Education & Technology Transfer Activities: 2004

Women in Science and Engineering: Girls Lock-In Conferences; Summer "Solutions" Girls Camp; SWE National Conference; Expanding Your Horizons; Girl Meets UMR

 

Status

Complete

View Report:

 PDF
 

Sequential Number

ETT151
 

Matching Research Agency

Corporate sponsors

 

Principal Investigator

Cindi Vogt
Coordinator, Women In Science & Engineering
University of Missouri-Rolla
212 Engineering research Lab
Rolla, MO 65401

p(573) 341- 4215
f(573) 341- 4890

cvogt@mst.edu

 

Student Involvement

see objectives

 

Project Objective

  • Girls "Lock-In" -- Students are expected to pay a registration fee plus cover their transportation to Rolla. All other costs, estimated at $100 per person include fees, supplies, room and board; activities are paid by the Women In Science & Engineering program. Two lock-in dates are planned for this academic year. November 2005 and March 2006. Our goal is to recruit 30 students to participate in each "Lock-In". The program is designed to enable female students who will be juniors and seniors in high school to obtain a clear picture of engineering and science as a profession. The girls will campout in a residence hall, learn more about studying math, science and engineering at UMR, meet other prospective and current students, learn tips for financial aid and admission, and participate in hands-on team projects. Students become acquainted with various fields of engineering and science and with the demand faced in these fields by practicing engineers and scientists. Another goal is to acquaint students with the type of effort required for college study.
  • Summer Solutions -- July 2006 -- Students are expected to pay registration fee plus cover their transportation to Rolla. All other costs, estimated at $400 per person includes fees, supplies, room & Board; activities are paid by the Women In Science & Engineering program. Our goal is to recruit 50 students to participate in the program. The one-week program is designed to enable female students who will be freshman and sophomores during the 2006-07 school term to obtain a clear picture of engineering as a profession. Students will experience college life while learning more about career options in engineering and science. Students become acquainted with various fields of engineering and science and with the demand faced in these fields by practicing engineers and scientists. Another goal is to acquaint students with the type of effort required for college study.
  • Society of Women Engineers (SWE) National Convention -- November 2005 -- Two staff members will participate in the Career and Graduate School fair during the convention. With over 10,000 students attending the event each year it is an excellent opportunity to recruit female students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The goal is designed to increase the awareness, participation, and excitement surrounding graduate school and the pursuit of higher education. Through the careful integration of planned events, students and professionals can learn about higher education opportunities and resources. Several new activities have been incorporated into the agenda that are designed to promote higher education, increase student participation, and emphasize academic and technical excellence.
  • "Expanding Your Horizons... in Math and Science" -- November 2005 -- This national program was established by the Math and Science Network in 1976. UMR implemented the annual EYH conference in 2000 and today has served over 2000 students. On November 4, 2005, UMR will host its 5 th conference for over 500 young women. This conference is designed to nurture girls' interests in science and math courses and to encourage them to consider science and math based career options such as engineering, computer science, and biometrics. EYH is an invitation for 7 th & 8 th grade girls to visit the UMR campus and attend a keynote presentation by a successful women engineer or scientist, participate in hands-on math/science activities, and interact with female students, faculty and practicing engineers and scientists who serve as positive role motels.
  • "Girl Meets UMR" -- Conversion Event -- March 9-10, 2006 -- This 2-day program will be offered for the first time in March 2006 as a student recruitment event for female high school seniors and transfer students who have been admitted to UMR but who have not yet made their enrollment deposit and commitment to attend UMR. Our goal is to recruit 40 students this first year. The recruitment event will allow students to see first hand what life as a female engineering or science student entails and to gain insight into the opportunities available for a successful undergraduate career at UMR. Parents will be invited to attend the event with the student. Students will stay overnight in the residential halls and will be matched with current female students who will serve as a peer while on campus. On the first day they will attend sessions in Admissions, Financial Assistance, Residential Life, and New Student Programs. Departmental visits will also be encouraged. On the second day they will attend the Preview, Registration, Orientation (PRO) that is sponsored by the department of New Student Programs. Students who participate in orientation programs tend to become more involved in their education and are more likely to graduate. Because UMR is committed to student success, we expect incoming freshmen to participate in PRO. At PRO the students will learn about student life, meet a faculty advisor, take mathematics placement exams, prepare their course selections, and register for fall courses that will complete the process of enrollment.
 

Anticipated Benefits

A focus on career development in the areas of technology transfer and transportation engineering will be implemented throughout the activities sponsored by the Women's Leadership Institute and the Women In Science & Engineering Program. To promote diversity and increase the number of female graduates entering our nations engineering and science workforce. To support the national science and mathematics educational agenda by ensuring that all students are mathematically and scientifically literate so they can play a leadership role in an increasingly technical world. To ultimately insure a more balanced technical workforce. It is UMR's goal to increase the number of female students. These programs are the beginning of the pipeline that will assist the campus in yielding those numbers.

 

Modal Orientation

Student Recruitment
 

Milestones

Project Start Date:

October 1, 2005

Project End Date:

July 31, 2006

 

Relationship to other Research/Projects

 

 

Technology Transfer Activities

Interaction among fellow minority students

 

Transportation Research Board Keywords