1995 Program Evaluation of the Women
in Science Project at Dartmouth College
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This section offers some recommendations for the WISP program
that stem from the evaluation. It contains two sections--recommendations
that are closely aligned with the existing structure of WISP and
recommendations that call for new dimensions or programs. It is
also organized by program, first addressing non-internship programs
then focusing on recommendations that are
internship-related.
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1) Peer mentoring
This year, some interns expressed frustration with the peer mentoring
program because they never met their mentor--she was too busy
or never returned their calls; consequently, they rated the experience
poorly. Yet it remains a popular program with potential; many
freshwoman expressed an intent to stay involved in WISP by serving
as a peer mentor. The WISP Office should more actively facilitate
the initial contact between mentor and mentee. A WISP-sponsored
study break where freshwomen meet their mentors for the first
time is one option. Mentors also need a more forthright description
of the responsibilities that accompany acceptance of a mentor
role.
2) Career counseling
Science students in all years of college want more information
pertaining to careers. In general, science students associate
two careers with a science major--medicine and laboratory research.
Lack of knowledge about other options for a science major (such
as business, law, industry, education, public policy, journalism)
frustrates some majors and might deter others from continuing
in science (for example, women who have decided against a career
in the two "traditional" fields). Dartmouth's career
office may provide relevant resources, but science students either
are not aware of them, or do not use them. The frequency of requests
for career counseling and its relationship with the pursuit of
a science major and career, make career education a programmatic
priority.
The newsletter is widely read, and would be a good medium for
disseminating career information. Because it contains information
about other opportunities (such as summer jobs) and because students
enjoy the articles about the women in science, many students read
it even after freshman year. An article or a series of short articles
could describe alternative career paths for science majors, what
they require in terms of course work, experiences, and future
schooling. The newsletter should continue to include articles
about people (both men and women) who majored in science and work
in science-related jobs. It might also describe the resources
that are already available at Dartmouth for career counseling.
Perhaps the WISP Office could invite someone from the career center
to present a special seminar about how to gather information about
science-related jobs. Ultimately, it would probably be useful
to develop an information packet that compiles all this information
to distribute to students interested or majoring in
sciences.
Speaking with people in science about their work is another avenue
for career counseling. Women in science careers other than medicine
or research have spoken at the luncheons--students rate their
presentations highly. Perhaps one luncheon each year could specifically
address the issue of careers in science and include a panel of
speakers (women and men) who work in a variety of fields. Finally,
more logistically complicated options include (co)sponsoring a
science career-information fair where people in a variety of science-related
careers visit campus for a day and speak with students.
3) Informal contact with professors, departments, and
mentors
a) Informal contact with faculty and departments
A pervasive complaint about the sciences at Dartmouth is the
size of the introductory classes and the difficulties this creates
in establishing personal contact with the professor. Freshwomen
often only see professors from a distance, lecturing about their
area of expertise; consequently, freshwomen often view them as
unapproachable and intimidating. For many women, establishing
a connection with their professors is important. One strength
of WISP is that it brings faculty scientists and students together,
which permits students to glimpse the more personal side of science.
WISP should expand programs that foster personal or small group
informal contact between undergraduates, graduate students, and
professors. The student-faculty interaction at luncheons with
faculty (as either speakers or guests) helps women to view professors
as normal, friendly people, and makes it easier for students to
approach professors after class. Professors' insights about how
they balance their personal lives and a career in science--information
that is not included in science courses--demonstrate to women
that it is possible to lead a "normal" life as a scientist.
WISP should continue to highlight faculty (both research scientists
and doctors) as luncheon speakers and encourage all speakers to
include information about their lives outside work (such as how
they balance other activities). Because informal contact with
faculty can dispel stereotypes and make science and scientists
more friendly and approachable, the WISP Office might invite faculty
(both male and female) to the luncheons.
Women in science at Dartmouth also often perceive the science
departments as "unfriendly" and "impersonal."
WISP should consider co-sponsoring events with science departments
to promote contact between department members and science students.
A speaker luncheon or seminar series with rotating co-sponsorship
with science departments is one possibility. Situating such talks
in the building where the academic department is housed could
encourage members of the department to attend and familiarize
undergraduates with the home base of the department. Faculty (and
graduate students) from the department should be recruited to
attend the talk; the department chair might be invited to introduce
the speaker. The topics of these lectures or panel discussions
need not focus on women in science; the central component of these
lectures would be promoting more "personable"
departments.
b) Informal contact with sponsor
A valuable aspect of the WISP internship is the close contact
that it affords interns with faculty and older students. However,
a relaxed relationship often takes time to develop; initially
most students are very nervous about interacting with their sponsors.
Informal contact with the sponsor outside the internship setting
before it begins might help ease the nervousness, awe, and self-doubt
that are prevalent at the beginning of an internship. WISP should
encourage mentors to arrange an informal gathering at the onset
of an internship experience and invite interns and the other people
associated with the project (graduate students, lab technicians,
past interns) to attend. This might be a dinner with the mentor's
family, a lunch with the research group, or a Friday afternoon
happy hour outing. The WISP Office should explain to mentors the
reasons behind the meeting--feedback from interns has demonstrated
that women are much more comfortable with their internship if
they engage with their mentor and other scientists as human beings
early on. The mentors could be encouraged to explain what prompted
their interest in science and their research, talk about the education
and experiences that prepared them for their jobs, describe some
of the difficulties and successes they have faced in their research,
articulate their expectations and why they chose to sponsor an
intern, and introduce themselves as non-scientists. Interns could
offer similar information. Some interns hold such conversations
later in the internship, but many do not. A pre-internship get-to-know-one-another
session could alleviate some of the initial anxiety and facilitate
career counseling.
4) Meetings
Students found the required information sessions and the checkpoints
very helpful. However they complained that the lecture component
of these meetings was too long and often repetitious. A few interns
also felt that the advice was patronizing (for example, one intern
took offense at advice about showing up to work on time because
she found it obvious). At the same time, however, interns' responses
demonstrate that these are skills many freshmen still need to
develop; they wrote about how their internship required them to
become more responsible, organized, self-motivated, and improved
their time management.
Minimizing the lecture component of informational meetings and
emphasizing important points with a handout would be one way to
address these concerns. Past interns could disseminate information
in the form of advice, especially those topics which merit articulation
but might seem "obvious." For example, 2 or 3 intern
alumnae could participate in a panel, "What I learned from
my internship." To ensure that the necessary issues were
covered, these past interns could meet with Mary before the presentation
to compile a list of important insights (perhaps beginning with
the list "Advice to future interns" included in this
report).
Despite the introductory meetings, many interns were surprised
by the time commitment of the internship and the flexibility in
scheduling. These aspects may merit more vivid description. Interns
wrote that the internship should be regarded as an extra class--intern
alumnae might voice this sentiment to prospective candidates.
Second, the freedom to schedule their own work hours, while appreciated,
was highly problematic for some interns. A significant number
of them expressed dismay that they had frittered away at least
one term of a valuable experience because, without external accountability,
they had difficulty keeping their internship time reserved. The
WISP Office or mentors might assist students by requiring students
to map out a (flexible) work schedule, at least for the first
term of the internship.
5) Sharing students' insights with mentors
Interns' perceptions of the most valuable aspects of the internship
and of what they learn might be very different from mentors' perceptions.
To help mentors better understand the internship experience, the
WISP Office should share with mentors, and with any other interested
Dartmouth faculty in science, the findings of this evaluation.
Reminding or educating faculty about the factors that encourage
or discourage women in science might prompt discussion or reflection
about their own practice--both in the classroom and as mentors.
6) Reflective internship component
The journal component of the internship experience was initiated
with this evaluation. Though it functioned primarily to collect
data, students' feedback indicated that asking interns to reflect
on their experience stimulated further insights. WISP should continue
to ask women to reflect upon what they are learning from their
internship, both in written and verbal form. A biweekly journal
was a heavy expectation for students; two or three written assignments
during the internship may be more feasible. Verbal discussions
could also stimulate reflection; checkpoint meetings, hosting
lab visits, or presenting in high school classrooms (see below)
are other possible forums.
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7) Contact between interns and outreach
efforts
a) Optional informal intern gatherings
Interns, especially those who work alone on a project, want more
contact with other interns. The checkpoints were a very well-received
forum for learning about others' experiences and realizing that
they, too, face similar frustrations and challenges. Organizing
additional optional, informal intern gatherings, such as a monthly
brown bag lunch or study break, could provide a support network
for interns who desire one.
b) Lab visits
In an internship, freshwomen become familiar with one science,
math, or engineering research setting. However, the internships
differ drastically--students hold them in different disciplines,
in different settings (academic and government, laboratories and
museums), and work with different materials: computer, machines,
chemicals, humans. Interns want to learn more about others' experiences.
WISP should consider facilitating optional lab-visits in which
interested interns spent time shadowing another intern in her
lab or workspace. This might occur at beginning of the second
term when students feel that they are getting the grasp of the
procedures and information and when the academic work load is
still light. Principally these visits would expose interested
interns to a broader range of science, math, and engineering options
and research settings. Students who program computers, for instance,
might get to see an immunology laboratory. And, as with the poster
session, explaining (and in this case demonstrating) what they
have done, could help interns realize how much they have
learned.
c) Outreach efforts
Intern-guided laboratory visits might also benefit two other
audiences: interns' classmates and local high school students
(especially junior and senior women). If interns' journal responses
are representative, these students still hold many of the typical
stereotypes about research laboratories. As a small outreach effort
to help promote more accurate understandings about science (math
or engineering) and demystify scientific research, interns could
host another student, explain and demonstrate their work and how
it fits into a bigger research picture, and share some of their
new insights about science, scientists, and scientific practice.
In particular, two populations of students could benefit from
lab visits. For fellow Dartmouth classmates, the experience might
be a one-time visit that introduces (and educates) them to the
setting they've heard their intern friend describe. For high school
junior and senior women, however, a slightly longer program might
merit consideration. Perhaps high school students could visit
the lab a few times during the spring term to get a slightly more
in-depth view of what the internship and science entail. In addition
to introducing high school students to a lab, the interns might
function as role models of women interested in science. Exposure
to freshwomen working successfully in internships might encourage
high school juniors and seniors to seek out internship positions
themselves when they attend college.
d) College/high school mentoring
WISP should seriously consider developing a mentoring or outreach
program between Dartmouth women in science and high school students
for two reasons. First, this survey revealed the impact of women's
high school classes and experiences on their interest and pursuit
of science in college. Second, retention programs for women and
minorities in science that have incorporated outreach efforts
to younger students have found them to be a valuable component
for the mentors and students alike. Mentors are encouraged to
reflect upon what they have learned, and share their knowledge
as a person knowledgeable about science with others. They create
an opportunity for women to "apply" their knowledge,
to feel like they are helping others (to understand science),
and to interact with people. Thus, such mentoring projects can
feed mentors' confidence in their science abilities (as they assess
what it is that they know that the students do not). They also
introduce women another science-related career--teaching. Academic
research entails much more than conducting experiments or running
a research lab; for many faculty members teaching and mentoring
is an extremely important and enjoyable aspect of their work.
By themselves becoming as mentors, college women in science would
come to better understand why faculty and research scientists
are willing to act as mentors and the difficulties and enjoyment
in this type of relationship. College women conducting research
at Dartmouth might invite local high school students to assist
them in their work. Another possibility would be to encourage
women to return to their own high schools and make a brief presentation
about their WISP internship.
e) Past interns
Using past interns as a resource within the internship setting
could be another potentially fruitful interaction. In some internship
settings, interns continue to work after freshman year. The new
WISP interns in these settings appreciate the opportunity to turn
to the lab's intern alumnae to explain the project in terms that
they understand; they find it less intimidating than approaching
a professor or graduate student. Intern alumnae have recently
been an intern; they understand better than the sponsors what
interns know or do not know. Sponsors might be encouraged to invite
a past interns back to the lab for a day or a few days to help
orient the new intern. Most likely, intern alumnae would willingly
offer their time and expertise. In addition to discussing scientific
content and laboratory procedures, the alumnae might also be able
to offer some insights about the internship experience in general,
like what to expect or what they learned.
8) Expanding research internship possibilities
a) Non-research based internships
College women generally associate two careers with a science
major--medicine and scientific research. Their lack of information
about other options may discourage them from pursuing science
if these two careers do not appeal to them. Currently, the Women
in Science Project does a laudable job placing about 100 interns
in positions in science (medicine), math, and engineering internships.
However, with a few notable exceptions (such as the museum based
internship), the position are research-based. The Women in Science
Project should expand the internship program beyond internships
in (laboratory) research to internships in science--such opportunities
could play a valuable role in demonstrating to women the options
that exist for science majors. Internships with people who work
closely with science, or have a scientific background, would appeal
to a different pool of women. For example, internships might be
established with: lawyers, consultants, governmental departments,
journalists, teachers, a nature center, lobbyists, or industries
that work with science. Broadening the internship base will help
convey the message that "science" does not need to be
equated with research science; other options exist that are also
valuable. It will also demonstrate the interfaces between science
and the humanities.
b) Away from Dartmouth
To increase the number of women who hold internships, WISP should
also consider facilitating or arranging internships during the
summer or terms that students have "off." Interns expressed
that they would have loved to do an internship during the summer
or when they had more time to devote to the experience. The flexibility
of Dartmouth's academic calendar is unique; students can be on
break during fall, winter, or spring terms. This is a resource
to tap with respect to arranging a paid internship in a company
or industry. Many businesses hire college interns during the summer
who return to school in the fall. Some companies might be interested
in hiring students for these types of positions throughout the
year--if they had a qualified, available population. The WISP
Office should encourage students to pursue internships during
their term off. They could facilitate the process by contacting
potential sites (perhaps through alumni connections) and compiling
a list of companies that might be interested in hosting an intern.
Such a program would not only permit more internship opportunities,
but could also introduce students to career options outside research
and medicine (there would be a far larger pool of organizations
available).
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