Inclusion in engineering is important for solving our biggest social and technical challenges.
Engineers have a role to play in the major issues facing the world, including climate change, sustainable energy generation, air pollution, clean water, privacy and data rights, health care technology access, and more. In order to create solutions that serve everyone well, engineers need to understand and value a range of perspectives. Making engineering spaces more inclusive means valuing the range of different identities, experiences, and knowledge that engineers and partners bring to the table.
Part of inclusion is welcoming diverse people into the engineering profession, which starts with engineering undergraduate programs. Unfortunately, these programs often do not represent the populations they serve, particularly in terms of gender. Our overarching goals are to understand what influences people to enter engineering (or not), especially for people from marginalized and/or underrepresented groups, and to use that information to affect change.
Our group includes researchers and students from a wide range of disciplines, both within and outside of engineering. We have expertise in social sciences and engineering, and use a variety of methods. We partner with outreach and post-secondary programs to explore facets of STEM outreach and impacts on young people, influences around the entry to engineering or specific disciplines, and other factors related to inclusion in engineering.
CIEL’s Recent Publications
Oloumi Yazdi, Y., Tai, C.-C. S., Ge, C. J., Liu, X., Wolf, J., McLeod, K., Newell, R., Lyon, K., d’Entremont, A., Usprech J., Cheung, K. (2025). Evaluating STEM/Engineering Identity of Elementary and High School Students in STEM Outreach Programs. Proceedings of the Canadian Engineering Education Association (CEEA). doi.org/10.24908/pceea.2025.19623
Said, R. A., Khan, R., Tran, J., McLeod, K., Wolf, J., d’Entremont, A., Newell, R., Cheung, K., Usprech, J. (2025). Exploring the association between STEM-related family habitus and engineering identities of high school summer campers. Proceedings of the Canadian Engineering Education Association (CEEA). doi.org/10.24908/pceea.2025.19608
Tran, J., Wolf, J., Farrokh, S., Lyon, K., Newell, R. Usprech, J., Cheung, K., d’Entremont, A. (2024). Methodologies for evaluating the impact of STEM outreach on under represented groups in engineering: a systematic literature review. ASEE PEER, Paper 43909. peer.asee.org/47774
Find out about UBC Applied Science’s commitment to equity
The Faculty of Applied Science is committed to creating a community where human rights are respected and equity is embedded in all areas of academic, work and campus life. The principles of equity, diversity, inclusion and Indigeneity are fundamental in achieving our mission to shape the leaders and professions that shape the world.
Top photo by Sergei Lisovskiy on Unsplash