Connecting Efforts to
Support Minorities in
Engineering Education

______

Komal Syed, Elizabeth T. Cady, and
Cameron H. Fletcher, Rapporteurs

Program Office

National Academy of Engineering

Proceedings of a Workshop

NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001

This activity was supported by a contract between the National Academy of Sciences and Alfred P. Sloan Foundation (Grant G-2021-17071). Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or agency that provided support for the project.

International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-71013-8
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-71013-8
Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/27238

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Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2023. Connecting Efforts to Support Minorities in Engineering Education: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/27238.

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WORKSHOP ON CONNECTING EFFORTS TO SUPPORT MINORITIES IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION PLANNING COMMITTEE

GARY S. MAY (Cochair), Chancellor, University of California, Davis

ERIC DUCHARME (Cochair), Chief Engineer, General Electric Aviation (retired)

SHAYNA BEGAY, Principal Member of Technical Staff, Sandia National Laboratories

ISABEL CARDENAS-NAVIA, Senior Director of Research, Workcred

GABRIEL NAJERA, President, Najera Consulting Group, Inc.

PAMELA HOLLAND OBIOMON, Dean, Roy G. Perry College of Engineering, Prairie View A&M University

PERCY A. PIERRE, Adjunct Professor and Glenn L. Martin Endowed Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park

ADRIENNE Y. SMITH, Dean of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, Holyoke Community College

Staff

ELIZABETH T. CADY, Senior Program Officer

CAMERON H. FLETCHER, Senior Editor (until May, 2023)

SHANICE JACKSON, Senior Program Assistant (until January, 2023)

KOMAL SYED, Associate Program Officer (until September, 2022)

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Reviewers

This Proceedings of a Workshop was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in making each published proceedings as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets the institutional standards for quality, objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the process.

We thank the following individuals for their review of this proceedings:

Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the content of the proceedings nor did they see the final draft before its release. The review of this proceedings was overseen by Joseph Krajcik, Michigan State University. He was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this proceedings was carried out in accordance with standards of the National Academies and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content rests entirely with the rapporteurs and the National Academies.

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Contents

Acronyms and Abbreviations

1 Introduction

CONDUCT OF THE WORKSHOP

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS

2 Transitions, Pathways, and Leverage Points for Engineers of Color

DISCUSSION

3 Sponsors of Programs for Minority Engineers

DISCUSSION

4 Roadmap of Existing Programs Supporting Students of Color in Engineering Pathways

DISCUSSION

5 Focus on K-16 Education and Transitions

DISCUSSION

6 Focus on Undergraduate to Graduate Education and Beyond

DISCUSSION

7 Data Collection and Sharing: Technical, Legal, and Policy Issues

DISCUSSION

8 Collaborations Between Minority-Serving Institutions and Predominantly White Institutions

DISCUSSION

9 Concluding Remarks

REFERENCES

Appendix A Workshop Agenda

Appendix B Biographic Sketches of Workshop Speakers

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Figures and Table

FIGURES

2-1 Contributing factors to differences in college preparation

2-2 Individual, institutional, and structural racial inequities

3-1 Funders and influencers of DEI in STEM higher education pathways

4-1 Engineering workforce by gender and race

TABLE

1-1 Percentage of Engineering Degrees Compared to US Population

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Acronyms and Abbreviations