Walking through McCain Engineering Building, observers are likely to see an abundance of predominantly white male students traveling to their next destination.
According to Mississippi State University fall 2017 enrollment data, females account for roughly 22 percent of the 3,852 undergraduates in the James Worth Bagley College of Engineering. Although a few departments such as biological, biomedical and industrial engineering have equal representation of males and females, other departments such as computer science, aerospace and mechanical engineering are disproportionate.
Robert Green, the MSU undergraduate coordinator for the college of engineering, traced the significant gender gap back to high school teachers, and ultimately societal norms. 
“The research from National Science Foundation has shown women are making decisions about whether to enter technical fields around sixth grade,” Green said. “A lot of that is determined by their teachers discouraging them to take those tough courses because those are boys’ courses. So, by the time the women get here, there is no option because they are not prepared with the background to even think they can do engineering.”
Charley Rhea, a mechanical engineering major, said she believes a significant obstacle for many women is figuring out if they want to pursue this field of study. Because Rhea entered an engineering track during high school, she decided early on engineering was for her.
“For many people, that is not the case, and they have to figure out something they are not so familiar with,” Rhea said. “You have to have a lot of spatial skills in engineering, but girls do not typically grow up developing those skills because we are given gender-specific toys, such as Barbie dolls instead of Legos and building blocks.”
Because math and science-based careers are often associated with males, women do not see themselves in these fields of study. Sarah Lee, MSU Computer Science and Engineering assistant clinical professor and director of undergraduate studies, explained how women role models are key to developing the self-efficacy to encourage more women to enter the field of engineering.
“I think there are a lot of messages that girls get through the media,” Lee said. “Also, particularly in Mississippi, there is not a lot of access to female role models in engineering pathways. We have a lot of rural small towns where most of our children are growing up, and they just do not have access to see that.”
Dennis Truax, head of the MSU Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, related the current gender gap in engineering to the movie “Hidden Figures.” By discriminating based on religion, race and gender, NASA immediately eliminated its pool of creativity and chances of beating the Russians into space.
“We, as a nation, have still seemed to fail to learn that having everyone included in the team only makes the team more rich and productive,” Truax said.
Because there are so many males in the field, a female’s perspective adds diversity to a situation. Brandon Harmon, a mechanical engineering major, explained the importance and benefits of including females in the conversation.
“The more diverse your group is, the better your solution could be,” Harmon said. “If you have a group of all men, you are all thinking in the same direction. However, if you have women and all races involved, you are able to get a diverse set of views and ultimately a better solution.”
MSU offers various outreaches to improve the gender gap. Lee emphasized the importance of the university’s gender-specific K-12 outreach to introduce opportunities to females and encourage them to pursue the field of study at a young age.
The college of engineering implemented programs such as “I Am Girl” to targets girls ages 11 to 14 years old. The program seeks to create an interest in engineering-related fields of study and a positive mindset toward technical careers.
Several different female societies within the college of engineering were created to provide a support system for female students throughout their college careers. However, Savannah Metz, an aerospace engineering major, said she believes some are not as helpful as others due to the lack of activity within the societies.
“I think we do a great job of encouraging women to enter into engineering through several different programs such as ‘I Am Girl,’ but I do not think there is enough outreach to encourage women to stick with this field of study throughout the entire four years,” Metz said. “MSU’s societies tailored toward women are there, but they are not huge and prioritized like they should be.”
Because women are a minority in the field, they are highly valued and typically receive high-income salaries right out college. Truax said he believes women are valuable to the field’s success and should consider the number of opportunities to become passionate about in engineering. However, many female students in engineering approach him and voice feelings of inferiority.
“I always tell women that they are capable of achieving success in this field, and if they are not convinced, I refer them to a TED Talk by Amy Cuddy that explains faking it until you become it,” Truax said. “It might be hard, but those are just roadblocks to your success.”