100 Recommended Resources on Gender in S&E

When you use Google, or a large database, to find things, you have to
decide: “Is it any good?” 

I have collected about 100 recommended resources on women in science and engineering and posted them at http://momox.org/10x10.html. I call it the “10 x 10 List.”  The list is organized in chunks, and each chunk is a short list of selected resources customized to a particular audience. Here are some examples.

For anyone:

• Self study guide – reading for newbies
• Libraries, knowledge centers, bibliography

For parents and afterschool leaders:

• Biographies of women in science and engineering (role models)
• Video’s and CD’s designed to inspire girls
• Guides for parents and afterschool leaders
• S&E afterschool materials and kits

For educators and researchers:

• Training and consulting services, technical assistance projects
• Best practices resources – K-12
• University-level transformation/change
• International activity
• National policy reports
• Research on discrimination and women in S&E
• Statistics on diversity in S&E
• Title IX and S&E education
  

For girls and boys:

• Games and online activities for children

There is much more out there, of course. Hope you find these helpful!

Dr. Ruta Sevo is a consultant on work related to women in science and engineering and her interests include social justice issues, art, and writing.

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2009 Games 4 Girls Competition

ChicTech, an outreach program of the University of Illinois Department of Computer Science, extends an open invitation for college women to participate in the fifth annual Games 4 Girls Programming Competition (G4G). Students can get real-world, collaborative experience by creating new software for girl gamers.  Teams from various universities will compete using the Gamemaker platform. In April, high school girls will judge the games and determine the winners.  Create your team today!

Registration Deadline: December 19, 2008

Registration Limit:  30

Click Here to Register!

Submissions and Evaluations: April 6, 2009

Winners Announced: April 19, 2009

Visit www.cs.uiuc.edu/g4g for more information.

G4G on Facebook

Register early -- space is limited!

Sonya Harris is Outreach Coordinator for the University of Illinois Department of Computer Science.

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California Dreamin', Reflections on the NCWIT Workshop at UC Irvine Nov 5-7, 08

Holding the NCWIT Fall workshop just on the tail end of the presidential election made for a high energy event, and the focus on "Multiple Pathways to an IT Career" fits right in with the spirit of change in the air. The event kicked off Wednesday night with a presentation of the Athena Factor: Reversing the Brain Drain in Science & Technology by co-author Lisa J. Servon formerly with the Center for Work Life Policy. Ms. Servon presented some dismaying statistics about the current state of women in STEM, but followed that up with some suggestions for approaching the problem.

The big workshop day at UC Irvine kicked off with an inspirational presentation by Dr. Nicki Washington, who shared her experiences as a graduate CS student coming from Johnson C. Smith University, a historically black university. The morning panels looked at Innovative Pathway Programs, such as accessing talent from returning military personnel and military spouses, community colleges, and tribal colleges. The second set of panels focused on Research on Alternate Pathways, including The National Academy foundation's work on a career-focused approach to bringing underrepresented groups to IT, RAND Corporation's research on military spouses in IT careers, and work out of RPI on using contextual computing to attract underrepresented groups to computing. The workshops wrapped with a spirited discussion with Dr. Belle Wheelan, President of the Southern Association of Colleges & Schools. She called on attendees (it was a bit like being caught dozing off in class) to share impressions, learnings and next steps resulting from the meeting.

After an intense afternoon of NCWIT Alliance meetings (lots of work being done there -- look for an update in your inbox soon), the group reconvened for a reception at the UC Irvine University Club. The highlight of the reception (besides all the speeches) was meeting eleven of the recipients of the NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing. Award-winners, still in high school, were invited for a day on campus sampling college life at UC Irvine's Donald Bren School of Information & Computer Sciences, and were honored again at the evening reception. The girls were very excited about receiving the award, and one parent commented that the award was 'life changing' for his daughter.

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"Is the United States Falling Behind Science and Technology or Not"

Report on a Washington Forum Sponsored by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF)

On September 10th 2008, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation held a forum in Washington D.C. to address concerns that the U.S. is losing its position as a global leader in science and technology. The president of ITIF Rob Atkinson presided over the forum. Senior ITIF Analyst Stephen Ezell; Kent Hughes, director of the Science, Technology, America and the Global Economy program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center; and Clyde Prestowitz, founder of the Economic Strategy Institute, were the discussants.

ITIF distributed RAND’s Rose Colored Glasses: How RAND’s Report on U.S. Competitiveness in Science and Technology Gets it Wrong, a critique of the RAND analysis that argued the U.S. will continue to lead in science and technology. ITIF also distributed its report Comparing the Candidates’ Technology and Innovation Policies. Authors Steve Ezell and Rob Atkinson compared the technology and innovation policy positions of presidential candidates Senators Barack Obama and John McCain.

Ezell and Atkinson based their comparison on material from campaign websites. The candidates’ position on technology and innovation largely follows their respective parties’ philosophical approach to government. Senator Obama seeks to utilize the government as an active partner by increasing R&D funding and creating new initiatives. Senator McCain seeks to work within the existing infrastructure, supporting R&D by expanding tax credits and reducing government regulation. Senator McCain argues that this allows more open access to markets to spur innovation. The report asserts that Senator Obama has made technology and innovation an ‘overarching theme’ in his campaign, while Senator McCain has not.

The ITIF compared the candidates on the basis of 11 issues. From NCWIT’s point of view, the most pertinent issues are “Skilled Workforce” and “Education Policy.” With respect to “Skilled Workforce” Policy, Ezell and Atkinson’s comparison dwelled on the H1-B visa debate but added that both candidates specifically called for training of minority and low-income students. The report indicates that proposals largely differ in scope rather than substance. Senator McCain supports grants to help instruct students in “digital and wireless technology.” Senator Obama’s policy approach is broader and refers to STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) programming that is specifically geared towards “at-risk” students. Obama’s support for STEM to reach out to underrepresented groups extends throughout his education policy.

Both candidates seek to strengthen math and science in the U.S. education system. ITIF reports that Obama’s plan would establish a Teaching Service Scholarship to recruit math, science, and technology graduates into teaching at public schools. It would also create Teacher Residency Academies to add 30,000 new teachers in areas of high need; and encourages students to enter STEM fields by increasing research grants and graduate fellowships; and provide research and design of science education funds to identify the most effective and relevant instruction.

McCain and Obama both advocate greater student access to broadband internet, yet they diverge when it comes to performance-based pay, vouchers, and charter schools. Senator McCain champions ‘merit pay’ for teaches and an improved methodology for testing. Senator Obama’s plan allows teachers to have a say in the performance-based measurement, conduct apprenticeships to assist younger teachers, and contemplates a gradation of professional levels, with higher pay for a ‘Master Teacher’. Concerning vouchers and charter schools, Senator McCain’s emphasizes accountability and improvement through competition for the most effective and “character-building” teachers and schools, including a standard-based assessment of school performance. McCain offers a tax free savings account for families. Senator Obama seeks improvement in underperforming schools by fostering competition between public and charter schools. (Interested readers might also refer to The Science Debate 2008. Subsequently, The New York Times has published an extensive article further detailing the candidates’ proposals for spurring innovation and ensuring the U.S. maintains a competitive edge in the fields of science and technology.)

Ezell and Atkinson state that the candidates’ philosophical approaches to solving U.S. competitiveness in the IT sector are “rooted in conservative neo-classical supply-side or liberal neo-classical (and Keynesian) theories.” Senator Obama’s solution rests on the premise that cooperation between government and private sector will breed innovation. Senator McCain’s solution lies in less direct government involvement and favors giving tax breaks and credits, intending to encourage the market to stimulate innovation. Significantly, the report’s comparison indicates that both candidates desire to engage and encourage “minorities,” “low-income,” or “at-risk” students to enter STEM fields.

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