Mentoring Women Students in STEM Disciplines at the

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• Mentoring Women Students in STEM Disciplines at
  the
• Two-Year College
• Arminda Wey
• Mathematics Department
• Brookdale Community College
• Lincroft, New Jersey
• League of Innovations
• March 16, 2009

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• STEM Science, Technology, Engineering,
  Mathematics
• Request for Mentors
• Math - Physics
• Biology - Chemistry
• Engineering

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• Teen Talk Barbie doll was introduced by Mattel in
  1992 and came programmed with certain sayings,
  including "Math class is tough" and "Want to go
  shopping?

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2007 Girls Math Olympiadhttp//www.msri.org/speci
als/gmoheld in China
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http//www.ericdigests.org/2003-2/women.html

• Mentoring programs that help socialize students
  to SME fields are another form of support for
  women and minorities. The presence and guidance
  of peer or faculty mentors have been shown to
  positively affect retention (NSF, 1996). For
  women in the sciences, mentors help provide a
  support network that increases students'
  self-confidence and feeling of worth to the field
  (Goodman Research Group, 2002). 

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• Female students in STEM at Brookdale
• Sciences 54 of 519 students
• Engineering 8 of 191 students
• Computer Science 23 of 265 students
• Mathematics 15 of 34 students
• Total enrollment 14,642 students, 54.9 female

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http//blogs.edweek.org/edweek/eduwonkette/upload/
2008/06/nsf.jpg
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Doctorateshttp//scienceblogs.com/cognitivedaily
/2007/09/why_arent_there_more_women_in.php
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Women in Engineering, Science and TechnologyW.
E. S. T.

• Initiated in 1994 through an NSF grant
• Purpose
• Support and encourage women taking math,
  engineering, science and technology courses
• Organize peer study groups
• Provide mentoring of women students by
  appropriate faculty
• Expose students to women working in exciting STEM
  fields
• Provide information on careers, scholarships,
  grants, 4-year institutions, transfer, etc.

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• In Spring 2007, we received a Brookdale
  Innovation Grant.
• To expand activities of the existing Women in
  Engineering, Science and Technology (WEST) club
  at Brookdale, and
• To establish mentoring relationships between
  female STEM faculty and members of WEST.

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• Research
• Found no similar programs
• Sought guidance for our mentors
• Input from the Douglass Project
• at Rutgers University
• Setting objectives and goals
• Maintaining a paper trail

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Sally Ride is important to me because she
encouraged women to love science. She showed that
women can do whatever men can do. She made a
difference in my life since Im a girl and women
can do just as much as boys and men do. Also,
Sally Ride is a great role model for people who
have big dreams. Im glad women like Sally Ride
encourage girls like me to be whatever we want
to. She is my hero! Written by Sofia from USA
June 18, 1983 First American Woman in
Space Astrophysicist Sally K. Ride becomes
America's first woman astronaut,... She is active
in mentoring women in science and technology.
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• Goals of the W.E.S.T. Math Mentoring Program
• Establish 5 student faculty mentoring
  partnerships
• Engage students in college and professional
  related activities
• Retain female students in chosen discipline

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• Goals continued
• Support programs and initiatives in STEM
  disciplines
• Increase interest in STEM programs via student
  leadership and influence

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• Goals continued
• To provide students with a structured approach to
  develop meaningful relationships with College
  faculty and other program students
• To assist students in forming a more positive
  identification within the College Community

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• Goals continued
• To motivate and inspire students through moral,
  intellectual, academic, and social contact that
  will contribute to their success through
  graduation and professional development
• To promote student leadership development in the
  College Community.

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• Outcomes of first year
• 11 students had mentoring relationships first
  semester, 6 of those continued second semester,
  demand continued
• 6 Faculty mentors from Brookdale Community
  College, 2 working professionals from outside
  the college as mentors
• Membership in W.E.S.T. grew from 15 members to 43
  members
• Significantly stronger bonding between student
  members, Increased presence of students in
  faculty office areas and labs, Increased student
  involvement in College activities
• ALL students in the program were retained in
  their discipline. Three transferred to four year
  schools.

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• Q How were students chosen to participate?
• A The program was presented to the students in
  W.E.S.T. and interested students requested to
  participate.

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• Q How were faculty chosen as mentors?
• A Faculty were individually approached by the
  program director based on individual strengths
  and commitment.
• W.E.S.T. originator at Brookdale,
• Elaine Klett, with her mentee
• Sally Boyer, and
• guest speaker,
• Architect Kathleen Buchanan

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• Q How were partnership assignments made?
• A Arranged by the program director who was
  familiar with the faculty and students.
  Consideration of faculty background and student
  goals as well a personality characteristics.

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• Sample forms used

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WEST Mentoring Faculty Contract
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• W.E.S.T. Math-Mentor Program Process Evaluation
• Discussion
• Objectives and guidelines
• Successful communication with student
• Successful communication with counseling
• Complementary personalities
• Relationship with mentee
• Understanding of what to do
• Progress of mentee
• Use of resources
• Making improvements
• Meeting goals
• Appreciation
• Evaluation form was used

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Mentor Carey Fox, Biology Department Chair
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W.E.S.T. co-advisors, Cathy Holl-Cross and
Arminda Wey, with club student President Ayse
Sasmazel
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W.E.S.T. Activities October and November 2008
For information contact Faculty Advisors
Arminda Wey awey_at_brookdalecc.edu Cathy
Holl-Cross choll_at_brookdalecc.edu Club
President Jamie Ganley jganley2_at_gmail.com
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W. E. S. T. Women in Engineering,
Science and Technology The purpose of W.E.S.T. is
to support and encourage women taking math,
engineering, science and technology courses by
providing mentoring of women students by
appropriate faculty, exposure to successful women
in these fields, and providing opportunities to
obtain information on careers, scholarships,
grants, etc. Membership in W.E.S.T. is open
and free to women students and faculty.


SPRING SEMESTER 2009 Tentative
Schedule GENERAL MEETINGS MAS 229
1145 MENTORING PROGRAM February 5,
2009 General Meeting
January 29, 2009 Featured
Speaker Susan Boyce
Mentoring Program Meeting March
6, 2009 College Visit to NJIT (Friday) March 26,
2009 General Meeting May
Mentoring Program Meeting Feature
Engineering Panel March 27, 2009 College Visit
to Rutgers March 29, 2009 Open House
(Sunday) April 16, 2009 General Meeting


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Our Rutgers Trip4-18-08
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• Evaluation results from the
• January 17th
• Lets Get Acquainted Dinner
• 1. Usefulness of the Networking Session
• 100 responded with the highest rating of
  5.
• 2. Usefulness of the Panel Discussion
• 92.3 responded the highest rating of 5.
• 3. Interest in the Mentoring Program
• 84.6 responded the highest rating of 5.
• 4. Overall Conference Experience
• 92.3 responded with highest rating of
  excellent.

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Panel of Mentors and Department Representatives
speaking with female STEM students
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Students, Faculty and Learning Assistantsa
subset of W.E.S.T. and members of the Mentoring
Program
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• Changes to the 2008-09 Mentoring Program
• Training for mentors
• 3 mandatory large group meetings
• Group mentoring

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• Advancements 2008-09
• 16 students are assigned to mentors, fall2008
• 15 faculty are involved, one professional
• Student membership continues to increase, Demand
  for mentors grows
• Increased student involvement, increased
  organization activities

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October 5, 2008Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure
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• Comments from mentors on mentoring experience
• Very different than professor/student
  relationship
• Needs differ
• Time constraints are a challenge

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• October 10, 2008
• Math Skills Suffer in U.S., Study Finds
• By SARA RIMER
• The United States is failing to develop the math
  skills of both girls and boys, especially among
  those who could excel at the highest levels, a
  new study asserts, and girls who do succeed in
  the field are almost all immigrants or the
  daughters of immigrants from countries where
  mathematics is more highly valued.
• The study suggests that while many girls have
  exceptional talent in math the talent to become
  top math researchers, scientists and engineers
  they are rarely identified in the United States.
  A major reason, according to the study, is that
  American culture does not highly value talent in
  math, and so discourages girls and boys, for
  that matter from excelling in the field. The
  study will be published Friday in Notices of the
  American Mathematical Society.
• Were living in a culture that is telling girls
  you cant do math thats telling everybody that
  only Asians and nerds do math, said the studys
  lead author, Janet E. Mertz, an oncology
  professor at the University of Wisconsin, whose
  son is a winner of what is viewed as the worlds
  most-demanding math competitions. Kids in high
  school, where social interactions are really
  important, think, If Im not an Asian or a nerd,
  Id better not be on the math team. Kids are
  self selecting. For social reasons theyre not
  even trying.

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• American Geological Institute, Government Affairs
  Program
• Women in Math and Science
• The National Center for Education Statistics
  recently released a report entitled "Women in
  Mathematics and Science." The report found that
  women have made "tremendous progress" in
  education over the last few decades, but
  discrepancies in education between men and women
  still exist. Boys and girls have similar levels
  of interest and proficiency in math and science
  until age 13, when boys begin to perform better
  in science. As students progress through high
  school, the gap widens to include math men score
  better on the SAT math and science achievement
  tests as well as AP Exams. The difference between
  the sexes has shrunk over time but still exists.
  The math and science courses taken by men and
  women are similar, except men are more likely to
  take physics and women are more likely to take
  chemistry. Women who do not take math or science
  their senior year of high school are more likely
  than men to have been advised that they did not
  need the material or stated that they disliked
  the subject.
• http//www.agiweb.org/hearings/womennce.html

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Government Accountability Office Report, May
2006http//www.gao.gov/new.items/d06702t.pdf
While postsecondary enrollment has increased
over the past decade, the proportion of students
obtaining degrees in STEM fields has fallen.
..19941995 about 32 percent obtained STEM
degrees. about 27 percent in 2003-04. Despite
increases in enrollment and degree attainment by
women and minorities at the graduate level, the
number of graduate degrees conferred fell in
several STEM-related fields from 199495 to
2003-04. College and university officials and
students most often cited subpar teacher quality
and poor high school preparation as factors that
discouraged the pursuit of STEM degrees.
Suggestions to encourage more enrollment in STEM
fields include increased outreach and mentoring.
From 1994 to 2003, employment in STEM fields
increased by an estimated 23 percent, compared to
17 percent in non-STEM fields. Mathematics and
computer science showed the highest increase in
STEM-related employment, and employment in
science-related fields increased as well.
However, in certain STEM fields, including
engineering, the number of employees did not
increase significantly. Further, while the
estimated number of women, African-Americans, and
Hispanic-Americans employed in STEM fields
increased, women and minorities remained
underrepresented relative to their numbers in the
civilian labor force. Key factors affecting STEM
employment decisions include mentoring for women
and minorities
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• Thank You for joining ME today!
• Contact
• Arminda Wey awey_at_brookdalecc.edu
• 732-224-2169
• Brookdale Community College, Mathematics
  Department
• 765 Newman Springs Road
• Lincroft, NJ 07738