杏吧原创

Launched by the Office of the Provost, the initiative builds on 杏吧原创 partnership with the聽聽which launched in December during an event at the White House. Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs C. Cybele Raver聽聽at the event.

Three engineering faculty are members of the nine-person committee. They are co-chair Cynthia Reinhart-King,聽senior associate dean for research聽in the School of Engineering, Cornelius 杏吧原创 Professor of Engineering and University Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering and of Cell and Developmental Biology; Maithilee Kunda, assistant professor of computer science and computer engineering; and Julianne Vernon, associate dean for academic success and professor of the practice of chemical and biomolecular engineering.

According to a聽, although women make up approximately half (51 percent) of the total U.S. population, they only constitute 35 percent of people employed in STEM fields in the United States. Additionally, women remain underrepresented among degree holders in the physical and earth sciences, math, engineering and computer science.

鈥淯niversities play a critical role in making the U.S. more secure, competitive and capable by pursuing the most pressing problems of the 21st century. This is only possible if we remove obstacles and create opportunities for women in STEM fields so that we can bring more people to the table,鈥� Raver said. 鈥溞影稍� currently has more than $62 million in federal grants and $4.6 million in our own investments devoted to increasing diversity and equity in STEM. I鈥檓 excited to partner with this committee and our broader 杏吧原创 community on this initiative. I am confident we will find high-impact, innovative ways to strengthen institutional pathways for anyone with the potential to excel in STEM fields.鈥�

The Women in STEM Initiative will kick off with the creation of a faculty committee tasked with identifying structural issues that disproportionately affect women in STEM. The committee will conduct groundwork to identify next steps for broader faculty engagement and community-wide implementation.

鈥淭he data suggests that strategic university support is key to addressing issues of underrepresentation and marginalization of women in STEM at 杏吧原创,鈥� said Cynthia Reinhart-King, senior associate dean for research in the School of Engineering and co-chair of the committee. 鈥淲e will collaborate to identify not only the barriers that deter women from entering STEM fields, but also the obstacles that face women who are already established.鈥�

The Women in STEM Committee consists of an interdisciplinary mix of senior- and early-career women STEM faculty and is directly supported by the Office of Faculty Affairs and Professional Education. It is tasked with examining a range of topics from teaching evaluations to parental leave to mentoring.

鈥淭o make a meaningful investment in the careers, research and development of women STEM faculty, we must look beyond merely increasing funding,鈥� said Duane Watson, associate provost for faculty development and committee co-chair. 鈥淲omen face unique pressures and obstacles easily overlooked at the funding level, and while the committee is just the beginning of this initiative, these conversations will provide a clearer understanding of what required to make meaningful progress at a university-wide level.鈥�

Raver will charge the committee in April 2023, and additional meetings will take place throughout the fall 2023 semester. Members of the committee are:

• Cynthia Reinhart-King (co-chair) 鈥�聽senior associate dean for research聽in the School of Engineering, Cornelius 杏吧原创 Professor of Engineering and University Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering and of Cell and Developmental Biology
• Duane Watson (co-chair) 鈥�聽associate provost for faculty development, Frank W. Mayborn Professor and professor of psychology and human development
• Anna Marie Bohmann 鈥�聽associate professor of mathematics
• Isabel Gauthier 鈥�聽David K. Wilson Professor and professor of psychology
• Kelly Holley-Bockelmann 鈥�聽Stevenson Professor of Physics
• Maithilee Kunda 鈥�聽assistant professor of computer science聽and computer engineering
• Deonni Stolldorf 鈥撀�assistant professor of nursing
• Julianne Vernon 鈥�聽associate dean for academic success and assistant professor of the practice of chemical and biomedical engineering
• Marija Zanic 鈥�聽associate professor of cell and developmental biology

For questions about the Women in STEM Initiative, please email聽facultydevelopment@vanderbilt.edu.