Women in engineering and science are most noticeable by their absence.

Over the years, many different task forces have voiced concern about the number of women faculty members in engineering and science. Those voices began to be heard through the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) coalition, which challenged major research universities in the Midwest to develop action plans. At the University of Illinois, campus administration responded with a $100,000, three-year start-up grant, and the College of Engineering took the lead with a plan for the Women in Engineering (WIE) Program. Although the program is limited to engineering at this time, it offers some services for women in sciences as well.

Established in 1995, WIE is charged with increasing the number of women enrolling in the College of Engineering as well as providing services to support women working to complete undergraduate and graduate studies. The program evolved under the direction of Susan A. Linnemeyer, who this year was named Director of Special Programs. Environmental engineer Susan Larson was named visiting director and joins a staff that includes program coordinator Aimee Rickman, a secretary, and a small number of women students from the College of Engineering.

A major focus of WIE at the U of I and similar programs across the nation is on outreach to young girls. Although a dramatic increase in the number of women interested in engineering occurred in the 1970s, the number of young women applying to colleges of engineering has remained flat (at approximately 20%) in the past few years. Universities are realizing that the number of promising female students in the science, engineering, and mathematics pipeline must be increased. Programs to accomplish this goal are being initiated in elementary schools.

One way WIE works with school children is through a week-long summer camp designed to help seventh and eighth grade girls discover the fun of math, engineering, and science--just as they are beginning to make important decisions about courses and becoming aware of career choices. Called GAMES (Girls’ Adventures in Mathematics, Engineering, and Science Summer Camp), the camp focused initially on structures, but it proved so successful that WIE added a camp on computers.

Another important outreach program is Engineering Advocates (run through the Office of Special Programs), which sends U of I engineering students to schools around the state and beyond. They carry the message that engineering is the "liberal arts education of the 21st century." These and other outreach efforts not only showcase engineering as a profession, but also provide proof that engineering is a career for women.

"Role models are very important. Most young students say the first time they see a woman engineer is when our engineering students visit their schools, and they’re amazed to see that engineers come in all shapes and interests–that anyone can be an engineer," Linnemeyer said. "We’ve heard that some students have chosen engineering at the U of I after hearing an Engineering Advocate. We really need to have these role models for students as early as grades three and four to show more positive role models for women earlier."

Role models continue to be important once women get to campus, she added. The Office of Special Programs coordinates a class on mentoring, which consists of both formal and informal meetings. Incoming freshmen are matched with upperclasswomen, who are matched with graduate women, who are matched with faculty women. Interactions among these women can be pivotal.

"We hear comments from women who say they wouldn’t have stayed in engineering without their mentor. We’ve found that mentors get as much from it as the mentees, too," Linnemeyer said. "One student reported, ‘The ability to mentor first-year students, giving them encouragement and academic advice, gave me the strength I needed to continue, and having a faculty mentor gave me the encouragement to not give up!’"

WIE also supports women engineering students with scholarships, seminars, workshops, and activities designed to help them be successful. Early on, the WIE staff assumed a clearinghouse role to help women be more informed about services and opportunities. Using an electronic newsletter, a newsgroup, a website, and networking, WIE distributes information and announcements. The newsletter has been important for creating a sense of community among women students.

"At times, we have had more corporate scholarships available than we had women apply for them. We want to put opportunities out there and encourage women students to be more involved," Linnemeyer said.

Improving Engineering for All Students

Recently, Susan Larson was named visiting assistant dean and director of WIE. She joined the university as a faculty member in Civil and Environmental Engineering in 1988, and her teaching and research brought her in close contact with students.

"There was a time when I didn’t feel women needed anything special--just let them in," Larson said. "Now, I see that we have to do more than open the door. We have to recruit students and provide them an educational experience that they can enjoy and that makes them want to stay.

"My sense is that if we make the College of Engineering better for women students, we’ll make it better for all students," she added.

A long-term vision for WIE is to establish a connection with departments to provide services and assistance with recruiting as well as with curriculum and teaching issues that affect the classroom experience for students. New strategies could help faculty to better understand and address differences in male and female students’ learning styles. For instance, male students may be more likely to attribute a negative classroom experience to factors other than themselves and "stick it out," while female students tend to blame themselves to the point of "questioning their own ability, interest, and dedication," Larson said.

"I think WIE could help faculty bring to the classroom some of the current research on not only what makes good teaching, but also how teaching can encourage women and minorities to continue their education," she said.

Motivation cannot be overlooked as a factor for why so many women who qualify for the engineering program choose to leave after their freshman and sophomore years, Larson added.

"If you ask male engineers why they became engineers, many will say, ‘because I like math and science.’ But many women aren’t happy with that limitation. They want to help people; they want to be in the community; they want to contribute to the community," she said, "and engineering does that. Engineering can be a very fulfilling career for women who want to make a difference, but that hasn’t been how we’ve talked about engineering. We have to let these women see that engineering is an interesting, vibrant, satisfying career, and we have to help them get the fundamentals and academics that they need to enter the profession."

Other long-term goals for WIE are to expand and strengthen outreach, including more direct contact with high school teachers to ensure that young women see engineering as a career option. In addition, WIE will develop more "survival skills" programs for women in the engineering program. Larson also would like to see WIE work more closely with the Minority Engineering Program and student organizations, especially the student’s Society for Women in Engineering.

As WIE evolves, she said, the focus will continue to be recruitment and retention: encouraging more women to consider engineering and once in the program, to finish their degrees.

"People don’t realize what a wonderful place this is to get an education. Students are taught by people who are foremost in their fields and have a history of making significant contributions--and students can be a part of that. They’re very bright and energetic, and they really participate in making their education more than just their classes, which makes this a special environment.

"Students shouldn’t be afraid of this ‘big school,’" Larson added. "Yes, engineering is a challenging curriculum, but it’s rewarding and they’re going to love it. They’ll have an engineering community and a department community, and they’ll get to know the faculty and other students within those small communities, so it’s like a smaller school--but with the facilities and resources you can’t get at a smaller school.

"I would like women students to feel that the WIE office is a place they can come to for support and activities and as a home--a community for them."