Track 4: Center for Equity and Diversity in Engineering at the University of New Orleans - Using Equity and Inclusion in the Transformation Preparation of Engineers

轨道 4：新奥尔良大学工程公平与多样性中心 - 在工程师转型准备中利用公平和包容性

• 批准号: 2222847
• 负责人: Lizette Chevalier
• 金额: $ 118.55万
• 依托单位: University of New Orleans
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-10-01 至 2025-09-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2222847&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Track; Center; Equity; Diversity; Engineering

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).The existence of barriers that prevent access to and success in educational and career pathways have manifested have challenged the global prominence of the United States in science and engineering. For students from historically-underrepresented populations, these barriers can prove overwhelming. Providing supportive pathways for historically-underrepresented students addresses both the need for a robust STEM workforce and upward social and economic mobility of students. This project will work specifically to address the need for a more diverse and inclusive engineering workforce in the New Orleans metropolitan region and Southeast Louisiana – otherwise known as “The Silicon Bayou” – by creating a Center for Equity and Diversity in Engineering at the University of New Orleans (CEDE@UNO). Aligning with the NSF Broadening Participation in Engineering Program, CEDE@UNO will foster the education and professional development of a diverse engineering talent pool at the only public urban-serving research university in Louisiana and within one of the most culturally diverse metropolitan cities in the United States. Over the course of three years, CEDE@UNO will target four specific goals: 1) increase the diversity of University of New Orleans’ engineering enrollment to more closely reflect New Orleans’ demographics; 2) increase the first-year retention rate among historically-underrepresented engineering students; 3) increase the graduation rate of historically-underrepresented engineering students; and 4) increase the percentage of engineering graduates who are women. The Center will serve all students and faculty of the Dr. Robert A. Savoie College of Engineering but will particularly focus on improving recruitment, retention, and degree completion of women and historically underrepresented engineers. The Center will accomplish its work using a phased implementation of multiple curricular and co-curricular support strategies that weave together individual, yet synergistic, activities proven to positively impact institutional and engineering student success: 1) targeted undergraduate student recruitment; 2) grades 8- 12 outreach; 3) creation of transfer pathways; 4) modification of College hiring practices; 5) summer bridge program for engineering students; 6) academic support programs, including peer tutoring, supplemental instruction, and a digital loan initiative; 7) faculty professional development focused on equity and inclusivity; 8) evolving the first-year engineering seminar; 9) providing study/lounge space for networking and support; 10) peer mentoring; 11) growth of affinity groups for underrepresented minority and female students; 12) alumni mentorship and experiential learning; and 13) engineering-focused career placement services. Collectively, these activities will enable the Center and the University’s Dr. Robert A. Savoie College of Engineering to drive the organizational, cultural, and pedagogical changes needed to achieve project goals. Tracking and comparing program data over time, along with survey and interview data evaluation, will provide a deeper understanding of how multiple, equity-minded practices support one another and facilitate greater success at an urban-serving institution and throughout a city like New Orleans. The project will also advance understanding of how a focus on the values of equity, diversity, and inclusion within these practices can transform a student’s sense of belonging in college and as a graduate. In addition to meeting the demand for a more diverse and inclusive engineering workforce in New Orleans and Southeast Louisiana, the impacts of this project include fostering and advancing the existing culture at the University of New Orleans, promoting the growth of women and historically underrepresented engineering graduates, and sharing experiences regarding successful practices with other urban-serving institutions.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该奖项全部或部分由《2021年美国救援计划法案》（公法117-2）资助。阻碍进入教育和职业道路并取得成功的障碍的存在已经显现，这对美国在科学和工程领域的全球突出地位构成了挑战。对于来自历史上代表性不足的群体的学生来说，这些障碍可能是压倒性的。为历史上代表性不足的学生提供支持性途径，既满足了对强大的STEM劳动力的需求，也满足了学生向上的社会和经济流动性。该项目将通过在新奥尔良大学（CEDE@UNO）创建一个公平和多样性工程中心，专门解决新奥尔良大都市区和路易斯安那州东南部（也被称为“硅河”）对更加多样化和包容性的工程劳动力的需求。与美国国家科学基金会扩大工程参与计划一致，CEDE@UNO将在路易斯安那州唯一的公立城市研究型大学和美国最具文化多样性的大都市之一，促进多元化工程人才库的教育和专业发展。在三年的时间里，CEDE@UNO将有四个具体目标：1)增加新奥尔良大学工程招生的多样性，以更紧密地反映新奥尔良的人口结构；2)提高历史上代表性不足的工程专业学生的第一年保留率；3)提高历史上代表性不足的工程专业学生的毕业率；4)提高女性工科毕业生的比例。该中心将为Robert A. Savoie博士工程学院的所有学生和教师提供服务，但将特别关注改善女性和历史上代表性不足的工程师的招聘、保留和学位完成情况。该中心将通过分阶段实施多种课程和课外支持策略来完成其工作，这些策略将个人和协同活动编织在一起，被证明对院校和工程专业学生的成功有积极影响：1)有针对性的本科招生；2) 8- 12年级外展；3)转移路径的创建；4)高校招聘方式的修改；5)工科学生暑期桥梁项目；6)学术支持计划，包括同伴辅导、补充指导和数字贷款计划；7)以公平和包容为重点的教师专业发展；8)改进第一年的工程研讨会；9)提供学习/休息空间，用于交流和支持；10)同侪辅导；11)为弱势少数民族和女学生建立亲和团体；12)校友指导和体验式学习；以及以工程为重点的职业安置服务。总的来说，这些活动将使中心和大学的Robert A. Savoie博士工程学院能够推动实现项目目标所需的组织、文化和教学变革。随着时间的推移，跟踪和比较项目数据，以及调查和访谈数据评估，将使人们更深入地了解多种具有公平意识的实践如何相互支持，并促进城市服务机构和整个城市（如新奥尔良）取得更大的成功。该项目还将促进对这些实践中对公平、多样性和包容性价值观的关注如何改变学生在大学和毕业后的归属感的理解。除了满足新奥尔良和路易斯安那州东南部对更加多样化和包容性的工程劳动力的需求外，该项目的影响还包括培养和推进新奥尔良大学的现有文化，促进女性和历史上代表性不足的工程毕业生的增长，并与其他城市服务机构分享成功实践的经验。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。