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Summary: Academic Climate and Advisor Support Affect the Quality
of Womens' Experiences in Graduate School
Carolyn J. Sparrey1
, Beth Lopour1
, Jenni M. Buckley2
, Alice M. Agogino1
1
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California Berkeley
2
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California, San Francisco
Abstract
Recent trends in graduate student enrollment in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at a
major American university (Tier I Research) have demonstrated stagnation in the percentage of
women students while the national statistics have shown a continuous increase in graduate
women in mechanical engineering (nsf.gov). Graduate students are particularly affected by the
social and physical environment within an academic department due to their frequent interactions
with peers, faculty, and staff. In order to elucidate potential reasons for the decline in the
enrollment of women, students' perceptions of their graduate school experience in the
Department of Mechanical Engineering were sought. We conducted an anonymous survey of all
graduate students in the Department in May 2006. The survey response rate was 29% (N=98),
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