You + Me= Us (Calculus) ... Sally Ride urges girls to work 2ge+her on math and science

When I was in the midst of my student teaching residency, some of the student teachers and myself noticed something had changed with some middle school students. Over a period of about two weeks, some of the girls had become less likely to participate and it was taking longer for a lesson to "click" with them. What had happened? I went to my teaching advisor to see if there was any education tools to fix my teaching style.

She laughed. "Well, it's rounding the end of April and they're 7th graders."

She then proceeded to explain that it's pretty common knowledge among teachers that around this time girls will subliminally shy away from appearing too "bright" in the "harder," more structured subjects like science, math and foreign languages to impress those boys they're just starting to notice. This is where the feminist in me did everything in her power not to let out an ear-piercing shriek.

Luckily, not everyone has accepted this fact. We have people like Sally Ride ( THE FIRST WOMAN IN SPACE ) out there to counteract this phenomenon.

As Val shared earlier, Sally has recently been included in US News' list of "America's Best Leaders 2009." Her organization Sally Ride Science promotes a love of math and science starting from 5th grade (before the curse) until 9th. While it is co-ed, Ride stresses that one of the reasons she founded the organization back in 2001 was to defeat the dreaded science/math mental block often found in girls.

In an interview about her US News recognition, she said:

"I discovered that there were still significant societal stereotypes and peer-group pressure that start to affect girls in upper elementary school through middle school in such a way that they start to drift away from math and science. So I realized that there was a lot that could be gained by targeting that particular age."

Sally Ride has used her organization as a way to ensure the next generation of great mathematicians and scientists will include both men and women and has been seeing strong results proving that a Y chromosome isn't necessary to master the subjects.

Along with Sally, this list includes great feminists like VDAY Campaign's Eve Ensler and Tony award-winning Twyla Tharp. So, unlike the rumors in the hallway, being smart is pretty cool!

ps. to anyone wondering, the title of this blog is named after a pop-culture reference from my younger years. yes, i've shamelessly plugged MTVs 2001 original movie 2ge+her (the mockumentary made to get some laughs at boy bands like *nsync, backstreet boys, 5ive, soulDecision, etc...) Don't worry, I'm now seriously reconsidering the music choices of my youth while reviewing the music video and assure you that I've better developped my music taste since then (well, maybe...)

photo credits: db*photography on flickr.com

Women in STEM: Sally Ride

Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, was named one of America's Best Leaders by U.S. News & World Report.

Given my ongoing adoration for women in STEM fields, I was very excited to hear this news! It's great to have the achievements of groundbreaking women recognized, and even better when they take it upon themselves to make the path for young women a little easier! Sally Ride founded Sally Ride Science, "to provide exciting science programs, events, and publications for upper elementary and middle school students and their parents and teachers."

Way to go, Sally Ride!

Via Jezebel.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Irrational Fears and Women in Science

Today, people who have mental warehouses full of irrational fears, not unlike myself, have something new to lose sleep over. According to SkyNews, a 14-year-old German boy was minding his own business on his walk to school when a meteorite, traveling 30,000 mph, hit him in the hand and sent him tumbling. Honestly? This brings me to my next point... The universe, in all its vastness, is terrifying.

Last night, I went to see "A Legacy of Light" at the Arena Stage with some coworkers. This play, written by Karen Zacarias and directed by Molly Smith, addresses the interconnectedness of the universe that is all-too-often taken for granted. It also addresses something else that we often overlook: women in science.

The play opened my eyes to the work of Emilie du Châtelet, born in 1706. If you are unfamiliar with her work, as I was before last night, one really interesting fact is that her research on momentum contradicted Newton's findings, which, as I am sure you can imagine, was quite controversial to say the least. Years after her death, it turned out she was totally right.

According to a short biography of her life on Oregon State University's Department of Philosophy website, Madame du Châtelet wrote a letter to Frederick the Great of Prussia, wherein she wrote:

"Judge me for my own merits, or lack of them, but do not look upon me as a mere appendage to this great general or that great scholar, this star that shines at the court of France or that famed author. I am in my own right a whole person, responsible to myself alone for all that I am, all that I say, all that I do."

She brilliantly continues, "It may be that there are metaphysicians and philosophers whose learning is greater than mine, although I have not met them. Yet, they are but frail humans, too, and have their faults; so, when I add the sum total of my graces, I confess I am inferior to no one."

Pretty amazing lady, right? There is no good reason as to why I had never heard of this incredible woman before last night. If we want more women involved in science, it is about time we started teaching our students about women in science. You should totally go see the play. It is here through Sunday, so you should get your tickets now. And oh yeah, keep your eyes peeled for meteorites.

Feel free to contact campusteam@feminist.org with any questions or suggestions.

Women in Science - NASA's Jill McGuire

Every morning, the DC metro area National Public Radio (NPR) affiliate, WAMU, is what wakes me up when my alarm clock radio goes off. As a result, the other organizers have grown accustomed to me relating the little tidbits I learn every morning. "This morning on NPR there was this really interesting story on (insert factoid, current event, local politics, etc. here)..."

Well. My feminist self got a thrill yesterday morning, as I stumbled around my apartment getting ready. I was listening to a story about preparations being made for a repair mission to the Hubble Telescope, and how they need all these various special tools to repair the aging telescope in zero g's, extreme temps, etc. Come to find out, the manager of the team that creates all these clever gizmos and gadgets is a woman named Jill McGuire!

So I started thinking about something we don't talk about enough - Women (and Girls!) in STEM fields - Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Though these fields have been non-traditionally 'female' sectors, there's been some promising growth in recent years. Thanks to some friends at AAUW, I drummed up some research and information I'd like to share!

Some stats from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show differences in participation between women and men among some related categories: in computer and mathematical occupations, women make up only 24.8% of jobs in that field. Architecture and engineering is even lower, with women holding only 13.5% of jobs. In life, physical, and social science occupations, women seem to be doing better at 46.1%, although there are considerable differences within that category.

Fortunately, some progress has been made. From 1985-2005, the percentage of women earning degrees in STEM fields increased in nearly every category, with the exception of computer science.

It's really great to see women breaking into new fields and taking leadership there - whether it's at NASA or in your high school physics lab! If you're a woman in a STEM field, please comment below about your experience.

If you're interested in learning more about Women in STEM, AAUW and their partners are collaborating on the National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP) to bring together organizations that are committed to informing and encouraging girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Definitely check it out and forward the information on to any people or programs you know that might be interested!

Thanks so much to Nicole Callahan and the other folks at AAUW for all their help with collecting some information for this post.