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"The Women's Mentor Program has given me the opportunity to mentor four of the most amazing women I've had the pleasure to meet. They all bring something unique to my WMP family and they always keep me busy with one thing or another. They've taught me how to be an older sister, a teacher, and a mother all rolled up in one, and I can't begin to tell them how much I love them all. WMP connected me to four nuclear engineering underclassmen that I probably never would have met and now can't imagine my Rensselaer experience without." -- Kelly Gatslick '16, Nuclear Engineering
William Wulf, former President of the National Academy of Engineering, argued that without the diversity of life experiences for those who practice engineering, our society loses an “opportunity cost” in products not built, designs not considered, constraints not understood, and in processes not invented. This argument is true not only for engineering but for any STEAM field where a specific population is underrepresented. Successful role models are important to inspire females seeking degrees and careers in fields where they’re underrepresented.
If you are one of the many who believe that diversity is important to innovation and that women’s leadership is important to our national growth, please support the Women’s Speakers Series for the Women’s Mentor Program and Design Your Future Day, which inspires high school sophomores and juniors interested in math and science to pursue a future career in STEAM.
Of the 479 accredited engineering B.S. programs in the U.S., the American Society of Engineering Educators ranks Rensselaer number 23 in awarding the most bachelor’s degrees in engineering to women. In 2014, 26.8 percent of all B.S. degrees in engineering went to women, compared to 19.5 percent nationally, and at Rensselaer, 29.9 percent of all bachelor’s degrees were awarded to women.
We are making great progress at Rensselaer in attracting, retaining, and graduating women but as the saying goes, “it takes a village” to realize these results.
Won’t you help us to attract and graduate even more women? You can! Please support the Women at Rensselaer Mentor Program Speaker Series and Design Your Future Day by making a donation today!
The Women at Rensselaer Mentor Program was launched in 1992 to provide a community for women in engineering, and since then has grown to serve more then 600 women annually across all majors at Rensselaer. First-year women are invited to be matched with a peer mentor in the same major with similar personal interests, and a student-led Board develops monthly social and professional development programming to provide networking with other students and professionals in STEAM fields.
Design Your Future Day was launched in 1995 and has served tens of thousands of high school women who wanted to better understand what STEAM occupations were available to them. The program serves 300 students annually, and includes an inspiring keynote by an alumna, two hands-on workshops, and engagement with more than 100+ Rensselaer undergraduates and alumnae. A parallel program for parents provides information about Admissions, Financial Aid, Student Life and Academic programming and the cultural climate for women at Rensselaer.
For more information, please visit the Women's Mentor Program website.
