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：黑人女性在工程和计算机领域攻读博士和博士后的经历的定性调查，是一项为期4年的合作研究(由加州大学欧文分校(University of California-Irvine？以探索黑人女博士生和博士后学者如何在工程和计算机科学项目上取得成功。虽然大学管理人员很清楚黑人女性的毕业差距，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女性的经历可能对其学业坚持和整体福祉产生影响的动态和因素的理解。将对125名工程和计算机科学领域的黑人女性研究生和博士后学者的教师导师和其他顾问进行访谈，同时对尚未从女性研究生和博士后的更大背景下单独研究的人群进行定性研究。目的是揭示导师对以下方面的理解：1)女性的经历；2)女性在导师为黑人女博士生和博士后学者提供建议时遇到的具体挑战；3)导师为帮助学生坚持和培养她们的幸福而实施的关键策略。这项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；提高学生学业坚持力的重要途径；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领域参与的项目改革。

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.