Undergraduate Engineering Education: Creating Space for Multiply Marginalized Students

Research regarding systemic inequalities in the science field has uncovered scarce opportunities and insufficient support for underrepresented groups. This research provides evidence of inequalities related to multiply marginalized students. The work in this research is to address the intersectionality in these multiple identities in an effort to provide inclusion for the affected marginalized groups. Intersectionality framework considers how multiple characteristics—in this research, race and gender affect an individual socially in contrast to separating the characteristics for individual examination. Minorities, specifically Black females, continue to contribute significantly to the underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in academia and in the workforce, particularly electrical engineering. The barriers indicated in this representation often lean toward interest, gender biases, preparedness, and the invisibility of self- identification in mentors. Using mixed methods including literature reviews and surveys, this paper examined those methods and compared them to existing social and balanced identity theories and interventions to address identity formation as a salient developmental challenge, resilience, and resistance of Black females in the engineering field. In this research undergraduate engineering students (N = 58) responded to a questionnaire measuring STEM-inclusivity, identity, preparedness, assessed the scholar's perspective on their involvement in STEM, and psychological effects the students endured during enrollment in a STEM program. Additionally, from this investigation, this paper suggests methods for creating space for multiply marginalized students to broaden participation in undergraduate engineering.