Emerging High-Tech Areas of Civil Engineering Attract Women

Women are underrepresented in the ranks of civil engineering practitioners. The percentage of women in civil engineering is less than half the value for all engineering fields combined and about one-sixth the value for the most popular fields. The Texas A & M University Civil Engineering Department participated in a Society of Women Engineers Space Experience Camp. The students participating (ninth- and 10th-grade girls) were surveyed before and after the civil engineering presentation to determine whether the emerging high-tech aspects of civil engineering would make civil engineering more attractive to women. The results of the survey regarding the likelihood of studying engineering and civil engineering are presented. High school girls' attitudes toward civil engineering could be influenced in a positive way by a 1-h presentation that emphasized the emerging high-tech areas of space construction and construction automation. Recommendations for further intervention measures are made.