PGE/LCP: Gender Equity Options in Science (GEOS)

Arizona State University, Scottsdale AZ

Investigators

Abstract

Project GEOS (Gender Equity Options in Science) extends into higher education a NSF project that for six years has provided career development for math/science talented at risk girls. GEOS will follow up the participants of this project who are now in college, as well as provide guidance to young women who remain uncertain about their SMET majors. Career development workshops will be designed that encourage and mentor women in building strong career identities, in participating in leadership activities in their fields of interest, and in overcoming barriers to the attainment of their goals in math, science, engineering, and technology. GEOS involves (1) a year-long series of career development workshops (2) an overnight faculty-student retreat, and (3) a national seminar for university faculty to disseminate this project and teach gender equity strategies for SMET college women. This seminar will be offered in collaboration with the National Wakonse Fellowship for College Teaching, a consortium of universities committed to teaching improvement. Each summer, the model of career development and faculty mentoring developed at Arizona State University will be taught to 80 SMET faculty and college counselors from the eight universities attending the GEOS Wakonse Seminar. The staff, advisory board, student participants, and principle investigators will serve as trainers. Each faculty participant will develop a faculty development workshop or intervention for women based on techniques for career development and women friendly science. Reports on these projects will be collected into a summary of best practices to be disseminated among the 1,500 Wakonse Fellows online as well as available at cost to all participants.