Summer 2010

Welcome!
There are thousands of AAUW members across the country working to encourage girls to study science, technology, engineering, and math. This quarterly e-newsletter and listserv is for you, whether you run an awards program, a hands-on club, or volunteer your time each week. We aim to spotlight your successes, share the latest and greatest tools, and give you the opportunity to learn from the best — each other!

Do you have a great branch program you'd like to share? Looking for ideas on engaging girls in science and math or how to get involved with a girls' STEM project in your community? Feel free to post a question to your fellow AAUW members by emailing the listserv at stem@listsrv.aauw.org or joining our new AAUW STEM Facebook group.

Sincerely,
Linda D. Hallman, CAE
AAUW Executive Director

Success Stories

AAUW STEM News

National Lab Day — May 12 Kick Off
AAUW and colleagues from the STEM Ed Coalition were instrumental in getting President Barack Obama's to declare a National Lab Day last fall. Through the National Lab Day website, teachers can request funding or describe a project they would like to do with kids and scientists, engineers, and others volunteer to help. Click here to start or search for projects in your area.

It Pays to Be a Woman in STEM
According to AAUW's latest report, the pay gap between men and women tends to be smaller for women in STEM fields than that between women and men in other occupations overall. Women computer and information systems managers, for example, typically earn 87 percent of what their male colleagues earn compared with the occupational gender pay gap of 77 percent. Compare the median salaries of men and women in various STEM fields with our new Data Table (pdf).

Why So Few? Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
In an era in which women are increasingly prominent in medicine, law, and business, why are there so few women working in science and engineering fields? AAUW's latest report presents eight recent research findings that point to environmental and social barriers — including stereotypes, gender bias, and the climate of science and engineering departments in colleges and universities — that continue to block women's participation and progress in these important fields. It also highlights evidence-based strategies proven to attract and retain girls and women in STEM fields. Read about the report in the New York Times or watch the webcast of its launch.

AAUW CAP Teams Provide Mentoring to Girls in Science and Math
This year, 12 student and faculty Campus Action Project teams are changing campus culture and breaking through barriers for women in STEM. With projects based on recommendations from AAUW's Why So Few?, the teams are hosting everything from career events for girls at a local mine to monthly roundtable discussions for college STEM majors on topics such as "Career Versus Home: A False Dichotomy?”

Washington Update

AAUW Champions STEM Education on Capitol Hill
Recently, AAUW held a Capitol Hill briefing on Why So Few? Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. The event's speakers included Christianne Corbett, one of the report's researchers, and Carol Greider, a molecular biologist and AAUW member who won a Nobel Prize last year. In addition, in April AAUW co-sponsored a briefing with the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) about the importance of expanding computer science education in K–12 schools and reaching the untapped talent pool of minorities and women to fuel American innovation.

Department of Education Releases Elementary and Secondary Education Act Blueprint
In this report, the Obama Administration lays out its priorities for the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (also known as No Child Left Behind), including strengthening STEM education and career preparation, especially for underrepresented groups. AAUW supports efforts that train teachers to encourage girls and other underrepresented groups to pursue STEM careers and recommends a grant program that schools can use to cover a number of expenses including mentoring, after-school programs, summer programs and internships, and field trips. In addition, AAUW believes that schools should be held accountable for students' achievement in science.

America COMPETES Reauthorization Passed the House
The America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (H.R. 5325) passed the House on May 28. Included in the bill is an amendment that was offered by Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) that creates a grant program to increase awareness of gender bias among university faculty, extends grant support for researchers, and collects better data on research grants and faculty hiring and tenure practices.

Visit the AAUW website to learn more about AAUW's STEM priorities and download our policy recommendations on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education.

For the Girls

GEMS Club Activities

The original Girls Excelling in Math and Science (GEMS) club, founded by AAUW member Laura Reasoner Jones of the AAUW Reston-Herndon (VA) Branch, has been working since 1994 to engage girls in the fun and wonder of math and science. Activities run the gamut from egg bungee jumping to edible concrete. Want to get involved? Start your own GEMS club!

Engineer Your Life
AAUW is a partner in Engineer Your Life, a national messaging campaign created by WGBH Educational Foundation to show girls that engineering is an exciting, rewarding career choice. On the award-winning website high school girls learn about the inspiring experiences of women engineers, what it's like to be a student in an engineering program, and how they can get started on this career path. Also check out the companion website for middle school girls.

See our list of Online STEM Resources for Women and Girls compiled by AAUW's NGCP regional liaisons.

Notes from the Field

Questions or comments about this e-newsletter? E-mail us at stem@aauw.org.