Researchers at the School of Education at North Dakota State University are conducting a research study asking women in engineering schools and jobs about their experiences in the field, chiefly to learn why so many leave engineering.
Kathy B. Enger, an assistant professor, and Manjusha Saraswathiamma, a graduate student at the school in Fargo, N.D., have launched the study in an effort to explain the adaptability of female engineers in the engineering profession, which has long been identified as a male-dominated field, and one that traditionally does not draw or retain many women.
According to the Enger and Saraswathiamma, the United States will face a shortage of engineers by 2015, unless more people can be recruited into the professional workforce.
The study is called titled “Job Adaptability of Female Engineers: Fixing the Leaky Engineering Pipeline,” because women tend to drift out of the engineering field. Many women who enroll in engineering degree programs do not continue through graduation. Similarly, many women in engineering jobs leave because of various adaptability issues.
The study aims to collect information from women’s perspectives. Enger and Saraswathiamma say they plan to use the results of this study to develop a method to determine the factors that lead to adaptablity for females in the engineering workforce.
The study is being conducted through a Web site, http://tt1.opinio.net/s?s=7942. The survey will remain open until March 4.
Inquiries can be directed to kathy.enger@ndsu.edu or manjusha.saraswathiamma@ndsu.edu.
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