The finalists for the Best Diversity Paper Award presented their papers at the ASEE 2019 Annual Conference in Tampa, FL. The ASEE Best Diversity Paper Award was approved and first implemented in 2015 as part of ASEE’s Year of Action on Diversity. This award strives to enhance the visibility and sustainment of actions in support of diversity and engineering, which is empowering society in unprecedented ways.

Learn more about the Best Diversity Paper Award at https://diversity.asee.org/deicommittee/best-paper/

2019 Best Diversity Paper Winner: Realigning the Graduate Admissions Process to Increase Diversity

According to the most recent Council of Graduate School study, only 50% of PhD students enrolled in STEM disciplines complete their degree in 7 years. In this presentation, Stiner-Jones describes the need for a graduate student admissions review process that assesses applicants’ non-cognitive variables, how her department at the Ohio State University piloted this process, and the results they achieved in terms of increasing enrollment of women and under-represented minorities.

This paper is the winner of the ASEE 2019 Best Diversity Paper Award, and was presented at the 2019 ASEE Annual Conference by La’Tonia Stiner- Jones of The Ohio State University. The authors of this paper are La’Tonia Stiner-Jones and Wolfgang Windl, both of The Ohio State University.

Read the full paper at http://bit.ly/2OoB9IJ

Retention of Student Veterans in Engineering Education

Research shows that institutional agents (IAs), those who serve student veterans in various capacities, can both help and hinder the success of these students. This presentation highlights the views of institutional agents (IAs) who serve student veterans in engineering (SVEs). The results of this study seek to improve departmental and university-wide efforts to transition SVE from the military to higher education—within engineering studies and beyond.

This paper is an ASEE 2019 Best Diversity Paper Award finalist, and was presented at the 2019 ASEE Annual Conference by Catherine Mobley of Clemson University. The authors of this paper are Catherine Mobley of Clemson University, Joyce B. Main of Purdue University, Susan M. Lord of the University of San Diego, Catherine E. Brawner of Research Triangle Educational Consultants, and Michelle M. Camacho of the University of San Diego.

Read the full paper at http://bit.ly/2yp8Sqo

Investigating how Children with Autism Engage in Engineering

Although the number of children diagnosed with autism is growing rapidly, there is limited research on the aspects of engineering thinking in children with disabilities. Given the importance of participating in engineering learning opportunities from childhood and its impact on future engineering performance, engaging children with autism in appropriate engineering experiences is necessary. The main purpose of this study is to investigate how 8-to-10-year-old children with autism engage in problem scoping. The findings of this study lay the foundation for future studies on children with autism and engineering design, and how to effectively engage in them in these activities.

This paper is an ASEE 2019 Best Diversity Paper Award finalist, and was presented at the 2019 ASEE Annual Conference by Hoda Ehsan, a graduate student at Purdue University. The authors of this paper are Hoda Ehsan and Monica E. Cardella, both of Purdue University.

Read the full paper at http://bit.ly/2Mp5Tqi

Overcoming the Spatial Visualization Gender Gap in a First-Year Engineering Course

Only 12% of US engineering positions are held by females, a statistic which indicates a persistent underrepresentation of women in engineering. This presentation summarizes a study that focused on understanding the interaction between gender, spatial visualization ability, effort, and course outcomes in an engineering graphics course. With improved understanding of gender differences in engineering graphics classes, we can help identify pedagogical areas to support women, with the goal of increasing their retention in engineering programs.

This paper is an ASEE 2019 Best Diversity Paper Award finalist, and was presented at the 2019 ASEE Annual Conference by Hannah Budinoff, a graduate student at the University of California, Berkeley. The authors of this paper are Hannah Budinoff, Audrey Ford, and Sara McMains, all of the University of California, Berkeley.

Read the full paper at http://bit.ly/3188ARn

Diversity’s Impact on Engineering Students’ Career Outcomes

Motivated by a noticeable gap in undergraduate biomedical engineering students in the industry pipeline, the goal of this work was to investigate if gender and ethnic diversity have any impact on career outcomes for each of the majors studied. This work advances our understanding on the factors that drive students from this major away from industry careers.

This paper is an ASEE 2019 Best Diversity Paper Award finalist, and was presented at the 2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition by Alexis Ortiz- Rosario of The Ohio State University. The authors of this paper are Alexis Ortiz-Rosario, Amena Shermadou, David A. Delaine, and Tanya M. Nocera, all of The Ohio State University.

Read the full paper at https://bit.ly/2K8Ph3r