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

  • Ayesha and the Trade Show
    3/21/23
    A junior engineer who has just returned from representing her company at her first trade show is excited to present her report, but she leaves the meeting confused by her senior director’s muted reaction.
  • Brenna McGee - A Balancing Act
    3/21/23
    A mid-career female academic researcher receives personal advice from an older female faculty member on how to better prepare herself for promotion to full professor that doesn’t take into account her work-life balance choices.
  • Kaira and the Big Pitch
    3/21/23
    An early-career engineer is passed over by the CEO of her firm for the lead role in delivering a pitch to a valuable external potential client.
  • 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.
  • Rachel Frank - Conflicted at Work
    3/21/23
    An early-career engineer is first befriended by, and then becomes romantically entangled with, a more senior and more powerful colleague at work, leading to a number of conflicts of interest.

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