Engineering STEM Messages for a New

Generation

Jennifer GrohWIEP Associate Director

About WIEP• The Women in Engineering Program was

started in 1969!• We have 6 professional staff and lots of student

assistants.

• We do K-12 outreach activities, recruitment activities, and programs for current students.

Why does WIEP exist?

Another way of looking at what we are up against…

Verizon 2014 commercial

What does WIEP do about it?

• Talk about STEM in terms of career motivators and impact (output) vs. the typical math/science message (inputs)

• Counter and address stereotypes and bias

• Encourage women to embrace a growth mindset – to help boost confidence

• Expose to appropriate female engineering role models and like-minded peers

• Educate - don’t have to love or excel at math/science but should be competent

• Inform influential adults about research-based messages for encouraging girls to consider STEM

Why Should EVERYONE* Care?

• The Business Case for Diversity– Workforce Availability vs. US Demographics– Relate to Customers– Competitive Advantage

• Homogenous team vs. heterogeneous team

• The Human Case for Diversity– Airbags in cars…

*Men and women, parents, aunts/uncles, teachers, etc.

QUIZ Time!

Before ____th grade is when research shows

girls begin to lose interest in math and science

compared to male peers

Open answer

Typical messages about engineers/engineering

and images of engineers/engineering

align with what girls want in a career

True/False

Expectations that our culture/society has for boys fit

better with what we think of engineers than compared with

our expectations for girls

True/False

Expectations for boys fit better with what we think engineers

areBoys Girls

Competent Nurturing/CaringDo well in math Do well in English

Leaders FollowersLike things Like people

Focus on task (solve problems)

Focus on process (involve everyone)

Not emotional Emotional

As a result, we unconsciously provide more encouragement to boys to be engineers

Fill in the blanksIt is important to encourage

students to have a ______ vs. a _______ mindset.

Choose from growth and fixed

Girls are better than boys at spatial visualization skills

(visual spatial)

True/False

Why so Few? (A summary…)• Limited knowledge or inaccurate

perceptions about STEM careers

• Lower confidence than boys, even when actually achievement levels are similar

• Negative stereotypes/unconscious bias about girls’ and women’s abilities in math and science persist

Resources: NCWIT and AAUW.org

An engineer is born…

Biomedical

Environmental

Computer

Industrial

Aeronautical&

Astronautical

Materials

Nuclear

Agricultural & Biological

Mechanical

ChemicalCivil

Electrical

What Engineering Goes Into ____?

FUN hands-on activities relating to broad audiencesWIEP

Waterscarcity

Natura

l

Disast

ers

Alternative

Energy

Food

production

Health& Medicine

Newfrontiers

Engineering in Action!

The Engineering Design Process

Hands-on engineering activity

Manufacturing

DesignPrototyping

Product testing

Customer Service

Marketing Research

& Product

Development

EvaluationFixes

SalesMarketing

Logistics and

Distribution

Management&

Leadership

Product Life CycleType of Engineers =Product and Role

Career benefitsDiscipline Group 2010

Avg Start

2011 Avg Start

Business $46,378 $48,144

Communications $38,450 $39,577

Computer Science $58,229 $60,594

Education $37,040 $37,830

Engineering $60,971 $61,872

Health Sciences $44,451 $44,955

Humanities & Social Sciences

$34,856 $35,503

Math & Sciences $39,749 $40,204

Source: http://www.naceweb.org/Press/Releases/College_Class_of_2011_Closes_Year_With_Higher_Starting_Salary.aspx

Once we have shared a message about how creative engineering is and what engineers do for society (OUTPUTS), then we can fill them in about the requirements (INPUTS).

But remember to put it into the right context & realize students are already getting the math/science message from elsewhere.

So…what about the math and science?

What can you do? (in summary)• Talk about STEM in terms of career

motivators

• Counter and address stereotypes and set backs

• Embrace a growth mindset – to help boost confidence

• Expose to appropriate female engineering role models and like-minded peers

• Don’t have to love or excel at math/science but should be competent

“Engineering will challenge you

to turn dreams into realities, while giving you the

chance to travel, work with

inspiring people and give back to your community.”

www.engineeryourlife.org

Engineers Shape Our World

“Engineers have a hand in designing, creating, or modifying nearly everything we touch, wear, eat, see, and hear in our daily lives.”

American Society of Engineering Education

Why Engineering? • Love your work, AND live your life.• Be creative.• Work with great people.• Solve problems• Design things that matter.• Never be bored.• Make a big salary.• Enjoy job flexibility.• Travel.• Make a difference.• Change the World.

www.engineeryourlife.org

Questions?

Jennifer Groh765-494-0758

jgroh@purdue.edu