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Seeking Solutions: Maximizing American Talent by Advancing Women of Color in Academia: Summary of a Conference (2013)

Chapter: Appendix E-5: American Indian Science and Engineering Society Written Testimony

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Suggested Citation:"Appendix E-5: American Indian Science and Engineering Society Written Testimony." National Research Council. 2013. Seeking Solutions: Maximizing American Talent by Advancing Women of Color in Academia: Summary of a Conference. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18556.
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Appendix E-5


American Indian Science and Engineering Society Written Testimony


Otakuye Conroy-Ben16

My name is Otakuye Conroy-Ben, and I’m an Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Utah and an Officer of the Board of Directors for the American Indian Science & Engineering Society. I am from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, and may be one of the only American Indian female tenure-track engineering faculty in the country. I received a BS in Chemistry from the University of Notre Dame, and an MA in Chemistry, an MS in Environmental Engineering, and a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Arizona.

Female STEM faculty and faculty of color are severely lacking at institutions of higher education across the country. While an undergraduate at the University of Notre Dame I did not encounter a single female or minority faculty member in my science curriculum. During my Ph.D. engineering program, there were no female faculty members in Environmental Engineering, but there was one Hispanic male professor. It wasn’t until I ventured to the Chemistry department when I found two female professors in the Analytical division. Needless to say, I was successful academically without the presence of a female or minority professor, however working with one would have made the path to success easier.

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Utah is making efforts to diversify its faculty, much to the credit of our departing Chair, Dr. Paul Tikalsky. Of the 17 tenured and tenure-track faculty, two are Hispanic males, one is American Indian (myself), and there are four Caucasian women. I believe our department is the most diverse in the College of Engineering, and our students understand and appreciate this aspect.

The number of American Indian STEM faculty at mainstream institutions across the country is scarce. Presently, there are three American Indian male engineering faculty, located at UC Davis, Colorado School of Mines, and the University of Idaho. There are more (~20) American Indian science faculty across the country. At the University of Arizona, the Provost and Dean of Engineering have developed an initiative to make the University the top institution for American Indian STEM research. They believe academic success for our student population begins with the recruitment of American Indian STEM faculty, and have invested financially in this endeavor.

I encourage the National Academy of Sciences to pursue programs to support faculty development for women and people of color. It is true that often times the female faculty member is the only diverse individual at the decision table. This has been the case in several instances when I sat on panels at the National Science Foundation and the Environmental Protection Agency. In order to bring additional perspectives to the decision-making table at the

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16 Otakuye Conroy-Ben, Ph.D., PE, Secretary, Board of Directors, American Indian Science and Engineering Society; and Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Utah.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix E-5: American Indian Science and Engineering Society Written Testimony." National Research Council. 2013. Seeking Solutions: Maximizing American Talent by Advancing Women of Color in Academia: Summary of a Conference. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18556.
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National level, more women and minorities need to be prepared to enter to and succeed in academia.

 

Suggested Citation:"Appendix E-5: American Indian Science and Engineering Society Written Testimony." National Research Council. 2013. Seeking Solutions: Maximizing American Talent by Advancing Women of Color in Academia: Summary of a Conference. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18556.
×
Page 168
Suggested Citation:"Appendix E-5: American Indian Science and Engineering Society Written Testimony." National Research Council. 2013. Seeking Solutions: Maximizing American Talent by Advancing Women of Color in Academia: Summary of a Conference. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18556.
×
Page 169
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Seeking Solutions: Maximizing American Talent by Advancing Women of Color in Academia is the summary of a 2013 conference convened by the Committee on Women in Science, Engineering and Medicine of the National Research Council to discuss the current status of women of color in academia and explore the challenges and successful initiatives for creating the institutional changes required to increase representation of women of color at all levels of the academic workforce. While the number of women, including minority women, pursuing higher education in science, engineering and medicine has grown, the number of minority women faculty in all institutions of higher education has remained small and has grown less rapidly than the numbers of nonminority women or minority men.

Seeking Solutions reviews the existing research on education and academic career patterns for minority women in science, engineering, and medicine to enhance understanding of the barriers and challenges to the full participation of all minority women in STEM disciplines and academic careers. Additionally, this report identifies reliable and credible data source and data gaps, as well as key aspects of exemplary policies and programs that are effective in enhancing minority women's participation in faculty ranks. Success in academia is predicated on many factors and is not solely a function of talent. Seeking Solutions elucidates those other factors and highlights ways that institutions and the individuals working there can take action to create institutional cultures hospitable to people of any gender, race, and ethnicity.

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