to generate a set of recommendations for the department to draw a perfect cube and how to fully appreciate art in a on how to be more inclusive and supportive of groups that museum. Afterward, a group of students went out to dinner are historically underrepresented in STEM felds. We are with her and got the chance to hear about her experiences working closely with the department to implement these as a woman in a traditionally male-dominated feld, particularly changes, and we plan to continue this work next semester. in college and graduate school. Based on the success of this In January, we had our frst AWM speaker, Professor event, we hope to invite more AWM speakers in the future. Annalisa Crannell of Franklin and Marshall College, give a Our student chapter has provided a lot of students with talk, “Math & Art: Te Good, the Bad, and the Pretty,” on a comfortable space to discuss their experiences and build perspective and mapping a three-dimensional world onto a community among women and minorities in math, both two-dimensional canvas. It was a huge success, and we had through informal social gatherings and through more formal a great turnout! Crannell’s talk engaged math majors and events and discussions. We have had a great frst few months, non-majors alike, and she taught audience members how and we look forward to the coming semester!
MEDIA COLUMN Bandweth. A random number generator was useful in that scenario, so scientifc terms haven’t been completely removed In addition to longer reviews for the Media Column, we invite from the show. Other mathematical items in the show you to watch for and submit short snippets of instances of include cylinders, physical notions like the connection of women in mathematics in the media (WIMM Watch). Please angle to velocity, and numerous equations on boards. Each submit to the Media Column Editors: Sarah J. Greenwald, of these is feminized by the use of the color pink or a cutesy Appalachian State University, [email protected] and context. Everything is cool, fun and silly for the frst three Alice Silverberg, University of California, Irvine, asilverb@ girls, and these girls are very giggly. Te fourth girl, McKeyla math.uci.edu. McAlister, has a last name that is more ambiguous. Tis meshes with her portrayal. She is more of a generalist in terms 2 of her talents, and also is more serious and somewhat less Project Mc : Whose Project? feminine. Te show’s title Project Mc2 is named for the repeat- ing Mc in her frst and last names. Sushmita Chatterjee and Sarah J. Greenwald, Appalachian State It was heartening to watch a show meant for young University girls and tweens that paid attention to the transnational reality of our lives. Tere were characters from diferent countries 2 Project Mc was released on Netfix in August 2015 with and cultures as well as a racial diversity to the cast. Tey a tagline of “smart is the new cool” [5]. Te show was reported- showcased a youth style unique to the show, with a mix of ly created to encourage more girls to study STEM [2, 3, 4, patterns and colors. While they each dressed to match their 7]. Te frst season is approximately ninety minutes long and own personalities, such as Adrienne Attoms’ pink glasses, was broken up into three segments that follow a single story there was a certain generalizable focus on high heels and line. An additional three-minute countdown clip was released makeup. In addition, shirts often had afrmational messages on New Year’s Eve. on them, such as “I am the sharpest pencil in the box.” The show focuses on the adventures of four girls, We think this was an attempt at branding to tie into the Adrienne Attoms, Bryden Bandweth, Camryn Coyle and character dolls one can purchase. Sadly the transnational McKeyla McAlister. Te girls are recruited to save a prince message is somewhat diffused under the homogenizing so that he can venture into space. Te frst three girls each sameness of the look. However, isn’t that also inescapable have a talent connected to their last name: chemistry, tech- in the marketing logic of branding and promoting goods? nology, and mechanical expertise. In referring to the repeating The show’s promotion continues on websites and social 2 2 2 letters in their frst and last names (A , B , C ) “we’re like a media outlets [6], which highlight STEM facts, silly super-cute live version of the Pythagorean theorem!” Tis is jokes, science experiments, contests, and of course those one example where science is feminized, and there are many dolls. Which came frst, we wonder, the dolls or the show? others in the show. For instance, codebreaking isn’t referred Tere were irrefutable tensions in many aspects of the to as codebreaking: “I love number games” says Bryden continued on page 26
7PMVNF /VNCFSt.BSDIo"QSJM AWM Newsletter 25 AWM Newsletter 25 MEDIA COLUMN continued from page 25 focused on saving the prince, so they discuss a boy most of the time. However, we do need to temper this critique as the show such as an interplay between diference and sameness. prince is portrayed in many ways as the damsel in distress. Te show highlighted an upside-down world. Here women Tus, a quiet subversive tenor infltrates this aspect of the rule the world and the girls save the prince. Te men are show. In fact, many stereotypes are turned topsy-turvy. And not very intelligent. Girls love math and science and make many are left untouched. For instance, the show is primarily no qualms about incessantly repeating that they are as heterosexual and frames imaginations through a stereotypical smart as one can ever be. So, should we see this show as a view of body type. Te girls are skinny and always look fabulous feminist vision of empowerment and liberation? Or, a parody whether doing their science or running in high heels to save of equality? Can both these possibilities serve as a useful the prince. Does this project fuel an alternative imagination catalyst to help us question our stereotypes about girls and of STEM and the world, a diferent project? Or, is it simply science, women more generally, and help create a vision for a the same old project wearing different clothes? Whose more equitable world? project? Time will tell. We enlisted the help of a member of the target audience, Sarah’s 11-year old niece (who has had a love-hate relation- Further Reading ship with math). After watching the frst episode, Project Mc2 could not compete with the lure of yet another round of [1] Clements, Erin. “Danica McKellar: Netfix show to help Harry Potter movies, but the next day she requested we get tween girls fnd ‘inner confdence’.” TODAY August 6, back to the series. In her words: “Adrienne Attoms was my 2015. favorite. She was really cute, smart, and I looooooooved http://www.today.com/parents/danica-mckellar-netflix- her accent. I really liked the show, and I hope they make show-help-tween-girls-fnd-inner-confdence-t37151 another season! Tey’re all great actresses, and the plot was [2] Click-A-Brick Toys. “Educational Building Toy Company very good!” Click-A-Brick Praises New Netfix STEM Series Aimed We want to come back to the issue of feminization At Girls.” MarketersMedia September 21, 2015. of science as it relates to careers. Science and math careers in http://marketersmedia.com/educational-building-toy- the show are framed as girl-friendly, like Bryden Bandweth, company-click-a-brick-praises-new-netfix-stem-series-aimed- who spends much of her time tweeting. Her website profle at-girls/90453 lists “I’m a 24/7 #DigitalDarling” [6]. Tese careers are not [3] Elber, Lynn. “Tween series ‘Project Mc2’ puts smart girls limited to the teenage characters—Danica McKellar plays the in the spotlight.” AP August 4, 2015. chief intelligence agent. She has helped publicize the show’s http://bigstory.ap.org/article/2871bb352cec47cf966574 STEM goals: “you don’t have to choose between being the 47954a20e9/tween-series-project-mc2-puts-smart-girls- smart girl and being fun and fashionable” [1]. Tere are also spotlight a variety of real-life applications on the show and a focus on [4] Moran, Gwen. “Can these dolls—who star in their own the importance of teamwork. One example mentioned many Netfx show—make STEM cool?” Fortune August 8, times throughout the series was Adrienne Attoms’ self-described 2015. talent—she is a culinary chemist. Cooking food is typically http://fortune.com/2015/08/08/stem-dolls-netfix-show/ seen as a woman’s domain and an expertise that contributes [5] Netfix. “Watch Project Mc² Online.” greatly to her “properly” feminine virtues. Te show does http://www.netfix.com/title/80058852 not negate this assumption. Instead it creates a new category: [6] Project Mc². “Learning Activities, Quizzes and Games for “culinary chemist.” We could interpret this overture as a Girls.” broadening and democratization of the stringent association http://www.projectmc2.com/ of women with cooking, especially baking cookies and cakes. https://www.facebook.com/ProjectMC2/ On the other hand, is this simply a justifcation of what [7] Wilbur, Hayley. “Each of these empowering dolls comes is expected of women, and life goes on as usual with the with a fun STEM experiment.” Mashable August 7, added legitimacy of cooking being portrayed as scientifc? A 2015. broadening of paradigms doesn’t necessarily correlate with http://mashable.com/2015/08/07/project-mc-stem-dolls/ progress for gender roles. Ostensibly, this season of Project Mc2 wouldn’t really pass the Bechdel test as the protagonists are singularly
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