African American Female Engineering Students\u27 Persistence in Stereotype-Threatening Environments: A Critical Race Theory Perspective

Due to the social context of engineering classrooms, stereotype threat (STT) may play an essential role in the dearth of African American females in engineering. Empirical studies have confirmed the deleterious effects STT has on students\u27 performance. However, acceptance of STT as more than a laboratory phenomenon necessitates an in-depth understanding of how stigmatized groups experience being socially devalued and negatively stereotyped. In this qualitative investigation, Intersectionality and the Critical Race Theory tenet of counter-storytelling were applied to capture the voices of 10 African American women to comprehend how they resisted or overcame STT and persisted in engineering degree programs. Data were triangulated from two different semi-structured interviews and reading reactions submitted by each participant. Findings reveal four characteristic themes shared by the participants: (a)Proof Stereotype Threat Exists; (b) Primary Contributors of Stereotype Threat; (c) Secondary Factors; and (d) Tools for Persisting. Based on participants’ narratives, 6 recommendations are offered to assist African American female students combat STT and persist in engineering

Chemical Vapor Deposition at High Pressure in a Microgravity Environment

In this paper we present an evaluation of critical requirements of organometallic chemical vapor deposition (OMCVD) at elevated pressure for a channel flow reactor in a microgravity environment. The objective of using high pressure is to maintain single-phase surface composition for materials that have high thermal decomposition pressure at their optimum growth temperature. Access to microgravity is needed to maintain conditions of laminar flow, which is essential for process analysis. Based on ground based observations we present an optimized reactor design for OMCVD at high pressure and reduced gravity. Also, we discuss non-intrusive real-time optical monitoring of flow dynamics coupled to homogeneous gas phase reactions, transport and surface processes. While suborbital flights may suffice for studies of initial stages of heteroepitaxy experiments in space are essential for a complete evaluation of steady-state growth