Collaborative Research: Connecting Women Faculty in Geotechnical Engineering - Thriving in a Networked World

该项目侧重于岩土工程界教师之间的专业网络成果，这将通过改善特别是女性岩土工程教师的留住、提升和科学合作，为国家带来更广泛的影响。通过发展一个有凝聚力的智力社区，提供对指导、新信息和新资源以及合作伙伴的访问，将促进网络的改进。通过对现有科学社区的干预，女性教员将参加网络研讨会，以及干预前后的调查，以了解她们目前的网络需求，随着时间的推移，她们网络能力的提高，以及她们的网络联系对学术合作的影响。干预进程的目标是通过创建和维持一个支持性的国家网络，推动学术界的职业成功，从而降低岩土工程女教员的孤立。该项目将应用社会网络分析和专业发展活动，改善岩土工程教员之间的网络和合作，以弥合地理距离和连接差距，特别是女性岩土工程教员面临的差距。在NSF和其他机构过去努力的基础上，该项目将创建一个网络，促进积极建立联系，并提供美国岩土工程教师之间的合作机会。对现有网络的干预结合了面对面的网络会议和虚拟网络实践，以增加合作机会。核心挑战是：(A)如何维持注意力网络，(B)如何在直接的专业环境中保持女性教员之间的牢固联系，以及(C)如何建立薄弱的联系，以便在强大的联系无法提供所需的社会支持、合作和信息的情况下帮助她们。研究成果将提高教职员工对网络重要性的理解，为维持与全国各地同事的协作联系提供机会，并为参与者提供在网络世界中进行协作的知识和技能。总结性评价包括前后的社会网络分析，将评估对岩土女教员之间关系薄弱的现有网络的有目的干预的有效性，并建议在妇女面临类似挑战的其他学科中使用有前景的做法。

This project focuses on professional networking outcomes among faculty in the geotechnical engineering community which will lead to broader impacts for the nation by improving retention, advancement and scientific collaboration of especially female geotechnical engineering faculty. Networking improvements will be facilitated by developing a cohesive intellectual community that provides access to mentoring, novel information and new resources, as well as collaboration partners. Using an intervention into the existing - largely disconnected - scientific community, female faculty will participate in networking workshops, as well as pre- and post-intervention surveys to understand their current networking needs, improvement of their networking abilities over time, and the impact their network ties have on academic collaboration. The goal of the intervention process is to lower isolation of female faculty in geotechnical engineering by creating and sustaining a supportive national network that drives career success in academia.This project will apply social network analysis and professional development activities to improve networking and collaboration among geotechnical engineering faculty in order to bridge the geographical distance and connectivity gaps faced especially by female geotechnical engineering faculty. Building on past efforts of NSF and others, the project will create a network that fosters active tie creation and provides access to collaboration opportunities among geotechnical engineering faculty in the U.S. The intervention into the existing network combines face-to-face networking meetings and virtual networking practices to increase collaboration opportunities. The core challenges are: (a) how to sustain the attention network, (b) how to maintain strong connections among female faculty in their immediate professional environments and, (c) how to create weak ties that will help them in situations where their strong ties are unable to provide the social support, collaboration and information that they need. The outcomes of the research will improve the faculty's understanding of the importance of networking, provide opportunities for sustaining collaborative connections with colleagues across the nation, and equip participants with the knowledge and skills to collaborate in a networked world. The summative evaluation, including a before and after social network analysis, will evaluate the effectiveness of the purposeful interventions into the existing network of mostly weak ties among geotechnical women faculty and recommend promising practices for use in other disciplines where women face similar challenges.