Opinion piece: Science, Technology, Engineering, Math AND Girls

Science, Technology, Engineering, Math AND Girls

By Dawn M. Whalen

Imagine –

A five-year-old programming a robot to move, turn and play music;

A seven-year-old building a simple machine with levers and gears;

A ten-year-old using a digital microscope to examine hair and fibers;

A middle schooler writing commands so sensors react correctly to power motors, lights, and sounds.

Did you imagine boys? NOW imagine these children in pigtails, a dress and a tiara.

Assuming that all girls wear dresses and like tiaras may be stereotyping, but how they may like to dress has nothing to do with what they like to do! Opportunity and encouragement to program robots and experiment with microscopes will give girls confidence to pursue STEM-related fields.

Women have always been interested in science (and science-related fields). In the past, however, women fell into a class of scientists hitting the proverbial glass ceiling. As recent as the 1980’s, built-in discriminations were apparent; you were either a Research Associate (most likely a woman) or in the Graduate Studies Program (all men) carrying you up the ladder to Senior Scientist.1 According to the National Science Foundation, 11 percent of engineers and 26 percent of mathematical and computer scientists in 2007 were female. Women of color make up only 2 percent of female STEM professionals.

The Denver Museum of Nature & Science (http://www.dmns.org/) deliberately considered careers girls may be interested in when creating their Space Work exhibit.

Focusing on ‘what you like to do’, the interactive exhibit takes your interests - I'm interested in airplanes and dream of being a pilot – and associates that interest to a number of careers, more specifically careers with NASA.

A girl’s interest in airplanes and flying doesn’t have to lead her to the more common career as a flight attendant; it could lead her to a career as an astronaut, spacecraft engineer, astronaut trainer, or research pilot.

Frances Kruger, Senior Exhibit Developer at the museum states, “Taking your love of something and finding a way to turn it into a career was the direct intent of this exhibit.”

Using the Internet, visit NASA’s (NASA - Careers) Digital Learning Network where students can talk to a NASA employee.

With video-conferencing and live events featuring NASA experts students learn about our home planet, the universe beyond and careers as a scientist or engineer…without the trip to Houston!

Offering “girls only” opportunities to explore and identify with these fields are popular. So, go where the girls are. Girl Scout Camps are a great opportunity to offer this much-needed exposure. After school programs with a “girl power” focus will get girls excited about these topics.

The Association for Computing Machinery, ACM (http://www.acm.org/), understands the need for women in STEM fields and provides a repository that describes over 250 projects for girls funded by the National Science Foundation click here for full PDF document. For example, the Sisters in Sports Science project helps middle school girls embrace math and science principles through sports (using five team sports and five individual sports). Sports naturally reinforce how to overcome obstacles, develop trust, rapport, tolerance, patience and persistence…life skills that are beneficial to everyone, but reinforced in a venue that girls are not always encouraged to choose.

Schools can use science (or any STEM subject) as an opportunity to attract prospective students to their school. Collette Howell, COMPUTER EXPLORERS Franchisee, Sacramento, CA, partnered with a Catholic high school to offer summer engineering classes to middle school girls. The girls, who had expressed interest in science and engineering, visited their potential high school and participated in the engineering class. “A tremendous opportunity exists to encourage those interests,” states Howell, “Parents and students should Google ‘high schools’ and ‘robotics teams’ to find schools that offer a robotics team, a sign that STEM is important at that school.”

Scholarships are available to start a STEM career in college. The University of Akron’s Choose Ohio First Scholarship Program – STEM Initiative supports undergraduate students pursuing degrees in STEM related fields.

Giving girls opportunities to experience STEM related subjects in a comfortable setting will allow them to ‘let their hair down’ (literally) to engage in these exciting endeavors!

1 Women in Science: then and now Gornick, Vivian, 2009.

Dawn Whalen is the Owner and Technology/Education Director for COMPUTER EXPLORERS, a technology education company, in the greater Hartford area.

www.computerexplorers.com/hartford

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COMPUTER EXPLORERS helps children excel and adults stay connected through their interactive technology education programs which are customized to meet the needs of both students and educators. We offer in-school curriculum technology integration programs, fun, hands-on, minds-on after school programs, summer vacation camps, preschool technology programs as well as adult and staff professional development programs.