Women Choosing Other Fields Over Engineering and
Math

post from Curious Cat Science and Engineering Blog on 26 May 2008 10:59:00 PM. © Curious Cat Science and Engineering Blog

graph of science and engineering degrees by gender in the USA 1966-2005

The graph shows college degrees granted in the USA. This topic sets up one for criticism, but I believe it is more important to examine the data and explore the possible ideas than to avoid anything that might be questioned by the politically correct police. An import factor, to me anyway, is that women are now graduating from college in far higher numbers than men. And in many science fields female baccalaureate graduates outnumber male graduates (psychology [67,000 to 19,000], biology[42,000 to 26,000], anthropology, sociology [20,000 to 8,000]) while men outnumber women in others (math [7,000 to 6,000], engineering [53,000 to 13,000], computer science [39,000 to 11,000], physics [3,000 to 900]).

Data on degrees awarded men and women in the USA in 2005, from NSF*:

FieldBachelorsMaster’sDoctorateWomenMenWomenMenWomenMenBiology42,283 25,6994,870 3,2293,105 3,257Computer Science11,235 39,3295,078 12,742225 909Economics8,141 17,0231,391 2,113355 827Engineering13,197 52,9367,607 26,4921,174 5,215Geosciences1,660 2,299712 973243 470Physics903 3,307427 1,419200 1,132Psychology66,833 19,10312,632 3,4442,264 211Sociology20,138 8,438920 485343 211All S&E235,197 230,80653,051 66,97410,533 17,405

What does this all mean? It is debatable, but I think it is very good news for the efforts many have made over the last few decades to open up opportunities for women. I still support efforts to provide opportunities for girls to get started in science and engineering but I think we have reached the day when the biggest concern is giving all kids better math and science primary education (and related extracurricular activities). Also continued focus and effort on the doctorate and professional opportunities for women is warranted.

But for kids today it seems like the data shows there is at least as much reason to encourage boys to pursue college degrees and fields such as psychology as there is to encourage girls to pursue engineering (except of course I happen to favor engineering - hence the topic of this blog but…). After all the number of college degrees in science and engineering is equal for men and women, which is great. Granted since women are getting a significantly higher proportion of all degrees, so there is still a bias toward men getting science and engineering degrees. But there is a larger bias for women in all other fields combined.

* graph source: National Science Foundation, Division of Science Resources Statistics, special tabulations of U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, Completions Survey, 1966?2005.
** Data source: National Science Foundation, Division of Science Resources Statistics, special tabulations of U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, Completions Survey, 1996?2005. I suppose there has to be (or should be I would think) a specific url for this but I can’t find it (I would think you would want to make the url for this very obvious - at least I would if I were posting such info for NSF - a breadcrumb navigation on any specific data from the report should include a link to the permanent url for that report).

Read The Full Article:
http://engineering.curiouscatblog.net/2008/05/26/women-choosing-other-fields-over
-engineering-and-math/

Digg this

West 86th Street Subway Art 15

post from Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted) on 26 May 2008 09:59:59 PM. © Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)

tags: West 86th street subway art, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC

West 86th Street Subway tile mosaic art #15
as seen at NYC's West 86th Street stop at Broadway for the uptown 1 train.
(This piece was completed in 1989).

Artist: Nitza Tufino.

Image: GrrlScientist 2008 [larger view].

Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...

Read The Full Article:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/grrlscientist/~3/298737592/west_86th_
street_subway_art_15.php

Digg this

Minnesota culture

post from Pharyngula on 26 May 2008 09:42:29 PM. © Pharyngula

Greg Laden has posted a video that is wonderfully representative of life in rural Minnesota. If you can grok this short movie, you will have come a long way towards comprehending Minnesota.

Read the comments on this post...

Read The Full Article:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/pharyngula/~3/298724345/minnesota_cul
ture.php

Digg this

Only in the virtual world…

post from Pharyngula on 26 May 2008 07:20:12 PM. © Pharyngula

Which should I be more worried about: this not-safe-for-work-but-flattering fantasy, or the fact that I was informed about it by Phil Plait, who must be searching the web for "PZ Myers tag team fantasy".

My wife isn't going to let me travel any more, either.

Read the comments on this post...

Read The Full Article:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/pharyngula/~3/298664240/only_in_the_v
irtual_world.php

Digg this

NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander

post from Curious Cat Science and Engineering Blog on 26 May 2008 06:39:00 PM. © Curious Cat Science and Engineering Blog

The successful landing of NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander is well documented: Soft landing on a rough Mars terrain - Mars Lander Transmits Photos of Arctic Terrain - Phoenix Mars Lander prepares to begin excavation - Scientists Excited After Safe Mars Landing

View animation showing how NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander stays in contact with Earth

As NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter passes overhead approximately every two hours, Phoenix transmits images and scientific data from the surface to the orbiter, which then relays the data to NASA’s Deep Space Network of antennas on Earth. Similarly, NASA’s Deep Space Network transmits instructions from Earth to Odyssey, which then relays the information to Phoenix.

The Phoenix mission is to explore the north polar region of Mars.

Read The Full Article:
http://engineering.curiouscatblog.net/2008/05/26/nasas-phoenix-mars-lander/

Digg this

Leaving The Lake: CR4 Challenge (05/27/08)

post from CR4 - Recent Blog Entries on 26 May 2008 06:01:00 PM. © CR4 - Recent Blog Entries

This week's CR4 Challenge Question: You are relaxing 20 m away from the shore of a lake. You decide to exercise and start running directly away from the lake with a velocity that is inversely proportional to the distance from the lake. If your initial velocity is 5 m/s, how far are you from t

Read The Full Article:
http://cr4.globalspec.com/blogentry/5870/Leaving-The-Lake-CR4-Challenge-05-27-08?
from_rss=1

Digg this

Phoenix Descending

post from Bad Astronomy Blog on 26 May 2008 05:56:23 PM. © Bad Astronomy Blog

As I looked at the spectacular — yet understated — picture of Phoenix beneath its parachute, I decided I couldn’t just let what I wrote before stand. I needed to gesticulate, I needed to make faces, I needed to say something!So I made a video. And you know what the best part [...]

Read The Full Article:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BadAstronomyBlog/~3/298644002/

Digg this

Relay for Life

Read The Full Article:
http://science.easternblot.net/?p=713

Digg this

American Racing Holds Breath Over Injured Big
Brown

post from Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted) on 26 May 2008 05:02:42 PM. © Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)

Big Brown, the favorite to with the upcoming Belmont Stakes,
has suffered a minor hoof injury.

It was recently announced that Big Brown, who is the favorite to win the upcoming Belmont Stakes and horse racing's Triple Crown on 7 June in NY, has an injury that has kept him from working out since this past Friday. The injury, which was described as "very minor", is a quarter crack -- a vertical stress fracture in the hoof wall.

Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...

Read The Full Article:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/scienceblogs/grrlscientist/~3/298597327/american_r
acing_holds_breath_o.php

Digg this

Via Digg: Ford Dealership Tells Non-Christians
"Sit down and Shutup"

I couldn't help but post this amusing story out of California (of all places). Help spread the word and Digg this story.

In a radio advertisement for Kieffe and Sons Ford Dealership in Mojave, Ca they state "But did you know that 86% of Americans say they believe in God? Since we all know that 86 out of every 100 of us are Christians, who believe in God, we at Kieffe & Sons Ford wonder why we don't tell the other 14% to sit down and shut up."

read more | digg story