Kathy Enger, assistant professor in the School of Education, is the recipient of an Advance FORWARD climate and gender equity research grant. Her project is titled “Motivation and Adaptability Factors for Females in the ‘Leaky Engineering Pipeline.’ ” Manjusha Saraswathiamma, a doctoral student in the School of Education and also assistant professor of chemistry at Minnesota State Community and Technical College in Moorhead, and Achintya N. Bezbaruah, NDSU assistant professor of civil and industrial engineering are collaborating with Enger.
This project is the fourth phase of a study investigating the factors that retain women in engineering, either as they pursue their education at the undergraduate level or further their professional careers as engineers in the workplace. The main goal of the project is to design a research-based model that functions as a transferable and generalizable framework for any program seeking to retain women in engineering.
Angie Hodge, assistant professor in mathematics and teacher education, also is a recipient of an Advance FORWARD climate and gender equity research grant. Christina Weber, assistant professor in sociology, will collaborate with Hodge on the project titled “Developing Gender Equity in Mathematics Classrooms: What Does it Take to Succeed?” Hodge and Weber noted there is little research that examines women’s success in mathematics classrooms. They will explore how to better understand and serve women in mathematics programs and fields and provide a working model that can encourage systemic support for women in the mathematics classroom.
This mixed-methods study seeks to answer these questions: Given the lack of women and minorities in the classroom, how can instructors develop equity and equality in mathematics programs and fields where mathematics acts as a gatekeeper into science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines? What factors do students attribute to their success in their mathematics (STEM) classes? What factors helped underrepresented students select STEM majors and persist in their selected STEM fields of study (in particular in their mathematics course work)?
Another call for proposals for the FORWARD climate and gender equity research grants will be announced early this semester. The call will be posted on the FORWARD Web site and announced in "It’s Happening at State."