scholarly journals STEM challenge: two years of community-engaged engineering

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-82
Author(s):  
Rebecca Hite ◽  
Jessica Spott ◽  
Levi Johnson ◽  
Lane Sobehrad
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Stem Learning ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Independent School District ◽  
Design Challenge ◽  
And Gender ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Texas Tech University ◽  
Insight Into

PurposeCommunity-engaged partnerships have the ability to combine expertise and resources to enhance the local STEM learning ecosystem, by engaging the actors in communities that can enhance students' experiences in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. Texas Tech University (TTU) and Lubbock Independent School District (LISD) have partnered to coordinate an annual STEM Challenge to encourage STEM learning and interest among local middle grade students. Each summer, teams of (three to four) students from ten LISD middle schools participate in a week-long engineering design challenge, facilitated by TTU undergraduate mentors and their teachers, structured by the Engineering Design Process (EDP).Design/methodology/approachQuantitative (survey) and qualitative (open-ended responses) data from two years of student glider and hovercraft projects offer insight into how 66 students developed STEM knowledge and leveraged 21st-century skills to accomplish a shared aim (design challenge).FindingsFindings suggest growth in students' 21st-century skills, most among underrepresented (racial, ethnic and gender minority) groups. Data from year one (2018) informed year two (2019) in both programming and the research, including enhanced training for mentors and a deeper exploration of students' experiences during each stage of the EDP during the STEM challenge.Originality/valueSignificant and salient findings are discussed along with recommendations for both programmatic and methodological improvements for year three (2020). This study provides insight into how to structure similar community-engaged partnerships in enhancing the community STEM ecosystem through collaborative STEM experiences for diverse, younger learners.

Smart farming: towards a sustainable agri-food system

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Siti Fatimahwati Pehin Dato Musa ◽  
Khairul Hidayatullah Basir
Keyword(s):  
Swot Analysis ◽  
Food System ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
High Standard ◽  
Great Promise ◽  
Stem Learning ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Smart Farming ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Zero Hunger

PurposeThe objectives of this paper are firstly to investigate the relationship between smart farming and sustainable development goal (SDG) 2 i.e. zero hunger. Secondly, the paper applies SWOT analysis to better understand the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of implementing smart farming in Southeast Asia (SEA). Finally, the paper provides research and practical implications for smart farming in SEA.Design/methodology/approachThis study applies SWOT analysis to evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of smart farming in SEA in its goal to achieve zero hunger. The SWOT analysis is performed by conducting a comprehensive review of past and relevant literature on smart farming and its relationship with SDG 2. The use of SWOT analysis provides a foundation to identify the desired future position, identifies existing issues and better informs leaders and policymakers on how to resolve the weaknesses and take advantage of the opportunities available.FindingsSmart farming has shown great promise in increasing food production sustainably whilst maintaining a high standard of food safety and quality. Smart farming offers a path towards achieving SDG 2 by providing innovative ways into a more profitable, resilient and green agri-food system. It is also found that a regional approach towards ensuring food security should be taken in SEA due to the dependency of the states on one another for the supply of food and agricultural products. For smart farming to take off in the region, a stronger government initiative is needed to encourage Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) learning to equip the local workforce.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature by highlighting the role of smart farming in achieving zero hunger. This may assist policymakers to understand the implications of adopting smart farming in the region when compared to other competing trade locations. In addition, this study uses SWOT analysis to evaluate internal and external factors which may assist in formulating strategies by allowing researchers to gain insights and to think of possible solutions for existing or potential problems.

scholarly journals 4-H Engineering Design Challenge Program: Engaging Youth in STEM Learning

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Compton ◽  
Rebecca Meyer ◽  
Anne Stevenson ◽  
Somongkol Teng
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Stem Learning ◽  
University Of Minnesota ◽  
Work Skills ◽  
Engineering Design Process ◽  
Design Challenge ◽  
Successful Replication ◽  
The University ◽  
Program Components

The University of Minnesota 4-H Engineering Design Challenge program is an experiential learning opportunity in which youth work with adult volunteers to create Rube Goldberg influenced machines to address real-world issues. The program components are designed to help youth develop STEM work skills using an Engineering Design Process, increase interest in STEM content knowledge, and explore STEM career interests/aspirations. Evaluation indicates a majority of participants learn the engineering design process, principles of mechanical engineering, teamwork, public speaking, and problem solving. Programmatic outcomes and supports provide for the successful replication, adaptation, and implementation in both formal and non-formal learning environments.

NSF ADVANCE and gender equity

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 131-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessie DeAro ◽  
Sharon Bird ◽  
Shermaine Mitchell Ryan
Keyword(s):  
Gender Equity ◽  
Highly Qualified ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Sexual Orientations ◽  
The Us ◽  
Stem Workforce ◽  
And Gender ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Racial Ethnic

Purpose Supporting the advancement of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in ways that help to ensure the health, prosperity, welfare and security of the nation has been central to the mission of the US National Science Foundation (NSF) since 1950, the year Congress created the agency. Preparing a highly qualified and diverse STEM workforce plays a central role in supporting this mission. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach Over the past several decades, many positive steps have been taken throughout the US education system to help ensure a more diverse STEM workforce. Even so, women remain underrepresented among STEM faculty in higher education, especially at the upper ranks. Contributing to women’s underrepresentation are systemic obstacles to the recruitment, retention and promotion of women of different racial, ethnic, disability, sexual orientations and nationality statuses. Findings The NSF ADVANCE Program is designed to address these barriers. Success for ADVANCE is, therefore, best defined in terms of the changes made to the structures and climates of academic workplaces, rather than in numbers of women hired, retained or promoted in any one institution at a given point in time. Originality/value This introduction briefly examines the origins of ADVANCE, key transitions in the program over time, its reach nationally and internationally, and its future.

Metrics of the glass ceiling at the intersection of race and gender

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 110-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Buck Gee ◽  
Denise Peck
Keyword(s):  
San Francisco ◽  
Glass Ceiling ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
San Francisco Bay ◽  
San Francisco Bay Area ◽  
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Race And Gender ◽  
Bay Area ◽  
And Gender

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the composition of the executive pipeline in the San Francisco Bay Area technology sector and measure the effects of race and gender in management and executive representation. The authors’ report spotlights the evolving challenges for Asians, Blacks, Hispanics and minority women in climbing the professional ladder to success in San Francisco Bay Area technology companies. Design/methodology/approach The authors analyze the aggregate EEOC tech workforce 2007-2015 data and find scant progress in improving upward management mobility for minority men and women. Findings Race was a more significant factor than gender as an impediment to climbing the management ladder. Asians were the most likely to be hired but least likely to be promoted. Blacks and the Hispanics had declined in their representation of the professional workforce. Originality/value Using historical data sets from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the authors introduce a new metric, the Executive Parity Index™, to measure the effects of gender and race on executive representation in the San Francisco Bay Area workforce in technology sectors. By analyzing the intersection of race, gender in the leadership pipeline, the authors are able to uncover new and surprising insights about the glass ceiling for racial minority groups from 2007-2015.

scholarly journals The role of identity and gender in seafood cooking skills

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anders Wien ◽  
Siril Alm ◽  
Themistoklis Altintzoglou
Keyword(s):  
Survey Data ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Food Products ◽  
High Confidence ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cooking Skills ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Insight Into

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to explore whether consumers' confidence in cooking skills related to seafood differed across genders, and if such difference could be explained by the identity-relevance of seafood cooking for men.Design/methodology/approachSurvey data was collected from a balanced sample of 515 Norwegian consumers.FindingsThe results showed that men (versus women) with high confidence in their seafood cooking skills have a lower preference for convenient seafood solutions, indicating that these men may be more reluctant to use food products that could hinder the cooking outcome being attributed to their cooking skills.Originality/valueThis study adds nuance to the understanding of male consumers as highly reliant on convenience products when cooking. More specifically, this study provides novel insight into how men function differently than women in relation to preparing seafood, suggesting that some men resist using convenient seafood solutions in order to express an identity as skillful in the kitchen.

School personnel-student racial congruence and the achievement gap

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 264-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison B. Moore ◽  
Cynthia MacGregor ◽  
Jeffrey Cornelius-White
Keyword(s):  
Achievement Gap ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
School Personnel ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Independent School District ◽  
Fifth Grade Students ◽  
Racial Congruence ◽  
Science Scores ◽  
Quasi Experimental

Purpose This paper aims to examine the relationship between student achievement and racial congruence of school personnel and students to help educators and policy makers narrow the achievement gap. Design/methodology/approach This quasi-experimental, correlational study used publicly available data from 158 elementary schools in the Houston Independent School District. The authors analyzed the level of congruence of school personnel and students in relation to reading, math and science scores with the fifth-grade students. Findings Controlling for the percentage of economically disadvantaged students, separate univariate ANCOVAs on the outcome variables revealed significant effects of racial congruence levels on reading scores, F(2, 153) = 3.73, p = 0.026 and math scores, F(2, 153) = 3.977, p = 0.02. Research limitations/implications The operationalization of racial congruence had not been previously used. African-Americans and Hispanics were labeled as non-white, Asian-Americans (who do not show the achievement gap) were grouped with white students, and other minority groups were excluded. The study was a natural experiment without randomization or intervention. Practical implications Findings can be used to narrow the achievement gap by encouraging recruitment of Hispanics and African-Americans educators and influencing administrators as they decide where to place hired personnel. Originality/Value Using a much larger sample size than previous studies, this study found a factor to narrow the achievement gap.

scholarly journals Political connections and banking performance: the moderating effect of gender diversity

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 1001-1028 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catarina Proença ◽  
Mário Augusto ◽  
José Murteira
Keyword(s):  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Political Connections ◽  
Board Members ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Board Gender Diversity ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Insight Into

Purpose This study aims to investigate the role of board gender diversity in explaining the effects of board members’ political connections on banking performance in the Eurozone. Design/methodology/approach This paper analyses panel data on 83 banks supervised by the European Central Bank (ECB) for the period 2013–2017, using a generalized moment method-type estimation methodology. Findings Results suggest that when gender diversity is high, there is a U-shaped nonlinear relationship between political connections and banking performance. Empirical evidence also indicates that differentiating characteristics of women, such as greater ethical concern and risk aversion, help mitigate the negative effects of political connections on banking performance, safeguarding the institutions’ interests from the adverse effects of personal agendas. In addition, these results also suggest that a minimum of 14% of gender diversity can contribute to greater social justice and beneficial structural change. Research limitations/implications The period studied may not yet fully reflect the impact of the assessment of the board members’ suitability. Practical implications The paper contributes to the growing literature on political connections and gender diversity, providing greater insight into their role as determinants of banking performance. The study also suggests the benefits and possible limitations of the regulator’s two impositions – gender diversity quotas and members’ repute (members’ political connections). Originality/value The effect of gender diversity on the impact of board members’ political connections on banking performance has not been studied, as these relationships have not been analysed separately for banks directly supervised by the ECB.

The impact of biomedical students’ ethnicity and gender

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 254-264
Author(s):  
Christine Nittrouer ◽  
Katharine Ridgway O’Brien ◽  
Michelle Hebl ◽  
Rachel C.E. Trump-Steele ◽  
Danielle M. Gardner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Training ◽  
Biomedical Science ◽  
Archival Data ◽  
Success Rates ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Faculty Advisors ◽  
And Gender ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Ethnicity And Gender ◽  
The Impact

Purpose There has been a great deal of research published on the lower success rates of women and underrepresented (UR) students in Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics-related (STEM) occupations. For biomedical scientists in particular, many of the obstacles to success occur during graduate training and may be related, at least in part, to certain demographic characteristics (i.e. gender or ethnicity). In particular, women and UR students may be positioned disproportionately into labs with fewer resources and less productive faculty advisors. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach The present study examines the distribution of biomedical science graduate students into research laboratories, based on the gender and ethnicity of both students and faculty advisors. This is archival data that were collected via publicly available information on the internet. Findings Results indicate that female (vs male) students and UR (vs white and Asian) students are paired with advisors who are less successful (i.e. fewer publications, lower h-indices). Additionally, the data show patterns of homophily in that female (vs male) and white and Asian (vs UR) students are more likely to be paired with female and white and Asian advisors, respectively. Originality/value This research uses real-world, archival data to demonstrate that phenomena suggested in previous literature (e.g. less favorable pairings for female and UR students, homophilic pairings) occurs with this specific population.

The Subaltern Speak- A Study On The Culture Of The Arunachalis With Special Reference To Mamang Dai’s The Legends Of Pensam

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 14-20
Author(s):  
Ms. Cheryl Antonette Dumenil ◽  
Dr. Cheryl Davis
Keyword(s):  
Special Reference ◽  
Small World ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Arunachal Pradesh ◽  
North East India ◽  
North East ◽  
Shared History ◽  
History Of ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Insight Into

North- East India is an under veiled region with an awe-inspiring landscape, different groups of ethnic people, their culture and heritage. Contemporary writers from this region aspire towards a vision outside the tapered ethnic channel, and they represent a shared history. In their writings, the cultural memory is showcased, and the intensity of feeling overflows the labour of technique and craft. Mamang Dai presents a rare glimpse into the ecology, culture, life of the tribal people and history of the land of the dawn-lit mountains, Arunachal Pradesh, through her novel The Legends of Pensam. The word ‘Pensam’ in the title means ‘in-between’,  but it may also be interpreted as ‘the hidden spaces of the heart’. This is a small world where anything can happen. Being adherents of the animistic faith, the tribes here believe in co-existence with the natural world along with the presence of spirits in their forests and rivers. This paper attempts to draw an insight into the culture and gender of the Arunachalis with special reference to The Legends of Pensam by Mamang Dai.

scholarly journals 979. Disparities in PrEP uptake and adherence among cisgender women using a pharmacologic measure

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S517-S518
Author(s):  
Shane Hebel ◽  
Elijah Kahn-Woods ◽  
Casper Enghuus ◽  
Helen Koenig ◽  
Linden Lalley-Chareczko ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Hiv Infections ◽  
Urine Samples ◽  
Real World Data ◽  
Women And Gender ◽  
Gender Minority ◽  
Adherence Data ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Exposure Prophylaxis

Abstract Background HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is 99% effective at preventing new HIV infections if taken daily. To be successful, PrEP requires concurrent efforts to optimize uptake, persistence, and adherence. In 2018, cisgender (cis) women accounted for 19% of new HIV infections in the US but comprised only 7% of all PrEP users. Studies show poor PrEP adherence amongst cis women, but there is a paucity of real-world clinical data describing PrEP adherence among cis women and gender minority people. Methods An adherence test that measures the concentration of tenofovir in urine samples using a liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used to assess recent PrEP adherence at 8 clinics. Urine samples were collected during routine visits and analyzed using the LC-MS/MS assay. Test results were retrospectively paired with gender data, when available, and sex assigned at birth (SAAB) data. Adherence data were aggregated and analyzed to assess non-adherence proportions by sub-population. Results Gender data were available from 1,461 patients at 5 clinics, 1,344 (92%) of whom were cis males (Figure 1). From the 5 clinics where gender and SAAB data were available, 3,835 tests were conducted and 517 (13.5%) indicated non-adherence (Figure 2). 3 additional clinics conduct routine adherence testing and collect SAAB data (gender data not available). At these 8 clinics, SAAB data were available for 2,773 PrEP patients, totaling 5,602 urine tests (Figure 3). Among these 5,602 adherence tests, 813 (14.5%) indicated non-adherence (Figure 4). SAAB females demonstrated significantly higher non-adherence than SAAB males (22% vs 14%, p< 0.001). Across clinics, 89%-98% of PrEP patients are SAAB male (Figure 5). Within these 8 clinics, SAAB female demonstrated consistently higher non-adherence (17%-44%, vs 12%-17% for SAAB males) (Figure 6). Figures 1 and 2 Figures 3 and 4 Figures 5 and 6 Conclusion Real-world data align with nationwide trends in PrEP utilization and show that the majority of PrEP patients are cis men. When initiated on PrEP, cis women exhibit higher rates of non-adherence than cis men. These data underscore the need to collect gender-identity data to monitor PrEP disparities and suggest that greater efforts are needed to target PrEP access, utilization, and accompanying support services to cis women and gender minority groups. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

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