Communications of the ACM
Closing the Girl Gap in Science
The mascot Grey Dawg poses with high school students attending cheerleading camp at Southern Illinois University, where there are more men than women.
Credit: Luke Sharrett / The New York Times
Southern Illinois University (SIU) is one of the few U.S. schools where males outnumber female students, as women make up just 44 percent of undergraduates. In addition, women constitute only 30 percent of SIU's students in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields.
SIU recently held a cheerleading camp for middle and high school girls to recruit them to come to the university. "The idea is that any pre-college-age group of girls who are visiting the university should be in touch with our recruitment staff, not in a heavy-handed way, but as an opportunity to get the message out that coming to SIU can transform their lives," says SIU chancellor Rita Cheng.
Harvard University professor Albjerg Graham says that "we need to change the culture for little girls who are growing up now, and start expecting them to not only 'get' math and science, but to do well, take more [Advanced Placement] classes, and join the math and science club."
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which is 63 percent male, sends its female students to other schools to share their enthusiasm for STEM and host math contests for young girls.
From New York Times
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