CAREER: INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL CAPITAL ON UNDERREPRESENTED ENGINEERING STUDENTS' ACADEMIC AND CAREER DECISIONS

摘要

The United States faces an urgent need to increase the number and diversity of engineering students at the undergraduate level, and ultimately, in graduate studies and the workforce. Despite significant efforts over the last few decades to increase participation of under-represented groups in engineering, progress has been disturbingly slow. The time has come to reconceptualize our theoretical approach to diversifying the field of engineering. This project significantly advances fundamental knowledge of social interactions that influence under-represented students' decisions to enter and persist in engineering.