Conference Agenda

This study examined changes in self-efficacy associated with participation in a mentoring program for women engineering academics. The intervention included an initial training phase delivered through a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), followed by a series of structured mentoring sessions aimed at strengthening self-efficacy. A quantitative approach with a repeated-measures design was employed, involving pre- and post-intervention assessments with a sample of women academics. Self-efficacy was assessed using a previously validated instrument, and data analysis included descriptive statistics, the Shapiro–Wilk normality test, and a nonparametric test for related samples, in addition to the calculation of effect size. The results show an increase in self-efficacy levels after the intervention. These findings suggest that mentoring programs can contribute to strengthening professional confidence among women academics in engineering and provide evidence on training strategies aimed at supporting professional development at advanced stages of the academic career.

The construction industry is characterized as a highly male-dominated sector, both nationally and internationally, where female participation remains scarce, generating dynamics of occupational segregation. Available literature has focused primarily on the barriers and challenges women face in this field, overlooking the positive effects of their participation, which have been scarcely studied, particularly in the Latin American context.

This study aimed to analyze, from a qualitative perspective, the benefits perceived by industry professionals regarding female participation in construction projects in Chile. To this end, 11 semi-structured interviews were conducted with professionals of both genders, exploring their perceptions and experiences related to such participation.

The results reveal a predominantly positive perception of women's involvement in the industry, highlighting that women improve the work environment and are perceived as contributors in terms of order, organization, responsibility, and attention to detail. Conversely, physical strength was identified as a limiting factor for high-demand fieldwork, and interpersonal relationships among women were described as conflictive.

Due to the exploratory nature of the study, the findings are not representative of the industry as a whole. Nevertheless, the results shed light on concrete benefits of female participation and may serve as a basis for decisions and initiatives by companies, public agencies, and academia.

The veterinary profession has undergone a profound demographic transformation over the past decades due to the increasing participation of women. Despite the consolidation of a female majority in veterinary education and in the professional workforce in many countries, this transition has not necessarily been accompanied by a proportional redistribution of leadership and decision-making positions. This article examines how the feminization of veterinary medicine interacts with persistent gender gaps in leadership. A narrative literature review was conducted using international scientific literature and institutional reports, integrating evidence from North America, Europe, and Latin America with statistical and institutional information from Chile. The findings indicate that although women constitute the majority of veterinary graduates in many regions, they remain underrepresented in executive leadership, practice ownership, and high-level academic positions. This discrepancy suggests that feminization has altered the demographic structure of the profession without necessarily transforming the organizational mechanisms that shape access to power. The article highlights the importance of examining leadership structures, professional networks, and institutional dynamics in order to understand the persistence of gender gaps within a profession that is numerically female- dominated.

In recent years, female enrollment in engineering programs in Chile has increased due to policies and initiatives aimed at expanding access opportunities. However, challenges persist in effectively incorporating a gender perspective into pedagogical practices. To identify barriers and opportunities for promoting more equitable educational environments, this study analyzes students' perceptions regarding the integration of gender-sensitive pedagogical approaches in an engineering school at an elite Latin American university. The research adopted a qualitative approach, collecting data through two instances: a focus group with 11 students from different cohorts, selected via purposive non-probabilistic sampling, and an elicitation activity with the voluntary participation of 14 students. Thematic analysis of the recordings revealed that students perceive instructors as tending to reproduce gender stereotypes and to overlook the presence of female role models in the classroom. Likewise, students in advanced stages of their programs show greater critical sensitivity toward the absence of inclusive perspectives. The findings underscore the need to strengthen faculty training in gender equity and to promote inclusive pedagogical methodologies in both explicit and implicit curricula. Future studies will explore faculty perceptions to contrast them with student perspectives.

This work in progress analyzes an inter-university learning experience focused on the co-design of inclusive technological solutions for people with disabilities in the Biobío region, Chile. The initiative brought together engineering students, students from other disciplines, mentors, public institutions, and disability experts by experience in a two-day challenge structured around real-world problems identified through participatory activities. The paper asks how this type of short and intensive environment contributes to the development of technical, socio-technical, and ethical competencies in engineering education. The analysis draws on project pitches, team records, and process observations. Three findings stand out. First, students progressively reframed problems from a device-centered approach toward a contextual understanding of disability, accessibility, and autonomy. Second, interaction with users, caregivers, and specialists increased the social relevance of proposals and promoted co-design logics instead of purely assistive or technocentric responses. Third, early prototyping became a space for situated ethical reflection by revealing assumptions about usability, participation, dignity, and impact. The results suggest that interdisciplinary, project-based, and participatory experiences can help embed ethics and social responsibility into engineering education, particularly in curricular contexts where inclusive engineering remains weakly developed. The article closes by identifying methodological and evaluative challenges for the next stage of the study.