UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — After a career spanning 40 years and 15 countries, Eileen Trauth, professor of information sciences and technology (IST) and women's, gender and sexuality studies, will be retiring this spring. Throughout her career, she has made it her mission to analyze and cultivate diversity, especially among women, to the information technology field.
“The field definitely needs more diversity," Trauth said. "My research and other’s shows that when you have diversity, you produce better products.”
In her career, she has interviewed more than 200 women working in information technology to understand their experiences. “It feels good to be working in a field where when I’m promoting it, it comes from the heart. IT is a great profession and a great opportunity,” she said.
The recipient of two Fulbright Scholar Awards, Trauth traveled extensively to deepen her understanding of the obstacles underrepresented groups face when trying to succeed in the field. Her first foray was to Ireland, on her first Fulbright Award.
“I began a 10-year study on the information field that has become a key lever in the economic development in Ireland,” Trauth said. She published a book on her conclusions titled “The Culture of an Information Economy: Influences and Impacts in the Republic of Ireland,” the first of her many publications.
“She has been a champion for diversity and inclusion in the IST field,” said Allison Morgan, a former graduate assistant. “She has made it her business to debunk stereotypes especially regarding women and their technical abilities. Her theory work has also provided a solid foundation to understand women’s ability to persevere in a male-dominated industry.”
A natural evolution of her work, Trauth was also responsible for the development of a gender course in IST that examines the cross-cultural impact of gender within the global IT sector. Although traditionally women have been the minority in technology fields, Trauth is certain women can overcome these obstacles. Trauth herself earned a bachelor’s degree in English, speech communications and theology from the University of Dayton, and a master’s and doctorate in information science from the University of Pittsburgh.
As one of seven sisters born into a middle-class family, Trauth said she and her siblings’ success in higher education is proof of overcoming these obstacles. “The societal setting we grew up in, it wasn’t the kind that would have produced seven women all with terminal degrees. So there had to be something else operating besides societal influence,” Trauth said.
“Of course, there are barriers that are directly imposed on people [to join the field]. But I’m more interested in the barriers that people impose upon themselves and internalize without being conscious of it,” she added. Trauth believes this can be countered by helping people understand the opportunities available to them through mentoring or education.
“I think IST is the liberal arts of the 21st century,” she said. “You can connect IST to every single endeavor, and it’s not hard for me advocate the benefits of studying this area because it can enhance anything.”
Those connections became even more apparent immediately after Trauth joined IST. “I came here one month before Sept. 11 happened. Before then, the vision of IST was just looking at information systems and user interfaces and societal effects,” she said. “Cybersecurity wasn’t even a part of the vision. So when this college had only just gotten started in 1999, all of a sudden it had to take on something really important and new.”
With an undergraduate degree in English, Trauth found a way to expand on her research findings to include creative writing. Along with her sister, Suzanne, she wrote “iDream,” a play funded by the National Science Foundation.
The script was inspired by her research interviews. “I have all these unique women who work in the IT field and I have their life stories,” Trauth explained.
Led by three high school-aged girls, "iDream's" plot is a vehicle to demonstrate Trauth’s life purpose: sharing “the struggles of those who are marginalized in the IT field by virtue of gender, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status, but who seek inclusion and equality in the information society.” According to Trauth, "iDream" is her “most exciting project.”
"iDream" is unique because it communicates Trauth’s academic research in a more accessible and emotional way. Trauth and her sister have staged nine performances in several states, all aimed at educating high school students about opportunities in IT.
In retirement, Trauth plans to devote even more time to "iDream." After moving to Cincinnati with her spouse, Kathleen, she will continue her work on the play, including staging a performance in Australia. “I’ll be using the play, and maybe other media, to tell people stories of possibility,” she said.