Work in Progress: Engineering Faculty Members´ Descriptions of the Boundaries of Engineering

Existing engineering programs that aim to recruit or retain women in engineering often use "pipeline" or "chilly climate" metaphors to help structure their programming and assessment. However, research in science and technology studies and women\´s studies areas suggest that the "boundaries" of academic engineering itself are gendered as to exclude the study of types of technology and work historically associated with women. This paper describes an ongoing study of how engineering faculty members make decisions about what counts as "engineering," how they understand and interact with the boundaries of their field, and how their daily research and teaching actions may result in the perpetuation of a gendered discipline