2 Grant Programs: Enhancing Communication in Engineering & Women in Engineering

Enhancing Communication in Engineering

Studies of working engineers show that they spend 50-60 percent of their days communicating critical information individually and in groups with supervisors, colleagues, and clients through a variety of means that include listening, speaking, writing, and the use of visual and graphic tools. Yet undergraduate engineering programs and curricula struggle to ensure that students master this complex set of skills. New curricular models need to be developed, especially to keep step with evolving communications technologies. EIF wants to assist engineering faculty in transmitting the necessary listening, written, verbal, visual, and graphic communication skills that their students need to be successful engineers. Projects might focus on one or more of these skills, create a method for students to develop the selected skills, implement the method in the curriculum, and then test the approach.  The funder welcomes collaborative projects between engineering faculty and communications and/or information science specialists.

Women in Engineering - Projects Directed by Engineering Educators

Although the majority of new entrants to the workforce in the coming years will be women, women remain under-represented in the areas of engineering and technology. To remain competitive, women must gain the competencies to equip them for leadership in these areas. Studies have shown that women stay away from engineering because of negative perceptions deeply ingrained throughout their social development. Women fail to pursue careers in engineering, and of those who do, the retention rate is unacceptably low. EIF wants to encourage middle school-aged girls to pursue engineering degrees. Projects might focus on orientation and recruitment of women, or on staying the course after the first year in engineering school, or eliminating the negative effects of gender-related behavior in the classroom.

Application Instructions

Please submit:

1. A one‐page letter of intent. Tell us which program area you are applying for, and provide a description of proposed aims and approach.
2. If the final application requires a diversity statement or statement of broader impacts, please summarize your plans to address the specific requirements on an additional page.
3. CV (not biosketch) of the PI including past grant funding.

to limitedsubs@uw.edu by 5:00 PM Wednesday, July 24, 2024. Proposals are due to the sponsor 8/31/2024, so you will need to have your materials in to the Office of Sponsored Programs by 8/212024 if given the go‐ahead by the Limited Submissions review committee.