Pilot Program/Travel Grant: Broadening Participation Among Underrepresented Female Students in Engineering

美国国家科学基金会（National Science Foundation）坚定地致力于扩大未被充分代表的群体对工程的参与。女性，尤其是来自不同社区的女性，在工程工作场所以及为她们在这一领域工作做准备的大学项目中所占的比例不足。为了增加有色人种女性在工程领域的代表性，该项目侧重于吸引和支持高中适龄、代表性不足的女孩从高中转到大学工程专业。虽然最初的项目范围很小，但研究人员预计该项目将发展成为一个全国性的项目，并将在女性工程师协会的10个地区和400多个部门中复制。该项目将使女性工程师协会能够与公立学校系统建立强有力的合作，以增加未被充分代表的女孩在工程领域的参与。通过以高三和四年级的高中学生为目标，研究者的目标是让未被充分代表的女孩在当地高中接触尖端的、动手的工程和技术活动，并邀请她们参加女性工程师协会的全国会议，参加动手的STEM活动，参加特别的工程信息研讨会，并与工程专业人士和其他潜在的导师联系。最后，该项目提供了大量的机会，其中代表性不足的高中女生将能够与工程导师和其他对工程感兴趣的高中女生建立联系。

The National Science Foundation has a strong commitment to broadening participation in engineering among underrepresented groups. Women, especially those from diverse communities, are underrepresented in the engineering workplace as well as collegiate programs that prepare them to work in this sector. To increase representation of women of color in engineering, this project focuses on engaging and supporting high school-aged, underrepresented girls with transitioning from high school to engineering majors at the collegiate level. While the initial program is small in scope, the investigator anticipates that the project will evolve into a national program that will be duplicated throughout Society of Women Engineers' 10 Regions and over 400 sections. The project will allow the Society of Women Engineers to build strong collaborations with public school systems to increase participation of underrepresented girls in engineering. By targeting third and fourth year high school students, the investigator aims to expose underrepresented girls to cutting-edge, hands-on engineering and technology activities at their local high schools as well as invite them to attend the Society of Women Engineers' national conference to participate in hands-on STEM activities, attend special engineering informational workshops, and connect with engineering professionals and other potential mentors. In closing, the project offers an abundance of opportunities, where underrepresented high school girls will be able to network with engineering mentors and other high school girls who are interested in engineering.