Collaborative Research: The Niela Project: A Qualitative Investigation of the Experiences of Black Women in Pursuit of Doctorates and Postdoctorates in Engineering and Computing

Niela项目：对黑人妇女在工程和计算机领域攻读博士和博士后经历的定性调查，是一项为期4年的合作研究（由加州大学欧文分校进行？的海德堡学院和工程师公平），探讨如何黑人女博士生和博士后学者成功地在他们的工程和计算机科学计划。虽然大学管理人员充分了解黑人妇女的毕业差距，但没有已知的模式或干预措施可以更好地为她们服务。因此，这项工作的目标是提高对黑人妇女的经历可能对她们的学术坚持和整体福祉产生影响的动态和因素的理解。与教师导师和其他顾问125名黑人女研究生和博士后学者在工程和计算机科学的采访将进行，沿着人口尚未被研究的定性研究从女性研究生和博士后的大背景下分开。其目的是揭示导师的理解：1）妇女的经验，2）妇女遇到的具体挑战，因为导师建议黑人女博士生和博士后学者，以及3）导师实施的关键战略，以帮助学生坚持和培养他们的福祉。该研究的其他成果包括认识到黑人女博士生和博士后学者在工程和计算机科学项目中每天面临的主要挑战;提高其学术持久性的重要途径;以及可以扩大这些学生和博士后学者在工程和计算机科学中的参与的方案变化。

The Niela Project: A Qualitative Investigation of the Experiences of Black Women in Pursuit of Doctorates and Postdoctorates in Engineering and Computing, is a 4-year collaborative research study (conducted by the University of California-Irvine?s Heidelberg College and Engineers for Equity) to explore how Black female doctoral students and postdoctoral scholars succeed in their engineering and computer science programs. Although university administrators are well informed of the graduation disparities for Black women, there are no known models or interventions in place that better serve them. Therefore, the goal of this effort is to improve the understanding of the dynamics and factors that Black women's experiences may have on their academic persistence and overall well-being. Interviews with faculty mentors and other advisors to 125 Black women graduate students and postdoctoral scholars in engineering and computer science will be conducted, along with a qualitative study of a population that has not yet been researched separately from the larger context of women graduate students and postdocs. The aim is to unveil the mentors' understanding of: 1) the women's experiences, 2) the specific challenges the women encounter as the mentors advise Black female doctoral students and postdoctoral scholars, and 3) the key strategies the mentors implemented to help the students persist and nurture their well-being. Additional outcomes of the study include an awareness of the key challenges Black female doctoral students and postdoctoral scholars in Engineering and Computer Science programs face on a daily basis; important ways to enhance their academic persistence; and programmatic changes that could broaden the participation of these students and postdoctoral scholars in Engineering and Computer Science.