This Engineering the Future project provides scholarship support for 30 academically promising but financially disadvantaged students in four engineering technology departments: Computer Engineering Technology (CET), Computer Systems Technology (CST), Electrical and Telecommunications Engineering Technology (ETET), and Mechanical Engineering Technology (MET) at New York City College of Technology of The City University of New York. To close the significant gender gap that exists in enrollment, retention, and graduation of female students at the associate and baccalaureate degree levels, this project focuses on a matrix of enhancements and supports to meet the needs of female scholarship recipients while providing a rich array of opportunities for all scholars in the program. These include peer mentoring, tutoring, counseling, outreach, research and internship opportunities, First-Year Learning Communities, and peer-led team learning (PLTL) and laboratory-based learning. The project intends to: increase the number of female students, a severely underrepresented population in engineering technology programs at City Tech, by 25% over four years; enable 80% of the S-STEM scholars to persist in their studies to the following year; and graduate 20% more STEM recipients than the general student population. The project seeks to reduce the significant gender gap in the targeted engineering technology fields, raise the profile of successful students in engineering technology programs, and lay solid groundwork for women and underrepresented students to participate in the technical workforce.
