Current Research

Undergraduate Retention and Career Outcomes Study (URCOS)

Funded by NSF, URCOS builds upon on a ten-year longitudinal study of female undergraduate science and engineering students at the University of Washington. The goal of the study is to identify career outcomes of undergraduate education in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields by collecting longitudinal data of students’ experiences beyond the bachelor’s degree. The study aims:

1. to assess the summative impact of student support programs and other programs on student career outcomes;

2. to develop a standardized methodology for evaluating student career outcomes and the relationship to participation in student support programs;

3. to pilot-test and evaluate the methodology nationally at selected institutions, to ensure generalizability across institutions, and

4. to disseminate the model methodology nationally. This unique approach will include a web-based format that can be used nationally by institutions, with a back-end database and analysis capability.

In addition to UW, two higher education institutions participate as pilot sites: the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez. These universities are representative of institutions nationwide, broadly reflect the Carnegie classification of institutions, and provide significant numbers of underrepresented students. Two of the pilot sites have well-developed WISE programs with a broad range of services; UPRM has related support services. These institutions have been selected to assure women of color are represented in the analyses.

The outcomes of this study will include:

1. A template for a user-friendly data collection method for tracking student support program participation and career outcomes,

2. A web-mediated survey instrument and data collection method which will be used by institutions nationwide and will be analyzed by CWD,

3. An Exit Survey and a Professional Survey to gather career outcomes information, and

4. The results of a pilot-test at three institutions.

back to top

Undergraduate Climate in Science and Engineering

If the climate of a department in Science and Engineering is inhospitable, it can adversely affect the retention of women and underrepresented minority students. This study seeks to better understand the climate for undergraduate engineering students at the University of Washington. To explore the academic experiences of these students, CWD created the Engineering Undergraduate Student Experience Survey.

The survey asks fifty-nine questions, most of which assess student experiences. It asks questions about the quality of faculty teaching, quality of teaching assistants, quality of lab work, academic confidence, discrimination, and organizational involvement. Nine questions relate to demographic information, so that the responses can be linked to gender, ethnicity, year in school, and citizenship status.

After assessment, the institution is encouraged to change those parts of the culture which are detrimental to all students, but especially to women and underrepresented students. The ultimate goal is to increase the diversity of the engineering talent pool.

back to top

Nanotechnology Mentoring Program & Student Tracking IGERT

The Center for Nanotechnology (CNT) at the University of Washington received a five-year Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (NSF-IGERT) award, from the National Science Foundation in 2000, to introduce an Optional PhD Program in Nanotechnology.

Building on the success of an award-winning mentoring program for graduate students and faculty, CWD partnered with CNT to create a Nanotechnology Graduate Student Mentoring Program and track student progress through the new interdisciplinary program. The partnership between the two centers has proven effective in providing students with support, monitoring their experiences in the program, and documenting the impact of the program on career outcomes.

The student tracking system created by CWD includes three questionnaires:

1. Nanotechnology Initial Interview Form (NIIF), which is administered to students upon entry to the program;

2. Nanotechnology Continuing Interview Form (NCIF), which is administered to students at the end of each year in the program; and

3. Nanotechnology Exit Interview Form (NEIF), which is administered to students shortly after graduation from the program.

The mentoring program began its pilot year during autumn quarter 2001. Graduate students affiliated with the Center for Nanotechnology (CNT) are paired with either an industry or a faculty mentor. As part of the mentoring program the mentee/mentor pairs are encouraged to attend the seminars, workshops and luncheons put on by the mentorship program to facilitate networking and professional development. Seminars developed for the program include topics such as: Entrepreneurial Development of the Nanotechnology Company, Negotiating Academic Appointment Contracts, Grant Writing, and CV/Resume Development for Nanotechnology Students. The program is evaluated annually to monitor the satisfaction of participants.

CWD will continue to expand its nanotechnology student mentoring program and longitudinal tracking for the duration of the NNIN grant period.

back to top

Social and Ethical Implications of Nanotechnology (SEIN)

The National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network (NNIN) was established in 2004 with funding from the National Science Foundation.

The project is led by Cornell and Stanford. The Center for Nanotechnology (CNT) at the University of Washington is one of the collaborators, along with Georgia Institute of Technology, Harvard University, Howard University, North Carolina State University, Pennsylvania State University, UC Santa Barbara, University of Michigan, University of Minnesota, University of New Mexico, and University of Texas at Austin.

The CWD manages four elements of the social and ethical implications (SEI) component of the NNIN grant:

1. Document and observe the development of nanotechnology as an emerging field.

   A conceptual framework will be designed for observing and documenting the growth and changes in the nanotechnology workforce; the maturity of the interdisciplinary, multi-site collaboration; the advances resulting from the research; and the impact on student career outcomes.

   Following the development of the conceptual framework, baseline data will be collected on the factors and variables that will be documented throughout the 5-year grant. Data gathering will involve both quantitative and qualitative measures, including observations, questionnaires, interviews, and focus groups.

2. Conduct two qualitative studies to assess the patterns of communication in the multidisciplinary research and computer-based teams. Examine communication between users of the CNT user facility and among the societal and ethical implications (SEI) research team, with a specific interest in frequency, type of communication (phone, email, etc.), follow-through, and perceived satisfaction of the participants.

   Other areas of examination will include: diversity dynamics, conflict resolution, leadership styles and roles, changing roles as different tasks are pursued, change in relationships, and frequency of contact and interactions over time. Data gathering methods will include primarily qualitative measures, including observations, questionnaires, interviews, and correspondence among team members.

3. Conduct an ethnography of communication to identify the various discourses about social and ethical implications of nanotechnology and nanoscience (SEIN). In so doing, provide a taxonomy that enables researchers from different disciplinary backgrounds to engage with each other, as well as with the media and the public at large, in meaningful discussion about nanotechnology and nanoscience.

   Drawing upon literature in intercultural communication, this study will identify what issues related to SEIN are considered significant within different discourse communities (e.g., nanoscientists, social scientists, ethicists, popular media, the public at large, etc.), describe how these issues are talked about (e.g., what imagery or metaphors are used to discuss SEIN), and suggest ways in which the various discourses might be used to promote collaboration among the discourse communities (e.g., an interdisciplinary research team).

4. Analyze how nanoscientists and nanotechnologists perceive the field's applications and implications for public health. This includes risk assessment, the role of and need for regulation, and the potential for nanoscience discoveries to improve public health.

   This study will identify potential issues of concern and encourage cross-disciplinary teams and the public to engage in a dialogue about nanoscience and nanotechnology promises and fears.

Data for this project is available at UW Nanotech User Facility website.

back to top