What Drives Women To Work In STEM?

The Blum Center’s Development Engineering (Dev Eng) program provides students with an avenue to use their deep technical skills in fields such as economics, engineering, business, public health, to work in interdisciplinary teams to solve complex global challenges. These challenges include lack of clean water, lack of electricity or communications, and lack of access to consistently good healthcare. We are finding that providing an avenue for students to pursue personally meaningful work while in school is attracting an over-representation of students who are typically underrepresented in STEM fields, i.e. women and underrepresented minority students.

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ChenTalk: Berkeley and UCSF Professor Irene Chen speaks to students in class white pointing at presentation during DevEng 203 and DevEng 210.

Digital Transformation of Development Traineeship Brings AI and Data Analytics to Under-Resourced Settings

Under a new NSF-funded research program housed at the Blum Center, the Digital Transformation of Development (DToD) Traineeship, students are using their research skills to apply digital tools, such as machine learning and AI, to the issues and challenges of poverty alleviation, disaster relief, and more — in pursuit of digital and technological justice, equity, and empowerment.

Host and Fellow Responsibilities

Host Organizations

  • Identify staff supervisor to manage I&E Climate Action Fellow
  • Submit fellowship description and tasks
  • Engage in the matching process
  • Mentor and advise students
  • Communicate with Berkeley program director and give feedback on the program.

Berkeley Program Director​

  • Communicate with host organizations, students, and other university departments to ensure smooth program operations

Student Fellows

  • Complete application and cohort activities
  • Communicate with staff and host organizations
  • Successfully complete assignments from host organization during summer practicum
  • Summarize and report summer experience activities post-fellowship