Increasing the diversity and inclusion of underrepresented students will positively impact the institution and their future places of employment . The United States has become increasingly more diverse , which also means so have our institutions and workplaces ( 2 ). This diversity continues to drive innovation . Research has found that demographically underrepresented students innovate at a higher rate than most other students in the United States . Even though they innovate at a higher rate , their innovations are discounted by most institutions and companies ( 8 ) . It has been found that the more diverse the team , the more likely they are to make breakthroughs in science and technological innovations ( 9 ) .
2021 RISING STAR AWARD WINNER
PNAA ' s WIA Rising Star Award recognizes a woman who has demonstrated a drive for excellence that has inspired change and innovation . The nominee is not afraid to break molds . She understands the importance of sharing new ideas and fostering a thought process that has a positive influence in the workplace and community . The nominee is a creative forward thinker who puts ideas into action .
The face of the future workforce is changing and expected to change even more over the next ten years . The high attrition rate of underrepresented students will slow the progression of equity in aviation careers with the United States and negatively affect the science and engineering ' pipeline ' of a qualified and diversified workforce . Aviation / aerospace companies and educational institutions must encourage and engage all members while addressing historical policies and practices that have created barriers and limited access to underrepresented groups ( 2 ). Leadership in aviation educational institutions and companies must stress the importance of recruiting and retaining the underrepresented student .
WORKS CITED
1 . Aviation outreach model and gap analysis : Examining solutions to workforce shortage : Lutte , Rebecca K . 1 , s . l . : The Collegiate Aviation Review Internationa , Vol . 36 .
2 . Conversations about diversity : Institutional barriers for underrepresented engineering students . Long III , L ., & Mejia , J . A . 2 , s . l . : Journal of Engineering , Vol . 105 .
3 . Completing college . s . l . 3 . Tinto , Vincent . : University of Chicago Press , 2012 .
4 . Harvey , C . P . and Allard , M . Understanding and managing diversity : readings , cases , and exercises . s . l . : Pearson , 2015 .
5 . Ong , M ., Jaumont-Pascual , N . and Ko , L . T . Research literature on women of color in undergraduate engineering education : A systematic thematic synthesis . Journal of Engineering Education . 109 , 2020 , Vol . 3 .
6 . Kezar , A . J . and Holcombe , E . M . Challenges of implementing integrated programs for underrepresented students in STEM : A study of the CSU STEM collaboratives . Educational Policy . 34 , 2020 , Vol . 6 .
7 . Editors . Higher education in science and engineering . s . l . : National Science Board , 2019 .
8 . The diversity-innovation paradox in science . Hofstra , B ., et al . s . l . : Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , 2020 .
9 . Coming out in STEM : Factors affecting retention of sexual minority STEM students . Hughes , B . E . 3 , s . l . : Science Advances , 2018 , Vol . 4 .
RISING STAR
JULIA BOSWELL
SECURITY AND COMPLIANCE LEAD AT PROSHOP ERP
Julia has quickly risen to a leadership role at ProShop within the cybersecurity department . She has demonstrated a significant ap�tude in the complexi�es of the cybersecurity landscape , and the CMMC ( Cybersecurity Maturity Model Cer�fica�on ) standard . Julia has won awards for her work , and has been interviewed for na�onal events for her thought leadership in cybersecurity . She is architec�ng a new product at ProShop – A CMMC Flying Start Package – which will eventually help thousands of companies navigate and understand the challenging CMMC compliance process , providing a roadmap and process to achieve cer�fica�on . In the process they will significantly improve their cybersecurity maturity , keeping their own companies , employees , and client data safe from would-be hackers . Her impact on the aerospace & defense industry is already star�ng to be felt by ProShop clients and will only grow over �me .
PNAA ADVANCE / 2022
FEBRUARY | MARCH 2022 ISSUE NO . 25 89