Unique Extracurricular Program Recruits Women into Engineering Through Orthopaedic Biomechanics

摘要

Over the past twenty five years, the government and industry have called for heavy investment in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education and developed an impressive array of classroom and extracurricular programming designed to encourage young people to pursue STEM careers. Despite these efforts, the vast majority of college-bound high school students continue to pursue majors outside of engineering and other STEM fields. Furthermore, there are high attrition rates - some approaching 50% - for students initially entering as engineering majors with both climate and lack of context for the broader impact of the field being cited as reasons for attrition. The retention rates are even bleaker for underrepresented groups in engineering, such as women and minorities. Over 50% of women graduates with professional engineering degrees leave the field within 5 years, and, in some part, narrow job focus, lack of creativity, and minimal societal impact of the profession have been cited as deterrents for recruitment and retention of young people in the engineering. As a field, it remains essential not only to recruit the highest caliber of students but also to keep these students in the field.