Collaborative Research: Career Enhancement of Academic Women in Earthquake Engineering Research (ENHANCE)

该合作项目建立在美国国家科学基金会 (NSF) 先前支持的成功努力的基础上，目标是通过（国内和国际）指导、赋权、支持、促进和建立联系，提高学术女性在地震工程研究中的职业生涯。 联邦机构和专业协会支持的旨在促进女性科学、技术、工程和数学 (STEM) 职业发展的活动提高了女性的兴趣并提高了女性保留率。 然而，女性在 STEM 相关领域的代表性仍然不足，因为女性科学和工程学位获得者以及受雇的女性科学家和工程师的比例低于其在人口中的比例。 在地震工程领域，尽管自 20 世纪 80 年代中期以来女性参与度明显增加，但该领域仍然以男性为主。 本文中的“学术女性”一词包括终身教授和终身教授、研究人员、博士后和高级研究生。这一目标将通过（i）通过对美国初级终身教授和研究教师进行一对一指导，举办成功提案和论文准备研讨会，以及与工程领域女性问题相关的讨论和见解来实现； (ii) 利用小乔治·E·布朗地震工程模拟网络 (NEES) 独特的信息技术 (IT) 能力建立一个私人网站，为地震工程研究领域的学术女性创建一个国家和国际社区； (iii) 通过对参与者的调查来评估这项工作的成果，从而评估项目的有效性。 该奖项汇集了来自六所不同机构（德雷克塞尔大学、东北大学、斯坦福大学、特拉华大学、明尼苏达大学和德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校）的七名女性教师的专业知识。 他们的综合背景涵盖了地震工程领域学术界的各个方面。 他们将得到一个四人顾问委员会的协助，其中包括初级教师指导和社区建设方面的专家。 她们在指导美国各地的初级女同事、创建地震工程研究领域的学术女性社区以及接触国际女性同行方面做出的集体承诺和努力，将提升世界各地女性教师的职业生涯。 这一职业提升将提供必要的滋养环境，从而使地震工程研究领域的女性教师取得更重大的学术成就（提交提案、发表期刊论文和国际合作）。这项工作的重点是提高地震工程研究领域女性教师的职业生涯，因此，它与许多 NEES 教育、推广和培训 (EOT) 目标直接相关，包括建立社区和劳动力发展的愿望。 地震工程领域女教师的成就和知名度的提高将极大地影响下一代的招聘，在课堂上提供更多的榜样，并鼓励更多的本科生攻读高级学位，并最终在学术界谋求职业生涯。此外，它将创建一个由地震工程研究领域的国际女院士组成的社区，以提高她们的职业生涯并促进国际合作。 该项目旨在充分发挥这一弱势群体的潜力，为防震减灾做出贡献，造福世界。

This collaborative project builds upon previous successful efforts supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) with the goal to enhance the career of academic women in earthquake engineering research through mentoring, empowering, supporting, promoting and networking (nationally and internationally). Activities supported by federal agencies and professional societies to promote science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers to women have resulted in increased female interest and improved female retention rates. Yet, women are still underrepresented in STEM-related fields, as the percentage of female science and engineering degree recipients and of employed female scientists and engineers is smaller than their percentage of the population. In the field of earthquake engineering, even though female participation has definitely increased since the mid-1980's, the field is still predominantly male. The term "academic women" herein includes tenure and tenure-track faculty members, research faculty, postdoctoral students and senior graduate students. This goal will be achieved (i) by one-on-one mentoring of junior tenure-track and research faculty in the United States with workshops for successful proposal and paper preparation, as well as with discussions and insights related to issues of women in engineering; (ii) by creating a national and international community for academic women in earthquake engineering research through the establishment of a private website using the unique Information Technology (IT) capabilities of the George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES); and (iii) by evaluating this effort's outcomes through surveys of participants that will assess the project's effectiveness. This award brings together the expertise of seven female faculty from six diverse institutions (Drexel University, Northeastern University, Stanford University, University of Delaware, University of Minnesota, and University of Texas at Austin). Their combined background encompasses all aspects of academia in the earthquake engineering field. They will be assisted by a four-member Advisory Board that includes experts in junior faculty mentoring and in building communities. Their collective commitment and effort in mentoring their junior female colleagues across the United States, in creating a community of academic women in earthquake engineering research, and in reaching out to their international female peers will enhance the career of female faculty around the world. This career enhancement will provide the necessary nourishing environment that will lead to more significant scholarly accomplishments (submission of proposals, publication of journal papers and international collaborations) by female faculty in earthquake engineering research.This effort focuses on the enhancement of the career of female faculty in earthquake engineering research, and as such, it is directly related with a number of the NEES education, outreach, and training (EOT) objectives including the desire to build a community and workforce development. An increase in the achievements and visibility of female faculty in earthquake engineering will greatly influence the recruitment of the next generation, provide more role models in the classroom, and encourage more undergraduate students to pursue advanced degrees and, eventually, a career in academia. In addition, it will create a community of international female academicians in earthquake engineering research that will enhance their professional life and foster international collaborations. This project aims at making the full potential of this underrepresented group flourish, thus benefiting the world with their contributions in seismic disaster prevention and mitigation.