Federal agencies like the National Science Foundation, NASA, and the Department of Energy have quietly launched several Title IX compliance reviews in university science and engineering programs since 2006, leading some to question the impact the anti-gender discrimination law could have on departments that have traditionally been dominated by men. Under pressure from Congress, investigators have been taking lab inventories and interviewing science and engineering faculty members at schools such as Columbia, the University of Wisconsin, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of Maryland, all of which receive federal grants. Some critics fear that the process could lead to a quota system that could seriously hurt scientific research and do more harm than good for women. Colleges already practice affirmative action for women in science

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