Educational
Opportunity
SFI has been working
with the Michigan Tech Department of Educational Opportunity on several
pre-college and university initiatives to use the theme of sustainability
to attract and retain a more diverse group of students into science and
engineering. Example activities include:
• s
ummer explorations
research experiences for pre-college students
• pre-college teacher training
• undergraduate research programs
One driver for these
initiatives is the fact that our nation is facing a severe crisis that
could have a far-reaching impact into the future. Simply stated, science
and engineering professions are not attracting an adequate proportion
of the best and the brightest in the human talent pool. As just one example,
to quote William A. Wulf, pres¬ident of the National Academy of Engineering,
“We need to understand why in a society so dependent on technology,
a society that benefits so richly from the results of engineering, a soci¬ety
that rewards engineers so well, engineering isn’t perceived as a
desirable profession. . . . Our profession is diminished and impoverished
by a lack of diversity.”
The National Science
Foundation reports the number of degrees in the physical and mathematical
sciences peaked in the early 1970s, degrees in engineering and computer
science peaked in the mid-1980s, and trends in the biological sciences
showed a long, slow decline in earned degrees in the 1980s but a reversal
of this trend in the 1990s. There is evidence to suggest that underrepresented
groups in science and engineering, particularly women, are attracted to
careers where they feel that they can have a positive impact on society.
Educational experiences in sustainability, with their focus on societal
impact and interconnectedness, should have a broad appeal, especially
to young women. Working towards solving environmental and societal prob¬lems
resonates with women; young girls will be motivated to study science and
engineering if they understand that careers in these fields will enable
them to positively impact society. SFI members have written previously
that this message may also resonate with other underrepresented groups
who may be attracted into these types of programs to take the opportunity
of improving living conditions in their cultural origins.
For more information please contact:
Ms. Shalini Suryanarayana
(shalini@mtu.edu)
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