Some Universities Crack Code in Drawing Women to Computer Science

Only 18 percent of computer science graduates in the United States are women, down from 37 percent in 1985…. Carnegie Mellon observed that when women are a minority in the major, they are disadvantaged because men have informal support, like asking a fraternity brother for help on an assignment or advice on an internship. So the university started formal programs such as one for female computer science majors to mentor younger women. The university also eliminated programming experience as an admissions criterion, which opened the door to girls who have not been exposed to it. [read the full article @ The NY Times]

 

 

Physics for Rock Stars, or How The Periodic Table Can Help You Find You BFF

Women in science and engineering: a rare occurrence. Listen to this interview and learn how one young girl was introduced to the wonders of science and engineering and never gave a thought to being the only girl in the engineering class. It’s an interview with a female engineer and she speaks about her entry into the field and how being a B and C student is good enough because what you do on the job matters more. 

 

Interviewer: Brianna McGurran

Physics Lessons From The Science Teacher You Wish You’d Had

OPB | Aug. 19, 2014 12:30 p.m.

 

Portland’s Christine McKinley wears many hats: she’s a mechanical engineer, a musician, a composer, an author and a former TV personality. She’s also on a mission to make math and science more fun. Her book Physics for Rock Stars is part memoir, part science lesson, and part advice column. It reads like a practical guide to the world from a clever, nerdy friend. Physics Lessons From The Science Teacher You Wish You’d Had … 

 

6 Things We Learned from Christine McKinley’s Physics for Rock Stars — an interview back in June.