Today on our Facebook page, we shared a great article from Philly.com about girls and science (Boccella, Kathy. Teen girls having fun - with science, 11/7/14, philly.com). Highlighting Super Science Saturday, an event hosted at West Chester University, the article reminds us that we continue to face a significant educational dilemma: “Even in an era when more women are attending college than men, there is still a shortage of females working in the fastest-growing fields of science, technology, engineering, and math.” (Bocella)
It got us thinking… what resources are out there to encourage girls to pursue futures in science? We found a fun web site right away. Science: It’s a Girl Thing! is an engaging site that offers a newsletter, quizzes (“Discover your inner researcher”), profiles of women in science, event listings, and much more!
We also got to thinking about how math and science is “sold to girls”—does it have to be prettied up (“Your chemistry degree means you can make lipstick!”)? Diana Betz of Scientific American explores this issue in a thoughtful article from 2012. Check out “The Trouble with Barbie Science” here.
Lastly, we really enjoyed meeting some “real” people who work in the sciences and math by reading Nancy McGuire’s article, “Science for All”, on the Student Science web site. Profiles include President Obama’s Science Advisor, a horse-loving supercomputer designer, and a college student who designed a Braille app.
Maybe that’s the best way to think about science: it’s for EVERYBODY! Boys, girls, horse-lovers, movie makers… and YOU!
What do you love about science? Are you a student planning to study science? Or are you a parent already working in the field? Share your stories with us. We’d love to hear them.
