fixing the System at the Administrative Level. Autumn Reed – Office of the Provost,
University of Maryland Baltimore County, UMBC ADVANCE
Women, leadership, and financial management. Claudia Medienta Cardona, Universidad de San
Buenaventura, Cali, Colombia
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Underrepresentation of women in
many Science &Technology
disciplines:
Cultural biases and prejudices
Lack of exposure to S&T careers
Lack of information and knowledge
about S&T careers
Lack of support and provisions for
combining professional work and
family duties
Discrimination in appointment,
retention and advancement of
women
Lack of mentors and role models
Lack of leadership training
Hostile work environment
Example:
% of women enrolled in engineering careers:
Shared by Marta Beltran
-Chile: 15% (2007)
- Costa Rica: 20% (2004)
- UNAM Mexico: 18% (2009)
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Shared by Marta Beltran
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Data Overview from the Faculty Work Climate Survey, Oct. 4, 2012
(adapted from ADVANCE, University of Illinois at Chicago WISEST)
Selected Results: N=39: 38% Assistant
Professors; 30% Associate 25% Full.
More productivity in teaching than research
5+ undergraduate classes in one year
• 54% are supported by research grants
• 41% of papers submitted by the
participants for publication have been
accepted.
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Data Overview from the Faculty Work Climate Survey, Oct. 4, 2012
(adapted from ADVANCE, University of Illinois at Chicago WISEST)
Satisfaction: Positive interactions with colleagues, efforts to recruit women and promote
them into leadership positions. However, too few women and difficulty retaining them.
Dissatisfaction: (Lack of) Equipment and supplies to conduct research, infrequent
maintenance of equipment, feeling like a full and equal participant in departmental problemsolving and decision making, having a voice in resource allocation in the department. Men
receive more feedback and have more informal social networks
Focus on Personal Life
50% +: career progression slowed by personal responsibilities
61% have cared/are caring for dependent children
31% have cared/are caring for dependent others.
Difficulty in adjusting their work schedules, department meetings occurring outside of the 9-5
workday in the general academic climate and structural practices (e.g., when meetings occur.)
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Negotiation and Power
(Negociación y Poder),
Prof. Gilda Barabino,
Georgia Tech
(New Eng. Dean, CCNY, July 2013)
Shared by Beatriz Zayas 7
Major Barriers Facing
Women in Engineering
• Engineering: too much pressure (HW,
projects, male oriented)
• Competitiveness: individualism
• Lack of role models
Home
School
Professionals
Shared by Delia Valles Rosales
• Mathematics. Generally
affect both genders.
High School math
preparedness and
readiness. Gap between
pre and college algebra
and calculus ready.
– 100 freshmen
students not calculus
ready as of spring
2012. At the end of
spring 2012, 40%
transferred to other
disciplines than
engineering.
New Mexico State University
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Shared by Delia Valles Rosales
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Implicit Bias: Fixing the System at the
Administrative Level
WOMEN IN STEM FORUM, LACCEI 2013
Definitions
A.
Explicit Bias-Stated clearly and in detail, leaving no room for confusion or doubt,
purposeful.
B.
Implicit (Unconscious) Bias - Hidden or unconscious, not plainly expressed, and/or
easily recognized, everybody has them.
C. Examples of Commonly Held Beliefs About Women in S&E
* Women are not as good in mathematics as men
* The underrepresentation of women in STEM is a function of how many women are qualified to
enter these positions
* Women are not as competitive as men and just do not want jobs in academia
* Women faculty are less productive than male faculty
* Women are more interested in family than in careers
(Beyond Bias and Barriers, 2007, S-4)
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Shared by Autumn Reed
Empirical Studies of How Implicit Bias
Operates in Recruitment Process
Gender
1) Trix & Psenka (2003) study of 300 recommendation letters for medical school faculty found :
* Letters written for women are shorter.
* Provide minimal assurance (refer to compassion, teaching, and effort not their achievements,
research, and ability).
* Portray women as students and teachers rather than researchers and professionals.
2) Steinpreis et al., (1999) study of gender bias in CV evaluation with 118 male and female
participants evaluating the same CV with a randomly assigned male or female name found:
* Both male and female evaluators gave the male applicants better evaluations in teaching,
service, and research.
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Shared by Autumn Reed
* More likely to hire male over female applicant.
Shared by Claudia Patricia Mendieta Cardona
Shared by Claudia Patricia Mendieta Cardona
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Women in STEM Survey, Aug. 2013
Demographics: N=20, 13 Female, 7 Male
• Countries: US, Panama, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil,
England, Chile
Results
• I have been involved with activities to advance women in STEM:
– Not at all + somewhat = 55%, Mostly + Completely: 45%
• This forum increased my in being involved with advancing women in
STEM:
– Mostly + Completely: 85%
• This forum increased my awareness about approaches for advancing
women in STEM:
– Mostly + Completely: 85%
• I plan to have future involvement with activities to advance women in
STEM:
– Mostly + Completely: 80%
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Discussions from Working Group
• QUESTION: Biggest
needs?
• ANSWER 1:
Involvement by men who
believe in and have
passion about advancing
women in STEM.
(Champions) [Need those
who have good training models
for recruiting and advancing
women.]
SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS
• Workshop for faculty;
• LACCEI Deans Council open
discussions;
• Plenary presentations about
this issue;
• Panel of deans presenting to
each other to discuss what they
have done that was successful
and why;
• Campaign to get the concept
into minds and forefront;
• Training Deans before panel to
make sure they come from a
point of awareness.
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Discussions from Working Group
• QUESTION: Biggest
needs?
• ANSWER 2:
• Lack of mentoring on all
levels
• Need virtual mentoring
programs, mentor
networking programs,
private social
networking sites to
allow written
communication and
mentoring
SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS
• MentorNet
• Implement a mentor
survey or letter at
conference
• Assign mentors for all
levels
• Implement/partner
with programs for girls
to showcase women in
STEM as role models
(recruitment)
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Discussions from Working Group
• QUESTION: Biggest
needs?
• ANSWER 3:
Connections,
Partnerships,
Collaborations
SUGGESTED
SOLUTIONS
• Establishing Partnerships
with groups and universities
within the organization
– Research collaboration
“room” event
– Facilitated connections with
industry
– Invite other women in
engineering organizations to
the conference
– Start now, find women in
engineering for the 2014
conference
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Discussions from Working Group
• QUESTION: Biggest
needs?
• ANSWER 4:
Recognition and
Visibility
SUGGESTED
SOLUTIONS
• Establish Awards
• Train women to
compete for
national/international
awards
• Keynote/plenary
about Women in
STEM
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2013 “Women in STEM”
WEEF, Cartagena, Colombia
• Input from faculty and students from universities
in Colombia and Ecuador, and members of the
International Federation of Engineering Education
Societies (IFEES), including LACCEI and the Korean
Society of Engineering Education.
• HIGH levels of engagement from several
emerging women engineers who are pursuing
their undergraduate studies.
• Input from male students!
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Message from WEEF 2013
“Women want to be equally recognized for their
engineering talents and abilities. They also want
efforts that will encourage more women and
girls to enter and stay in engineering fields.”
Overall, there is a call to facilitate women’s
pursuit of excellence in engineering without
barriers, and without detracting language or
actions that would discourage participation.
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Addressing points at LACCEI 2014
Guayaquil, Ecuador
Planned:
• Participation from the National
Science Foundation
• Female plenary keynote
speaker
• Speakers to address issues from
2013:
– Male champions
– Prizes and honorific societies
– Example of research that will
engage more women
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Addressing points at LACCEI 2014
Guayaquil, Ecuador
Subset of topics:
Transforming Climates for the Academic Woman of Color: Facilitating Greater
Understanding in the Workplace Climate and in Social Structures
Loretta A. Moore (Jackson State University), Michelle D. Deardorff (University
of Tennessee at Chattanooga), Evelyn J. Leggette (Jackson State University),
Angela M. Kupenda (Mississippi College School of Law)
Assistive Technology Research as a Mechanism to Broaden the Participation
of Women, Underrepresented Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities
Patricia Ordóñez (University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras), Kavita Krishnaswamy
(UMBC), Renetta G. Tull (UMBC), Dan Ding (University of Pittsburgh), Mary
Goldberg (University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University)
Promotion and Prizes: Pursuit of Excellence and Recognition in Honorific
Organizations
Christine Grant (North Carolina State University)
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Women in leadership at LACCEI 2014
Guayaquil, Ecuador
Women speakers, women in
conference leadership roles,
involvement of women faculty and
women students from Ecuador:
• Example: Julie Nieto Wigby, Decana
investigación (Research Dean), Escuela
Superior Politécnica del Litoral
(ESPOL), Guayaquil, Ecuador
• PROMETEO program
• Women in Leadership for FLEEI
LACCEI
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Vision
Expanded discussions about Women in STEM throughout Latin
America (including discussions at meetings worldwide, e.g., WEEF,
IFEES, Gender Summit, meetings of the professional societies.)
• Opportunities for ALL women, from all socio-economic backgrounds
and all regions to learn about STEM in general, engineering in
particular
• Exposure of women in STEM to underserved populations in
LACCEI’s regions, e.g., Andean coastal regions
• Advancement of women to highest ranks of leadership
• Career Life Balance: Engagement of women without sacrifice to
worthy traditions and family connections.
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Acknowledgement of Support
Renetta G. Tull, rtull@umbc.edu, @Renetta_Tull
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