Recruiting women to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields is a national issue. Once women enter these fields, they face more hurdles and obstacles.

A group from Missouri State University recently received a grant to study and promote gender equity in STEM fields.

The grant is one of six National Science Foundation (NSF) ADVANCE Catalyst awards given this year across the nation. NSF awarded Missouri State $228,616 over the next two years.

“This is an exciting opportunity,” said Dr. Frank Einhellig, provost and principal investigator on the project. “I look forward to working with my team to develop strategies that advance gender opportunities in STEM areas at Missouri State.”

About the project

There are three main goals for this grant:

• Identify barriers that prevent women STEM faculty at Missouri State from advancing in their careers.
• Pilot equity strategies for systemic change.
• Develop a research-based and data-driven five-year equity strategic plan for STEM faculty.

Along with Einhellig, the people working on this project are:

• Melanie Carden‐Jessen, geography instructor
• Tamera Jahnke, dean of the College of Natural and Applied Sciences (CNAS)
• Theresa Odun‐Ayo, electrical engineering professor
• Jorge Rebaza, associate dean for CNAS

Learn more about the College of Natural and Applied Sciences

The team will conduct an institutional self-assessment to understand the current status of women faculty in STEM. This includes a comprehensive review of retention, promotion and tenure (RPT) policies and related procedures and practices.

According to the grant, the team will use intersectional approaches throughout the project. Gender, race and ethnicity do not exist in isolation from each other and other categories of social identity.