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

该合作项目建立在国家科学基金会（NSF）支持的先前成功努力的基础上，目标是通过指导，授权，支持，促进和网络（国内和国际）来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促进妇女从事科学、技术、工程和数学职业的活动提高了妇女的兴趣，提高了妇女的保留率。 然而，妇女在科学、技术、工程和数学相关领域的代表性仍然不足，因为获得科学和工程学位的女性以及就业的女性科学家和工程师的比例低于她们在人口中的比例。 在地震工程领域，尽管自1980年代中期以来，女性的参与率确实有所增加，但该领域仍以男性为主。 这里的“学术女性”包括终身教职和终身制教师、研究人员、博士后学生和高年级研究生。这一目标将通过以下方式实现：㈠对美国的初级终身教职和研究教员进行一对一辅导，举办成功提案和论文编写讲习班，并就工程领域的妇女问题进行讨论和提出见解;（二）通过建立一个私人网站，使用独特的信息，技术（IT）能力的乔治E。小布朗地震工程模拟网络（NEES）;（iii）通过对参与者的调查评估项目的有效性，评估这一努力的成果。 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、特拉华州大学、明尼苏达大学和得克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校）的七名女教师的专业知识。 他们的综合背景涵盖了地震工程领域学术界的各个方面。 他们将得到一个由四名成员组成的咨询委员会的协助，该委员会包括初级教师指导和社区建设方面的专家。 他们的集体承诺和努力，指导他们的年轻女同事在美国各地，在地震工程研究中创建一个学术女性社区，并在接触到他们的国际女性同行将提高世界各地的女教师的职业生涯。 这种职业提升将提供必要的滋养环境，这将导致更重要的学术成就（提交建议书，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女教师的职业生涯，因此，它直接关系到一些NEES教育，推广，和培训（EOT）的目标，包括建立一个社区和劳动力发展的愿望。 在地震工程女教师的成就和知名度的增加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追求更高的学位，并最终在学术界的职业生涯。此外，它还将建立一个地震工程研究领域的国际女学者社区，以提高她们的专业生活并促进国际合作。 该项目旨在充分发挥这一代表性不足的群体的潜力，从而通过他们在预防和减轻地震灾害方面的贡献造福世界。

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.