Challenges and Opportunities Women in Electrical Computer

							  Challenges and Opportunities:
             Women in
Electrical & Computer Engineering


        Vasundara V. Varadan
           Division Director
Electrical & Communications Systems
    National Science Foundation
                           NSF Goals

    In pursuit of its historic mission, NSF invests in:

   People: A diverse, internationally competitive, and globally
    engaged workforce of scientists, engineers, and well-
    prepared citizens.


   Ideas: Discovery across the frontiers of science and
    engineering, connected to learning, innovation, and service
    to society.


   Tools: Broadly accessible, state-of-the-art, and shared
    research and education tools.
    The Science & Engineering Equal Opportunities Act,
    42 USC 1885,et seq.


Sec. 1885. - Congressional statement of findings and declaration of
policy respecting equal opportunities in science and engineering

(a) The Congress finds that it is in the national interest to promote
the full use of human resources in science and engineering and to
insure the full development and use of the scientific and engineering
talents and skills of men and women, equally, of all ethnic, racial,
and economic backgrounds.
       The Science & Engineering Equal Opportunities Act,
       42 USC 1885,et seq.
(b) The Congress declares it is the policy of the United States to
encourage men and women, equally, of all ethnic, racial, and
economic backgrounds to acquire skills in science, engineering,
and mathematics, to have equal opportunity in education, training,
and employment in scientific and engineering fields, and thereby
to promote scientific and engineering literacy and the full use of
the human resources of the Nation in science and engineering. To
this end, the Congress declares that the highest quality science and
engineering over the long-term requires substantial support, from
currently available research and educational funds, for increased
participation in science and engineering by women and minorities.
The Congress further declares that the impact on women and minorities
which is produced by advances in science and engineering must be
included as essential factors in national and international science,
engineering, and economic policies.
        IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES—107th
        Cong., 2d Sess. H.R. 4664
        The National Science foundation Authorization Act of 2002
SEC. 20. REPORT BY COMMITTEE ON EQUAL OPPORTUNI-
TIES IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING.
As part of the first report required by section 36(e) of the Science and
Engineering Equal Opportunities Act (42 U.S.C. 1885c(e)) transmitted
to Congress after the date of enactment of this Act, the Committee on
Equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering shall include— (1) a
summary of its findings over the previous 10 years; (2) a description
of past and present policies and activities of the Foundation to
encourage full participation of women, minorities, and persons with
disabilities in science, mathematics, and engineering fields, including
activities in support of minority- serving institutions; and (3) an
assessment of the trends in participation in Foundation activities, and
an assessment of the success of Foundation policies and activities,
along with proposals for new strategies or the broadening of existing
successful strategies toward facilitating the goals of that Act.
            BS Degrees in Electrical Engineering

30,000
                                                 89948 computer related
                                                 engineering BS degree
25,000
                                                 holders were admitted
                                                 on H1B visas in 2000
20,000
                                                             Total
                                                             Male
15,000                                                        Female
                                                          AF.AMER.
                                                          Hispanic
10,000


 5,000                                               51% population
                                                     contributes 14%
                                                     EEs
    0
    1970   1975   1980   1985   1990   1995   2000
BACHELOR’S DEGREES BY
ENGINEERING DISCIPLINE


  21289




    13348


      8812
         7985
            5779

                3331
                  1414
    % BACHELORS DEGREES AWARDED TO WOMEN
    BY DISCIPLINE 2000-2001




EE/CE    14%
MECH     14%
CIVIL    22%
CHEM     35%
INDUS    34%
AERO     21%
BIOMED   40%
PHYS     21%
NUCL     18%
ENGINEERING BACHELOR’S DEGREES AWARDED
           TO WOMEN BY SCHOOL
6832 OF 13000 BS DEGREES AWARDED BY JUST 50 SCHOOLS

1. Georgia Tech              330   26. Univ of Virginia            115
2. Univ of Michigan          309   27. Univ of Wisconsin           113
3. Penn State Univ           263   28. UCLA                        110
4. Univ. of Puerto Rico      238   29. Northwestern Univ           106
5. UC Berkeley               222   30. Univ of Colorado            105
6. Texas A&M                 218   30. Univ of Minnesota           105
7. Purdue Univ               215   32. Univ of Texas at Dallas     103
8. Univ. of Ill Urbana       211   33. NC A & T State Univ.        100
9. MIT                       207   34. Univ of Missouri, Rolla     99
10. NC State Univ            182   35. Stanford Univ               94
11. Cornell Univ             176   36. San Jose State Univ         92
12. Michigan State Univ      164   37. Univ of Pennsylvania        90
13. Univ of Texas, Austin    161   38. Arizona State Univ          88
14. Univ. of Maryland        147   39. SUNY at Stony Brook         87
15. Univ of Washington 142         39. Rutgers Univ                87
16. The Ohio State Univ      141   41. Columbia Univ               85
17. Auburn Univ              137   42. Univ of Central Florida     84
17. Univ of Florida          137   43. Louisiana State Univ        81
19. UC Davis                 136   44. Univ of Pittsburgh          79
19. Virginia Tech            136   45. Univ of Illinois, Chicago    77
21. RPI                      125   46. Case Western                76
22. UCSD                     124   47. Univ of Arizona             75
23. Michigan Techn           118   47. Carnegie Mellon Univ        75
24. Iowa State Univ          117   47. Univ of South Florida       75
25. Colo School of Mines     116   50. USC                         71
           Doctoral Degrees in Electrical Engineering


2,000
                                                   2359 computer related engineering
1,800
                                                   PhDs were admitted on H1B visas
1,600                                              in 2000
1,400
                                                       T otal
1,200                                                  US
1,000                                                  N on U S
                                                       U S Women
  800
                                                       N on U S Women
  600
  400
  200                                          13%
    0
      1
    1992   2   3   4    5
                       1996   6   7   8       10
                                          9 2001
% WOMEN FACULTY IN TENURED &
TENURE TRACK POSITIONS




                 7.3%
                    ADVANCE

   Goal:
    – Increase the representation and advancement of
      women in academic S&E careers, thereby
      contributing to the development of a more
      diverse S&E workforce

   Three Types of Awards
     – Institutional Transformation

     – Leadership

     – Fellows
          ADVANCE: Institutional Transformation Awards

Designed to change the climate and culture of an institution with
respect to of the recruitment, retention and advancement of
women in science and engineering

Five Year Awards range from $3.1M to $4.5M; average award size: $3.75 M

CURRENT AWARDEES FY01 AND FY02

  1. Institution: New Mexico St U                PI: Frehill
  2. Institution: U of Cal Irvine                PI: Bryant
  3. Institution: U of Wisconsin Madison         PI: Carnes
  4. Institution: U of PR at Humacao             PI: Ramos
  5. Institution: U of Colorado Boulder          PI: Rankin
  6. Institution: CUNY Hunter College            PI: Valian
  7. Institution: University of Michigan         PI: Stewart
  8. Institution: U of Washington                PI: Denton
  9. Institution:GA Tech Res Corp - GIT          PI: Chameau
           Doctoral Degrees in Electrical Engineering


2,000
                                                   2359 computer related engineering
1,800
                                                   PhDs were admitted on H1B visas
1,600                                              in 2000
1,400
                                                       T otal
1,200                                                  US
1,000                                                  N on U S
                                                       U S Women
  800
                                                       N on U S Women
  600
  400
  200
    0
      1
    1992   2   3   4    5
                       1996   6   7   8       10
                                          9 2001
           Merit Review Criteria

What are the Broader Impacts of the Proposed
Activity?
• Advancements of Discovery and Understanding
  While Promoting Teaching,Training and Learning
• Participation of Underrepresented Groups
• Enhancement of Infrastructure for Research and
  Education
• Dissemination of Results to Enhance Scientific and
  Technological Understanding
• Benefits to Society
                 New NSF Policy

•According to proposal guidelines:
  All proposals must explicitly address not only the
  scientific merit of the proposed research but also
  the broad impacts criterion both in the project
  summary and the body of the proposal

•Beginning October 1, 2002:
   Proposals that do not address the broad impacts criterion
   in the project summary will be returned without review
    Who will be the US Engineers for the 21st Century?


•      Changing Demographics in the US
       - largest talent pool will comprise of women,
         Hispanics and African Americans
•      Undergraduate engineering education should be
       restructured not only to recruit this new group
       but to retain them and develop them
•      Engineering needs a presence in K-12 to address
       shrinking pipeline issue
•      Supply of foreign graduate students who populate
       US Ph.D programs may shrink 20 years from now
      NSF K-16 Outreach Programs


•   NSF Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education
•   Research in Undergraduate Institutions RUI
•   Reseach Experience for Undergraduates REU
          Supplements - up to $12k to any current NSF PI on written
          request to support 2 UG students
          Sites - Look up current NSF solicitation
•   Reseach Experience for Teachers RET
          Supplements - up to $12k to any current NSF PI on written
          request to support 1 teacher for the summer
          Sites - Look up current NSF solicitation
•   Robert Noyce Scholarship (RNSP)
          To encourage talented science, technology, engineering, and
          mathematics majors and professionals to become K-12
          mathematics and science teachers
                 NSF K-16 Outreach Programs


K-12 PROGRAMS

• Math and Science Partnership Program MSP
      Unites k-12 schools, higher education institutions and other
      stakeholders in mathematics and science education.
•  Centers for Learning and Teaching (CLT)
•  Informal Science Education (ISE)
•  Instructional Materials Development (IMD)
•  Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics
  and Science Teaching (PAEMST)
• Teacher Professional Continuum (TPC)
                      Warning Signs


Among HS seniors who indicated that their intended major was
 engineering and who subsequently earned >10 credits from a 4-
 year college:
  – 54.3% of men eventually obtained engineering degrees
  – 21.3% of women obtained engineering degrees

Among the reasons engineering majors who switched to other
 majors cited for switching:
  – poor teaching (98%)
  – reasons for choice of engineering inappropriate (94%)
  – inadequate advising (81%)
  – lost interest in engineering (66%)
  – better education in other disciplines (57%)
  – curriculum overload (55%)
Thank You