9553439 Subramaniam This is a research and action program that: (1) assesses the field-specific policies and practices in four departments at the University of Arizona that impinge on the recruitment, retention, and advancement of women graduate students, and (2) designs, implements, and evaluates intervention strategies to foster a more inclusive graduate experience. It involves research on the culture of science in a selection of labs, engages faculty and graduate students in facilitated small-group dialogue about their differing perceptions of the graduate experience; introduces them to literature on gender and the culture of science; and works with them, and with departmental administrations to design and implement changes in policies and practices at the laboratory and departmental levels to address problems that have been identified. Participating units include the Departments of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Chemistry, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and Mathematics, and the Women in Science and Engineering Program of the Southwest Institute for Research on Women. In contrast to many other projects designed to address the recruitment, retention, and advancement of women in the sciences, mathematics, and engineering, the project focuses on changing institutions to be more responsive to women students, rather than instructing women in ways to accommodate to existing institutional policies and practices. The project will be carried out over two academic years and the intervening summer. ***
