More Women Pursuing the Sciences

Do you have a budding math wizard in one of your classes? Does that student happen to be female? If so, chances are that she may loose her interest in the discipline as she grows. A recent AAUW article reports that many young girls show high aptitude and ability in the sciences during elementary school, but often loose interest and confidence by the time middle school rolls around.

Going unchecked, this trend continues through secondary and post secondary education. For instance, women earn more than half the bachelor's and master's degrees granted, but constitute only one-third of the doctorates granted. Further, only 16 percent of science and engineering jobs are held by women. These jobs are concentrated primarily in the biology, psychology, and health fields.

The lack of women and minority members in many scientific and technical fields makes it easy for guidance counselors, parents, and young people to think that those fields are inappropriate or unwelcoming for young women, blacks, Hispanics, and others. How can you help reverse this mindset?

Discuss various career options with your students. Which career fields are traditionally male dominated? Why did the industry develop in that manner? What education and skills will be required for a woman to succeed in that profession?

Make an effort to recruit women engineers and scientists as guest speakers for your classes. Ask them to discuss their educational backgrounds, skills needed for their jobs, and any advice they may have for other young women entering the field.

Encourage your female and minority students to pursue their interests. Remind them that they have just as much potential as anyone to be physicists, physicians, astronomers, engineers - in short, whatever kinds of scientists they want to be.

Help your students locate resources that may help them with career planning.

These organizations may have information or programs to assist you and your students.

Math, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA)
Lawrence Hall of Science
University of California,
Berkeley, CA 94720
(510) 642-5064
Scholarships, summer jobs, academic enrichment

National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, Inc. (NACME)
3 West 35th Street
New York, NY 10001-2281
(212) 279-2626
Scholarships, educational materials, model programs

National Institutes of Health
Division of Research Resources
5333 Westbard Avenue
Bethesda, MD 20892
(301) 496-6745
Scholarships and training programs

National Science Foundation
Division of Human Resource Development
1800 G Street N.W.
Washington, DC 20550
(202) 357-5052
Conferences, workshops, publications, grants

American Society of Petroleum Geologists
PO Box 979
Tulsa, OK 74101

American Chemical Society
1155 E. 16th Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20036

American Institute of Chemical Engineers
345 E. 47 Street
New York, NY 10017

American Institute of Architects
1735 New York Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20006

Society of Petroleum Engineers
222 Palisades Creek Drive
Richardson, TX 75080

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
1906 Association Drive
Reston, VA 22091