Originally published August 28 2005
More women expected to enter technology and scientific fields
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Today there are still a lot of barriers for women to take up science as a career, but Georgia Tech predicts more women will enter the field to help repair the recent brain drain.
In order to remain technologically and scientifically competitive in an increasingly global society, the United States needs all the brainpower it has.
Currently however, a significant brain drain is taking place as bias has created a significant barrier to women and under-represented groups from pursuing technological or scientific careers, according to the upcoming paper "More Women in Science," which will appear in the August 19, 2005 issue of the journal Science.
Sue Rosser Sue Rosser, dean of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts at Georgia Tech and co-author of "More Women in Science."
The paper pulls together a large body of evidence of barriers throughout the faculty pipeline process and provides specific strategies to address these problems.
This disparity indicates that strong women scientists may not pursue academic careers due to lack of encouragement, lack of confidence, or lack of female role models.
To counter this problem, women Ph.D.s need to be explicitly encouraged to enter academia and programs such as professional societies, which provide role models and inspire self-confidence.
Further along the pipeline, evidence shows that women faculty members are more often asked to provide campus service on committees and as student advisers, not necessarily the best activity to win tenure approval in Research I institutions.
To assist junior faculty in managing their pre-tenure activities, Georgia Tech ADVANCE Professor Jane Ammons in the College of Engineering developed a "speed mentoring" workshop in which junior faculty consult with four to five tenured case reviewers who examine their curriculum vitae and offer suggestions on how to strengthen their tenure case.
To address this often rather subtle factor, Georgia Tech developed a Web-based tool kit called Awareness of Decisions in Evaluating Promotion and Tenure (ADEPT) as part of a National Science Foundation (NSF) ADVANCE Institutional Transformation Program grant.
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