Increasing Female Engineering Degree Attainment In Electrical And Mechanical Engineering Departments

The Engineering Equity Extension Service (EEES) project aims to increase the number of women who graduate with baccalaureate degrees in engineering, with a specific focus on the two largest engineering disciplines with the lowest female enrollments, electrical and mechanical. By bringing together expertise in gender studies, the research base on science and engineering education, and project management, EEES seeks to enhance the academic preparation, social interactions, and engineering knowledge and skills attainment of girls and women. In 2008, EEES competitively selected 14 engineering departments (4 Electrical, 10 Mechanical) and provided them access to experts in gender equity research as well as small grants for project development. The departments had proposed specific activities by which to further the goals of EEES. The departmental projects are ongoing and varied. Many chose to focus on reaching out to high school girls to encourage their interest in engineering, while others focused on providing faculty training in gender equitable teaching. Other projects focused on developing curricular or recruiting materials attractive to women and men. This paper will discuss the results and lessons learned in the various programs.