The faces of science, technology, engineering, and math (阀杆) have traditionally and largely been white and male, and the recent U.S. Census statistics confirm that is still the case. 而女性占美国人口的近一半.S. workforce, the male 阀杆 contingent remains at 73%. 关于原因有很多理论, 但有一点是明确的:女性在通往阀杆职业的道路上面临着巨大的挑战.
Barnard is among the institutions that are changing that picture. From the College’s Science Pathways Scholars Program, 称为(SP)2, to alumnae who stand out in their respective 阀杆 fields, 我们有理由保持乐观. 在本文中, 你会从这些女性如何为阀杆领域带来更多多样性中找到灵感.
缩小美国农村的差距
90年代的苏西·斯皮科尔一直对环境很感兴趣，她世界十大电子游戏平台学院的课程表上安排了很多相关的课程. 仍然, 她的专业是英国文学, 主要是因为她不太确定如何将自己对环境的热情应用到实际的职业中. “I never saw female role models in the field,她说。. “也许是简·古道尔，但仅此而已.”
Spikol also admits that she lacked confidence in her math and science skills, 这可能是她初中和高中时期传统教学方法的结果. “我还记得在中学做实验时，我被要求做‘记录员’，因为我的笔迹很整齐, 当男孩们在处理燃烧器的时候,她说。. “研究 shows this is the age where girls usually drop out of science, 这变成了一个男性主导的世界.”
虽然斯皮科尔最终把她对自然世界的热爱变成了自己的事业，但她目前是汉考克哈里斯保护教育中心的一名博物学家和社区项目主任, 新罕布什尔州——她想确保今天的年轻女孩不会像她那样被忽视. 结果是她最喜欢的项目, 实验室的女孩, an afterschool program designed to help middle-school girls stay in love with 阀杆.
分享对自然的热爱
Spikol’s path to her current career involved a series of different jobs and experiences, 一栋接一栋. 世界十大电子游戏平台的时候, 她在中央公园保护协会实习, working with naturalists who taught young students about nature in the park. 毕业后, Spikol took a job at a youth residential center for environmental education, 24/7的生活和教学, which didn’t leave time for anything else in her life. “I loved the work but also realized it wasn’t really sustainable long term,她说。. “I asked around about career paths and eventually applied to Antioch University, 获得环境研究硕士学位.”
她的英语文学学位和硕士学位的结合促使斯皮科尔认识到交流在环境科学中的重要性. “The natural world needs someone to speak for it,她说。. “我受到了写自然的女性的启发，意识到有空间采用整体方法. 我花了很多时间思考我世界十大电子游戏平台的时光，挖掘一个主题并爱上它是多么宝贵的一件事.”
All of these experiences helped Spikol develop the formula for 实验室的女孩. 《世界十大电子游戏平台》的一个突出特点是，斯皮科尔在创立这款游戏时就考虑到了乡村背景. “我在布鲁克林长大，有很多机会去博物馆或参加我感兴趣的项目,她说。. 在农村地区, girls generally don’t have those museums or university-sponsored programming, so they don’t get many opportunities to learn about careers in 阀杆.”
实验室的女孩 is hoping to fill that void in New Hampshire. 目前，斯皮科尔在一个包含周边11个农村城镇的学区经营“实验室女孩”. Participants are fifth through eighth graders, and sessions run weekly for six weeks. “We bring in women who are in 阀杆 careers and let them talk about their work, 他们是如何到达那里的, 以及他们喜欢它的什么,她说。. 他们分享进入这个领域的技巧，还包括让女孩们动手的部分.”
最近, 例如, 一位猫头鹰研究人员与这些女孩一起工作, 教他们如何识别电话, 拆开一个颗粒, 并帮助他们解释猫头鹰的行为. “我真的希望这是一个安全的空间，让女孩们可以摆弄科学工具,斯皮科尔解释道. “对这些女孩来说，看到女性榜样并想象自己从事类似的职业是很有吸引力的.”
In addition to the specialists Spikol invites to speak with students, she recruits high school girls to serve as mentors to the younger students. Soon the program will expand into two other districts in the region, 由于流感大流行, Spikol was inspired to add a remote/virtual option, 反响热烈. “We had about 175 girls sign up, which was huge for us,她说。.
斯皮科尔以“创智赢家”的方式赢得了当地一家妇女组织的资助，最初启动了这个项目. “I pitched the idea and walked out of there with $11,000 for my organization,她说。. “从那时起，它就起飞了.”
虽然该计划正在获得牵引力, 斯皮科尔知道，要提高女性在阀杆领域的代表性，还有很长的路要走. “当你看到最近的美国.N. 在格拉斯哥举行的气候变化会议上，你会发现大多数抗议者都是女性。. “But when you look at the table of leaders, it’s mostly male. We still have a long way to go to gain a seat at the table.”
I really want this to be a safe space for girls to mess around with the tools of science. ... 对这些女孩来说，看到女性榜样并想象自己从事类似的职业是很有吸引力的.
改变非洲
Although Sesae Mpuchane ' 72 grew up on the other side of the world from Susie Spikol, 两位女性都热爱阀杆，并致力于让更多年轻女孩进入这一领域. 不像Spikol, Mpuchane从一开始就追求阀杆事业, entering Barnard on a scholarship to study biology in 1968. Now retired, Mpuchane has left an indelible mark on the field of 阀杆 in Botswana.
在去美国上大学之前, Mpuchane did her primary and secondary education in Swaziland, after emigrating there with her family from South Africa at age 8. 世界十大电子游戏平台的时候, 她说, Mpuchane“与来自不同国家的人们建立了联系，并能够与他们分享许多国家妇女面临的挑战. Barnard gave me an international outlook to problem solving.”
从十大电竞游戏综合排名大学毕业后, Mpuchane became a graduate assistant at the Black Studies Institute at Ohio University. “通过这个项目, 我注册了医学微生物学硕士学位，同时帮助弱势群体的本科生提高他们的生物学能力,她解释道. “That exposure helped me develop a keen interest in education and a teaching career.”
在俄亥俄大学完成学业后, 姆普坎回到了非洲, applying for a position in the biology department at the University of Botswana. It was here that Mpuchane noticed something amiss in the 阀杆 fields. “我对女孩和女性学术人员在阀杆项目中的低参与度感到震惊,她说。. “我对程序很感兴趣, 活动, and organizations that addressed issues of lack of parity of women in 阀杆.”
攻读博士学位的额外教育.D. in food microbiology at the University of Surrey in the U.K. 进一步巩固了姆普坎的信念，即女孩经常被排除在阀杆的等式之外. “I realized the lack of parity was universal,她说。.
有动力去改变这种不平衡, Mpuchane担任了博茨瓦纳大学名为“女性参与科学”(WIS)项目的协调员。. 在这个位置, Mpuchane began chipping away at the low representation of young girls in 阀杆 programs.
相同而不同
From her time in the States and then in Botswana, Mpuchane在比较和对比两国年轻女孩缺乏阀杆职业道路方面具有独特的优势. “The situation in Botswana is similar to that in many countries, 包括美国在内,她说。. “在小学、中学和高等教育阶段，女孩比男孩多. 一般来说，除了数学、物理和化学，女孩在许多课程上也比男孩表现好. 于是参加这些项目的女孩就少了.”
通过WIS (Mpuchane在1999年至2003年期间协调)，她与博茨瓦纳教育部合作，将阀杆项目作为一种方式传播出去. “这种伙伴关系非常有益, as we were able to reach thousands of young girls,Mpuchane说.
Mpuchane的努力取得了广泛的成果. 在WIS任职期间, 该项目出版了七本小册子，帮助女孩为从事工程等领域的职业做好准备, 数学, 计算, 和农业. 其中一本小册子针对家长，帮助他们鼓励女儿学习阀杆学科, and another profiled several Botswanan female scientists. 另外, WIS举办了招聘会, 科学的诊所, 参观中学, 导师计划, and a regional conference that brought together South African and U.S. women scientists to address gender imbalances in 阀杆. 其他资源包括一个指导项目，以及与美国开展类似项目的大学建立伙伴关系.
Mpuchane的努力并没有被忽视. 2005年，美国政府宣布.S. Embassy awarded her the Botswana Vanguard Women Leaders award, 2016年, the Botswana Academy of Science named her a fellow.
即使在退休后, Mpuchane continues to actively encourage young girls to pursue careers in the sciences. “我与各种团体和机构合作，致力于在阀杆参与中实现平等,她说。. “我做演讲，参加研讨会和科学博览会，并鼓励年轻女孩组建科学俱乐部.”
工作有了回报. “There are a number of organizations and institutions addressing the problem,她说。. “今天有性别主流化、积极行动和数据来支持这些努力.”
