Case Studies

woman presenting to audience.

The NAVIGATE Project case studies were created as part of an NSF-funded project to develop a training program to help female STEM graduate students recognize—and devise strategies for dealing with—gender-based inequity, bias, and discrimination in the workplace.  

A key component of The NAVIGATE Project is the development of a series of case studies with female STEM protagonists which promote strategic thinking, problem solving, and decision making around these issues. All of the cases are based on the real experiences of women in the workplace, with names, places, and, in some cases, certain details changed to maintain confidentiality. 

The case study materials on this website are made available through a . In summary, all are free to share and/or adapt the materials for non-commercial purposes, as long as proper attribution is given. We encourage users to modify the cases to meet your own goals and objectives and the needs of your target audience. Permission to adapt a case is not necessary. Adapted cases however must cite the original title of the case and the name(s) of the original author(s). 

Case Study Training Materials

  • Anitta - Based on My Own Merit
    3/21/23
    Five female friends with diverse backgrounds - three engineering students, and two practicing electrical engineers - discuss intersectional challenges arising from biases they currently face in school and the workplace.
  • Nadia Spencer - A Confidence Challenge
    3/21/23
    A PhD civil engineering student contemplates quitting the degree program as her confidence is shaken while working as a TA for a male professor who has created a hostile work environment.
  • Pei Wu - Running Out of Time
    3/21/23
    A graduate student is assigned to work in the lab with a male PhD student from a different cultural background who seems to lack respect for her and her career path and may be actively working against her.

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