Engineering Exposure for Pre-College Women: A University-Based Workshop Model

Equity and diversity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors and careers in the U.S. has been consistently problematic. Many policy initiatives and outreach programs have attempted to remediate these inequities. A one-day university-based workshop for high-school female students was designed and sponsored by the Science Training & Research to Inform Decisions and the Institute for Advanced Computational Science at Stony Brook University to inform these young women about science and engineering opportunities, to facilitate networks with female role models, and to engage them in a hands-on engineering task that applied science concepts. The workshop was hosted by 11 female faculty, staff, and university students from various departments including Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ecology and Evolution, Marine Sciences, and Chemistry. Quantitative data (N=32) were collected through pre- and post-surveys, which compared their attitudes toward science and engineering before and after the workshop experience, and explored whether the exposure to engineering activities and role models improved their interest in science and engineering. Results indicated improved attitudes toward STEM majors and careers as a result of the workshop, specifically in terms of confidence to do engineering and knowledge of engineering academic and career pathways (p<.001). This intervention shows promise in engaging high school women in science and engineering in an informal context to increase their self-efficacy and awareness of career opportunities.