M STEM A G A Z I N E

Ajmera MayaThe & the Public Left or Right Brain? byMaya Chande Mary Ann Cannon Pratt & Whitney

Women’s Edition Oct. 2018 \\220v Use it in class. Use the smart board. Use it at home.

Send this link home with your students so they can share with their parents, connect and talk about STEM careers and how best to prepare.....together. Curiosity and learning are ageless. To understand STEM...... you must DEFINE STEM, but you cannot define an acronym using the words it stands for; you must define the words the acronym stands for.

Science: “The systematic accumulation of knowledge” (all subjects and careers)

Technology: “The practical application of science” (all subjects and careers)

Engineering: “The engineering method: a step by step process of solving problems and making decisions” (every subject and career)

Math: “The science of numbers and their operations, interrelations, combina- tions, generalizations, and abstractions” Every career will use some form(s)

For a moment, set aside any preconceived notions of what you think a STEM career is and use the above dictionary definitions to determine the skills used in any career field you choose.

These definitions are the “real” meaning of STEM skills and STEM careers. We believe that the key to success in seeing higher graduation rates, improved testing results, student inspiration, creativity, excite- ment and career satisfaction rests in the hands of the teacher. The example and inspiration Wayne Carley of individual educators carries tremendous weight on a daily basis, greatly impacting the quality and effectiveness of the classroom environment. Left or Right Brain Our mission: Encourage curiosity, investiga- tion, inspiration, creativity, and innovation; the Maya Chande foundations of every career passion.

Publisher / CEO Wayne Carley STEM Magazine Mary Ann Cannon STEM for Woman Magazine Pratt & Whitney STEAM Magazine Kim Carley STEM Magazine Corporation 2055 Barrett Lakes Blvd. NW Suite 928 Kennesaw, GA 30144 Gender and Thought http://www.stemmagazine.com Diversity in Chemistry / Part II STEM Magazine is a monthly subscription J. Salton, Ph.D. non-profit education publication for educators, Gary students, their parents and industry Shannon Nelson professionals.

Read monthly in 67 countries, STEM Magazines strive to encourage the educator to better understand the importance Girls and Math of STEM skills, their use in every school Dr. Brunner subject, the need and ease of integration into Tom curriculum and the urgency for students to embrace STEM.

Science literacy

by Wayne Carley

Maya Ajmera The STEM Action Grant program, meanwhile, invests in innovative, grassroots organizations, throughout Maya’s interest in philanthropy began the United States that are pursuing when she founded the Global Fund STEM opportunities for under-served for Children, which was developed on students. There are some really exciting the premise of helping extraordinary organizations around the country, such grassroots organizations led by coura- as Electric Girls in New Orleans, or geous leaders throughout the world. BioBus in New York City who are pro- “We invested small amounts of capital viding meaningful STEM experiences. into really innovative grassroots orga- The Society is building a network of nizations and, during my leadership, organizations who can eventually learn the Global Fund for Children invested from one another. millions of dollars into these innovative organizations,” Maya said. Maya mentioned,“We have had a tra- dition here at the Society of giving back That interest in philanthropy took and philanthropy through the enormous shape at the Society with their out- awards we give to students who partic- reach and equity programs. Two cut- ipate in our world-class science compe- ting edge philanthropic programs, the titions. In 2017, we provided over eight STEM Research Grants program and million dollars in awards to young peo- the STEM Action Grants program, ple from middle school through to high seek to ensure that all students, school seniors to help them pursue high- regardless of where they live or their er education. To date, we have award- socioeconomic level, can have access ed $220,000 to educators through our to quality STEM education and experi- STEM Research Grant program.” ences. Wayne: When did your passion for The STEM Research Grants program writing begin? invests in teachers who are building re- search programs and need up to $5,000 Maya: My passion for writing be- to help build that capacity. “We are gan when I was about eight years old. doing that across the country. In August, I wrote a lot of fairy tales and creative we gave $100,000 in small grants to 24 stories. I loved writing, but it wasn’t middle school teachers.” until I received a Rotary Graduate Fel- lowship to go to India where that writ- ing really took hold and I started thinking about writing for children Every three days we would crack open on the issues of diversity. Through an egg to witness the growth of the my writing, I celebrate children -- the chicken embryo. Mr. Wilkerson made similarities and differences -- that all science fun. children share. I have authored over 20 award-winning children’s books. Additionally, I count Dr. Prem Sehgall, Some of my favorite books that I have my mentor in eighth grade, as anoth- co-authored are: Children from Austra- er big influence in my life. He was a lia to Zimbabwe, To Be an Artist, Be My botanist at East Carolina University Neighbor, and Every Breath We Take: A where I started doing bench research Book about Air. and learned about the growth of duck- weeds. I became a science fair junkie. Wayne: Whom or what was your greatest influence in both and why? Lastly, I am most inspired by those who give away their time, talent, and Maya: My greatest influences in treasure to worthy causes that make the writing are quite varied. I draw inspira- world a better place. Volunteerism and tion from children’s book authors and giving are great traditions in our coun- writers, ranging from Dr. Seuss to Judy try. I am most in awe of the $10 donor. Blume and Beverly Cleary to books like the Nancy Drew series. I also read Wayne: Any special challenges a lot as a child and really enjoyed bi- along the way thus far? ographies of scientists and engineers: Marie Curie, Benjamin Banneker, Eli Maya: One challenge I encoun- Whitney, Albert Einstein, and Rosalind tered upon coming to the Society four Franklin. I was mesmerized by their years ago was that we didn’t focus on lives and their work. equity and inclusion. I believed very strongly that the Society needed to I would also like to share my greatest make sure that young women, students STEM influence: my sixth grade teach- of color, and young people from rural er, Mr. Richard Wilkerson from Elm- parts of this country, all had the oppor- hurst Elementary School in Greenville, tunity to dream of becoming a scientist North Carolina. It was an under-re- or engineer if that’s what they wanted sourced school, but Mr. Wilkerson to do. I believe there should be no road managed to make science really fun. blocks. I’ll never forget the time he brought in an old incubator that enabled chicken eggs to mature. I’m really excited that one of our pro- Talent Search, the nation’s oldest and grams, Science News in High Schools, most prestigious science competition, reaches over 4,600 high schools, was a woman. which represents about 40 percent of high school students in this country. Wayne: What excites you about the Through our STEM Research Grant Society for Science & the Public? program, we’re providing small grants to teachers nationwide to help build Maya:I am energized by the young their science research programs. people, educators, scientists and engi-

I’m also really proud of our science neers who I meet each and every day. research competitions, in which we are Through the Society for Science & making a point of seeking out more the Publics world-class competitions, diverse applicants. Nearly half of the award winning journalism and outreach finalists in the Intel International Sci- and equity programs, we are making ence and Engineering Fair (ISEF) are a tremendous impact on the world women, which is extraordinary. The around us. 2017 winner of the Regeneron Science Schools, which brings our high-qual- ity, accurate journalism to classrooms across the country, we are making an extraordinary impact on students.

As a science fair junkie and an alum- na of the Science Talent Search, I was inspired by science and discovery at a very young age, and I am thrilled to be giving back to the scientific community and providing the resources, tools and encouragement to motivate the next generation of scientific leaders. The students who participate in our competitions are the stewards of our future – they are poised to solve our world’s most intractable challenges. The educators we work with who en- gage, direct, teach and motivate stu- dents underscore our philosophy that talent is everywhere. Many of these educators work with us to engage un- der-served students and provide them with high quality STEM experiences. We are connecting with young women, people of color, and all students who have potential to make a difference in the world. Wayne: Why science literacy?

Moreover, through our award winning Maya: Having excellent scientific journalism, Science News, we provide literacy creates knowledgeable citizens fact-based scientific reporting, inform- of the 21st century. We have to equip ing thousands of readers about the our young people with excellent scien- latest scientific breakthroughs and re- tific content. I take great pride in being search. Through our online news mag- publisher of Science News, knowing azine, Science News for Students, and that we lead one of the few newsrooms our program, Science News in High with beat journalists who are PhD’s in their specific fields, most of whom are I spearheaded a $100 million, 10-year women. It’s unheard of in this day and sponsorship for the Science Talent age. I can’t tell you how much we’ve Search with Regeneron, and am work- heard from teachers and educators ing to identify new sponsors for our about the challenges they encounter largest competition, the International using old content in the classroom -- Science and Engineering Fair. One of and how much Science News in High the highlights of my job is having an Schools is helping them teach their opportunity to connect with students, students. whether it’s on stage during one of our competitions or when I’m walking I also believe that is around and speaking with them about core to our democracy. We can’t func- their projects. tion as a country if we do not have ex- cellent, factual, evidence-based science One accomplishment that is near to journalism. my heart: I founded a new series of outreach and equity programs to reach Wayne: Tell us about your current more under-served STEM students work? in the United States. Through those programs, I work diligently each day Maya: Currently I am President & to ensure that students have access to CEO of the Society for Science & the quality and meaningful STEM experi- Public and Publisher of Science News. ences regardless of their geography or The Society is well-known for our their socioeconomic status. We recently, world-class science competitions and for example, gave $100,000 to STEM our award-winning journalism, Sci- research teachers across the country to ence News. We are a champion for sci- use in their classrooms. ence, dedicated to expanding scientific literacy, effective STEM education and I am also pleased with two new docu- scientific research. We are a nonprofit mentaries about the International Sci- membership organization focused on ence and Engineering Fair—Inventing promoting the understanding and ap- Tomorrow and Science Fair. They tell preciation of science and the vital role the wonderful stories of our young sci- it plays in human advancement. entists and engineers from around the world. In my role, I have helped to transform the nearly 100-year-old Society into a In addition, I brought Science News dynamic, entrepreneurial organization. Media Group from a decade long deficit into a bullish enterprise by developing a new education pillar, Science News in High Schools, and diversifying SN Media Group’s income stream. I am now working closely with our new editor in chief to modernize our news room and implement a new strategic plan that we developed through a grant provided by the Knight Foundation.

Wayne: With the ear of thousands of students and teachers world-wide, what are your words of advice or en- couragement?

Maya: Speaking directly to teach- ers and students, the future of STEM belongs to you. You are powerful. Take risks and push boundaries. Don’t fear failure.

To teachers who work with students and advocate for STEM education and support students daily, remember you are critical to the future workforce. I applaud you for supporting students who envision themselves in future STEM careers. Whether it be medicine, astrophysics, computer science, the role you play in the STEM pipeline is critical.

To students, let me say that The Society for Science & the Public and I will con- tinue to champion and support your talent and promote diversity in STEM education, but ultimately, it’s up to you. Learn in the classroom, dynamic, entrepreneurial organization pay attention and take hold of oppor- and spearheaded a $100 million, 10- tunities to enter science competitions year sponsorship for the Science Talent like ours, while also reading the latest Search with Regeneron. In addition, in research. There are a lot of challeng- Maya has brought Science News Media es in our world today, and ultimately Group (SNMG) from a decade-long it will be up to your generation to find deficit into a bullish enterprise by devel- new solutions. I have the utmost con- oping a new education pillar and diver- fidence that your generation is up to sifying SNMG’s income stream. She also the challenge. founded a new series of outreach and equity programs to reach more under To young women, specifically: lead- served STEM students in the United ership and innovation in STEM isn’t States. The Society’s programming reaches reserved for men. You have the poten- nearly four million students and 10,000 tial to implement new ideas and make STEM teachers across the country. a real impact. Maya is also the founder of the Global ______Fund for Children (GFC), a nonprofit organization that invests in innovative, Maya Ajmera is the President and CEO community-based organizations work- of the Washington, D.C. – based Society ing with some of the world’s most vul- for Science & the Public (the Society) nerable children and youth. and Publisher of its award-winning magazine, Science News. Founded in An award-winning children’s book 1921, the Society works to promote the author, Maya has published more than understanding and appreciation of 20 titles, including Every Breath We science and the vital role it plays in Take, Children from Australia to Zim- human advancement. The Society is best babwe, and To Be a Kid, with more than known for its world-class science compe- five million readers worldwide. titions, including the Regeneron Science Talent Search, Intel International Maya holds an A.B. from Bryn Mawr Science and Engineering Fair and College and a M.P.P from the Sanford Broadcom MASTERS. School of Public Policy at Duke Univ. An alumna of the Westinghouse Science Talent Search, now sponsored by Regeneron, Maya has transformed the nearly 100-year-old Society into a Left or Right: Science or Art by Maya Chande These modifications alter the particle’s hue which makes for a remarkable display. The artistic implications of Dr. Murphy’s work extend past merely vivid colors. The element of photog- re you left-brained or right- raphy is also an essential aspect of her A brained? work as she uses imaging to capture the remarkable configurations of nanopar- You are exemplary at math, exception- ticles in a scientifically and aesthetically al at science, but lack in artistic and meaningful way. creative thinking skills. So, of course, you’re left brained. Well, it’s not quite While Murphy works on cellular nano- that simple. sensors, extremely small detectors for disease diagnosis, students from Uni- Arts and sciences have traditionally versity of Illinois’ arts school make been considered mutually exclusive. their own discoveries at her lab. These You are either talented at art or science: students interpret Murphy’s chemistry one or the other. However, this popular through an artistic lens. “I’m always perspective is a severe misconception happy to see these intersections you as there are plenty of individuals who don’t normally see,” Murphy said of the excel in both arts and sciences. In fact, art-science collaboration. “That’s how art has, in several occasions, served as good ideas happen.” the muse for scientific and mathemati- cal discovery. The Baroque artistic master, Jan Ver- meer, with his paintbrushes, and Dr. For instance, Dr. Catherine Murphy Murphy, with her microscope, both explores the brilliant colors of nano- experiment with light and work to un- particles, microscopic particles at the cover the hidden truths of the universe. scale of one billionth of a meter, at her chemistry lab at the University of Illi- Like chemistry, engineering is con- nois. Her objective is to devise meth- cerned with the design of objects, ods to manipulate the size and shape of which has an inherently artistic foun- gold nanoparticles which can, in turn, dation. Researchers at Purdue Univer- affect the wavelength of light scattered sity have exploited this connection to by the nanoparticle. art in their development of the field of robotics called kinetogami. Inspired by the traditional Japanese art of paper folding, kinetogami uses the principles of origami to create recon- figuring robots (think Transformers).

o·ri·ga·mi /ôrә’gämē noun noun: origami

- the Japanese art of folding paper Similar to Legos, building blocks called Her passion for storytelling begged her Folding Basic Structural Units (BSUs) to express her talent, her insight on the are combined into complex systems world as a writer. However, her math that can carry out various configura- teacher in Iran begged her to express tion changes. These changes in shape her talent, her insight on the world as can exponentiate the number of func- a mathematician. Well aware that she tions that a single object can have; thus, could better describe her world nu- kinetogami has great potential in bio- merically than verbally, she chose the logical design, mathematical research, more artistic of the two: mathematics. and expanding the locomotive capacity of robots.

“Scientists and engineers are often mo- tivated by the beauty of artistic repre- sentations while artists and architectur- al designers want to harness concepts from science, technology, engineering and mathematics, “ says Karthik Rama- ni, a professor at Purdue University’s School of Mechanical Engineering who helped pioneer kinetogami. Through his and others’ research, Ramani seeks to bridge the gap between art and science through his elegantly folded structures.

Some individuals are gifted with the ability to elegantly describe such struc- tures in terms of both art and mathe- matics. Maryam Mirzakhani was one of them. She was a theoretical math- Maryam Mirzakhani ematician and professor at Stanford Born 1977 - Died 2017 University who studied the shapes of surfaces, but, in contrary to expecta- tion, she dreamed of being a writer all of her life. From that point on, Mirzakhani was practically unstoppable. She earned two gold medals in 1994 and 1995 on Iran’s International Math Olympiad team. Like the drip painting of Jackson Pol- lock, Mirzakhani’s doodles grew along After graduating college in Iran, the lengths of a white sheet of paper Mirzakhani headed to Harvard Uni- sprawled across the floor. Her formu- versity to pursue her graduate studies. las and figures assembled in an elegant There she produced an astounding matrix of thought that Mirzakhani’s paper that gained great acclaim in top daughter liked to refer to as “painting”. mathematics journals. Captivated by Mirzakhani’s artistic inspirations are her early success, Benson Farb, a fellow hard to ignore; even her passion for mathematician, claimed, “The majority writing never entirely left her. of mathematicians will never produce something as good, and that’s what she She described her mathematics like did in her thesis.” writing a novel. She explained to Quanta Magazine, “There are different Her work focused on hyperbolic geom- characters, and you are getting to know etry , a field described by Scientific them better. Things evolve, and then American as describing “surfaces that you look back at a character, and it’s are curved like a Pringles potato chip completely different from your first or the curly ends of a leaf of kale. Un- impression.” like chips or vegetables, however, these surfaces close up like donuts, usually Her diverse interests and unique per- with multiple holes.” Her studies were spective allowed Mirzakhani to discov- abstract and challenged the bounds of er entirely new fields of mathematics human thought, but Mirzakhani could earning her the prestigious Fields Medal conquer any challenge with the power in 2014 as the only female to ever win of her mind and her doodling. the award. In a little more than four decades, Mirzakhani managed to nar- row the gap between geometry and artistic design, but, on July 14th, 2017, breast cancer took this incredible math- ematician and artist from the world. From chemistry to engineering to mathematics, it is clear to see the common analytic thread that weaves together the fields of science and art. Both products of human curiosity, the two fields are inextricably linked; com- bining them in a meaningful way may be the key to unlocking the mysteries of the universe.

In the end, it is not about being left- brained or right-brained. Rather, it is about how we connect these incredible aspects of our mind into the magnifi- cent tapestry of human knowledge.

Potential molecule (drug) for osteoarthritis Mary Anne Cannon Vice President, Commercial Programs Pratt & Whitney My interest in engineering began that “girls don’t do STEM” was a thing. when I was a young child. My dad was And that goes for my extended family an engineer and I always followed him as well – no one ever casted doubt on around helping to fix things in the my ability to do this work. house and the car. My love of math and science came from him. Also playing into this was my Catholic high school where the majority of my I was immersed in this family that teachers were women, so I had these leaned toward math and science. women role models doing math and Whether it was fixing things or solving science. Timing wise it was when some puzzles or problems; it was part of the powerful women’s voices began being environment my siblings and I were heard in the science fields – such as raised in. I have always loved problem Rachel Carson with Silent Spring. So solving. coming from this incubator of support – by the time I first heard “women My passion for aviation came from don’t do engineering,” I was able to just the link between the product and the ignore those voices. science. Once I saw how it was applied and learned what you could do with Challenges science and technology and the math – which is the language of engineer- To have a professor say “you don’t be- ing - it all combined into a passion for long in my class” is hard and early in aviation. I get to take the science, take my career I hit a roadblock or two, with the math and apply it to a pretty extra- people who didn’t think I belonged. ordinary machine. I just chose to go around those road- blocks. Ninety-five percent of the peo- My parents were my greatest influence, ple I’ve worked with were just extraor- which seems cliché, but I never knew dinary in their support.

The industry has come a long way during my career. The big challenge ahead is getting young girls interested and sustaining that interest so they choose STEM careers.

Different levels of STEM excite me in different ways. Over the last 100 years, aerospace has been an incubator of ideas and tech innovations – always fresh and new - literally “the sky is the limit.” I also love the mission that it equates to – connecting people and growing economies. There’s a higher purpose to it. Aerospace isn’t just building a widget. At the end of the day flying is still really cool – whether it’s flying into space or across the country. widg·et /wijit/ noun / informal noun: widget; plural noun: widgets

- a small gadget or mechanical device, especially one whose name is unknown or unspecified.

- an application, or a component of an interface, that enables a user to perform a function or access a service. The study of STEM fields really sets The numbers are clear; we’re not on you up to work in an industry where parity yet. Over the last 30 years, both there’s team work, data analysis and at Pratt and in the industry, there have problem solving. If I look at my current been tremendous strides to recruit role or roles that I had – I rely on the women to engineering fields. I don’t ability to problem solve, it’s a huge skill. think it’s a field unavailable to women, As is how to read, understand, and an- but getting women to stay is a big issue. alyze data and how to best present that data, math is the language of science I do think the industry is working to and STEM. try and retain women and I have seen more women enter and stay in the field Understanding materials and material then there was 30 years ago. properties and how we advance those is important. Understanding how things Pratt & Whitney and our parent com- work together—interactions between pany, United Technologies Corpora- parts and pieces is vital to our success. tion, have a number of programs and The ability to look at tons of data from commitments to bring parity to our many different sources and to problem company. We support flexible work solve from that data is a critical ele- arrangements; we have rolled out our ment of my job. Re-Empower program – which helps those who have been out of the field for As Vice President of Operational Com- two or more years transition back to mercial Engines at Pratt & Whitney, I the work place. UTC has also commit- manage the life-cycle of Pratt & Whit- ted to having women in 50 percent of ney’s engine products spanning from the leadership roles through Paradigm the JT8D to the PW4000. We currently for Parity. have 5,000 of those engines in service with 120 customers. As to what’s next Words of Advice for me – at this point in my career it’s less about me and more about the people Don’t limit people –especially children we need to develop into the next gener- – at a young age. Personally, I was bad ation of leadership at Pratt & Whitney, at math in fifth and sixth grade, I really and that includes reaching back to struggled with fractions. Nobody wrote middle schools, high schools and col- me off, instead my parents worked to leges to show others what the aviation build my understanding. industry holds for them. I failed quite a few tests in those grades, but went on to do lots of calcu- lus in college. Don’t give up on people, but rather help teach them that failing is OK. It’s how you respond to a failure that’s important.

Mary Anne Cannon is Pratt & Whitney’s To Students vice president Commercial Programs including the PW4000, PW2000, PW6000, If you aren’t sure if a STEM field is for JT9D and JT8D engines and is respon- you – take a class or two, explore it sible for developing and managing the perhaps through an after school activity, product line life-cycle strategies and talk to people in the field to see what ensuring customer requirements are met. they are doing. There are so many dif- ferent aspects to STEM. Figure out for Cannon has more than 27 years of you what’s the right place. When you experience at Pratt & Whitney across the find your passion, drown out the voices Engineering, Quality and Operations or- that tell you not to go in that direction. ganizations. Most recently, she served as Pratt & Whitney’s vice president of En- To Educators vironment, Health and Safety, where she was responsible for the continued devel- I think there’s a lot of events and op- opment and administration of Pratt & portunities to expose children to STEM Whitney’s environment, health and safety activities and careers. My experience programs, policies and practices world- has been that the majority of children wide as well as ensuring compliance with get really excited by hands-on activi- corporate, federal and state requirements. ties. Take the time to expose them. Giving, especially young girls, that exposure can change their perception of what the field really is. So things like Girls in Aviation are important to expose them to STEM activities and when they see what STEM means their eyes light up. Gender and Thought Diversity in Chemistry / Part II

by Gary J. Salton, Ph.D. Shannon Nelson

The Instrumentation

“I Opt” is an acronym for input-out- “I Opt” technology rests on a firm the- put-process template. It is a proprietary oretical base. It is validated on all eight technology. It was launched in 1991 validity dimensions. Standard test-re- by Professional Communications Inc., test protocols over periods as long as a for-profit (but not profit maximiz- 18 years have demonstrated its reliabil- ing) private corporation. The firm is ity. Further evidence of its validity is its “a research and development firm … acceptance as the subject for a doctoral (whose) … interest centers on the be- dissertation. Its regular use in the busi- havior of groups of people functioning ness curriculum’s at multiple universi- in organized, goal directed environ- ties adds more indirect support. It is a ments”. The mission fits the issue at tool that has earned substantial credi- hand. bility over the years. In addition to its academic credentials The Issue the tool has also been proven in the real world. It is being used on a world- The focus of this article is gender diver- wide basis by corporations, non-profits sity. The current viewpoint is that di- and universities on a daily basis. Its versity is “good.” Exactly why diversity operational validity is demonstrated by is good is seldom mentioned. The ob- the acceptance of its guidance by expe- vious reason is that denying access on rienced high and low level executives the basis of an irrelevant quality limits confronting serious concrete issues in the talent pool. A wide scale loss of tal- volatile environments. The tool works ent ensures a performance shortfall. In in the real as well as academic world. other words, diversity does not ensure improvement in any specific instance. The primary (but not exclusive) use But the systematic denial of access en- of “I Opt” has been in improving the sures the suboptimal performance of a functioning of operating groups. The profession–including the profession of quality that makes the technology ap- Chemistry. propriate for this use is ratio measure- ment. The strength of a quality (i.e., The interest of this article is women the likelihood of it being expressed working in the chemically related pro- in behavior) can be computed. This fessions. The fact that there is some means that the strength of the qualities kind of disjoint is obvious. Women of multiple individuals can be added, make up 47% of the overall workforce. subtracted, multiplied and divided. The proportion of women in chemistry and material science is 34%. That is a Percentage changes can be calculated. 28% shortfall. The percent of women Averages can be computed. Differ- in chemical engineering is even less at ences can be enumerated. Ratio 17%. A 64% shortfall from the overall measurement eliminates the need for average is an unmistakable signal of a categories. The nature of the issue be- problem. ing addressed defines the degree of importance assigned to a particular An explanation for the general short- measurement. This contrasts with in- fall of women is beyond the reach of strumentation which relies on nominal this paper. However, the difference (i.e. classification) or ordinal (i.e., rank between chemists and chemical engi- order) calibration that cannot use the neers is not. The intellectual capacities full capacities of arithmetic. involved are about the same. The educational demands are roughly However, there are conditions under equivalent. The general character of which relevance can be eroded. work is reasonably comparable. Yet If practices are stable for long periods twice as many women choose chemi- they can evolve into norms. Over time cal science over engineering in spite of norms can evolve into beliefs. These being paid 31% less (9, 10). Obviously, beliefs can then order themselves into pay is not the only reason for entering prioritized values (i.e., values are the a profession. rank order of beliefs). Language and symbols adjust to reflect the underly- However, when combined with high ing mental structure which they ex- student debt and the magnitude of the press. shortfall (i.e., 64%) it does tend to rein- force the judgment that the signal of a At this point all of the components of problem is valid. culture are in place. So what starts out as a useful tool can evolve into a rig- Whatever the reason for the disjoint it id practice that needs no justification is not to be found in general cultural beyond its current existence. conditions and variables (e.g., “pig- headed” men). Rather it must lie in A structural difference separating sci- somewhere within the structure of the ence and engineering is relevant to two closely allied disciplines. This is chemistry. Science uses experimenta- an important observation. Changing tion as an investigatory tool. Failure the minds of tens of thousands of “pig- is accepted as a learning device. This headed men” is hard. Changing struc- makes some sense. The consequences tural conditions is much easier. of failure are typically minor. The loss of time, some material and perhaps a Structural Relevance few pieces of damaged equipment is typical. This loss is offset by incremen- Anything that directs behavior along tal gain in knowledge—the ultimate preset lines can be seen as a structure. goal of any science. These gains are These can be intentionally developed typically realized without exposing the or be a simple consequence of the ac- general population to risk. This miti- tivity being performed. It is reasonable gates any consequences of failure. Un- to assume that—at least initially—these der these conditions science can toler- devices performed a useful function. ate a wide range of approaches driven by different information processing strategies. Engineering faces a different situation. as their dominant approach. This Buildings can fall, chemicals can dam- thought-based style uses structured age whole environments and poorly input (i.e., input that follows some designed circuits can cripple entire predefined scheme) and thought out- networks. put (i.e., a plan, assessment, etc.). This commonality creates the mistaken Engineers can be fired or even sued for impression of equivalence. failure. Effectively, the difference be- tween science and engineering is not The difference between science and en- the nature of the work. Rather it lies in gineering lies in the secondary styles. the consequence of failure. That conse- If the shared primary style (HA) does quence effect is structural. not apply to a situation engineers tend to revert to a methodical action-orient- The difference created by consequence ed Logical Processor stance (i.e., struc- is reflected in favored information tured input and action output). Scien- processing strategies. “I Opt” styles tists tend to favor a more exploratory are short term information processing Relational Innovator (RI) strategy (un- strategies. Style defines the most like- patterned input and thought output). ly behavioral election on a particular The behavioral effect is that engineers decision. However, not every deci- tend to be more rigid in their approach sion will yield to the favored strategy. while scientists are more adventurous. When this happens people revert to This result is “built into” the nature of their next most favored strategy. The the work. combination of the primary (most favored) and secondary (next most favored) strategy is termed a strategic pattern. For most (but not all) people this combination of behavioral elec- tions is enough to navigate a majority of life’s decisions.

The difference between science and en- gineering lies in the pattern rather than style of behavioral elections. Both sci- ence and engineering favor the “I Opt” style of Hypothetical Analyzer (HA) The norms, beliefs and values that arise LP style gives a visible form of achieve- from the differences dictated by mis- ment. It provides a psychological re- sion affect gender diversity. The more turn for the work done. The women’s “adventurous” nature of science creates strategy is optimal given the culture a greater ability to accept variation— within which it is being applied. including in gender. But the above personal strategy has Engineers see more risk in any devi- secondary group effects. It can serve ation—including the risks associated to reinforce the hostile elements of the with gender variation. There are no culture. The strategy tends to make “bad” or “good” guys. The higher barri- women appear more rigid than men in ers in engineering are simply the result their approach (women engineers have of people trying to protect the integ- a higher commitment to the LP strate- rity of the profession using a proven gy than do men). This rigidity becomes well-established culture as a guide. This apparent in behavior and acts to re- is a profession to which they are com- inforce the judgment that women are mitted. It is also a profession which “different.” The difference in secondary reliably provides products of immedi- styles also creates irregular instances ate benefit to us all. The effectiveness of conflict which further reinforce the and dependability generated within judgment of difference. this culture is not something we would want to lose. These visible differences can act as evidence to support an otherwise irra- Derivative factors act to reinforce the tional bias. structural bias created by the mis- Other factors also affect the acceptance sion. The women who enter and stay of women. An earlier study argued that in engineering tend to favor more the culture of engineering education structured input than do the men (i.e., was created in a male dominant world. use of structured input in both their The resultant educational practices primary and secondary styles). The evolved into “norms” that are still in guidance provided by structure results play. They do not recognize the bio- in a strong focus. This focus partially logical differences in brain structure, insulates them from social pressures. chemistry and functioning of the gen- Satisfaction is derived from successful ders. These norms both discourage accomplishments. women from entering and penalize those that persist. The action output of their secondary The structural barriers even extend to the uniformity of the profession. The Engineering Personality study identi- fied 89 specialty areas. However these boundaries in engineering are perme- able. It is common to find engineers schooled in one area (e.g., mechanical) working in another (e.g. process). This permeability is a formula for a uniform culture. A gender-based disadvantage in one area is likely to reappear in another.

Contrast the above condition with science. Aside of a commitment to the scientific method, the various elements of science do not share a common culture. Some are field based. Others work out of offices while still others work in laboratories. Instrumentation varies from petri dishes to the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. The list could go on. These environments dif- fer widely and this variation provides many more windows of opportunity for women.

The point to be made is that gender bias is real. However, it is (for the most part) founded on structure rather than psychological predispositions. The current sledgehammer tactics will ulti- mately work. But wielding sledgeham- mers takes a lot of effort and is accom- panied by a lot of breakage. Groundbreaking study finds boysare not naturally better than girls at math…but your daughter may be more anxious about math.

There is a stereotype that boys are Dr. Tom Brunner better at math than girls. Boys do hard Psychologist, Counselor & Consultant edged stuff like football and math, and girls do softer or more “girly” stuff… right? In other nations this is simply not true.

Given analysis of data from 276,000 children from 41 countries (published in the top tier peer-reviewed journal called Science), a researcher named Paolo Sapienza found that while in the U.S. boys outperformed girls by an average of 10 points (highly statis- tically significant), in numerous other countries like Sweden and Iceland, there was no statistical difference. This researcher could not explain why, but a neuroscientist who has developed a computer game to strengthen memory get norms for student, men and women has some ideas. performed equally. But when the same test was given with the information Dr. Torkel Klingberg believes that boys that this was a test of complex mathe- out-perform girls in math in cultures matics in order to compare males and where there is an expectation that boys females, performance in female partic- are stronger than girls in math (and ipants dropped almost 30 percent. other skill areas). He supports his idea by drawing from data that shows there The experiment was repeated, now is a direct correlation between coun- with both working memory and math tries where there are stronger gender tests. Again, the females who were gaps and gender stereotypes (as mea- informed that they were going to take sured by what is known as the Gender a math test performed worse, on both Gap Index[GGI]) and where boys out- math and working memory tests. The perform girls in stereotypical ways. researchers could also show that the stress was most closely associated to In other words, the background cultural impairments in working memory, and beliefs about what people should be it was the impaired working memory good at seem to actually affect perfor- which caused the lower math perfor- mance, in big ways. There is certainly a m an c e .” large body of scientific evidence about how expectations affect performance. Dr. Klingberg ended by stating that But you may ask, “what is the mecha- the link between working memory and nism in play here…what is going on?”. math is well established, as his previous research has shown. And stress is Here is where things get even more one of the most powerful factors that interesting: Dr. Klingberg makes a fur- cause the working memory capacity to ther point by discussing an intriguing go up and down from one moment to study finding. There was a study of how the next. men and women are affected by math anxiety. I quote a summary already In this study, females seemed to provided in Psychology Today: perform much more poorly when they knew they would be compared to “When participants were told that boys. It would seem that the females they were about to perform a working went into this testing condition feeling memory task (which included math stressed out. operations as a kind of distractor) to Emotional Women, Emotional Men by Dennis Thompson Jr. How Gender Differences Affect Health

Recent research has shown important Gender differences in emotional ways in which men and women react processing and response have direct emotionally and perceive emotion in consequences on the physical and others: emotional health of boy, girls, men and women. A global study of 55 cultures found that women tend to be more emotional, Overly emotional women tend to be agreeable, extroverted, and conscien- at greater risk for depression, anxiety, tious than men. and other mood disorders, while men who repress their feelings tend to be at n Women read other people’s emo- greater risk for physical ailments such tional reactions better than men, as high blood pressure, and also tend to regardless of whether they receive indulge in more risky behavior. We see those emotional cues verbally or this at an early age in school and find visually. ourselves confused about how to help. n Women reported experiencing love Some argue that we should accept and anger much more intensely than these gender differences, based on the men did in another assessment of fact that feminine women and mascu- gender differences in emotional line men tend to be happier than those response. These women also smiled who are gender-atypical. According to more when recalling memories of this line of reasoning, boys and girls happiness or love. should be allowed to develop both stereotypical and non-stereotypical n Men and women respond to stress emotional responses without judging in different ways. them or trying to shape them. Women display greater sadness or anxiety than men, while men show an As we consider the “balance” of increase in blood pressure and a gender in the work force, we cannot tendency toward alcohol craving. forget that the genders are not created equal across the board. Each has biological tendencies that can be very complimentary.....or not. Math stress and stress in general begin early in the life of a student.

Who teaches them how to handle stress?

What class is that?

Math Stress STEM Magazine is Global