| Institutional Recipients |
AT&T Laboratories, New Jersey
Organizational Representative: Hriar Aldermeshian
Throughout its 25-year history, the AT&T program has had a significant impact on the number of women and minority master's and doctoral degree recipients in science and engineering, resulting in increased diversity in the science and engineering workforce. The AT&T program combines financial assistance with a mentoring component drawn from the AT&T labs. Summer research opportunities are provided for students to prepare and motivate them to pursue graduate degrees in the sciences or engineering fields. Once enrolled in graduate programs, AT&T mentors continue to work with students and to provide career guidance. Approximately 300 students have been supported through the AT&T program.
Bryn Mawr College - Department of Physics, Pennsylvania
Organizational Representative: Alfonso M. Albano
The Bryn Mawr physics department has developed a diverse program of effective mentoring activities, including student recruitment, course strategies, research experiences, career counseling, and support networks that can be replicated easily. During 1993-1997, the college awarded undergraduate physics degrees to women at a rate ten times the national average. About one-third of Bryn Mawr's physics graduates pursue doctoral degrees in physics or in related fields. From 30 to 50 female students participate in the program every year. Currently, 5% of Bryn Mawr College's graduating class consists of physics majors, about 100 times the national average.
Stevens Institute of Technology - Office of Women's Programs, New Jersey
Organizational Representative: Susan Metz
The Office of Women's Programs (OWP) at Stevens Institute of Technology has offered a wide array of mathematics, science, and engineering programs over the past 20 years at the precollege and college levels in support of women. OWP has also served as a national model, developing and implementing several initiatives to provide other colleges and universities with resources, curricula, materials, and technical expertise to effectively mentor students and increase the representation of women in engineering in the United States. Over 17,000 young women in grades seven through eleven have participated in OWP engineering and science career awareness programs.
Times2, Inc. - To Improve Mathematics, Engineering, & Science Studies, Rhode Island
Organizational Representative: Ralph N. Taylor
Since 1979, the Times-Squared program has encouraged urban minority students to pursue careers in science, engineering, and mathematics by offering several unique features. These include a 32-hour elementary school curriculum to teach young children to enjoy exploratory science and mathematics; Saturday Academies that introduce middle school students to science, engineering, and mathematics; and tutoring, mentoring, and field trips for high school students. Over 800 Times2 students have graduated from college.
University of California-Berkeley - Coalition for Excellence and Diversity in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring
Organizational Representative: Caroline M. Kane
The Coalition for Excellence and Diversity in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring focuses on the recruitment, retention and provision of academic support, career training, and research opportunities for women and minority undergraduate students. The Coalition is a truly collaborative cross-institutional endeavor that serves 400 students per year. Minority Coalition participants graduated with engineering degrees at twice the national rate. Chemistry and Biology graduation rates among minority program participants also increased dramatically.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln - Department of Mathematics and Statistics
Organizational Representative: Judy L. Walker
Since 1990, 13 doctoral degrees and 49 master's degrees in mathematics or mathematics-related fields have been awarded by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) to women. By comparison, no doctoral degrees were awarded during the entire decade of the 1980s. These increases attest to a climate highly supportive of women and to the effectiveness of the UNL approach. Women graduate students in the UNL Department of Mathematics and Statistics are encouraged to mentor high school students, meet regularly with role models, engage in research, attend professional meetings, and acquire teaching experience. For the past six years, 45% of the graduate student body of the UNL Department of Mathematics and Statistics has consisted of women.
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill - Mathematics and Science Education Network, Pre-college Program
Organizational Representative: Gerry Madrazo, Jr.
Operating at ten University of North Carolina campuses, the Mathematics and Science Education Network (MSEN) employs a pre-college program for students and a teacher professional development component to enhance K-12 science and mathematics student achievement. Operating since 1984, the MSEN program has an annual enrollment of nearly 3,000 7th and 8th grade students and 5,000 teachers. About 1,000 MSEN participants have graduated from high school. In 1994, 65% of the MSEN participants who graduated from college pursued a math- or science-related major.
University of Washington - Women in Engineering Initiative
Organizational Representative: Suzanne Brainard
In 1989, the Women in Engineering Initiative (WIE) served 50 women; today it serves over 1,300 students a year on the University of Washington campus and over 3,000 students off campus by providing mentoring activities aimed at increasing the number of women in science and engineering. Between 1990 and 1997, the WIE program has increased retention rates among undergraduate women from 50% to 74%. WIE research on mentoring has also produced a nationally-disseminated cross-gender, cross-racial curriculum for training mentors and mentees in science and engineering.
Fact Sheet on Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics
President and First Lady | Vice President and Mrs. Gore
Record of Progress | The Briefing Room
Gateway to Government | Contacting the White House | White House for Kids
White House History | White House Tours | Help
Privacy Statement