Bridging The Gender Gap: Six Years Of Success

Since 1998, the Women in Applied Science and Engineering (WISE) Program in the Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering has held a WISE Summer Bridge Program for incoming freshman women. This program has averaged a one-year retention rate of 80% or higher for the past six years therefore, as a persistence tool, the effects of the program are significant. This paper will provide information on the Bridge Program, such as program components and activities, and examine overall retention rates for students participating since 2000. During this four day residential program, students participate in academic reviews to prepare for their first year engineering curriculum including Calculus I & II, Physics I – Mechanics, Chemistry, and Introduction to Engineering courses. The WISE Summer Bridge Program also introduces students to MAPLE and Excel programming sessions, student engineering organizations, and provides evening activities geared toward students networking with WISE staff, other engineering students, and industry. The WISE Summer Bridge Program occurs each summer prior to the beginning of the Fall Semester and has evolved over the previous seven programs to provide students with a head-start on their engineering courses. Data on persistence and graduation rates of WISE Bridge participants since 2000 will be presented. Possible explanations for former Bridge participants’ persistence or consequent changes in major and their graduation/persistence rates after leaving engineering will be discussed.