Episode 27: Peer Mentoring’s Long Term Impact: Time for National Implementation? with Dr. Nilanjana Dasgupta
Summary
For decades, the United States has been trying to increase the number of STEM professionals from underrepresented groups - with limited success. Retention and persistence at the undergraduate level, and advancement to graduate degrees continue to be problematic areas. In this episode we talk with Dr. Nilanjana Dasgupta about her fascinating long-term study on the impact of peer mentors on the persistence, retention, and advancement to graduate degrees of female engineering students. This is an amazing study following 150 students through their entire undergraduate academic career and one year beyond! The simplicity and success of this intervention is surprising. There are lessons here for all disciplines that experience equity and inclusivity issues.
References
Wu, Thiem, and Dasgupta (2022). Female peer mentors early in college have lasting positive impacts on female engineer- ing students that persist beyond graduation. Nature Comm. 13:6837. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-34508-x
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