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

该项目重点关注岩土工程界教师之间的专业网络成果，这将通过提高特别是女性岩土工程教师的保留、进步和科学合作，为国家带来更广泛的影响。 通过发展一个有凝聚力的知识社区，提供指导、新颖信息和新资源以及合作伙伴，将促进网络的改进。 通过对现有的、基本上互不相连的科学界进行干预，女教师将参加网络研讨会以及干预前后的调查，以了解她们当前的网络需求、随着时间的推移她们的网络能力的提高，以及她们的网络关系对学术合作的影响。 干预过程的目标是通过创建和维持一个推动学术界职业成功的支持性国家网络来降低岩土工程领域女性教师的孤立感。该项目将应用社交网络分析和专业发展活动来改善岩土工程教师之间的网络和协作，以弥合地理距离和连通性差距，特别是女性岩土工程教师所面临的地理距离和连通性差距。 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，促进积极的联系创建，并为美国岩土工程教师提供合作机会。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）如何在女性教师直接的职业环境中保持牢固的联系，以及（c）如何建立弱联系，以帮助她们应对她们的牢固联系无法提供所需的社会支持、协作和信息的情况。 研究成果将提高教师对网络重要性的理解，提供与全国各地同事保持协作联系的机会，并为参与者提供在网络世界中进行协作的知识和技能。 总结性评估，包括之前和之后的社会网络分析，将评估对岩土工程女教师之间关系大多较弱的现有网络进行有目的干预的有效性，并建议在女性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.