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"African American Women And Their Participation In Engineering and Technology Fields" By Alan Evangelista

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Media Summary:

The Numbers
 In the article Graduate Engineering Programs Beef Up Efforts for Women, Minorities, Michael Morella looks at how schools are searching for ways to boost recruitment and retention of underrepresented students and faculty in engineering programs. According to a study by the American Society for Engineering Education, only about 24 percent of engineering master’s students and 22 percent of doctoral candidates are women. In regards to the engineering workforce, 15 percent of workers are women and 1 in 10 workers are either black, Hispanic, or American Indian. In light of such issues, Morella states that Rice University, along with many other engineering schools, are doing their part to ramp up programs to “recruit, retain, and advance women and other underrepresented students.”
 It Starts with Engagement and Opportunity
 For starters, educators in engineering programs are finding more effective ways to engage and support its students. This mean moving away from a strictly lecture based curriculum to one that brings engineering principles “to life” through real-world problem solving and community service. Karen Horting, executive director and CEO of the Society of Women Engineers argues that this shift in educational practice “goes a long way” in keeping students, particularly women, committed to the program. Beyond the learning experience of its students, many schools are also awarding scholarships and fellowships to women and students of color who are pursing degrees in science and engineering.
 Establishing a Community and Mentorship
 According to Adrienne Minerick, associate dean for research and innovation in the College of Engineering at Michigan Technological University and chair of ASEE’s diversity committee, finding a community and a mentor or two can make a huge difference for students. This is why a number of institutions have begun establishing mentoring and enrichment programs. Georgia Tech for example, puts on a summer engineering program for underrepresented high school students and relies on grad students as chaperones and mentors. It has also established a longstanding relationship with Morehouse and Spelman, two historically black colleges, to create a “pipeline” for African American students interested in a graduate degree in engineering. Moreover, many universities who understand the importance of role models are making a more concerted effort to recruit more women and minority faculty members. 

Citation: Morella, Michael. "Graduate Engineering Programs Beef Up Efforts for Women, Minorities." US News. U.S.News & World Report, 1 Apr. 2016. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.
 

Reading Summary:

In the chapter "Black Women Engineers and Technologists" in A Hammer in Their Hands: A Documentary History of Technology and the African-American Experience, V.L. Thomas looks at the participation of African American women in the field of engineering and technology. 

Brief History of the Engineering Discipline
Engineering education began in 1802 with the establishment of a civil engineering program at the U.S Military Academy of West Point. By 1872, many other schools had followed suit and the number of engineering programs increased from 6 to 70. Even with the increase, relatively few African Americans attended these schools because of their high concentration in the south. According to Thomas (1989), “Even though blacks could go to engineering schools in the North, they could not be admitted to the schools in the south, which were federally and state subsidized” (p. 314). It was not until post-WWII that along with Howard University, other historically black schools began establishing their own engineering programs. While many African Americans benefited from their increased educational opportunities, their participation in the technical professions was limited and difficult, especially for women. 

African American Women and Their Challenges
African American women in technical fields have had to face the “double handicaps” of being both black and female. This “dual identity” has both opened and closed many opportunities for them. Prior to WWII, job opportunities and membership in professional technical organizations in African American women’s fields were “nearly non-existent.” During the 1940s, the only professional jobs available to African Americans with degrees in physics and engineering were “teaching, preaching, and the legal or medical profession” (Thomas, 1989: 317). By the late 1960s however, the fate of African American engineers and technologists change drastically. With the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1963 and Executive Order 11246, companies that wanted government contracts needed to hire more minority engineers and technologists. (Thomas, 1989: 320). In 1974, there were only 4300 women engineers in the U.S and the number of minority women engineers in the U.S was too small to count. This made it difficult for the government and corporations to find and hire Black women engineers. As a result, Black women engineers became heavily sought after. 

Remarkable Women Overcoming Adversity
Despite the many challenges and hardships that African American women faced in the field of engineering and technology, many survived and went on to make significant contributions in their respective fields. In 1979, for example, Jennie R. Patrick became the “first” African American women to obtain a Ph.D in chemical engineering from MIT. Although Jennie was credited to be the first, another African American women, Lilia Abron, received her doctorate in chemical engineering from the University of Iowa in 1971. (Thomas, 1989: 315). In 1982, Dr. Irene Long became Kennedy Space Station’s first Black woman Chief of the Medical and Environmental Health Office in the Biomedical Operations and Research Office. Dr. Mae Jemison had one of the most challenging technical careers, becoming the first African American woman astronaut. 

The Future for African American Women in Engineering and Technology
When young Black women engineers and technologists were asked how to increase the number of African American women in their respective fields, the broad answers were to have mentors and role models, have outreach activities, introduce young students early to engineering careers, and emphasize the importance of math and science at an early age. Most of the women surveyed were very optimistic of the future of young African American women. As long as they are well-prepared, African American women can be leaders and pioneers in the fields of engineering and technology. 

Citation: Thomas, V. L. (1989). “Black Women Engineers and Technologists.” in A Hammer in Their Hands: A Documentary History of Technology and the African-American Experience, ed. Caroll Pursell. MIT Press, 2005.

Analysis:

 From what we have come to learn so far, the digital divide has often been thought of in terms of who has access to the internet or computers (as seen in the blog post by Ebony on Native Americans). Or it can be thought of in terms of who is actually participating on the Internet (as in the blog by Michelle on Measuring Race on the Internet). What Morella’s article and Thomas’ chapter point to, however, is that the digital divide can also be looked at within the scope of technical careers. Who is participating in jobs related to technology and engineering? What we find is that there is and continues to be large disparities in the participation of technical fields—with women and minorities being underrepresented. There is a growing need to bridge this gap and create a more diverse and multicultural workforce. Doing so will not only lead to better economic prosperity for the individuals involved, but will help with the advancement of our country. More women and minorities in engineering and technology fields can lead to increased adaptability, broader service range, and higher productivity.

Many minority groups have already come up with ways to get more individuals involved in technical careers. As early as 1926, for example, a group of African American men formed the National Technical Association (NTA), which served to break down the barriers that impeded the advancement of science and engineering education and job opportunities for blacks (Thomas, 1989: 317).  According to Thomas (1989), “NTA became a very effective network for obtaining job opportunities in the members’ respective fields” (p. 317). Many African American women joined this association and shared in the leadership. In the article by Morella, we see schools doing their part to better recruit, engage, and support students interested in engineering. We need to continue providing greater opportunities for women and minorities, even if it's one step at a time. 
 

Discussion Questions:

1. According to Thomas (1989) "In 1988, engineering disciplines were among the most lucrative for minorities and all graduates" (320). Do you think this is still the case today? Why or why not?

2. The article and reading stated some solutions to bridge the gap in the technical professions among women and minorities. Do you agree with their solutions? Do you think they are effective? What are other ways we can bridge this gap? 

3. For young women and minorities already in Engineering/Technology fields, what are some of the barrier and or challenges they may continue to face? Do they receive the same respect? The same pay? 










 

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  1. Broader Divide Kid Comet I didn't consider the digital divide to be inclusive of technical careers. That definitely opens up the realm for more possibilities of what the digital divide may be. On a personal level, I never really payed too much attention to how many black women were going into such technical fields. I don’t feel as if there were that many… in fact growing up in the schools I went to (High Desert, SoCal); there was definitely an absence of positive ethnic leaders in technological fields. I know they exist, I don’t contest that, but on what level? Think hard…but was there a significant amount of minority teachers in your upbringing that were in these technical fields (STEM essentially)? Good Blog.
  2. Women and minorities against the "norm" Ashley Martinez-Munoz First and foremost, I would like to tell you that you did an excellent job on your blog post, I enjoyed seeing you utilize all the different effects that Dr. Carpio showed us. I do not know much about engineering and its statistics, so I did a quick google search on it and find that the answer to the first question is yes. Today engineering is dominated by white, according to the source it states 73%. Even around campus today, I hear people unfortunately mock females being in math and engineering majors/obtaining degrees. I honestly cannot understand why engineering and math are seen as being purely meant for white males. I think time will change all that though, as this article is a prime example. Women will pursue what they are passionate about regardless of the statistics that are shown. I believe that last time I checked, a woman makes .76 of every dollar a man makes. I do not think they receive the same respect, as I stated previously the engineering field is not seen for women. Women and minorities are still discriminated today among various things other than what they majored in. It is a controversial issue that seems to not get much attention, nor has various solutions. I hope that one day that comes to an end. There is definitely progress, but there is room for much more. Here is a link of where I got my stats information from: http://www.onlineuniversities.com/blog/2012/06/10-startling-stats-about-minorities-stem/
  3. Unequal pay aa I love the fact that you posed a question I feel very passionate about, Alan. It is nationally known that women are definitely paid less than men, I believe they make 79 cents to every dollar a man makes. However, women of color make even less. In my Twitter account, I shared an image that showed what Latinas made compared to all men. In this image, Latinas in California made 60 cents to all men. Although the image is of Latinas, it sends the same message: that people of color, especially women aren't taken seriously. Although some women have made it and graduated with STEM majors, once they're in a job related to their field, they still face challenges. Women of color are viewed as inferior and not capable of producing the same work as a white man. This infuriates me so much because it is an unfair, unjust system that privileges them at our expense. Overall, women aren't treated in the same respect as the white man. It's horrible that simply because of factors that are out of our control determine our place in life and what we are able to do.

    I'd also like to point out that I enjoyed reading your blog. It was visually appealing and I liked being able to interact with it!
  4. Bridging the gap Michie Ortiz First of all I love the design of your blog! Going off about what Addie and Ashley wrote, it truly is a shame that women and minorities can work twice as hard and not receive the same recognition. Earlier this quarter I meet a computer science major and I told him one of my friends was in the major. He responded with, " Is she a girl? I can literally count the amount of girls in the major with my hands." It led me to think about the lack of female presence. The options they recommended seems like it could work. However, not every child with a mentor will stick through with engineering or STEM programs. While I do see the positive outcome there could be with programs I don't like the idea of teaching them how important math and science it. I think students know it's important but putting too much emphasis could stress a child into thinking math and science is the only route to go. Personally this is what happened with me and I later learned I did not want to go this route. It took me a long time to accept it was ok not to go this route. While it can open many possibilities, programs to increase representation should be thought out well. That is my only critique about it.
  5. Minority Women-Technology & the Digital Divide Ana Victoria H. This was an enjoyable blog to read, as have been the previous, because they all address problems we sort-of are aware of but perhaps don’t really spend the time to gage them. I really liked how the outside article connected to the assigned reading article. All of this made me think about my own educational journey and how I deviated away from STEM sort of careers, not because I wasn’t particularly interested but because they seemed so out of reach. Taking a wider approach, with political minority groups and their access to higher education, I find a connection within the articles and my story. A particularly striking quote that I read was: “When young Black women engineers and technologists were asked how to increase the number of African American women in their respective fields, the broad answers were to have mentors and role models, have outreach activities, introduce young students early to engineering careers, and emphasize the importance of math and science at an early age.” The reasons that I was able to apply, get admitted, and attend UCLA with a full scholarship, was because I had most of these elements. Except, instead of the emphasis being on science at an early age, it was the emphasis of the narrative whispered in my ear that it was important to get a college education, that a college education was my ticket out. Along the same lines, even though I actively sought out these types of resources, I could not have control over what was emphasized in my life as I was growing up. Thus, I think that the key lies in early education and early exposure. In connecting this to the digital divide, I think we can add another facet to this idea of division. We can think of how the things mentioned in the quote above, are actually lacking. It is hard to attempt to break the cycle that keeps on repeating itself because there are so few that can lead by example; however, it is possible to break that cycle. And, it is those who break that cycle that have a civic duty to share with others their stories and their membership.
  6. Women and the divide Arturo Sotelo I concur with just about everyone on this blog, your presentations was very enjoyable and well done. I took some notes, and will definitely be looking to format my blog in a similar manner. To the first question posed by Kid Comet, I would like to reply that, no I did not have many minority teachers growing up. Even though my community had a large latino population about 40% I cannot recall a single science, math, or computer teacher that was of color. I recall having a higher percentage of female teachers in these fields, sometimes even more than the male teachers. In addition, I found one of the most surprising part to be the discussion of shortage of women of color in the engineering field that came after affirmative action measures had been taken. This is surprising to me because I would expect a large increase in the number of women of color come because of this; this has not been the case according to the research. In regards to the digital divide, this article continues to make a case that culture has a huge impact on a persons ability to use, and purpose for using ICT's. I think that besides having mentorship programs to encourage engineering programs for emerging students, there is a need for community based programs to promote technology and engineering. If the culture around minorities, especially the female population, can foster positive attitudes towards STEM subjects and increased interest, then this may be an effective way of increasing women of colors numbers in these fields.
  7. Minorities in STEM Ebony Paramo This article opens people's eyes (or at least mine) to the fact that the digital divide is a large domain that needs further explanation so people may understand what it truly is. I agree with Kid Comet in that I too did not know that technical careers were impacted by the digital divide. It was clear to me however that technical fields were not well within reach for people of color, and as a woman of color, I was aware that those fields were yet more distant, reachable but work needed to be exerted in order to partake in those fields.

    In regards to the first question that you posed, I believe that the sentiment that was expressed in 1988 about engineering disciplines still exists today. I feel that people think that preparing for a career in STEM guarantees them a life with no worries and financial stability, which may happen for some individuals. But as witnessed with this article, women and people of color may have trouble even with trying to get a foot in the door in the profession.

    Great blog; I liked the structure, and I appreciate you referencing back to my blog to bring out the focus of this reading.

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