Offsetting gender bias in engineering: Gender equity Internet Controlled Fish Farm curriculum activity

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to suggest ideas that may balance gender bias in engineering fields, and how to address a nationwide problem in the U.S. industrial competitiveness with regards to female participation. The Census Bureau estimates that 50.9 percent of the population in the U.S. is female, while only 11 percent of them are engaged in the engineering workforce [40]. The National Science Foundation (NSF) reports that, overall, women earn bachelor degrees in fields other than science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Existing research suggests that the reason may be connected to the notion that engineering is a man's domain, while women are generally interested in environmental issues. In addition, research indicates a trend where women are more likely to occupy a larger percentage of the workforce in environmental issues such as bioengineering. This proposed activity implements an Internet-Controlled Integrated Fish Farm Environmental curriculum activity to encourage female participation and combine engineering core concepts. The study involves a project to raise fish indoors while maintaining a garden-type environment through integrated sustainable systems. Through this activity, female students can participate in water quality research, applying fundamental concepts of chemical engineering. In addition, the students manipulate the water recycling system and apply concepts of motion and flow stability related to mechanical engineering. Also, they become familiar with concepts of digital sensors related to electrical and computer engineering. Through the fish farm curriculum activity, students will have opportunity to: (1) work to implement the integrated sustainable systems to apply concepts and principles of networking; (2) be exposed to diverse concepts, principles, and fundamentals associated with different fields of engineering; (3) discover and expand their knowledge about the various fields including mechanical, computer, and chemical engineering; (4) connect their interest in environmental issues with different types of engineering concepts; and (5) identify that these integrated sustainable systems are crucial for the survival of the fishes of an Internet-Controlled Integrated Fish Farm Environmental curriculum activity. The intention of this project is to determine if female students will be likely to pursue an engineering career and thereby increase the percentage of female participation in the field of engineering in the U.S. © 2012 American Society for Engineering Education.