Using notable women in environmental engineering to dispel misperceptions of engineers

This paper describes an activity the author has carried out with 72 high school science teachers to enable them to overcome their stereotypical perceptions of engineers. The activity introduced them to notable women in environmental engineering, and raised their awareness of these female engineers' contributions to engineering and society. The results revealed that the activity was effective in countering high school teachers' misconceptions of engineers. By providing detailed information about the personal lives and work experiences of the female engineers, the biographies might be useful in countering existing cultural stereotypes of female engineers and initiating changes in perceptions needed to narrow the gender gap in engineering. Teachers and professors can use the examples of these notable female engineers as role models to inspire their female students to become engineers. Key Words: engineers

Engineers ,

Environmental Engineering ,

Outreach ,

Role Models ,

Stereotypes ,

Women ,