Empowering Girls to Experience STEM

excite | engage | encourage

Girls across the country and around the world are the future experts needed in STEM fields

Empowering Girls to Experience STEM

Meagan RossSTEM Consultant &

Ph. D. StudentEngineering Education

Purdue University



In groups of 2, make a list of 20 things

you’ve used TODAY that have been

engineered.

Activity



Can you identify ONE thing that you used today that wasn’t touched

by an engineer?

Activity



Objectives

You will be able to increase girls’ awareness about career opportunities in STEM.

You will be able to spark girls’ interest in STEM careers by using correct and positive messages that

appeal to their interests and values.

You will be able to recognize and address gender bias and stereotypes, and use this knowledge to develop

girls’ confidence to pursue careers in STEM

EXCITE

ENGAGE

ENCOURAGE



Bachelor Degrees Earned

FEMALES57.4%

MALES42.6%

2008 NSF WMPD Report



Science Degrees Earned

Agricultural Sciences

Biological Sciences

Computer Sciences

Earth, atmospheric, and ocean sciences

Physical Sciences Psychology

Social Sciences

Percent Female,

200851.2 59.8 17.7 40.7 41.3 77.1 53.5

50% of Bachelor Degrees in Science

are Earned by Women




Math Degrees Earned

43.9% of Bachelor Degrees in

Mathematics or Statisticsare Earned by Women

Down from 48% in 2001




Engineering Degrees Earned

In 1990, 15.4% of bachelors degrees in engineering were awarded to females.

The trend peaked in 2000 at 20.6% and has been on a slow decline since.

As of 2009, only 17.8% of engineering bachelors degrees were awarded to women.




19901991

19921993

19941995

19961997

19981999

20002001

20022003

20042005

20062007

20082009

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

70,000

80,000

90,000

ALL Bachelor’s Degrees Awarded in Engineering


U.S. Department of Labor workforce projections for 2018 highlight that nine of the 10 fastest-growing occupations requiring at least a bachelor’s degree will necessitate significant scientific or mathematical training.



Grand Challenges for Engineering

• Make solar energy economical• Provide energy from fusion• Develop carbon sequestration methods• Manage the nitrogen cycle• Provide access to clean water• Restore and improve urban infrastructure• Advance health informatics• Engineer better medicines• Reverse-engineer the brain• Prevent nuclear terror• Secure cyberspace• Enhance virtual reality• Advance personalized learning• Engineer the tools of scientific discovery

The National Academy of

Engineering has identified

14 grand challenges for engineering in

the 21st century

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GGupkdsX5E

CEO

DoctorFinance,

Marketing& Sales

Patent Lawyer

Coach

Chemical

Mechanical

Civil

Electrical

Environmental

Bio Medical

5 years oldWho led an NFL team to advance to the NFL playoffs 17 times in 18 seasons, appeared in five Super Bowls and won two world championships?



A mathematician could…

Design and decipher codes to help our military and intelligence

agencies securely transmit and

retrieve sensitive information.

Predict how fast tumors will grow

and how well chemotherapy

can shrink them, using a

mathematical model.

Mathematically model

interactions between different

animals to understand how the extinction of one species will impact the food

chain.

Develop a mathematical

model to predict tsunamis that develop after underwater

sediment avalanches.



A chemist could…

Develop a synthetic

fiber that can stop a

speeding bullet.

Help discover new

medicines that alleviate pain or cure diseases.

Figure out how to make hair-styling

gel work better.

Discover new processes that could solve the world's

energy crisis.



An environmental scientist could…

Help avoid famines by

projecting how climate change

will affect worldwide

farming and food

distribution.

Find an underground water reserve

that can be used to produce

geothermal energy.

Gather and evaluate

meteorological data to predict

a drought.

Help refineries reduce their

toxic gas emissions,

which contribute to acid rain and

global warming.



Careers in STEM

subjects to study in schooldegree required

median salaryprojected job growth

overviewread interviews

Link on

resource site

You can learn:



What STEM isn’t…

REVIEW



What is STEM?

STEM professionals make a world of difference and help shape the future

STEM is essential to our health, happiness & safety

STEM Professionals are creative & collaborative problem-solvers



STEM is essential to our Health, Happiness, &

SafetyWork in groups of two, read through the matrix

of engineering jobs and categorize accordingto health, happiness & safety

Activity



Strategies for Introducing Girls to Careers in STEM

Use common technology artifacts to initiate conversations (food packaging, office supplies,

electronics) to introduce STEM careers.

Use the environment around you (construction sites, news articles, healthcare, etc.) as tools to introduce importance & value of STEM careers.

Discover by Doing: Experiential activities are critical to success

Make it Real: Connect activities through relevant, project based, real-world examples.

Provide positive relationships with role models and mentors

Application

AwarenessInterestConfidence



Work Values Framework

intrinsic values typically refer to the importance

placed on autonomy and interest

social values refer to an importance placed on

working with people and making contributions to

society

extrinsic values refer to an importance to make money and have job

security

prestige values refer to an importance placed on

having a prestigious and respected occupation

Work Values

White

African Amer.

Asian

African Amer.

Asian

Latino/amales

females

A sample of 31,731 students were surveyed from 1995 to 2004

Over 10 years 10% increase



REVIEW



Activity

Role PlayWork in groups of two, use a common artifact around you

to introduce a career in STEM. Focus on providing

awareness, sparking interest, and building confidence.




Objectives

You will be able to increase girls’ awareness about career opportunities in STEM.

You will be able to spark girls’ interest in STEM careers by using correct and positive messages that

appeal to their interests and values.

You will be able to recognize and address gender bias and stereotypes, and use this knowledge to develop

girls’ confidence to pursue careers in STEM

EXCITE

ENGAGE

ENCOURAGE

REVIEW



Activity

In your notebook, draw or sketch an

engineer.What stereotypes do you identify?



1970

Whitney Darrow, Jr. (August 22, 1909 – August 10, 1999) was a prominent American cartoonist, who worked most of his career for The New Yorker, with some 1,500 of his cartoons printed in his nearly 50-year-long career with the magazine

F: 20%

F: 6%

F: 30% M: 8%

M: 26% F: ~20%



Gender Gap in Engineering

• As of 2009, only 17.8% of engineering bachelor’s degrees were awarded to women.

• In the workforce, only 1 out of 10 engineers is a woman. 10.7%, down from 11.8% in 2006.

Computer Engineer2010 Barbie Doll




Approximately 50% of middle school students indicate that they do not plan to

take mathematics and science courses beyond what their schools require.

However, the same students indicate that they would be interested in going

to college, and taking college-level mathematics courses.



Girls in Math & Science

Girls earn more credits in math & science courses than boys

Female high school graduates have a higher combined GPA in math & science

courses than boys

In 2009, 55 percent of AP test-takers were girls, but in STEM-related areas on 41%

While more females are participating in AP math & science, they are not performing at

the levels of their male counterparts




Stereotypes can hurt Girls

• Negative stereotypes affect women’s and girls’ performance and aspirations in math and science through a phenomenon called “stereotype threat.”

• Children—and girls especially— develop beliefs that they cannot pursue particular occupations because they perceive them as inappropriate for their gender

Strong implicit biases associated with gender and science influence early socialization and perpetuate gender stereotypes.



Implicit bias

About 70% of more than half a million Implicit Association Tests completed by citizens of 34

countries revealed expected implicit stereotypes associating science with males

more than with females

Implicit stereotype = gender inequality

Stereotypes, bias, and other cultural beliefs can change; often the very act of identifying a stereotype or bias begins the process of dismantling it.



Forms of Bias

Invisibility- 1Stereotyping- 2

Unreality- 3Imbalance and Selectivity- 4

Fragmentation & Isolation- 5Linguistic Bias- 6 Cosmetic Bias- 7

Activity



Think – Pair – Share

Share a time you experienced or observed gender bias or stereotyping

in an area related to STEM.

Using the strategies you’ve learned, discuss ways you can address this in

the future.

Activity



Strategies to encourage females in STEM

• Teaching girls that success in mathematics and science is not based on innate ability

• Increasing exposure of girls to successful female mathematicians, scientists, & engineers

• Providing “prescriptive, informational feedback”

• Creating environments that engage and create lasting interest in science and math

• Have girls recruit girls: attain a critical mass

• Emphasize usefulness and relevance

• Start early and young

• Develop spatial skills

Application



REVIEW



Enduring Understandings

1. STEM disciplines are essential to our health, happiness, and safety.

2. When choosing a career, girls tend to place a greater emphasis on working with people and contributing to society.

3. Gender stereotypes may encourage girls to feel anxious and less confident, and choose not to pursue or persist in STEM fields, particularly engineering, and technology.

REVIEW



3-2-1 Reflection

List 3 things you’ve learned in this session

List 2 things you will do differently given this knowledge

List 1 actionable item based on what you’ve learned



Backup



Employed Scientists & Engineers

33%

45%

4%

6%

3%

2%3%

3%

0% 0%

White FemaleWhite MaleAsian FemaleAsian MaleBlack FemaleBlack MaleHispanic FemaleHispanic MaleAlaska Native FemaleAlaska Native Male




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Empowering Girls to Experience STEM

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