Innovative educational opportunities for women in stem: Research Internships in Science and Engineering (RISE)

A commonly known fact is the relatively small percentage of women represented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. This well documented but little understood phenomenon is a cause of great concern to STEM educators. Based on the available literature on barriers to women´s success in STEM, an innovative educational intervention has been developed at the University of Maryland (UM). In the second year of implementation, Research Internships in Science and Engineering (RISE) is designed to facilitate mentoring and role modeling for women at all levels of higher education: from incoming first year students, undergraduates, and graduate students to female faculty members. RISE is a two tiered program consisting of level one, the first year summer experience (FYSE) focusing on incoming first year students and level two, summer research teams focusing on upper-level undergraduates, graduate students and faculty. Developed to address several major barriers that women face in STEM fields, evidence of program impact based on the first year of implementation is provided.