Recently, we discussed the popular reasons that women tend to leave the engineering field. Across the United States, only about 19% of undergraduate degrees in engineering are awarded to women, according to data from the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE).
However, Dartmouth College just made history by granting 54% of its undergraduate engineering degrees to women, making it the first national research university to award more bachelor’s degrees in engineering to women than men.
“By thinking creatively about the content, context, and delivery of engineering education, Dartmouth has achieved a milestone,” said Norman Fortenberry, executive director of the ASEE. “Other engineering colleges must now match this achievement.”
Dartmouth typically encourages all students, even the writers and math majors, to take courses in technology and applied science. Most students will take an engineering course at some point, usually one that involves hands-on engineering design. The entry-level design courses at the college tend to spur a number of new inventions and start-ups, and then even more students — both male and female — who didn’t think they would major in engineering, according to Dartmout
“We’ve been able to attract more students, and especially women, by letting them use engineering to solve real-world challenges,” said Joseph J. Helble, Dean of Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth. “They quickly learn how their creativity and engineering skills can make a real difference.”
Here are some examples of what women engineers from the Dartmouth class of 2016 were able to accomplish:
- an ergonomic serving tray for waiters that reduces injuries and accidents e
- a battery-powered wall-mounted nicotine detector.
- innovative exercise-promoting office chair.
- device to filter and transport water, ideal for sub-Saharan environments.
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