Search for: All records

Recognizing the socioeconomic importance of STEM-based entrepreneurial initiatives, several entrepreneurship education programs (EEPs) have been initiated to foster and incentivize the translational of academic scientific and technological research into commercially offered products. However, STEM-focused entrepreneurship continues to be challenged by diversity, equity, and inclusion issues, with limited research examining women STEM faculty’s perspectives in regard with EEPs. We argue that to develop EEPs that are inclusive to women, one of the foremost needs is to better understand their intentions behind engagement in EEPs. The purpose of this qualitative study is to investigate women STEM faculty’s intentions to engage in entrepreneurship education programs. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 32 self-identified women STEM faculty who have (n = 13), and have not participated (n = 19) in EEPs. The participants represented different STEM fields and were situated across multiple institutions in the USA. Five core themes emerged from analyzing the qualitative interviews using first and second cycle coding methods. These themes identify different intentions behind women STEM faculty’s engagement in entrepreneurship programming—translation intent, innovation intent, intent to engage students, personal intent, and entrepreneurial intent. Overall, the findings suggest that the singular “venture-creation” focus in EEPs does not sufficiently capture the varied intentions that inform women STEM faculty’s engagement in EEPs. Implications of the findings in regard with improving inclusivity in entrepreneurship program development and implementation, and entrepreneurship education research are discussed. We call for further research that examines how women STEM faculty navigate academic entrepreneurial pathways that include broader issues within the mainstream entrepreneurial ecosystems. We anticipate that continued research efforts paired with administrative implementations will assist in addressing systemic issues and contribute to the broadening participation of STEM women faculty in EEPs. 

Although several entrepreneurship education programs (EEPs) have been created for faculty, research examining women faculty experiences participating in EEPs is minimal and particularly negligible in the context of their academic research. To address this gap, we examine women faculty’s perceptions and experiences toward EEPs in the context of biomedical (BM) research. The research question examined is as follows: how do women faculty with a BM research focus experience and/or perceive EEPs? Eight identified women faculty who pursue B.M. research participated in in-depth interviews for this study. The data analysis drew on phenomenological experience-based qualitative research methodologies. Three key themes emerged with respect to participant experiences with and perceptions of EEPs: (1) engaging in customer discovery, (2) navigating the entrepreneurial program, and (3) facing BM specific research challenges. Customer discovery was identified as the most impactful outcome, and it pushed the faculty to explore the impact of their innovations beyond their laboratory spaces; however, the customer discovery process was challenging due to the complexity of the BM environment. Furthermore, several challenges were noted when navigating the program concerning feedback delivery and students' roles. Lastly, several specific challenges were raised, specific to the lack of disciplinary diversity and post-EEP guidance on regulatory approvals and funding. We anticipate that these research-based findings will inform the continued development of EEPs that are inclusive of women STEM faculty, particularly those who are engaged in BM research. Implications for research and practice are presented in the context of the emergent findings. 

Despite recent STEM diversity initiatives, there still exists structural barriers on who can pursue their STEM aspirations. The lack of diversity in STEM fields hinders individual selfactualization and economic advancement as well as STEM innovation efforts. Notably, Black women remain underrepresented in STEM higher education and academic entrepreneurship. The goal of this project is to increase the understanding of the entrepreneurship-related experiences of Black women in STEM higher education. Specifically, we examine how the erasure and marginalization of Black women in STEM academic entrepreneurship contributes to their minoritization in STEM. In doing so, we seek to identify ways to improve their experiences in STEM higher education and entrepreneurial spaces. Relying on Collins’ (1990) domains of power framework, the following question guides the study: To what extent do everyday encounters and practices of marginalization in STEM higher education and entrepreneurial education spaces shape Black women’s engagement in STEM entrepreneurial education programming? To answer this question, we conducted semi-structured interviews (n=7) of Black women faculty in STEM higher education who have engaged or not engaged in entrepreneurship education programming. These conversations reveal the various ways Black women navigate in and outside of entrepreneurship education programming to innovate their fields.