“Glimpsing Structural Engineering Culture: Structural Engineering Equity Efforts from Within”
A Talk by Lara K. Schubert, PhD
DATE: Friday, May 20, 2022
TIME: 12:00 -1:00 PM (PDT)
LOCATION: Zoom (RSVP to receive link)
Structural engineers typically consider the profession to be a meritocracy, in which engineers are successful if they have technical skill required for engineering. While this is important, the culture of the profession also affects who is promoted and who stays to reach levels of leadership within their firms. The problem of retention has been identified within the profession, and in 2015 the professional organization created a committee to study and to address the issue. This presentation will give an account of the project, SE3: Structural Engineering, Equity and Engagement, following the trajectory of the efforts from within the profession and reflecting on the strategies used, how they have evolved, and how they are informed by the culture of engineering.
Lara K. Schubert is a Research Affiliate at the UCLA Center for the Study of Women, a PhD in Religion, who has both practiced structural engineering and undertaken ethnographic research with women in religious communities in Cambodia. Her current research merges these areas of expertise. She teaches in feminist science studies and intends to complete a qualitative study of structural engineering to help make clear the culture to ultimately strengthen structural engineering.
