By GERRY SHIH
December 28, 2009, 9:35 pm
Gerry Shih/The New York Times
Sally K. Ride, a former astronaut, is now promoting a federal science and math education initiative.
It's no secret to anyone in Silicon Valley that math, science and technology fields remain dominated by men, despite some progress by women in recent years. Women make up 46 percent of the American workforce but hold just 25 percent of the jobs in engineering, technology and science, according to the National Science Foundation.
To Sally K. Ride, a former astronaut, that persistent gender gap is a national crisis that will prove to deeply detrimental to America's global competitiveness.
In recent months, Dr. Ride has served as a visible emissary for President Obama's broad push to improve science and math education, including the $4.35 billion "Race to the Top" initiative announced in July. The program would identify and fund effective education programs with the aid of corporate partners.
In an interview earlier this month, Dr. Ride said that hard money is needed to attract more qualified teachers and apply data-driven analyses of education programs.
But she also suggested that much of the problem lies with social and cultural expectations. "There are subtle stereotypes," she said. "There are unsubtle effects of the lowered expectations that we surround our kids with."
At a California Institute of Technology science festival in 2007, a mother approached Dr. Ride with her 12-year-old daughter in tow and bragged for several minutes, Dr. Ride recalled.
According to Dr. Ride, the mother was sending an unconscious message to her daughter that her interest in science wasn't normal. "She was saying, 'I don't know where she got this, she's so different from everyone else,'" Dr. Ride said. Girls "internalize the message that scientists are geeky-looking guys with labcoats and pocket protectors who never see the light of day."
Dr. Ride said children ages 10 to 12, especially girls, are the most susceptible to being "pushed off the track" of pursuing science by negative stereotypes. Ten years down the line, at the gates of colleges and graduate schools, the effects are stark: Today, more than half of the students in American graduate programs in the physical sciences and engineering are foreign-born, Dr. Ride said.
At Stanford University - where Dr. Ride double-majored in physics and creative writing and found time to play on the formidable tennis team - 408 men and 208 women undergraduates enrolled in the college of engineering at the start of the 2008-2009 school year. The math department had 70 men and 19 women, the computer science department, 122 men and 19 women. (The complete breakdown by gender and department at Stanford is found here. We'll post the numbers for the University of California, Berkeley, when we get them.)
Since leaving the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in the late 1980s, Dr. Ride has been steadily advocating for science education.
Leveraging her enormous name recognition at the time, Dr. Ride immediately wrote several books for children about space after leaving N.A.S.A. In 2001, she formed an educational company, Sally Ride Science, to attract - and crucially, retain - children interested in science and engage their parents through festivals, science camps and programs that involve engineering challenges with toys.
With her involvement in the new federal initiative, Dr. Ride has recently become more vocal, challenging schools to subject their performance to quantitative measures and compete for federal money.
"We need higher expectations for our students," she said. "Schools need to expect their kids to be taking science and math and we need to measure how they're doing."
And now, with her involvement in the Obama administration's program, Dr. Ride speaks like someone ready to move in policy circles. "We need politicians to appreciate how important this is for the future of our country," she said.
• Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
For Immediate Release November 23, 2009 President Obama Launches "Educate to Innovate" Campaign for Excellence in STEM
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
Nationwide effort includes over $260 million in public-private investments
to move American students to the top of the pack
in science and math achievement over the next decade
President Obama today launched the “Educate to Innovate” campaign, a nationwide effort to help reach the administration’s goal of moving American students from the middle to the top of the pack in science and math achievement over the next decade.
Speaking to key leaders of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) community and local students, President Obama announced a series of high-powered partnerships involving leading companies, foundations, non-profits, and science and engineering societies dedicated to motivating and inspiring young people across America to excel in science and math.
“Reaffirming and strengthening America’s role as the world’s engine of scientific discovery and technological innovation is essential to meeting the challenges of this century,” said President Obama. “That’s why I am committed to making the improvement of STEM education over the next decade a national priority.”
The new partnerships, with accompanying major commitments from philanthropic organizations and individuals, mark a dramatic first wave of responses to the President’s call at the National Academy of Sciences this spring for a national campaign to raise American students “from the middle to the top of the pack in science and math over the next decade.” Each of the commitments—valued together at over $260 million in financial and in-kind support—will apply new and creative methods of generating and maintaining student interest and enthusiasm in science and math, reinvigorating the pipeline of ingenuity and innovation essential to America’s success that has long been at the core of American economic leadership.
Among the initiatives announced by the President are:
•Five public-private partnerships that harness the power of media, interactive games, hands-on learning, and 100,000 volunteers to reach more than 10 million students over the next four years, inspiring them to be the next generation of makers, discoverers, and innovators. These partnerships represent a combined commitment of over $260 million in financial and in-kind support.
•A commitment by leaders such as Sally Ride (the first female astronaut), Craig Barrett (former chairman of Intel), Ursula Burns (CEO, Xerox), Glenn Britt (CEO, Time Warner Cable), and Antonio Perez (CEO, Eastman Kodak) to increase the scale, scope, and impact of private-sector and philanthropic support for STEM education. This coalition, with the support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation of New York, will recruit private sector leaders to serve as champions for STEM at the state level; mobilize resources to help scale successful STEM innovations; and raise awareness of the importance of STEM among parents and students.
•An annual science fair at the White House, showcasing the student winners of national competitions in areas such as science, technology, and robotics.
President Obama has identified three overarching priorities for STEM education: increasing STEM literacy so all students can think critically in science, math, engineering and technology; improving the quality of math and science teaching so American students are no longer outperformed by those in other nations; and expanding STEM education and career opportunities for underrepresented groups, including women and minorities.
The Obama Administration has already taken bold action in the STEM education arena by directing that the $4.35 billion “Race to the Top” school grant program assure a competitive preference to states that commit to improving STEM education. “The Department of Education takes the STEM competitive priority very seriously – and states should as well,” said Education Secretary Arne Duncan.
But while federal leadership is necessary, a real change in STEM education requires the participation of many elements of society, including governors, philanthropists, scientists, engineers, educators, and the private sector. That is why the President’s speech at the National Academy of Sciences challenged all Americans to join the cause of elevating STEM education as a national priority.
“America needs a world-class STEM workforce to address the grand challenges of the 21st century, such as developing clean sources of energy that reduce our dependence on foreign oil and discovering cures for cancer,” said John Holdren, President Obama’s science advisor and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. “It is extremely gratifying to see this first and very robust set of responses to the President’s call to action.”
Background on Educate to Innovate: A National Campaign for Excellence in
Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Education (STEM)
Today at the White House, President Obama launched the “Educate to Innovate” campaign, a nationwide effort to help reach the administration’s goal of moving American students from the middle to the top of the pack in science and math achievement over the next decade. President Obama announced a series of partnerships involving leading companies, universities, foundations, non-profits, and organizations representing millions of scientists, engineers and teachers that will motivate and inspire young people across the country to excel in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
President Obama believes that reaffirming and strengthening America’s role as the world’s engine of scientific discovery and technological innovation is essential to meeting the challenges of this century. A growing number of jobs require STEM skills, and America needs a world-class STEM workforce to address the “grand challenges” of the 21st century, such as developing clean sources of energy that reduce our dependence on foreign oil and discovering cures for diseases. Success on these fronts will require improving STEM literacy for all students; expanding the pipeline for a strong and innovative STEM workforce; and greater focus on opportunities and access for groups such as women and underrepresented minorities.
In a speech to the National Academies of Sciences this spring, President Obama announced a commitment to raise America from the middle to the top of the pack internationally in STEM education over the next decade. At that time President Obama also challenged governors, philanthropists, scientists, engineers, educators, and the private sector to join with him in a national campaign to engage young people in these fields. The partnerships announced today are the initial response to this “call to action.”
Additionally, to help meet this goal, the President’s $4.35 billion Race to the Top fund provides a competitive advantage to states that commit to a comprehensive strategy to improve STEM education. Race to the Top will challenge states to dramatically improve their schools and student achievement by raising standards, using data to improve decisions and inform instruction, improving teacher effectiveness, using innovative and effective approaches to turn around struggling schools and making it possible for STEM professionals to bring their experience and enthusiasm into the classroom. These reforms will help prepare America’s students to graduate ready for college and career, and enable them to out-compete any worker, anywhere in the world.
Public Private Partnerships
Time Warner Cable’s “Connect a Million Minds” Campaign: Time Warner Cable, in partnership with FIRST Robotics and the Coalition for Science After School, is launching a campaign to connect over one million students to highly-engaging after-school STEM activities that already exist in their area. Time Warner Cable will use its media platform, Public Service Announcements, 47,000 employees, and a “connectamillionminds.com” website where over 70,000 parents and community members have already pledged to connect a child to STEM. Time Warner Cable has made a commitment of $100 million over the next five years to support this campaign, and will target 80 percent of its corporate philanthropy to STEM.
Discovery Communications’ “Be the Future” Campaign: Discovery Communications, in partnership with leading research universities and federal agencies, is launching a five-year, $150 million cash and in-kind “Be the Future” campaign. This will create content that reaches more than 99 million homes, including a PSA campaign across Discovery's 13 U.S. networks, a dedicated commercial-free educational kids block on the Science Channel, and programming on the “grand challenges” of the 21st century such as their landmark Curiosity series. Discovery Education will also create rich, interactive education content that it will deliver at no cost to approximately 60,000 schools, 35 million students, and 1 million educators, and through a partnership with the Siemens Foundation, will create STEM Connect, a national education resource for teachers.
Sesame Street’s Early STEM Literacy Initiative: Celebrating its 40th Anniversary, and with First Lady Michelle Obama appearing on the first episode, Sesame Street, in partnership with PNC Bank, is announcing a major focus on science and math for young children and a $7.5 million investment in the effort. Sesame Street’s new season kicked-off with “My World is Green & Growing,” which will be part of a two-year science initiative designed to increase positive attitudes towards nature, deepen children’s knowledge about the natural world and encourage behavior that shows respect and care for the environment. Twenty of the 26 new episodes will have a focus on STEM; 13 focus on science and seven focus on math. In addition, Sesame Workshop, in partnership with PNC Bank’s Grow Up Great Program, is announcing a new math initiative for preschool children entitled Math is Everywhere.
“National Lab Day,” Bringing Hands-on Learning to Every Student: National Lab Day is a historic grassroots effort, online at nationallabday.org, to bring hands-on learning to 10 million students by upgrading science labs, supporting project-based learning, and building communities of support for STEM teachers. The effort is a partnership between science and engineering societies representing more than 2.5 million STEM professionals and almost 4 million educators, with strong financial support from the Hidary Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and industry partners. Collectively, this partnership is committed to working with more than 10,000 teachers and 1 million students within a year, and 100,000 teachers and 10 million students over the next four years.
National STEM Game Design Competitions: The MacArthur Foundation, Sony Computer Entertainment America, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) and its partners (the Information Technology Industry Council, the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation, and Microsoft) are launching a nationwide set of competitions that include the design of the most compelling, freely-available STEM-related videogames for children and youth. The competitions will include the 2010 Digital Media and Learning Competition, a $2 million yearly effort supported by the MacArthur Foundation that advances the most innovative approaches to learning through games, social networks and mobile devices. One of the competitions will be open only to children, to help them develop 21st century knowledge and skills through the challenge of game design. This year Sony will participate in one segment of the competition and encourage the development of new games that build on the existing popular video game Little Big Planet.
Office of the Press Secretary
Nationwide effort includes over $260 million in public-private investments
to move American students to the top of the pack
in science and math achievement over the next decade
President Obama today launched the “Educate to Innovate” campaign, a nationwide effort to help reach the administration’s goal of moving American students from the middle to the top of the pack in science and math achievement over the next decade.
Speaking to key leaders of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) community and local students, President Obama announced a series of high-powered partnerships involving leading companies, foundations, non-profits, and science and engineering societies dedicated to motivating and inspiring young people across America to excel in science and math.
“Reaffirming and strengthening America’s role as the world’s engine of scientific discovery and technological innovation is essential to meeting the challenges of this century,” said President Obama. “That’s why I am committed to making the improvement of STEM education over the next decade a national priority.”
The new partnerships, with accompanying major commitments from philanthropic organizations and individuals, mark a dramatic first wave of responses to the President’s call at the National Academy of Sciences this spring for a national campaign to raise American students “from the middle to the top of the pack in science and math over the next decade.” Each of the commitments—valued together at over $260 million in financial and in-kind support—will apply new and creative methods of generating and maintaining student interest and enthusiasm in science and math, reinvigorating the pipeline of ingenuity and innovation essential to America’s success that has long been at the core of American economic leadership.
Among the initiatives announced by the President are:
•Five public-private partnerships that harness the power of media, interactive games, hands-on learning, and 100,000 volunteers to reach more than 10 million students over the next four years, inspiring them to be the next generation of makers, discoverers, and innovators. These partnerships represent a combined commitment of over $260 million in financial and in-kind support.
•A commitment by leaders such as Sally Ride (the first female astronaut), Craig Barrett (former chairman of Intel), Ursula Burns (CEO, Xerox), Glenn Britt (CEO, Time Warner Cable), and Antonio Perez (CEO, Eastman Kodak) to increase the scale, scope, and impact of private-sector and philanthropic support for STEM education. This coalition, with the support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation of New York, will recruit private sector leaders to serve as champions for STEM at the state level; mobilize resources to help scale successful STEM innovations; and raise awareness of the importance of STEM among parents and students.
•An annual science fair at the White House, showcasing the student winners of national competitions in areas such as science, technology, and robotics.
President Obama has identified three overarching priorities for STEM education: increasing STEM literacy so all students can think critically in science, math, engineering and technology; improving the quality of math and science teaching so American students are no longer outperformed by those in other nations; and expanding STEM education and career opportunities for underrepresented groups, including women and minorities.
The Obama Administration has already taken bold action in the STEM education arena by directing that the $4.35 billion “Race to the Top” school grant program assure a competitive preference to states that commit to improving STEM education. “The Department of Education takes the STEM competitive priority very seriously – and states should as well,” said Education Secretary Arne Duncan.
But while federal leadership is necessary, a real change in STEM education requires the participation of many elements of society, including governors, philanthropists, scientists, engineers, educators, and the private sector. That is why the President’s speech at the National Academy of Sciences challenged all Americans to join the cause of elevating STEM education as a national priority.
“America needs a world-class STEM workforce to address the grand challenges of the 21st century, such as developing clean sources of energy that reduce our dependence on foreign oil and discovering cures for cancer,” said John Holdren, President Obama’s science advisor and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. “It is extremely gratifying to see this first and very robust set of responses to the President’s call to action.”
Background on Educate to Innovate: A National Campaign for Excellence in
Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Education (STEM)
Today at the White House, President Obama launched the “Educate to Innovate” campaign, a nationwide effort to help reach the administration’s goal of moving American students from the middle to the top of the pack in science and math achievement over the next decade. President Obama announced a series of partnerships involving leading companies, universities, foundations, non-profits, and organizations representing millions of scientists, engineers and teachers that will motivate and inspire young people across the country to excel in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
President Obama believes that reaffirming and strengthening America’s role as the world’s engine of scientific discovery and technological innovation is essential to meeting the challenges of this century. A growing number of jobs require STEM skills, and America needs a world-class STEM workforce to address the “grand challenges” of the 21st century, such as developing clean sources of energy that reduce our dependence on foreign oil and discovering cures for diseases. Success on these fronts will require improving STEM literacy for all students; expanding the pipeline for a strong and innovative STEM workforce; and greater focus on opportunities and access for groups such as women and underrepresented minorities.
In a speech to the National Academies of Sciences this spring, President Obama announced a commitment to raise America from the middle to the top of the pack internationally in STEM education over the next decade. At that time President Obama also challenged governors, philanthropists, scientists, engineers, educators, and the private sector to join with him in a national campaign to engage young people in these fields. The partnerships announced today are the initial response to this “call to action.”
Additionally, to help meet this goal, the President’s $4.35 billion Race to the Top fund provides a competitive advantage to states that commit to a comprehensive strategy to improve STEM education. Race to the Top will challenge states to dramatically improve their schools and student achievement by raising standards, using data to improve decisions and inform instruction, improving teacher effectiveness, using innovative and effective approaches to turn around struggling schools and making it possible for STEM professionals to bring their experience and enthusiasm into the classroom. These reforms will help prepare America’s students to graduate ready for college and career, and enable them to out-compete any worker, anywhere in the world.
Public Private Partnerships
Time Warner Cable’s “Connect a Million Minds” Campaign: Time Warner Cable, in partnership with FIRST Robotics and the Coalition for Science After School, is launching a campaign to connect over one million students to highly-engaging after-school STEM activities that already exist in their area. Time Warner Cable will use its media platform, Public Service Announcements, 47,000 employees, and a “connectamillionminds.com” website where over 70,000 parents and community members have already pledged to connect a child to STEM. Time Warner Cable has made a commitment of $100 million over the next five years to support this campaign, and will target 80 percent of its corporate philanthropy to STEM.
Discovery Communications’ “Be the Future” Campaign: Discovery Communications, in partnership with leading research universities and federal agencies, is launching a five-year, $150 million cash and in-kind “Be the Future” campaign. This will create content that reaches more than 99 million homes, including a PSA campaign across Discovery's 13 U.S. networks, a dedicated commercial-free educational kids block on the Science Channel, and programming on the “grand challenges” of the 21st century such as their landmark Curiosity series. Discovery Education will also create rich, interactive education content that it will deliver at no cost to approximately 60,000 schools, 35 million students, and 1 million educators, and through a partnership with the Siemens Foundation, will create STEM Connect, a national education resource for teachers.
Sesame Street’s Early STEM Literacy Initiative: Celebrating its 40th Anniversary, and with First Lady Michelle Obama appearing on the first episode, Sesame Street, in partnership with PNC Bank, is announcing a major focus on science and math for young children and a $7.5 million investment in the effort. Sesame Street’s new season kicked-off with “My World is Green & Growing,” which will be part of a two-year science initiative designed to increase positive attitudes towards nature, deepen children’s knowledge about the natural world and encourage behavior that shows respect and care for the environment. Twenty of the 26 new episodes will have a focus on STEM; 13 focus on science and seven focus on math. In addition, Sesame Workshop, in partnership with PNC Bank’s Grow Up Great Program, is announcing a new math initiative for preschool children entitled Math is Everywhere.
“National Lab Day,” Bringing Hands-on Learning to Every Student: National Lab Day is a historic grassroots effort, online at nationallabday.org, to bring hands-on learning to 10 million students by upgrading science labs, supporting project-based learning, and building communities of support for STEM teachers. The effort is a partnership between science and engineering societies representing more than 2.5 million STEM professionals and almost 4 million educators, with strong financial support from the Hidary Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and industry partners. Collectively, this partnership is committed to working with more than 10,000 teachers and 1 million students within a year, and 100,000 teachers and 10 million students over the next four years.
National STEM Game Design Competitions: The MacArthur Foundation, Sony Computer Entertainment America, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) and its partners (the Information Technology Industry Council, the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation, and Microsoft) are launching a nationwide set of competitions that include the design of the most compelling, freely-available STEM-related videogames for children and youth. The competitions will include the 2010 Digital Media and Learning Competition, a $2 million yearly effort supported by the MacArthur Foundation that advances the most innovative approaches to learning through games, social networks and mobile devices. One of the competitions will be open only to children, to help them develop 21st century knowledge and skills through the challenge of game design. This year Sony will participate in one segment of the competition and encourage the development of new games that build on the existing popular video game Little Big Planet.
Women Hold More Jobs than Ever But Salaries Still Lag
Pottsville (PA) Republican (Monday, Nov. 28)
Former AAUW Fellow Heather Boushey, a leading economist who co-edited The Shriver Report — A Woman’s Nation Changes Everything, shares her view about the current job climate, “The labor market is highly segregated, with women and men in different jobs.” Boushey continued, observing that, “there’s a lingering gender pay gap. It’s really a residual, most likely discriminatory, effect.” The article elaborates, reporting that average female workers in Pennsylvania earned 79 percent of the median income of their male counterparts in 2008.
Former AAUW Fellow Heather Boushey, a leading economist who co-edited The Shriver Report — A Woman’s Nation Changes Everything, shares her view about the current job climate, “The labor market is highly segregated, with women and men in different jobs.” Boushey continued, observing that, “there’s a lingering gender pay gap. It’s really a residual, most likely discriminatory, effect.” The article elaborates, reporting that average female workers in Pennsylvania earned 79 percent of the median income of their male counterparts in 2008.
Nobel Prize Winning Member Talks about Women in Science on NPR
The Diane Rehm Show (Thursday, Dec. 3)
Nobel Prize Winner Carol Greider, Ph.D., the Johns Hopkins University molecular and genetic biologist and AAUW member, participated in a conversation about women in science. AAUW members across the nation are using their wealth of social capital to get girls involved in math and science through the National Girls Collaborative Project.
To learn more, visit: http://www.aauw.org/education/ngcp/
Nobel Prize Winner Carol Greider, Ph.D., the Johns Hopkins University molecular and genetic biologist and AAUW member, participated in a conversation about women in science. AAUW members across the nation are using their wealth of social capital to get girls involved in math and science through the National Girls Collaborative Project.
To learn more, visit: http://www.aauw.org/education/ngcp/
Longtime Advocate for Women in Medicine Leads Diversity Effort at Weill Cornell
The Chronicle of Higher Education
December 6, 2009
By Abby Brownback
Debra Leonard could paint her medical career with two broad strokes.
Weill Cornell Medical College's first chief diversity officer is both a molecular pathologist and a longtime advocate for women in medicine. This past summer she became director of the college's new Office of Faculty Diversity in Medicine and Science.
The office's goal is "to change the Weill Cornell environment to a diverse and inclusive community, so all people feel welcomed, accepted, and part of the team," says Dr. Leonard, who is 54.
Differences in the demographic characteristics of American physicians and their patients can cause misunderstandings that result in a lower standard of care, she says. "If you don't understand that the cultural background of your patients influences how they cooperate with and respond to treatment, then you won't be able to treat them as effectively."
To train doctors from diverse nationalities, races, religions, ages, and sexual orientations, medical-school faculties must themselves model diversity, she believes. And they still have a long way to go.
About two-thirds of the country's medical faculty members are male, and almost 70 percent of them are non-Hispanic and white, the Association of American Medical Colleges found in 2007. African-American and Hispanic professors made up just 3 percent and 4 percent, respectively, of the American medical faculty. And women on medical faculties are far less likely than men to reach the ranks of associate or full professor.
Dr. Leonard's first challenge is to better train a diverse student body by recruiting professors from more-varied backgrounds.
Carla Boutin-Foster, the office's director of diversity, says each of the office's three directors contributes her own expertise in pursuit of that goal, and Dr. Leonard's expertise lies in developing leaders from underrepresented populations, especially women.
Last fall, Dr. Leonard harnessed what Dr. Boutin-Foster calls her "direct dedication and passion" to push for her beliefs. Separately, the two women approached David P. Hajjar, dean of the graduate school and executive vice provost of the medical school, about the need for a program focused on faculty diversity. Rache M. Simmons, now the office's director of women in medicine and science, proposed a similar idea to Antonio M. Gotto Jr., dean of the medical school.
The perspectives of each professor strengthened their collective argument for establishing a diversity office, Dr. Boutin-Foster said. After hearing from the women, Mr. Hajjar convened a committee to generate suggestions, and less than a year later, with Dr. Gotto's backing, the Office of Faculty Diversity in Medicine and Science was created.
Dr. Leonard was a natural choice to direct it, Mr. Hajjar says, thanks to her leadership of a mentorship program for women pursuing combined doctoral and medical degrees while she taught at the University of Pennsylvania. But Mr. Hajjar wanted more than just mentors for junior female professors at Weill Cornell. He wanted a formalized structure for recruiting and supporting women, and faculty members from distinct backgrounds.
As chief diversity officer, Dr. Leonard would like all faculty members to be happy to work at the college. Through faculty surveys, town-hall meetings, and seminars, she hopes to foster a "diverse, inclusive, and equitable" environment to ensure faculty retention.
Though she knows she may face some opposition in confronting the problems her efforts identify, Dr. Leonard is no stranger to an uphill battle. Her first applications to medical schools were met with rejection—something she calls "the first major failure of my life." She was admitted five years later to the New York University School of Medicine, where she specialized in molecular pathology. Dr. Leonard started in that field in 1992 and has watched as it evolved from identifying pathogens and researching genetic diseases through DNA and RNA to using what she calls "CSI-style methods" to learn about cancers and transplants.
Between the end of her undergraduate education and the beginning of medical school, Dr. Leonard studied the inner ear in auditory-physiology laboratories and completed one year of a bachelor of science program in nursing. After medical school, she moved from New York to the University of Pennsylvania, where she was tapped to run the mentorship program for female students. She guided the women along the narrow career paths open to minorities in the medical profession at the time.
"The focus of my career for the last 12 years has been … to make it a better world for those coming behind me," Dr. Leonard says.
Abby Brownback is a graduate student at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland at College Park.
December 6, 2009
By Abby Brownback
Debra Leonard could paint her medical career with two broad strokes.
Weill Cornell Medical College's first chief diversity officer is both a molecular pathologist and a longtime advocate for women in medicine. This past summer she became director of the college's new Office of Faculty Diversity in Medicine and Science.
The office's goal is "to change the Weill Cornell environment to a diverse and inclusive community, so all people feel welcomed, accepted, and part of the team," says Dr. Leonard, who is 54.
Differences in the demographic characteristics of American physicians and their patients can cause misunderstandings that result in a lower standard of care, she says. "If you don't understand that the cultural background of your patients influences how they cooperate with and respond to treatment, then you won't be able to treat them as effectively."
To train doctors from diverse nationalities, races, religions, ages, and sexual orientations, medical-school faculties must themselves model diversity, she believes. And they still have a long way to go.
About two-thirds of the country's medical faculty members are male, and almost 70 percent of them are non-Hispanic and white, the Association of American Medical Colleges found in 2007. African-American and Hispanic professors made up just 3 percent and 4 percent, respectively, of the American medical faculty. And women on medical faculties are far less likely than men to reach the ranks of associate or full professor.
Dr. Leonard's first challenge is to better train a diverse student body by recruiting professors from more-varied backgrounds.
Carla Boutin-Foster, the office's director of diversity, says each of the office's three directors contributes her own expertise in pursuit of that goal, and Dr. Leonard's expertise lies in developing leaders from underrepresented populations, especially women.
Last fall, Dr. Leonard harnessed what Dr. Boutin-Foster calls her "direct dedication and passion" to push for her beliefs. Separately, the two women approached David P. Hajjar, dean of the graduate school and executive vice provost of the medical school, about the need for a program focused on faculty diversity. Rache M. Simmons, now the office's director of women in medicine and science, proposed a similar idea to Antonio M. Gotto Jr., dean of the medical school.
The perspectives of each professor strengthened their collective argument for establishing a diversity office, Dr. Boutin-Foster said. After hearing from the women, Mr. Hajjar convened a committee to generate suggestions, and less than a year later, with Dr. Gotto's backing, the Office of Faculty Diversity in Medicine and Science was created.
Dr. Leonard was a natural choice to direct it, Mr. Hajjar says, thanks to her leadership of a mentorship program for women pursuing combined doctoral and medical degrees while she taught at the University of Pennsylvania. But Mr. Hajjar wanted more than just mentors for junior female professors at Weill Cornell. He wanted a formalized structure for recruiting and supporting women, and faculty members from distinct backgrounds.
As chief diversity officer, Dr. Leonard would like all faculty members to be happy to work at the college. Through faculty surveys, town-hall meetings, and seminars, she hopes to foster a "diverse, inclusive, and equitable" environment to ensure faculty retention.
Though she knows she may face some opposition in confronting the problems her efforts identify, Dr. Leonard is no stranger to an uphill battle. Her first applications to medical schools were met with rejection—something she calls "the first major failure of my life." She was admitted five years later to the New York University School of Medicine, where she specialized in molecular pathology. Dr. Leonard started in that field in 1992 and has watched as it evolved from identifying pathogens and researching genetic diseases through DNA and RNA to using what she calls "CSI-style methods" to learn about cancers and transplants.
Between the end of her undergraduate education and the beginning of medical school, Dr. Leonard studied the inner ear in auditory-physiology laboratories and completed one year of a bachelor of science program in nursing. After medical school, she moved from New York to the University of Pennsylvania, where she was tapped to run the mentorship program for female students. She guided the women along the narrow career paths open to minorities in the medical profession at the time.
"The focus of my career for the last 12 years has been … to make it a better world for those coming behind me," Dr. Leonard says.
Abby Brownback is a graduate student at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland at College Park.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
The Bi-College News
Liberal Arts for Science Majors
By Anna Giarratana
Recently, people have asked me why I chose to attend a liberal arts college. A liberal arts college may seem like an odd destination for a pre-med science major involved in research. Often questioners wave off my answer, replying with a smile, “Yes, yes, you deal with the liberal arts classes because Bryn Mawr has a good academic reputation.” Or sometimes the questioner is more cynical and replies, “Oh yes, you want the breadth of classes so you don’t have to deal with the depth.” Both of these responses fall so short of the reason any person should chose to attend a liberal arts college. So maybe it’s time we discuss why we all actually chose to do so.
The traditional notion is that a liberal arts college gives students the opportunity to broaden their minds with the study of varied topics. As Albert Einstein said, “It is not so very important for a person to learn facts. For that he does not really need a college. He can learn them from books. The value of an education at a liberal arts college is not learning of many facts but the training of the mind to think something that cannot be learned from textbooks.” While Einstein had a valid point, I think a liberal arts education today offers something even more vital to students—freedom.
At Bryn Mawr and Haverford, we enjoy what is possibly our last four years of absolute freedom. We come here with the chance to study whatever strikes our fancy, so to speak. We have to ensure that we take enough classes in one subject to earn a degree, but determining that path is our choice. For me, that ability to choose is the essence of a liberal arts education.
Proponents of liberal arts colleges love to expound upon their advantages. However, sadly, many overlook science as a part of the liberal arts program. For example, the Bryn Mawr divisional requirement of just two natural science courses is lost in a sea of social sciences, languages and humanities. While some people will claim the purpose of a liberal arts college is not to teach facts but rather skills, I don’t necessarily agree. While I agree teaching skills is important, I think a well-rounded education is even more vital. I believe science majors should learn languages to use in the future; take English classes to learn vital communicational skills; and take sociology, anthropology, or history courses to learn more about human cultures. But many of these skills and facts science majors continue to nurture. We read for fun, travel and practice languages, and learn about cultures: it’s human nature. However, after many students take their required natural science classes, they never think about science again. I believe our liberal arts experience fails us in this case.
The ignorance even-well educated people display about science shocks and dismays me. Perhaps this ignorance is due to the fact that even with the increasingly large number of books being published on science, few people want to teach themselves the subject. But just as English, languages, and social sciences are vital to everyday life, so is science. People who tell you differently just don’t understand science. By avoiding the truth about science—biology, physics, chemistry, and others—we are keeping generations of decision makers and world movers in the dark about the very essence of our world. So while we have these four years of freedom at our respective liberal arts institutions, let’s take full advantage of them, learning the science that will broaden our education and inform our worldviews.
Giarratana, a senior chemistry major, can be reached at agiarratan@brynmawr.edu
By Anna Giarratana
Recently, people have asked me why I chose to attend a liberal arts college. A liberal arts college may seem like an odd destination for a pre-med science major involved in research. Often questioners wave off my answer, replying with a smile, “Yes, yes, you deal with the liberal arts classes because Bryn Mawr has a good academic reputation.” Or sometimes the questioner is more cynical and replies, “Oh yes, you want the breadth of classes so you don’t have to deal with the depth.” Both of these responses fall so short of the reason any person should chose to attend a liberal arts college. So maybe it’s time we discuss why we all actually chose to do so.
The traditional notion is that a liberal arts college gives students the opportunity to broaden their minds with the study of varied topics. As Albert Einstein said, “It is not so very important for a person to learn facts. For that he does not really need a college. He can learn them from books. The value of an education at a liberal arts college is not learning of many facts but the training of the mind to think something that cannot be learned from textbooks.” While Einstein had a valid point, I think a liberal arts education today offers something even more vital to students—freedom.
At Bryn Mawr and Haverford, we enjoy what is possibly our last four years of absolute freedom. We come here with the chance to study whatever strikes our fancy, so to speak. We have to ensure that we take enough classes in one subject to earn a degree, but determining that path is our choice. For me, that ability to choose is the essence of a liberal arts education.
Proponents of liberal arts colleges love to expound upon their advantages. However, sadly, many overlook science as a part of the liberal arts program. For example, the Bryn Mawr divisional requirement of just two natural science courses is lost in a sea of social sciences, languages and humanities. While some people will claim the purpose of a liberal arts college is not to teach facts but rather skills, I don’t necessarily agree. While I agree teaching skills is important, I think a well-rounded education is even more vital. I believe science majors should learn languages to use in the future; take English classes to learn vital communicational skills; and take sociology, anthropology, or history courses to learn more about human cultures. But many of these skills and facts science majors continue to nurture. We read for fun, travel and practice languages, and learn about cultures: it’s human nature. However, after many students take their required natural science classes, they never think about science again. I believe our liberal arts experience fails us in this case.
The ignorance even-well educated people display about science shocks and dismays me. Perhaps this ignorance is due to the fact that even with the increasingly large number of books being published on science, few people want to teach themselves the subject. But just as English, languages, and social sciences are vital to everyday life, so is science. People who tell you differently just don’t understand science. By avoiding the truth about science—biology, physics, chemistry, and others—we are keeping generations of decision makers and world movers in the dark about the very essence of our world. So while we have these four years of freedom at our respective liberal arts institutions, let’s take full advantage of them, learning the science that will broaden our education and inform our worldviews.
Giarratana, a senior chemistry major, can be reached at agiarratan@brynmawr.edu
AAUW
AAUW's Position on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education
Since its founding in 1881, the American Association of University Women has been committed to making the dream of higher education a reality for women. AAUW's 2009-2011 Public Policy Program reaffirms our commitment to "a strong system of public education that promotes gender fairness, equity, and diversity….and advocates increased support for, and access to, higher education for women and other disadvantaged populations."1
The shortage of American scientists threatens our nation's ability to compete and innovate in the coming years, especially as the outsourcing of jobs to, and importing of science from, other nations continues to grow. By 2014, the U.S. will have added more than one million additional information technology jobs to the workforce.2 However, women still lag far behind in earning computer technology degrees and working in computer technology-related professions. High school girls represent only 17 percent of computer science Advanced Placement (AP) test takers.3
College-educated women earned only 18 percent of computer and information sciences bachelor's degrees (down from 37 percent of computer science degrees in 1985).4 In 2006, women earned only 21 percent of doctorate degrees in computer science.5 Overall, women comprise 24.8 percent of computer and mathematical professionals, down from 27 percent in 2006.6
AAUW's Tech Savvy (2000) and Women at Work (2003) have documented the troubling shortage of girls and women preparing to work in STEM fields. In order to close this gap, AAUW supports efforts that train teachers to encourage girls and other underrepresented groups to pursue STEM careers.
AAUW supports promoting and strengthening science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, especially for girls and other underrepresented populations. These efforts will help increase America's competitiveness by reducing gender barriers that deter women from pursuing academic and career goals in STEM fields.
For more information, call 202/785-7793 or e-mail VoterEd@aauw.org.
AAUW Public Policy and Government Relations Department
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 American Association of University Women. (June 2009). 2009-11 AAUW Public Policy Program. Retrieved July 9, 2009, from http://www.aauw.org/advocacy/issue_advocacy/principles_priorities.cfm.
2 National Center for Women and Information Technology. (2007). NCWIT Scorecard 2007: A Report on the Status of Women in Information Technology. Retrieved June 26, 2009, from http://www.ncwit.org/pdf/2007_Scorecard_Web.pdf.
3 National Center for Women & Information Technology. (2009). By the Numbers. Retrieved June 22, 2009, from http://www.ncwit.org/pdf/BytheNumbers09.pdf.
4Ibid.
5 National Science Foundation. Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering. Table 2. http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/wmpd/pdf/tabf-2.pdf
6 Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2008). Current Population Survey, Table 11. Employed persons by detailed occupation, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. Retrieved June 29, 2009, from http://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat11.pdf.
Since its founding in 1881, the American Association of University Women has been committed to making the dream of higher education a reality for women. AAUW's 2009-2011 Public Policy Program reaffirms our commitment to "a strong system of public education that promotes gender fairness, equity, and diversity….and advocates increased support for, and access to, higher education for women and other disadvantaged populations."1
The shortage of American scientists threatens our nation's ability to compete and innovate in the coming years, especially as the outsourcing of jobs to, and importing of science from, other nations continues to grow. By 2014, the U.S. will have added more than one million additional information technology jobs to the workforce.2 However, women still lag far behind in earning computer technology degrees and working in computer technology-related professions. High school girls represent only 17 percent of computer science Advanced Placement (AP) test takers.3
College-educated women earned only 18 percent of computer and information sciences bachelor's degrees (down from 37 percent of computer science degrees in 1985).4 In 2006, women earned only 21 percent of doctorate degrees in computer science.5 Overall, women comprise 24.8 percent of computer and mathematical professionals, down from 27 percent in 2006.6
AAUW's Tech Savvy (2000) and Women at Work (2003) have documented the troubling shortage of girls and women preparing to work in STEM fields. In order to close this gap, AAUW supports efforts that train teachers to encourage girls and other underrepresented groups to pursue STEM careers.
AAUW supports promoting and strengthening science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, especially for girls and other underrepresented populations. These efforts will help increase America's competitiveness by reducing gender barriers that deter women from pursuing academic and career goals in STEM fields.
For more information, call 202/785-7793 or e-mail VoterEd@aauw.org.
AAUW Public Policy and Government Relations Department
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 American Association of University Women. (June 2009). 2009-11 AAUW Public Policy Program. Retrieved July 9, 2009, from http://www.aauw.org/advocacy/issue_advocacy/principles_priorities.cfm.
2 National Center for Women and Information Technology. (2007). NCWIT Scorecard 2007: A Report on the Status of Women in Information Technology. Retrieved June 26, 2009, from http://www.ncwit.org/pdf/2007_Scorecard_Web.pdf.
3 National Center for Women & Information Technology. (2009). By the Numbers. Retrieved June 22, 2009, from http://www.ncwit.org/pdf/BytheNumbers09.pdf.
4Ibid.
5 National Science Foundation. Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering. Table 2. http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/wmpd/pdf/tabf-2.pdf
6 Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2008). Current Population Survey, Table 11. Employed persons by detailed occupation, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. Retrieved June 29, 2009, from http://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat11.pdf.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
