This NSF INCLUDES Conference on Finding Re-Entry Pathways for Women in STEM was created in response to the NSF INCLUDES program's Dear Colleague Letter (DCL): Supporting the Re-Entry of Women and Women Veterans in the STEM Workforce through NSF INCLUDES (NSF 19-038). The number of jobs in our country requiring substantial STEM expertise has grown nearly 34 percent over the past decade and employers say they are having trouble filling jobs in occupations that depend on skilled technical workers. Women and women veterans are a pool of talented individuals who can fill STEM jobs nationwide. The project team is developing, organizing, conducting and evaluating a conference supporting the re-entry of women and women veterans in STEM emerging technology fields, such as cybersecurity, data science, mobile development and cloud computing. The goal of the two-day conference is to explore and discuss challenges encountered by returning women with the objective of better understanding their situations and identifying solutions to their problems in accessing emerging technology education and employment. In addition to the many women students who participate in the conference, there are also presenters and invited participants from industry, NSF INCLUDES Alliances, social science and policy fields, and from support organizations, such as university veteran's affairs and academic services offices at universities. An external evaluator, and a conference advisory board, are assessing the outcomes and impacts of this project. Dissemination includes presenting findings at national conferences and publishing in journals, as well as conducting a Webinar on best practices for returning women in emerging technology fields. Resource materials are published on a project website. Results from the meeting enhance the understanding of processes for re-entry, and the related barriers and opportunities women face entering and re-entering the STEM workforce, especially in emerging technology fields.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
