CU participates in program that supports women studying science

By Bill Steele

Cornell will be one of 15 universities participating in a new project to support women studying science and engineering.

Called "MentorNet," the project will use the Internet and electronic mail to connect female engineering, science and math students across the country with volunteer mentors employed in scientific and technical fields in private industry.

"While they may achieve the same academic success as their male counterparts, female students in engineering and science must struggle with a university environment still heavily dominated by men and often a gender-biased classroom environment. Some women feel very isolated," said Susan Staffin Metz, director of the Women in Engineering Programs and Advocates Network, which is spearheading the project.

The mentors will serve as role models, provide realistic views of the training and preparation necessary to be successful, and advise students about overcoming obstacles, Metz said.

Cornell is seeking 20 undergraduate women to participate this year, according to R.J. Burt, interim director of women's programs in the College of Engineering, who is local liaison for the national project. Interested students should apply directly on MentorNet's web site at http://www-engr.sjsu.edu/~mentornt/, Burt said.

Cornell has long recognized the problems faced by women in engineering and science classrooms and is working to overcome them, Burt said. "It's well-known that there are many methods of teaching and learning. This College of Engineering is adapting some of those methods to make this a more accessible place for all kinds of students," she said.

Other programs in place include tutoring for non-traditional engineering students and Academic Excellence Workshops, which encourage collaboration among students rather than competition.

MentorNet is still in a pilot phase, Burt said, and will be open to more students soon. The project's goal is to link a total of 250 female students nationwide with mentors in the first year and 5,000 by the fifth year.