Exploring the School-to-Work Transition for Civil Engineering Students With Disabilities
FYE Assistant Teaching Professor Andrew Gillen, in collaboration with the University of Nebraska and Utah State University, was awarded a $99,998 NSF grant for “Developing Accessible Pathways to Civil Engineering Industry for Students With Disabilities: Initiating Partnerships With Industry.” The project will establish a pioneering university-industry-student partnership aimed at facilitating equitable access and transition into civil engineering careers for individuals with disabilities.
This article originally appeared on Northeastern Global News. It was published by Cyrus Moulton. Main photo: A Northeastern University professor has received a National Science Foundation grant to help develop school-to-industry pathways for civil engineers with disabilities. Getty Images
NSF grant aims to enhance career opportunities for engineering students with disabilities
Individuals with disabilities have been called the “original lifehackers” because of their ability to adapt to and redesign the world around them to meet their needs.
A Northeastern University professor has received a grant from the National Science Foundation to help such lifehackers enter the civil engineering industry.
“That ‘lifehacker’ mindset alone is really well aligned with the engineering mindset and what we want out of new, innovative engineers — the ability to see beyond what’s in front of them and be problem solvers,” says Andrew Gillen, assistant teaching professor in Northeastern’s College of Engineering.
“There’s a lot of reasons — beyond that it’s a good thing to do — as to why a company would want to bring on folks with disabilities.”
Gillen says that it is hard to say how many students in civil engineering have disabilities, as many do not disclose such information. But a 2019 study found only 6% of students across all engineering majors identified as having a disability, Gillen says.
And individuals with disabilities are underrepresented in STEM fields. About 3% of employed scientists and engineers have a disability, according to the NSF. Meanwhile, people with disabilities make up almost 29% of the total U.S. population. Moreover, engineers with disabilities are less likely to be employed than non-disabled engineers, and those who are employed generally experience lower pay than non-disabled peers.
Gillen also says there are few pathways from school into the civil engineering industry specifically designed for students with disabilities.
As a result, “industry is missing out on real talent,” Gillen says.
So, Gillen and colleagues Logan Perry from University of Nebraska and Cassandra McCall at Utah State University want to figure out how to facilitate the employment of more students with disabilities in the civil engineering industry — for the benefit of both students and the civil engineering field — and create school-to-workplace partnerships.
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