College of Engineering The College of Engineering Go to Michigan Tech home page Takes you to University Web page for Prospective Students Takes you to University Web page for Current Students Complete List of Majors and Minors for all Colleges and Schools Go to Michigan Tech Athletics Website Visit the University Alumni Page Information for Parents Web Page for Faculty and staff Search Whole Campus Directories The Whole University Directory from A to Z
Back to College of Engineering News

SORBY HONORED WITH WEPAN VETTER RESEARCH AWARD

Sheryl Sorby, chair of engineering fundamentals and associate dean of engineering, has been selected to receive the Betty Vetter Research Award.

The award, given by the Women in Engineering Programs and Advocates Network (WEPAN), recognizes achievement in research related to women in engineering. The award is named in memory of Betty M. Vetter, longtime director of the Commission on Professionals in Science and Technology, who served as the first treasurer of WEPAN, Inc. and was a founding member of its board of directors. One award is given annually and includes a $1,000 cash prize, a plaque and an opportunity to serve on an experts' panel at the next WEPAN national conference. Sorby was nominated by Chris Anderson, executive director of educational opportunity at Michigan Tech and special assistant to the president for diversity.

Sorby has conducted significant research in gender differences in 3-D spatial skills. She has developed and assessed materials and strategies for improving spatial skills, thereby enhancing the success of women engineering students. Her research has resulted in a textbook, a workbook, and multimedia software.

At Michigan Tech, the special spatial skills course is a well-established part of the curriculum. Sorby has collaborated with faculty from several universities to bring spatial skills courses to their campuses and has worked with colleagues at North Carolina State University who plan to develop a high school visualization curriculum.

In technical professions such as engineering, spatial visualization skills and mental rotation abilities are especially important. Unfortunately, the 3-D spatial skills of women often lag behind those of their male counterparts.

During freshman orientation each year, Michigan Tech engineering students who fail a spatial skills test are encouraged to enroll in a special spatial skills course. Women typically make up 18 percent of the group being tested but are about half of the group who fail the exam, making them almost three times as likely to have poorly developed spatial skills than men. Participation in the special course has positively impacted performance in follow-on courses as well as retention in engineering, especially for women.

WEPAN's mission is to catalyze change that will lead to the enhanced success of all women engineers in academic and professional settings. It has over 600 members from nearly 200 engineering schools, companies ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 corporations and nonprofit organizations. A national nonprofit educational organization, WEPAN is headquartered in Denver. For more information, visit http://www.wepan.org .

WEPAN will present the Vetter Award to Sorby at the 2005 joint WEPAN NAMEPA (National Association for Minority Engineering Program Administrators) Annual Conference, held in Las Vegas April 10-14.