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Despite being in the second semester of my junior year, I still have never taken an engineering course taught by a female professor. At NYU Tandon School of Engineering, out of the 73 professors in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, only 10 of them are women. Other engineering departments follow a similar pattern; for example, of the 50 professors at the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, only four of them are women. Even for Tandon’s Department of Computer Science and Engineering — one of the most popular departments at Tandon — the school only has 10 female faculty.
These drastically small numbers could simply be a reflection of the current engineering labor workforce, of which women make up only 15%. The percentage of other minorities in the engineering field are similarly low, with the total percentage of Black engineers and architects at 5% and Hispanic engineers and architects at 9%. When it comes to discussing diversity, especially in STEM fields, it is easy to point fingers at the asymmetrical gender ratios and strikingly low percentages rather than provide concrete steps toward creating greater diversity for future engineers.
NYU’s Tandon class of 2023 was 46% women, double the average percentage of female students in U.S. undergraduate engineering programs.
Even though this near 50% statistic sounds promising, it isn’t reflected in the distribution of female mentors by major, regardless of professorship, who are accessible to undergraduates. This statistic doesn’t specify the percentage of female students occupying each major, nor does it say anything about the percentage of female professors available at Tandon.
Among Black and Hispanic students, representation in engineering is even smaller. For example, the most recent census data for Tandon shows that only 7% of the undergraduate population are Black, and only 16% are Hispanic.
My male mentors and professors have provided me incredible support throughout my academic career — one high school teacher encouraged me to enroll in math competitions that led me to apply to NYU’s engineering program, and countless male professors at NYU have offered me academic, career and research advice. But there is also power that comes with having mentors of a shared identity, whether that be through race, gender or unique life experience. Sharing an identity with a valued mentor has been documented as a motivating factor for many students who end up pursuing advanced STEM degrees. Similarly, same-race connections create validation and affirmation that is crucial for the successful completion of doctoral programs for many racial minorities. Intentional mentorship has proven to be one of the easiest ways to navigate systemic barriers, reduce isolation and counteract imposter syndrome that many minorities experience in higher education. Especially for female students in STEM fields, the positive impact of a female mentor continues beyond graduation, leading mentees to secure internships or pursue postgraduate study at higher rates. Ultimately, these relationships can have a profound impact on the student experience.
Tandon currently has a few successful mentorship events. For instance, the National Society of Black Engineers’ annual Mercer Street Gala celebrates the community of Black excellence in engineering. The Society of Women Engineers has launched its own mentor and mentee program for 1:1 pairings between first-year and upper-year women. Tandon’s WoMentorship Program is another effort that connects students with more advanced peer mentors. These are all great templates to follow when addressing the gender and racial disparities embedded in the modern engineering field. However, it is important to ensure that peer connection doesn’t replace deliberate, full-scale inclusion that extends upwards to positions of higher leadership.
Diversity statistics make compelling headlines, but it doesn’t always tell the full story. Progress in terms of numbers doesn’t mean all issues of diversity are resolved, and it doesn’t directly translate into access to faculty, professorship or equitable networks. We should ensure that representation doesn’t conclude after achieving satisfying admissions numbers or balancing pie charts — it must extend to faculty and positions of leadership so that the next generation of engineers, regardless of background, will have a space in the field beyond statistics.
Contact Antonia Ang at [email protected].