Two five-year grants from the National Science Foundation aim to increase the participation of women and underrepresented minorities in science, technology, engineering and math disciplines, or STEM, at Oregon State University.
Through a program known as ADVANCE, OSU will recruit and promote women in STEM fields and implement policies to address needs across race, sexual identity, social and class differences. Women have historically been underrepresented in the STEM fields in academia. In 2012, 23 percent of Oregon State’s STEM faculty, including faculty in the social and behavioral sciences, were women.
Efforts to help minority students succeed in STEM fields will focus on the colleges of science, engineering and agricultural sciences. The OSU program will use proven methods such as peer mentoring, small cohort-based orientation classes and workshops given by upper-division STEM students.
