Other W-I-S-E News
Selected timely articles from the external news about women in science and engineering.
August 2009
- Are there gender biases in science and science education? Does anything need to be done, and if so, what? Inside Higher Ed’s Ben Elsen explores these questions in the context of America’s universities and female scientists. Dialogue ensues in the comments section. (Read more…
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April 2009
- “Computer Science–A Growing Field That Needs a Few (More) Good Women” discusses the stereotypes that exist about the jobs available in the field, as well as those about computer scientists themselves. Dartmouth’s Assistant Professor of Computer Science Tanzeem Choudhury was interviewed. Read more…
March 2009
- “Female, Minority Physical Scientists Needed to Maintain US Edge” discusses the need for an increase in the number of students majoring in physical scientists, especially female and minority students. The article points to poor physics education at the secondary school level, as well as unaccommodating work environments at the university level. Read more…
February 2009
- “Non-Science Jobs in Science” describes industries that are still strong, despite the economic downturn: “In light of the recent unemployment statistics, students in the Class of 2009 should not wait until graduation to begin their job search. The healthcare, biotech, and pharmaceutical industries are cited as having growth potential, but not necessarily in the areas one might think…Other industries expected to grow in demand for science and non-science majors include government and education. ” Read more…
January 2009
- “In ‘Geek Chic’ and Obama, New Hope for Lifting Women in Science”: a New York Times article about the reasons behind the small number of women in scientific research, and possibilities for change. “Researchers who have long promoted the cause of women in science view the incoming administration with a mix of optimism and we’ll-see-ism. On the one hand, they said, the new president’s apparent enthusiasm for science, and the concomitant rise of “geek chic” and “smart is the new cool” memes, can only redound to the benefit of all scientists, particularly if the enthusiasm is followed by a bolus of new research funds.” Read more…
- “Preoccupations - A Sisterhood of Workplace Infighting” is a New York Times article about how women in the work place sabotage each other’s carreers: “[W]hile women have come a long way in removing workplace barriers, one of the last remaining obstacles is how they treat one another. Instead of helping to build one another’s careers, they sometimes derail them” Read more…
- “Journal Women” - a part of the Wall Street Journal’s website focusing on women. Read more…
December 2008
- The first in a series of BBC News features profiling women working in Silicon Valley, Valley Girls: Padma Warrior describes Padmasree Warrior, the female chief technology officer at Cisco. “As a self confessed geek, Padmasree Warrior defies the stereotype of the badly dressed bumbling nerd.” Read more…
November 2008
- A recently published book, “Motherhood, the Elephant in the Labratory: Women Scientists Speak Out” contains personal stories of women in science about the difficulties and successes of motherhood in the sciences.
October 2008
- American culture discourages girls from studying math, New York Times reports
A recent study presented findings that in the United States, many girls who are talented at math are not pursuing the field because United States’ culture does not highly value this talent, and thus discourages girls from entering the field: “Kids in high school, where social interactions are really important, think, ‘If I’m not an Asian or a nerd, I’d better not be on the math team.’ Kids are self selecting. For social reasons they’re not even trying.” Read more… - A new book redefines the gender gap, Inside Higher Ed reports. “Both male and female undergraduates are more likely to have higher college grades as the percentage of female faculty members increases. The more time female students devote to exercise and sports, the higher their grades are likely to be. For male students, more time on exercise and sports has the opposite effect. Women are more likely to report growth in critical thinking during college if they attend private colleges than public universities.” Read more…
- Girls Just Wanna Be Geeks, from NOW Magazine
Although science and technology have long been male-dominated, there are increasing instances of passionate women finding ways to enter this club. Co-editor of “She’s Such A Geek: Women Write About Science, Technology And Other Nerdy Stuff” Annalee Newitz is encouraged by a rise in female computer-science Ph.D graduates between 2003 and 2004, while the National Science Foundation estimated six years ago that 56 percent of engineering and science graduates were female. Yet just 25 percent of science and engineering jobs were held by women, and Newitz points to several obstacles women face, such as a lack of women to support them in the sci-tech domain, and lingering if understated sexism. Read more…
September 2008
- Women and Minorities Not Getting Mentoring, MentorNet Study Finds
In 2006-07, MentorNet surveyed approximately 2,500 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral scholars about their perceptions of the value and need for mentors. 98% of respondents reported that having a mentor (of some type) was important to them. Read more… - Dartmouth professor named to Technology Review’s annual TR35 list
Tanzeem Choudhury, an assistant professor of computer science at Dartmouth, has been named to the 2008 TR35, an annual listing from Technology Review magazine that features the world’s top innovators under the age of 35. Read more… - Professor Mary Flanagan, inaugural Chair of Digital Humanities
Dartmouth’s Office of the Dean of the Faculty is pleased to announce the appointment of Professor of Film and Media Studies, Mary Flanagan, as the inaugural endowed chair holder of the Sherman Fairchild Distinguished Professorship in Digital Humanities. Read more…