Monique Ross and Trina Fletcher to Speak on Increasing African-American Women in Engineering

The co-authors of Ignored Potential: A Collaborative Road Map for Increasing African-American Women in Engineering will share in a public talk at Lehigh research-based insights to support ways the education and workforce pipelines can increase diversity in engineering.

Monique Ross, an assistant professor of computer science at Florida International University, and Trina Fletcher, an assistant professor of industrial technology management and applied engineering at the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff (UAPB), will speak at 5:30 p.m. on April 4  in ST101. A reception will follow the talk, and a meet and greet lunch with the speakers is scheduled for April 5 at 12 p.m. in UC306.

Ross holds a doctoral degree in engineering education from Purdue University, a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from Elizabethtown College and a master’s degree in computer science and software engineering from Auburn University. Her interests focus on broadening participation in engineering through the exploration of race, gender and identity in the engineering workplace; as well as discipline-based education research with a focus on computer science and engineering courses in order to inform pedagogical practices that garner interest and retain women and minorities in computer-related engineering fields.

Fletcher, who is also the engineering program coordinator at UAPB, obtained a bachelor’s degree in industrial technology from UAPB, a master’s degree in operations management from the University of Arkansas and a second master’s in engineering management from George Washington University. She recently completed her Ph.D. in engineering education from Purdue University, where her research focused on out-of-school access and exposure to STEM education for K-12 underrepresented students. Her other research interests include African Americans in engineering and technology and total quality management within higher education with a focus on Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

The event is presented by the ADVANCE Center for Women Faculty in STEM, which is part of the Office of the Provost. Lehigh SWE; Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies; and Africana Studies are co-sponsors of the event.