Norwood 'engineers' focus on diversity

Lisa Norwood assists local tenth graders Erik Latiuk (left) and Rose Lucas as they study the internal components of a VCR. The April 24 "Take Apart" event, held at the Rochester Engineering Center and sponsored by the Rochester Engineering Society, included participants from 14 local high schools.

hen Lisa Norwood '86 graduated with a bachelor's degree in geomechanics, she realized how unique it was to be a minority female studying engineering. As assistant dean of more than 600 undergraduates in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, she has never lost sight of the need to attract and keep female and minority students in the engineering programs.

"The push is for parity," Norwood says. "Female representation in our programs is 23 percent and for minorities it's 10 percent. Although we are on par with the national averages, my hope is that through initiatives and programs, we can increase representation of women to 50 percent and minority students to 30 percent, more accurately reflecting demographics of the population."

For Norwood the key is exposure--and the earlier, the better.

"It's so important to catch students in middle school or the early years of high school. These years are crucial because students will be deciding their course of study in high school, and we want to remind them to get a solid foundation of math and science before leaving high school. We don't want students to limit their options," says Norwood.

In a partnership with Baden Street Settlement, a community outreach center in Rochester, and with Kodak, the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, under the guidance of Norwood, plans to kick off a summer engineering program for ninth-grade students from Rochester city schools. The program, which targets students who have been identified as candidates for summer school, explores a range of career options in engineering; provides guidance in preparing individualized high school study plans; emphasizes skills in math, computer science, and problem solving; offers hands-on activities; and highlights the steps involved in applying for admission and financial aid.

"This summer program takes a holistic approach in reaching underrepresented students, which is so important," says Norwood. "The experience will not only offer students hands-on exposure to labs and classroom lectures but will match them with University students in mentoring relationships and give them the opportunity to address life skills and ask questions about career choices.

"Showing young women and minorities students that engineering is a high-paying and rewarding career choice will hopefully encourage them to engage in math and science study throughout high school and inevitably at the University level as well."

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