Deseret News | Workshop aims to ignite girls' interest in science

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Workshop aims to ignite girls' interest in science

Science Teacher | 7:24 a.m. Nov. 9, 2008

Once again the Boys get left behind.

I've been teaching for a long time now and I continue to see the boys be neglected.

I get fliers from BYU, UofU and other places that are offering science programs for girls only. Sometimes they will let a minority boy attend but if you are a white male you are out of luck.

The only place that has ever addressed this is UVU which now has a separate boys day and girls day.

The programs are great. Just don't forget about the boys!

Female Scientist | 10:22 a.m. Nov. 9, 2008

I imagine that you have never been a girl in a male- dominated program. As a microbiologist, I had to fight tooth and nail to get respect from the men in my profession. Girls have programs like this to encourage them to succeed where men are already succeeding. Boys have every opportunity open to them, girls have to learn that they have opportunities as well. It's not boys getting left behind, it's the girls getting a chance to catch up.

Anonymous | 1:09 p.m. Nov. 9, 2008

If Science Teacher is a male, than he happens to be in a profession dominated by women, so he does understand gender discrimination from the opposite side of the fence.

Either gender has less opportunities when they are excluded. While I am in support of gender specific instruction like this, they need to have a program for boys as well.

Comments continue below

Anonymous | 1:32 p.m. Nov. 9, 2008

I went to this conference twice, when I was in Junior High. It was so fun to see new things, take some classes and learn that anything I put my mind to I could do. Even if it wasn't in science or math. What a feeling of empowerment!
Thank you for putting on this conference!

Propaganda | 4:37 p.m. Nov. 9, 2008

I worked many, many years in a female dominated laboratory environment and they do EVERYTHING to men that any man ever did to a female. In spades.
The last thing I'll ever believe is that females need to be encouraged to get into healthcare.
Look around, about 8 out of 10 healthcare workers are already female and someone thinks they're being shut out? Not hardly.
This is all a "poor, poor me" story to get even more sympathy from the gullable public.

Typical | 7:41 p.m. Nov. 9, 2008

Statistics show that girls are more likely to graduate from high school than boys, more likely to attend and graduate from college than boys, less likely to be placed in a special education class, and more likely to get better grades than boys.

And yet supposedly the biggest crisis in our education system is the lack of "girl friendly" math and science classes.

Sorry, ain't buying it.

Steve | 9:21 p.m. Nov. 9, 2008

Dear Typical: If you visit the web sites of the physics departments at the U of U, BYU, UVU, USU, or most colleges in the US for that matter, you won't see many women on the faculty. The article didn't say anything about a lack of "girl friendly" math and science classes. The actual point is that many girls don't think they need to prepare for a well-paying career, and many others don't think that math, science, and technology careers are appropriate for women.

Female Scientist | 11:50 p.m. Nov. 9, 2008

Female Scientist
I have helped run one of the workshops for EYH day for the last two years and have loved every minute of it. This year the girls I interacted with exceeded my expectations. They were engaged in their environment, thinking about the problems presented to them, asking questions, and every one of them fully participated. (Something you donï¿½t see if you do similar activities in an mixed classroom)
ATK and all the volunteers have gone out of their way to make the day fun and exciting day for these girls. For one day, they get to see women who have worked hard for their careers and have succeeded. I would like to think that if one of those young women is ever told that they canï¿½t do science because ï¿½Its Manï¿½s Workï¿½ they will remember that they once met a woman that said to them ï¿½Thatï¿½s not true. Look at me, here I am. Go do what ever you want to do.ï¿½

And to Propaganda : If you are ever the only one of your gender at a national conference in a room of 300, Iï¿½ll bet you that youï¿½d feel just a tad bit uncomfortable too.

Kellie | 2:24 p.m. Nov. 10, 2008

This conference isnt about just about girls in the workforce, especially in healthcare. It is about getting females interested in science and math. Empowering them to know that they can do the "geeky" science and math stuff. It is a fact that in the US most professions that have anything to do with science or math is male dominated. This conference lets girls know that they too can do what the boys do!

Anonymous | 2:26 p.m. Nov. 10, 2008

I have two sisters with microbiology degrees. Being the only boy, I took up elementary education to become a teacher.

Either side of the mirror lie a whole slew of gender stereotypes that limit what is being done.

However, I agree that boys are being left behind, and in large numbers, as we moved to gender-favored instruction aimed at girls. They learn so differently it isn't fair to sway one side or another.

Jessica | 5:04 p.m. Nov. 10, 2008

While girls are more likely to go to college, they are less likely to pursue higher education in fields such as science and engineering. The purpose of programs like EYH is to help girls maintain an interest in math and science before an age when many girls stop taking courses in math and science. It is not meant to put boys at a disadvantage, only to keep girls from eliminating themselves from career paths by not taking math and science.

I am a female mechanical engineering student. Only about 10 percent of the students in my classes are women. There are only two female faculty members in my department. And while our textbooks are full of examples of high achieving male scientists, there are virtually no examples of successful women engineers. Programs like EYH give girls a chance to meet female role models they probably won't meet in any other setting.

Engineering Professor (Female) | 8:34 p.m. Nov. 10, 2008

We want ALL kinds of students in engineering. The College of Engineering at the Univ of Utah has several summer camps for boys and girls, and will be hosting Friday Afternoons with Engineering (FAN) this spring, for both boys and girls. Engineering students will come to your high school classrooms with fun engineering demos, for both boys and girls. We WANT students. Yes! We want more white male engineers in our program! And yes, we want more women! And yes, we want a mix of students from different ethnic backgrounds, cultures, and experiences! See www.coe.utah.edu

EYH Presenter | 11:48 a.m. Nov. 12, 2008

I have been an EYH presenter for 3 years. I love it. It can be a lot of work but seeing the girls excited, sparking a science interest that might not have been there before makes it all worthwhile. If you are a man or are concerned that boys are not getting this opportunity (as I can see from above) I suggest you make your own effort to create a boys' EYH. I have sons and I think this opportunity would be great for them too.

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