Presented To The Women’s Engineering Institute From Microsoft And NCWIT

Embry-Riddle’s College of Engineering at the Daytona Beach Campus has received a $10,000 award from the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) and Microsoft Research as part of the NCWIT Academic Alliance Seed Fund program.

Sponsored by Microsoft Research, the Seed Fund provides non-profit, U.S. academic institutions with startup funds to develop and implement initiatives for recruiting and retaining women in computing fields.

The award will help fund a women’s engineering institute for female undergraduate and graduate students. The program will give female students unique mentoring and networking opportunities and will connect them with industry partners who are looking to hire recent female graduates.

“The Women’s Engineering Institute will provide a central space for research opportunities, career, internship and co-op positions, and professional conferences and competitions across all five of our engineering programs,” said Dr. Shafagh Jafer, assistant professor of software engineering. “STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) outreach to local elementary, middle and high school female students will also be a major priority for the institute.”
 
With Microsoft Research’s support, the NCWIT Academic Alliance Seed Fund has awarded 43 institutions with $505,450 since 2010 to grow their technology-related women’s outreach programs. Initiatives include professional development, mentoring and networking opportunities, hands-on training, workshops and more.
 
“These engaging activities and opportunities that the Seed Fund provides can increase women’s confidence and enjoyment of their tech-related studies, and create a sense of belonging and identity as a member of the engineering field,” said Lucy Sanders, NCWIT CEO and Co-founder. “These factors contribute to the critical need of adding more women to the pool of Computer Engineering degree recipients.”

FMI: www.ncwit.org/seedfund