The Center for the Advancement of Women in Engineering
| Recruit • Retain • Advance Women in Engineering |
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Our Mission
Improve the economy by utilizing human resources to a fuller
potential through the active engagement in the recruitment, retention, and
advancement of women in engineering.
Need for CAWE
There is a shortage of engineers in this
country and the gap between available engineering jobs and the number of
engineering graduates is expected to grow. That is why there is a strong effort
by the federal as well as state governments to encourage students to pursue
STEM fields, including engineering. One way to increase the number of students
pursuing engineering is to recruit among women and girls, as women are severely
underrepresented in the engineering workforce, at a meager 14%. Research
indicates that females do not pursue engineering as a viable profession at the same
rate as males, partially because there is an identity conflict between being a
female and an engineer and because girls interpret engineering as a masculine
profession without a strong humanitarian component. Moreover, women who earn a
bachelor’s degree in engineering are more likely to leave the profession than
men. Women leave the profession during and after their college education at a
higher rate than men due to poor organizational climate including feeling
marginalized, group dynamics, a lack of a sense of belonging, and work-life
balance difficulties. In efforts to increase women’s participation in
engineering, The Center for the Advancement of Women in Engineering will
focus on the recruitment, retention, and advancement of women in engineering.
Dr. Alexandra Schönning and Civil Engineering student, Taylor Broussard interviewd on The Chat - First Coast News
Faculty
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Alexandra Schönning, Ph.D.
(University of Central Florida, Mechanical Engineering, Mechanical Systems)
Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of North Florida
Mechanical Engineering Program Coordinator
Director of the Center for the Advancement of Women in Engineering (CAWE)
Dr. Schönning is a professor of Mechanical Engineering in the School of Engineering. She joined the University of North Florida in 2003, after earning her doctorate of philosophy from the University of Central Florida in 2001. She serves as the Mechanical Engineering Program coordinator and as the faculty advisor for the UNF chapter of the Society of Women Engineers. She teaches courses in mechanical systems design and analysis including Finite Element Modeling and Analysis, Machine Design, Strength of Materials, CAD, Integrated Design and Manufacture, Dynamics, and a technical elective called Professional Issues in Engineering. She performs research in mechanical systems analysis with a focus in biomechanical applications. Dr. Schönning serves as the Director for the Center for the Advancement of Women in Engineering (CAWE). Because the classes she teachers are severely underrepresented by women, she began studying what may be the underlying cause for low female engagement in Engineering and what can be done to recruit and retain more females to Engineering. This spurred her interest to develop CAWE.
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Susan M. Perez, Ph.D.
(University of California, Riverside, Developmental Psychology)
Associate Professor of Psychology, University of North Florida
Associate Director of Research, Center for the Advancement of Women in Engineering (CAWE)
Assistant Director, Center for Applied Research in Child and Adolescent Development (CARCAD)
Susan Perez is a Developmental Psychologist in the Department of
Psychology and joined the University of North Florida in 2004, after earning
her doctorate of philosophy from the University of California, Riverside in
2004. She regularly offers courses in child and adolescent psychology, lifespan
developmental psychology and advanced child psychology and has offered a
graduate seminar in cognitive development in the social and cultural context.
Her research interests include cognitive development with a specific focus on
the development of complex skills like problem solving and planning. She is
interested in children’s opportunities to develop these skills while
interacting with more skilled others, like parents, teachers, and more skilled
peers, and in how these skills contribute to school success. Dr. Perez serves
as the Associate Director of Research for the Center for the Advancement of
Women in Engineering (CAWE). Research in the center will evaluate programs
focusing on the early recruitment of girls to engineering. The center will
engage in outreach to children in various settings to involve them in
engineering activities meant to inspire interest in and accessibility to
engineering as a long term educational and career possibility.
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Contact
