| Popis: |
Achieving a successful career in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) requires not only a great education, but also extensive training and preparation with dedicated and enthusiastic mentors and role models. Unfortunately, women in these fields continue to have a low rate of career advancement, even though a similar number will obtain high-level degrees compared to their male peers. It is well known that few women occupy the higher-ranked, tenured, and tenure-track positions within academia. Research continues to search for the “answer” to why women fall out of the pipeline, but there are still no clear solutions, and most consider it a complex problem. In all job markets, career development programs have historically helped people navigate and succeed in their occupation, so it has been proposed that this might also reduce the “leaky pipeline” phenomenon in academia. In an effort to address these concerns, the Central Arizona chapter of the Association for Women in Science (AWIS), based at Arizona State University (ASU), and in collaboration with colleagues from George Washington, Gallaudet, and Ottawa Universities, have developed a program to help prepare graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and early faculty prepare for a career in STEM. The Jumpstarting STEM Careers (JSC) program tackles the problem of low career advancement by hosting a series of career development seminars and workshops which provide training, mentoring and networking opportunities. Now entering their fifth year, the Arizona team has witnessed an increased number of women advancing into higher-ranked positions within ASU, as well as the successful placement of past participants into career track positions as reported through follow-up surveys. This chapter outlines the development of the JSC program and how it has evolved into a sustainable and continuing resource that is restoring the pipeline of women into the STEM academic workforce. |
