JLVernonPhD presents "American SciCo"

I have a 15 month old daughter and honestly, I’m not sure that I would like for her to be a scientist.  The life of a scientist, as you may know, is very demanding and the stigma for female scientists remains.  Of course, I will encourage her to follow her heart, but if she chooses science, I hope (by that time) some things will have changed.

We, men, will never know the challenges that women face as they pursue careers in science.  We can claim to understand and we can make every effort to reject bias whenever we see it, but it’s impossible for men alone to make the systemic changes necessary for women to experience complete equality in science.  Women must educate men of the barriers they encounter and suggest solutions.

For these reasons, I’m thankful for women scientists who are trying to make changes in science culture.  Earlier this year, Sally Ride visited The University of Texas at Austin to promote her science outreach efforts.  Ride, the first woman in space, founded Sally Ride Science in 2001 to create quality programs and products that educate, entertain, engage and inspire future scientists, with an emphasis on girls.  It’s programs like Ride’s that will empower young women with the confidence to speak up when they feel the system is working against them.

Similar programs should be created across the country and around the globe to further inspire young women.  For the sake of my daughter, I would gladly volunteer to help with such programs.  That’s why I plan to attend a Congressional briefing entitled For Women in Science: 21st Century Policy & Politics sponsored by L’Oreal Foundation.  The briefing is intended to explore issues and opportunities for the advancement of women in science as well as public policies that work to address them.  I am very pleased that my friend Sheril Kirshenbaum will be moderator at this briefing.  Sheril, a research scientist in her own right, will be managing a panel of highly-regarded scientists, who happen to be women:

• Russlynn Ali, Assistant Secretary, Office of Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education

• Dr. Shirley Malcom, Head of Education and Human Resources, American Association for Advancement of Science (AAAS)

• Pr. Joan Steitz, Sterling Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University

• Pr. Sara Seager, Ellen Swallow Richards, Professor of Planetary Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

According to Sheril’s blog post at The Intersection:

We’ll discuss state and federal public policies that may be promoting or hindering the advancement of female scientists, Title IX and how it has influenced women pursuing science education and careers, and gender diversity in the workplace. We will also explore opportunities for government, the private sector and academia to address the barriers facing women in scientific disciplines.

It is because of women like those listed above that it was possible for the Council of Graduate Schools to make the recent announcement that women have earned the majority of doctoral degrees awarded in the United States in 2008-9.  This is the first time women doctorates have outnumbered the men. Doctorates for women in science still lag behind men, but I think it’s only a matter of time before Larry Summers has to eat his words.  Hopefully then my daughter will never experience subtle hints that she might be better-suited to apply for that interior decorating program instead of structural engineering.

My biggest expectation for Thursday’s briefing is that I will not only learn ways that I and others can create science opportunities for my daughter.  I also hope to learn how I can provide her with the tools to succeed in male-dominated cultures, in general.

I’ll try to tweet some of the highlights from this event so follow me on twitter.

Here’s a wonderful example of a great woman scientist and science communicator: