National Science Foundation Makes Two Grants to Fund Programs to Help Women in STEM Fields

Lecia Jane Barker, research associate professor in the School of Information at the University of Texas at Austin, received a $422,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to identify new teaching methods in which colleges and universities can better retain women in computing and technology degree fields. Only 18 percent of all computer science bachelor’s degrees in 2009 were awarded to women.

Dr. Barker is a graduate of the University of Iowa. She holds an MBA from San Diego State University and a Ph.D. in communications from the University of Colorado.

The University of San Diego received a five-year, $600,000 grant from the National Science Foundation for programs aimed at increasing the number of women faculty in STEM fields. The grant will fund the university’s Advancement of Female Faculty through Institutional Climate, Recruitment, and Mentoring (AFFIRM) program.

Women make up 41 percent of the STEM faculty at the University of San Diego.