In partnership with the International Center for Professional Development (ICPS), leading biotech companies are working to increase diversity in the industry through the Scientist Mentoring and Diversity Program (SMDP). This program gives scholarships to 30 graduate and post-doc students from underrepresented minorities to participate in the year-long program. Student attendance at the BIO International Convention, scheduled for June 18-21 in Boston, is a component of the opportunity. The program also provides participants with a mentor and access to contacts in the industry. “Minorities are underrepresented in the biotechnology industry as in many other science, technology, engineering and math professions, and the biotechnology industry is doing something about it,” says Scott May, executive director at the International Center for Professional Development. “This effort is important for many reasons, but in particular, a diverse workforce is more productive as it brings a larger pool of ideas, skills, and experiences that collectively increase the knowledge base required for scientific innovation.”
Via www.biotech-now.org
Archive for Girls, Women, and Minorities in STEM
Partnership Targets Diversity in the Biotech Industry
Out-of-School Experiences Influence Girls to Pursue STEM
Classroom learning may not be the most effective means of drawing girls into STEM fields. The success of programs like Techbridge, an after-school opportunity specifically for girls to learn about science, technology, engineering, and math, suggests that organized learning that takes place beyond the boundaries of the formal school day could be influential in sparking girls’ interest in these subjects. Figuring out the most effective formula for gaining — and retaining — the interest of girls in STEM subjects is the trick. According to Carol Tang, director of the Coalition for Science After School, “Because there is such a great diversity of after-school programs, we need to identify a diversity of successful examples so that the majority of after-school programs can find models to fit their own audiences and infrastructure.”
Via www.edweek.org
Scholarships for African Americans Studying STEM
Via www.usnews.com
Top 10 Women in Technology, 2011
Via www.opposingviews.com
Society, Not Biology, Is Behind Gender Gap in Math
Yet, you can’t argue with data that consistently shows boys in the United States outperforming girls in math. For an explanation, we need to consider social and cultural factors, the study says. It looked at data from 86 countries. In some of these countries, the study found no male variation in math achievement. “We found that boys — as well as girls — tend to do better in math when raised in countries where females have better equality, and that’s new and important,” says study author and math professor Jonathan Kane. “It makes sense that when women are well-educated and earn a good income, the math scores of their children of both genders benefit.”
Via www.news.wisc.edu
Female CEOs Lament Lack of STEM Graduates
Women CEOs from several US companies traveled to Capitol Hill on Monday to deliver a message to a group of female lawmakers: We’ve got science and technology jobs to fill; where are the qualified candidates? A big part of the problem, panelists agreed, is a lack of job applicants with adequate skills in STEM fields. For example, Lisa Hook, CEO of Sterling-Va-based Neustar Inc., a telecommunications company, pointed to a solution. “We need a lot of federal assistance in encouraging children to go into STEM, we need to make it accessible and available starting in the ninth grade,” she said.
Key Facts About Computer Science
- Five of the top ten fastest growing jobs will be in computing-related fields ( i.e., computer software engineer jobs expected to grow 45% over the next five to seven years).
- Only 17% of AP computer science test-takers in 2008 were women, although women represented 55% of all AP test-takers.
- By 2018, current government projections show that more than 800,000 high-end computing jobs will be created in the economy, making it one of the fastest growing occupational fields.
Female STEM Faculty Members Benefit from Mentors
Students aren’t the only ones that can reap the benefits of mentoring. For female college faculty members in the sciences, having a mentor can help mitigate the feelings of marginalization that can go hand-in-hand with teaching in a typically male-dominated field. This, according the the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) project at Harvard. COACHE’s Cathy Trower says, “Mentoring is crucial for STEM women because without it, they might not be privy to the good old boys’ club or behind-the-scenes conversations that are crucial to fitting in the department and to getting tenure.”
Via blog-aauw.org
NASA Aims to Inspire Middle School Girls to Pursue STEM Fields
NASA’s new Aspire 2 Inspire section of its Women@NASA website targets young women with a campaign to inform and inspire them about careers in STEM fields. “We have an opportunity to reach out to the next generation and inspire today’s girls to pursue science and technology careers,” said Rebecca Keiser, associate director for agency-level policy integration and representative to the White House Council on Women and Girls. “Expanding opportunities in these fields will give our country perspectives and expertise that will help us out-innovate, out-educate and out-build the world. It’s key to our future.” Check it out!
Via thejournal.com
Stats Suggest More and More Women Earning Science Degrees
Via www.wildcat.arizona.edu
