An Environmental Approach to Enhamced Retention and Recruitment of Women and Minorities in Chemistry--A Pilot Study

化学系的这一奖项支持明尼苏达大学化学系的一个课程开发项目。一个由科室成员组成的团队将参加：科室主任W.Ronald Gentry博士、玛丽安·T·斯坦科维奇博士、Susan Damme女士、Paul Barbara博士和Gary Gray博士。该系将制定一项留住女研究生的计划。他们的计划包括对学生需求的评估、发展计划和当地的推广计划。该项目的很大一部分涉及为课堂使用开发“模块”，这些模块将被分配给有兴趣将该项目适应其校园的部门。需求评估部分将在研究生学习期间继续研究影响妇女和少数群体的文化问题的程度和复杂性。将对一年级学生和研究小组成员进行调查和访谈，以找出问题领域，并确定各种学生支持手段、家庭责任和研究生学习时间对学生成功率的作用。发展方案包括职业咨询、为课堂使用的职业模块的开发、对新毕业生的指导和指导、教师发展、与专业组织的互动、为妇女和少数族裔研究生提供的旅行补助金，以及获取有关妇女和少数族裔的职业和机会的图书馆材料。研究生将参加中小学的外展活动。这是一种多方面的方法，以留住化学研究生学习中的女性和少数族裔。由于研究生教育的互动性，教育环境受到了重视。

This award in the Chemistry Division supports a curriculum development project in the Chemistry Department at the University of Minnesota. A team of department members will participate: Dr. W. Ronald Gentry, Department Chair; Dr. Marian T. Stankovich; Ms. Susan Damme; Dr. Paul Barbara; and Dr. Gary Gray. The department will develop a program for retaining women students in graduate study. Their plans include assessment of student needs, developmental programs, and local outreach programs. A significant portion of the project involves development of "modules" for classroom use, which will be destributed to departments interested in adapting the program to their campuses. The needs assessment component will continue research on the extent and complexity of cultural issues affecting women and minorities during graduate study. Surveys and interviews of first-year students and members of research groups will be carried out in order to identify problems areas and determine the role of various means of student support, family responsibilities, and length of graduate study on student success rates. Developmental programs include career counseling, development of career modules for classroom use, orientation and mentoring for new gradaute students, faculty development, interaction with professional organizations, travel grants for women and minority graduate students, and acquisition of libarary materials on careers and opportunities for women and minorities. Graduate students will be involved in outreach activities in elementary and secondary schools. This is a multifaceted approach to retaining women and minorities in graduate study in chemistry. Because of the interactive nature of graduate education, emphasis is placed on the educational environment.