Connecting Efforts to Support Minorities in Engineering Education

Despite calls to increase diversity throughout the engineering education enterprise and years of efforts by and collaborations between universities, K-12 schools, and professional societies and other education- or equity-related organizations, Black or African-American individuals, American Indian or Alaska Native individuals, and Hispanic or Latine individuals of any race do not participate in engineering education and occupations at parity, defined as the same proportions as their representation in the US population.

To review current and past efforts and explore ways to progress to a more diverse engineering profession and reach parity in comparison to the US population, the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) convened a virtual 3-day workshop series on March 18, March 30, and April 20, 2022. Attendees considered existing collaborations between extramural initiatives that support engineering student success and universities seeking to recruit and retain these students in undergraduate and advanced engineering education. Participants also shared potential new approaches for enhancing coordination among the various levels of the engineering education system to reach parity. This publication summarizes the presentation and discussion of the workshop.