The Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering held its annual Diversity Evening With Industry event Wednesday night, highlighting the school’s ongoing efforts to build and assist a diverse community of student engineers.
Stephen Rippon, the school’s assistant dean of student services, said the event connects minority engineering students with top companies such as General Dynamics and Texas Instruments.
“DEWI is an effort to engage our underrepresented students with the industry,” he said.
Before the event, students can participate in a workshop offered by the engineering career center to brush up their resumés and learn certain etiquette tips for the mixer.
Rippon said DEWI answers a call the engineering industry is making for a more diverse workplace.
“Engineering is moving more and more toward team approaches,” he said.
“The more diverse a group is, the more diverse its thinking is.”
The most underrepresented students in engineering are typically African-American, Hispanic and Native American, Rippon said.
But in Arizona, this won’t always be the case.
“Addressing diversity now is important when looking at the future of ethnic groups in Arizona,” he said. “Hispanics will not always be a minority.”
Preparing for the future by assisting these students now will help move the industry forward, Rippon said.
But building a diverse community doesn’t mean focusing on just student ethnicity, he said.
Many religious affiliations are also considered underrepresented, and the field has a noticeable gender disparity, Rippon said. Women make up less than 20 percent of the Fulton school.
Though its focus is on underrepresented students, DEWI access isn’t limited to minority students.
“It’s about getting a blend of students,” Rippon said. “We don’t turn anyone away. To have full diversity, you need to have the whole spectrum.”
Marques Montes, an electrical engineering senior, said he appreciated the personalized opportunity DEWI offers students.
“There are a lot of underrepresented and foreign engineering students,” he said. “You get to talk to employers on a one-to-one basis. It’s a lot less chaotic than a job fair.”
Matthew Chamberlain, an engineer with Boeing who helped represent the company at DEWI, said diversity should be a priority for any major company.
“Having a broad range of backgrounds is necessary in a global economy.
Just like any big company, we’re always looking to be diverse,” he said. “It’s a tough economy, but we want to reach out to students and let them know we are here.”
Reach the reporter at jessica.testa@asu.edu.
