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Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering

Published 6 issues per year

ISSN Print: 1072-8325

ISSN Online: 1940-431X

SJR: 0.514 SNIP: 0.875 CiteScore™:: 2.4 H-Index: 27

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PROMOTING FACULTY CAREERS AT PREDOMINANTLY UNDERGRADUATE INSTITUTIONS TO FEMALE POSTDOCTORAL SCHOLARS THROUGH A VISITING SEMINAR PROGRAM

Volume 27, Issue 3, 2021, pp. 61-78
DOI: 10.1615/JWomenMinorScienEng.2021033612
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ABSTRACT

Postdoctoral women in science and engineering may be isolated and lack networking opportunities that graduate students and faculty find through courses and committees. In addition, science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) departments at predominantly undergraduate institutions (PUIs) need female applicants for their tenure-track positions. Utilizing an NSF ADVANCE-PAID grant, the University of Wisconsin System Women and Science Program recruited female postdocs in science and engineering to give seminars at PUIs. Our goal was to broaden postdocs' career interest in and knowledge of academic positions at PUIs while building job market skills and self-efficacy. Seventy-four diverse scholars participated in the program across six years. The women completed online questionnaires prior to and one year after their participation. Postdocs described increased career readiness as a result of the program. Networking with PUI faculty and receiving feedback on research talks was listed as most helpful, with the majority reporting clarified career goals and greater knowledge of PUI careers following the program. Host departments noted benefits to undergraduates as they were exposed to more diverse role models and cutting-edge research in their field. More than half of the postdocs on the job market a year later applied to a PUI (and 88% of those who applied to a tenure-track academic position submitted at least one application to a PUI). At the time of this paper, fifty (68%) of the postdocs were in a full-time permanent position (seven at a PUI).

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CITED BY
  1. Colclasure Blake C., Marlier AnnMarie, Durham Mary F., Brooks Tessa Durham, Kerr Mekenzie, Identified Challenges from Faculty Teaching at Predominantly Undergraduate Institutions after Abrupt Transition to Emergency Remote Teaching during the COVID-19 Pandemic, Education Sciences, 11, 9, 2021. Crossref

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