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A Brief History of Women in STEM
Throughout history, the extent to which women were educated varied depending on the location, time period, and culture. During the era of the 5th century to the beginning of the Middle Ages, some of the earliest female intellectuals were nuns.
As the Age of Enlightenment began, more women from wealthy families or of noble backgrounds were allowed to pursue their interests, such as STEM-related subjects. Many of these notable women were honored for their contributions in subjects like mathematics or astronomy. Eventually, literacy among middle-class women began to increase too, the reason being that religious groups would want a more educated public to better spread the word of God. Additionally, in the 19th and 20th centuries, women began to actively advocate for their rights to equal educational opportunities. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2009, over 140,000 women graduated with STEM degrees.
All in all, it is evident that the number and representation of women in STEM-related fields have increased since the early 1990s.
Source: https://edventures.com/blogs/stempower/the-past-present-and-future-of-women-in-stem
Grace C. Liu - 12/16/2021
Organizations Encouraging Women to Pursue STEM Careers
Here is an excerpt of an article entitled “Women of Color in STEM”. This excerpt is about many organizations that encourage women, particularly women of color, to pursue STEM careers.
“As the contributions of women of color gain recognition, many modern organizations are encouraging women of color to pursue STEM careers. The following organizations are devoted to helping girls and women explore careers in science, technology, engineering, or math:
Girlstart offers K-12 programs for girls interested in STEM. Girls from kindergarten through 12th grade can participate in six core STEM programs. The organization pays for more than 500 girls to attend the annual Girls in STEM Conference.
Girls Who Code helps girls learn technological and coding skills to serve as the foundation for future STEM careers. The organization hopes to build America’s biggest pipeline of female engineers.
The National Girls Collaborative Project primarily serves as a network by which 36,400 different programs and organizations collaborate to help girls achieve gender equality in STEM careers.
Women Who Code provides resources and holds events, helping create leadership opportunities where women in STEM can be represented.
Black Girls Code serves African American, Latina, and Native American girls by cultivating an environment in which they can learn coding skills and computer science. The organization has partnered with several corporations such as Google and FedEx to make a difference in the lives of young girls who want to pursue STEM careers.
These are just a few of the many organizations that serve girls and women today. These organizations understand the value of women of color in STEM careers. These programs are devoted to cultivating environments where girls and women of color in STEM can feel represented.
Institutions of higher education are encouraging women of color to consider STEM majors by offering special scholarships. Government agencies such as the National Nuclear Security Administration and private companies such as Hewlett-Packard are also providing scholarships to women of color. Scholars and professionals alike recognize that the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields are lacking in diversity and the country needs more women of color in STEM organizations.”
Article: https://online.maryville.edu/blog/women-of-color-in-stem/
Grace C. Liu - 12/16/2021
13 Women in STEM
Here is an article from International Women’s Day entitled “13 Women in STEM Who Changed the World”. This article is about the following 13 women in STEM: Katherine Johnson (a NASA Space Scientist), Augusta Ada King (the Countess of Lovelace and Mathematician), Radia Perlman (an Internet Pioneer), Rebecca Cole (a Doctor of Medicine), Joan Clarke (a Code Breaker and Cryptanalyst), Susan Kare (an Iconographer), Rear Admiral Grace Hopper (an Inventor and Computer Scientist), Florence Nightingale (a Social Reformer and Statistician), Adriana Ocampo (a Planetary Geologist), Irene Au (a Human Computer Interaction Designer), Roberta Bondar (an Astronaut Neurologist), Ginni Rometty (CEO IBM), and Barbara McClintock (a Geneticist). The article includes information about each woman and a quote that demonstrates how they have influenced others!
Article: https://www.internationalwomensday.com/Activity/7213/13-Women-in-STEM-Who-Changed-the-World
Grace C. Liu - 12/16/2021