“I Wish that I Belonged More in this Whole Engineering Group:” Achieving Individual Diversity

Abstract

Engineers need a breadth of experience to enrich the gene pool of ideas from which elegant engineering solutions can be drawn, called "individual diversity." While performing large ethnographic research studies where hundreds of engineering students were interviewed, we interviewed Inez, a student that epitomizes individual diversity. Inez is unlike most engineers: she is female, multi-minority, and from a socio-economically disadvantaged background. Inez's story is told here using "ethnography of the particular," where the story of a single individual is explored. Inez has persevered through challenges posed by her lack of familiarity with the culture of engineering, her weak high school preparation, and her feelings of being an outsider in engineering. Inez's story demonstrates that the playing field in engineering is still not level, particularly for socio-economically disadvantaged students. Her story provides a poignant example of the impact of five of Conefrey's cultural myths of science.

Toward a Theory of Engineering Professorial Intentions: The Role of Research Group Experiences

“…This finding, which contributes to a broader conversation about what it means to be, look like, and do the work of scientists and engineers, relates to scholarship on doctoral socialization and academic professional identity development (Pifer & Baker, 2014;Sallee, 2011), and confirms the importance of mentors in the persistence of women and underrepresented faculty of color in engineering (Dutta, 2015;Foor, Walden, & Trytten, 2007).…”

Developing an Instrument to Understand the Social-Structural Integration of Diverse Students

“…1 Overcoming the "chilly" climate of engineering, 13,14 is one of the challenges facing the engineering community. Research has shown that meaningful social interactions have the potential to warm the climate, while simultaneously improving student outcomes.…”

“…[16][17][18][19] Typically these efforts concentrate on the nature of the interactions and the interpersonal/intergroup dynamics. 14,[20][21][22][23] Examination at this micro-level is vital to understanding how relationships are formed, but tends to ignore the larger social structures of an environment. Examining the interaction patterns (i.e., the social structure) of students creates an understanding of how individuals are included in developing communities, "even a single time-slice of the social network of a class, which shows the social ties between the students, can reveal much about a student's position in the network."…”

Interest-based Engineering Challenges Phase I: Understanding Students' Personal, Classroom, Engineering, and Career Interests

“…While organizations such as the National Research Council and National Academy of Engineering communicate concerns for the increase of women and minority participation in engineering, students also need the liberty to express their individual diversity within engineering 8 . Regardless of shared ethnicity, socio-economic status, etc.…”