Changing the Culture and Attitude: Supporting Women Studying Mining Engineering

Authors

  • Andrea Brickey Department of Mining Engineering and Management, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, SD
  • Kelli McCormick Department of Mining Engineering and Management, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, SD
  • Paula Jensen Department of Industrial Engineering, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, SD
  • Michael West Department of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, SD

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15273/ijge.2018.03.027

Keywords:

mining engineering, curriculum, undergraduate education, culture and attitude

Abstract

Attracting and retaining women studying STEM fields can be difficult, but even more so in very male-dominated industries such as mechanical engineering, metallurgical engineering, and mining engineering. South Dakota School of Mines and Technology is an engineering and science research university located in the state of South Dakota, United States of America.  Researchers at the university have developed a program, funded by a NSF S-STEM grant, which provides financial support, mentoring, and programmatic activities to approximately 30 female students.  In this paper, we will discuss curriculum changes, e.g., classroom environment, project-based learning, made by the program‘s mining engineering faculty.  We will also present lessons learned and ideas for future curriculum modifications.

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Published

2018-07-20