AUSTIN, Texas —The College of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin will participate this fall in MentorNet, an innovative electronic mentoring service for women pursuing careers in engineering and the sciences.
The nonprofit program, which first opened in winter 1998, plans to link 2,200 female engineering and science majors from 64 colleges and universities with volunteer mentors working in private industry and government laboratories. MentorNet links students with professionals who can help them overcome the gender-related obstacles women face in college and the work force through e-mail and the program’s Web site: www.mentornet.net/ Students are not charged a fee for the service.
Dr. Sherry Woods, director of UT Austin’s Women in Engineering Program, said: “MentorNet is a great way for students to interact with industry representatives from around the United States. UT Austin women majoring in engineering and science should definitely take advantage of this valuable opportunity.” Woods said both students and prospective mentors can contact her directly or visit MentorNet’s Web site. The deadline for signing up for this year’s program is Oct. 15.
“There is compelling evidence that mentoring can make a big difference in a student’s success while completing a degree program as well as after graduation,” said Carol Muller, MentorNet founder and executive director. “MentorNet helps level the playing field between women and men planning for careers in engineering and other sciences. Although women account for nearly 50 percent of the U.S. work force, women account for barely 11 percent of the nation’s engineers.”
MentorNet, headquartered at San José State University, is a partnership among colleges and universities, professional societies, government entities and corporations, with funding from the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Transportation, National Science Foundation, AT&T, Intel, IBM, Ford, Cisco Systems and the Alcoa Foundation.
For more information, contact Becky Rische of the College of Engineering at (512) 471-7272, Dr. Sherry Woods of UT Austin’s Women in Engineering Program at (512) 471-5650 or Carol Muller of MentorNet at (408) 924-4070 or bmuller@email.sjsu.edu
