Battle of the Sexes for Science

Science has existed as long as curiosity has existed. I chose the topic of women in science based on my interest for the subject and the fact that I want to become a scientist. I know that many of the women that worked in the scientific field before me did not have an easy job working along side men. I feel that their stories needed to be told and how much has changed for women over time. Women should hear about those that came before them to pave the way for our world of today.

Since the beginning of time both men and women have been interested in science. However, before the 19th century women were not noted for their accomplishments in the scientific field. Today, women have come a long way. They strive to become equals in science fields, though there is much more work to be done.

The University of Alabama created a website called “4000 Years of Women in 2007. The website tells the world that females have been working and making many accomplishments in science for 4000 years. San Diego Supercomputer Center also created a website called “Women in Science,” letting the public know about many women from the 18^th and 19^th centuries that made great achievements in the scientific field. For instance, Ada Byron, Countess of Lovelace, Mary Anning, and Sophie Germain are just a few examples of the many females mentioned on the “Women in Science” website. Ada Byron was born in 1815, and was an analysis, a metaphysician, and founder of scientific computing. She also often worked side by side with many male scientists. Mary Anning was born in 1799, and worked with and collected fossils. Sophie Germain was born in 1776 and was a revolutionary mathematician. However according to “4000 Years of Women in Science” lets us also know that because of their gender these women and many others were never given the credit for their accomplishments.

However, the females with an interest in science never stopped learning. Even though they had so many struggles and could not be hired or credited for their work, many pushed forward and persevered. Women like Maria Mitchell, who discovered the comet, or Rosalind Franklin who worked with Crystal Diffraction never stopped working hard and making progress because of their gender. They were told many times they could not achieve excellence in their field but showed that they could.

Women of modern times have followed in the footsteps of scientists like Mitchell and Franklin and continue to make important advancements in the scientific field. In the article, “Women in Science: Racial and Ethnic Differences and the Differences They Make,” Cheryl Leggon tells her audience, “Each year since 1992, there has been an increase in the number of science bachelor’s degrees in the natural sciences awarded to women…in the US”(327). Now more than ever, women are finding an interest in the science fields whether it is nursing, psychology, medicine, chemistry, or even computer science. Women are finding their way to the top of the class and they are learning from those who came before them.

Even though women have been making strides toward becoming considered equal to their male colleagues in the scientific fields there is still a long road ahead. Internationally there is still an unacceptably low amount of women working and studying science. In “Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State, and Society,” authors Lisa Garforth and Anne Kerr believe that, “women can find the solution to their own problem by becoming more confident in the scientific field of study” (14). Although according to the article females can also be the solution to England’s problem. They need to build a reputation in the science field and understanding that this field is not easy but it comes with great rewards. All that these authors are trying to say is women have the power to change their situation and further advance themselves in their field by gaining confidence in their own abilities.

They are not necessarily going to jump into positions that they have not rightfully earned, and everything must be equally obtained on the basis of merit, not gender. The road ahead for women may be bumpy but there are many new opportunities and organizations for women today that were not available many years ago.

Today there is a multitude of groups and organizations for women working in the scientific fields. These organizations work to get more women, young and old interested in this type of work. The International Conference of Women Engineers and Scientists, established in New York in 1964, is held regularly for women to meet and get to know others in their field from all over the world. They also work hard on finding ways to get other young women involved and interested in the scientific fields. According to “A changing world: New Opportunities for Women Engineers and Scientists,” an article written about the conference, “ there are over 500 participants from over 60 countries, and over three days there are about 140 oral presentations and around 50 poster presentations” (98). All of this effort is targeted at getting these women talking and finding ways to get others involved and working in the scientific fields if interested.

Other organizations, such as the Association of Women In Science (AWIS), are dedicated to rising educational and employment opportunities for women in science. They give out awards and scholarships to deserving women all over the United States. Additionally, there is an AWISE or Association of Women In Science in Europe that do similar work abroad. These associations work hard to give women an equal chance at the field and study of science.

As I was growing up I was very curious about the world around me and that same curiosity sparked my love for science. As my interest in the science fields grew I looked groups or organizations that also shared my interests. It seemed much harder to find any groups or organizations than it is today. Many groups like the ones mentioned earlier in this paper were around but thanks to the advances in technology, like the computer, it is much easier for women like myself to find them. Each of these group since the technological breakthrough of the computer these groups have created websites that help give honor to and aid in the accomplishments of those young women like myself in their pursuits of become part of the scientific field.

Over this pasted summer I was given the honor to work as an intern for Henry Ford Health System. Because of those female’s that came before me and their hard work and pioneering the scientific field, I was able to receive an honor such as this internship. Many like myself have also been given so many honors and have made many achievements thanks to groups like the AWIS and the AWISE. According to the websites of these organizations they give out scholarships and awards to deserving young women all over the world.

During my research I have found many modern women scientists that have made their own strides in their separate scientific fields. I met two women at Henry Ford Health System named Kannaghi and Uma are scientific researchers who have done a lot of work in finding successful treatments for prostate cancer. Also my aunt, Lynn Adsit, does work at Lancing Board of Water and Light. She works in an environmental laboratory as a physical chemist. These three women are just a few of those the many women in today’s scientific works.

There may not be an equal balance of men and women in the scientific field yet, but I believe that with the progress made so far this balance can and will be achieved in the future. Women are now getting the credit they deserve for the work they are doing in science. They are gaining more opportunities with the help of other groups and organizations. There are scholarships and awards being presented to women who many years ago were over looked so many times. Though women have made many strides there are still many ways they can improve upon themselves and work alongside men. The fact of the matter is that women have been on a long, bumpy road, and this road has not yet reached its end. There will be more twists and turns, but there is a shining light at the end of it all and that light is women becoming equal to men in the scientific field.

This is the story of the women in science from the past to the present. It may not have every woman ever in science, but it tells the story of their struggle and the step women have taken to get where they are today. Women today can now see how far they have come and path it took to get here. There many be more ahead but I and many other women will be ready thanks to those that led the way.

Work Cited

"4000 Years of Women in Science." University of Alabama Astronomy Home Page. 2007. Web. 10 Dec. 2009.

Garforth, Lisa, and Anne Kerr. "Women and Science: What's the Problem." Social Politics 16.3 (2009). Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State, and Society. Project Muse, Fall 2009. Web. 29 Sept. 2009.

Kugele, Kordula. "A changing world: new opportunities for women engineers and scientists; Conference report: 14th International Conference of Women Engineers and Scientists, Lille, 15-18 July 2008." Equal Opportunities International 28.1 (2009): 98-103. Professional Insights. Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2009. Web. 29 Sept. 2009.

Leggon, Cheryl B. "Women in Science: Racial and Ethnic Differences and the Differences They Make." Journal of Technology Transfer 31.3 (2006): 325-33. Journal of Technology Transfer. Springer Science + Business Media Inc., May 2006. Web. 29 Sept. 2009.

"SDSC: Women in Science." San Diego Supercomputer Center. 1997. Web. 10 Dec. 2009.

The photo above is a bar graph of one of my more interesting survey questions. I asked people to identify from a list of names the names of the women that have worked or marked major milestones in history of scientific field. It seemed that my thoughts that the majority of people would only know maybe one or two names from the list but most people knew all of the names. The answers to this question really made me think.

Generally, I feel over all I enjoyed the surveying process. Never having to write a survey before, I found it was a lot of fun. Also as I got responses I found out some interesting takes on my topic. And though that the survey information did not make it into my research essay I felt that it did help me in coming up with some good information and ideas for my paper. I was very interested by one of my questions asking, can you identify the women that have worked or marked major milestones in history of the scientific field? I found that many of the people that took my survey knew many of the little know women scientists such as Maria Goeppert-Mayar. It made me feel that there more people knew about women in science than I had thought at the beginning of my research.

This whole process gave me a new outlook on my topic and gave me some new ways of looking at my information. I really liked this way of collecting information and will definitely take it into consideration in the future.

Click Here to take survey

This my Aunt Lynn with my Uncle Greg they are two amazingly talented people I am proud to be their niece.

My Aunt Lynn has a good sense of humor and had a wonderful time cleaning up the birthday mess.

My Aunt Lynn always knows how to make her job fun. She is the last "Mad Scientist" on the right.

From One Life to the Next

"Second Life" I know sometimes I wish I had one of those. The virtual world called "Second Life" many people use to get away from the physical world of their first life. I believe "Second Life" is way for people to get a second chance at life. Its a way for the geek to be popular or the "girly girl" to be a "tom boy"or vise versa. People can be who ever they want to be and do whatever they want to do. Though compared to the physical world its very different.

In the physical world most people are limited on what they can and cannot do. Also people are normally viewed as a stereotype rather than for how they wish to be seen. I can see people having trouble to connect with their"first life" in the physical world once they have entered the virtual world of "Second Life." This virtual world seems to be very real to many people. I think this is why no one wants to connect or go back to the physical world.

Though the computer cannot stay on forever it either dies, gets shutdown, or someone else has to use it. This means that "Second Life" cannot be on all the time. People have to go back to the physical world and somehow make their lives work without the computer or their virtual worlds.

Transformation Into The Final Draft

Over the years, I have written many essays and have been told that an essay is never truly finished. My teachers in both high school and college have told me this and I believe they are right. I can always find something that can be changed. Whether it is another grammatical error, a spelling change, or a time when I am getting too wordy, it can all be found over and over again throughout my papers. Though I feel that with having many people read my paper and having myself read and reread it, I have found that my article summary has transformed into what I call its final draft for now.

After submitting my first essay to my blog I awaited comments on it from my classmates to see what others thought of my essay. I got a comment on my essay, it shed some light on some of the things I need to go back through and reread. So I reread my essay and changed what I felt was wrong and then had friends including, my sister and good friend both with English majors and objective eyes to read my paper. They came back with comments for me to revise some grammar errors and wording here and there. I used all of their comments and revised my essay. After rereading my essay one last time I felt I had done all I can do to transform my essay to be a final draft.

Work Cited to Article Summary

Works Cited

Garforth, Lisa, and Anne Kerr. "Women and Science: What's the Problem." Social Politics 16.3 (2009). Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State, and Society. Project Muse, Fall 2009. Web. 29 Sept. 2009. .

Kugele, Kordula. "A changing world: new opportunities for women engineers and scientists; Conference report: 14th International Conference of Women Engineers and Scientists, Lille, 15-18 July 2008." Equal Opportunities International 28.1 (2009): 98-103. Professional Insights. Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2009. Web. 29 Sept. 2009. .

Leggon, Cheryl B. "Women in Science: Racial and Ethnic Differences and the Differences They Make." Journal of Technology Transfer 31.3 (2006): 325-33. Journal of Technology Transfer. Springer Science + Business Media Inc., May 2006. Web. 29 Sept. 2009. .

Article Summary

The Battle of the Sexes When It Comes to Science

Curiosity is defined as a strong desire to know or learn something.” It is this that led men and women of the past and present into the science, technology, engineering and math fields. It is the same curiosity that led me to this research topic, Women and Science.

I chose three articles on my research topic and in reading these articles I found a common theme: methods interest the minds of women into the field of science and engineering. Each of these articles portrays this theme in a different manner. The first article, “Women and Science: What’s the Problem” by Lisa Garforth and Anne Kerr, attempts to find the root of the problem of a low percentage of women pursuing a role in the area of science or engineering background. The second article, “Women in Science: Racial and Ethnic Differences and the Differences They Make” by Cheryl B. Leggon, researches facts about women in the United States. Acknowledging how the areas for more women to be a part of these employment roles have only changed slightly, and many women would like to establish more opportunities for women to gain an interest in these areas of study. Finally there is the last article, “ A Changing World: New Opportunities for Women Engineers and Scientists” by Kordula Kugele, that uses a meeting of the minds to raise interest and awareness of the different resources available to help more women gain access to the field of science and engineering.

These articles have a large common theme involving the discussion of a necessity of engaging more women in pursuit of scientific fields. They also have some differences to them as well this was seen in the article, “ Women and Science: What’s the Problem” by Lisa Garforth and Anne Kerr, these women discuss the fact that the percentage of women in the field of science is low in the United Kingdom and would like to find a way to encourage more women to pursue this area employment and education. Garforth and Kerr draw the reader in with the statements of a low percentage of women working in scientific fields though their solution is not what one may think, they say, “…the problem with “women in science” is typically framed as a problem for employers to solve by removing barriers.”(14) Garforth and Kerr tell the audience that the employers need to take down the barriers of gender, ethnicity and culture, and race, so that everyone can get a fair chance at being a part of this field. The authors go on to say, “ Women can contribute, by becoming more confident, but they are not the problem themselves. In fact, they are often the solution—to skills shortage and greater public engagement with science, for example.”(14) This statement brings light to the idea that women are not a problem in the field of science but rather they are the solution. Garforth and Kerr let their audience see that women can be of great service and all they need is a little boost of confidence. The conclusions that I draw from this article is one of hope that the United Kingdom can learn to encourage the women wishing to go into this field to have the confidence to see past their gender, culture, and race; and get down to the science of the matter. Also all of us as the audience should take a deeper look and remember that whenever we remark about the success of women in the scientific field that we do not need to also remark about the fact that they are “women.”

The second article I chose is called, “Women in Science: Racial and Ethnic Differences and the Differences They Make” by Cheryl B. Leggon. This article concerns research on women in science fields. It also, states the fact that there are a low percentage of women in the science and engineering fields in the United States. On the positive side of this article it did inform the reader that there are more women who are becoming more aware of the content of these fields and are pursuing higher-level degrees in them. Leggon gives examples of women getting an higher education in science field with statistics. She notes that, “Each year since 1992, there has been an increase in the number of science bachelor’s degrees in the natural sciences awarded to women who are citizens or permanent residents of the U.S.” (327) Leggon shows her audience that women should not give up hope in becoming a part of scientific fields. Even though women still have a lower number degrees in science than men women’s numbers are raising who knows what could happen in the next few years.

Finally the third article I chose entitled “ A Changing World: New Opportunities for Women Engineers and Scientists” by Kordula Kugele writes about the “14^th International Conference of Women Engineers and Scientists.” The article addresses the audience about the International Network of Women Engineers and Scientist, and how they have formed a positive global networking system. This system aids and assists women to learn more about how they can access their role as part of the science fields from an educational and research aspect. This organization was developed to create a better future for women wishing to enter the fields of science and engineering; and to help give them resources to obtain knowledge from other women in the field to gain a better understanding of the challenges that may lie ahead for them. Kugele describes what happened at the conference to help women gain an interest and an understanding for what is ahead in scientific fields, she tells “The three-day conference, structured around 140 oral sessions and 50 poster presentations, was a valuable opportunity for exchanging knowledge and international networking.”(98) This quote depicts many of the things that went on at the conference. Many of these presentations along with the oral sessions allowed women in the fields to speak about the challenges as well as the triumphs of their time working and studying science and engineering.

While I read each article I found I gained an opinion on what each of the authors said. I loved the first article it really gave me a feeling for what is going on in places other than the United States. It gave me a good understanding for the problems the United Kingdom is having and how they are looking to solve their problems. I also enjoyed the second article though there was some times that the data became a little overwhelming. It still was quite enjoyable to hear about many of the good and promising statistics. After reading the final article I know I want to be a scientist someday and join the women at the International Conference of Women Engineers and Scientists. Everything that the author described made me feel like I was right in the action going on at the conference. I enjoyed learning about all this new information about women in science.

Overall these articles have a good message of reaching the younger generation of women in the world and giving them a chance to enter the science, engineering, technology, and mathematical fields if they are interested. Each article had different ideas in reaching women young and old. Hopefully one day each of them will get through to enough women to truly reform the science fields forever. At the beginning of this paper I spoke of curiosity and I believe that even though curiosity killed the cat it does not mean women should not take a chance on making a something of themselves in this amazing field.

My survey

Being asked to watch movies for class seemed to me to be something fun and excited; though when I first saw these two movies, one by Godin and the second by Shirky, I have to say I did not see my interest spike at as I watched. Then I took the chance to watch them again and I found something totally different they were funny and I saw that I could relate to these movies. They were both connected in ways but each had its own distinct differences that stuck out.

These two speakers approached similar topics in completely different ways it seems to me. Godin came up with a witty and funny way of presenting his topic. He used funny pictures along with witty comments to keep the attention of the audience allowing them to really get a feel for what he was saying. I spoke of some very specific leaders and tribes then had more general details for as to why he was talking about them. There were many examples he uses some of which were the leader of Toms Shoes or Zappos, he spoke of how these two people to a simple idea of shoes and found two completely different ideas. Zappos is a way for shoe lovers to get together and look or find something they love. Whereas Toms Shoes is a way to give to others, when someone buys a pair of shows that exact pair of shoes will be given to someone that does not have any shoes at all. Godin helps the audience to see that there are so many different tribes out there and so many different leaders. He challenges the audience to become leaders themselves and create their own tribes. His speech in this way seems to be more of a motivational speech, whereas Shirky had a more of an informative speech. He informed the audience of how much the technology of our world today has changed over time. He gave examples with three more so general stories and went into depth on the reasoning for telling each of them. He spoke of the election and how people decided to video the vote getting the idea from the Nigerian election that happened just a few months earlier. He used this story to show that it does not matter where the technology is coming from anymore it now puts everyone on a similar playing field. Although different, each of these speeches had its own way of conveying a similar message.

I saw that these two movies both spoke of communication but not only that they spoke of movements technology and communication have made. Shirky spoke of how communication has transformed throughout history to be something not only for the individual but also for the group. This is connected to Godin and his speech because Godin's speech speaks of the leader, which is the individual, but he also speaks of the tribe that is the group. He tells us how these leaders have been able to create these tribes due to the invention of the mass communication of the Internet. I this way the two speeches are very similar. Each speaker in general gives the audience the same message in the end that the Internet brings people together. Whether it be groups or tribes leaders or armatures just telling a story everyone that uses the internet some how gets interconnected letting use all know, as Shirk put it, “ We are all in this together.”

ScreenShot

Composing can change shape when using a digital space because a person can be less formal with a blog or composing an online diary rather than a more formal paper. Blogs and online diaries allow a person to choose a topic and let out whatever emotions they may be feeling. They can write on what interests them, which can allow for a more personal piece of work. There are also many efficient bonuses to using digital space. For instance, when one uses the computer to write they will type much faster than handwriting out the composition. This is because a person needs to white out or erasing when handwriting instead of just backspacing or deleting which is faster. Its difficult if someone has sloppy handwriting as well because one has to write and rewrite the piece many times. Another advantage and change of the shape of using a digital space is that revising the paper can be much easier than having to rewrite the paper in its entirety.

In order to understand the process and perks of using digital media, one should experiment with digital media's use first-hand. This means one must use trial and error, which is what I have used throughout my life. I have learned so many new things about digital media in this manner. An example of this would be using a computer for the first time and learning how to type. I was very slow with typing to start and then as time passed; I worked with it and kept experimenting and trying I got faster and very good at typing. I have used this method when making my screenshot as well. I thought it was going to be easy but I found it took a lot of trial and error. After experimenting over a few days I think my screenshot really shows who I am when I am on my computer and the things that distract me most when it comes to doing homework. I think this screenshot says this is me when it comes to computers.