Members of the 2005 National Engineers Week Committee

Contact: Carol Muller
Founder and CEO, MentorNet
408/924-4070
cbmuller@mentornet.net

FOR RELEASE FEBRUARY 10, 2005

STRIVING FOR MORE WOMEN IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
E-Mentoring network spurs supporters of women in science and engineering to engage

(San José, CA) – In a move to encourage greater numbers of women in engineering and science, MentorNet, the e-Mentoring Network for Women in Engineering and Science, (www.MentorNet.net) is launching the “Drive for 500” program. The “Drive for 500” is an all-out effort to match 500 new pairs of mentors and students in science and engineering in its award-winning One-on-One e-mentoring program between now and Engineers Week (February 20-26.)

“Mentoring is an essential and effective strategy to retain women in engineering and science in these still heavily male-dominated fields,” says Carol Muller, CEO of the non-profit MentorNet. “Our big challenge is not how to encourage and support the talented women students in science and engineering – it’s making sure that they get the opportunity to be mentored. That’s why we’re asking those who care about the future of these fields to spread the word to eligible students, and to volunteer as mentors, or to ask their alma mater or employer to partner with MentorNet.”

To accomplish the goal of creating 500 new mentoring matches, the “Drive for 500” includes a corps of student volunteers who publicize MentorNet to their fellow students, a challenge for participating campuses to compete with each other for the highest level of student enrollment in MentorNet, as well as outreach specifically targeting students in Computer Science and Computer Engineering.

MentorNet, currently headquartered at San José State University in San José, California, is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization working to further women’s progress in scientific and technical fields through the use of a dynamic, technology-supported mentoring program. MentorNet aims to advance women and society, and enhance engineering and related sciences, by promoting a diversified, expanded and talented workforce. In partnership with colleges and universities, corporations, government labs and agencies and professional societies, MentorNet is international in scope, serving students and professionals from all over the world. Major funding is provided by the National Science Foundation, Alcoa Foundation, AT&T Foundation, IBM, Cisco Systems, and Symantec.

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grants No. HRD0001388, HRD-0123319, SBE-0318510, and HRD-0454569. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.