Framing Engineering for Women in Undergraduate Recruitment

Includes University Honors College thesis fair poster for Kristina Schmunk, 2012: "Framing Engineering for Women in Undergraduate Recruitment."Women are highly-underrepresented in undergraduate engineering majors, making up just over 15% of students in engineering and computer science at Oregon State University. High school girls' interest in pursuing engineering in college is affected by the way language frames engineering careers. The status-quo engineering frame is made up of terms that are generally unappealing to girls. Shifting the frame around engineering to better fit frames used by most women will attract more women to engineering. An improved frame should emphasize the skills used in engineering other than math and science, engineers' connections to society, and other values associated with engineering careers