Spotlight on Women and Girls in Science

This Monday was the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, and there is a lot to celebrate—and discuss—now and every day. At a time when less than 30 percent of researchers worldwide are women and girls and women still face biases, stereotypes, and barriers to entry both in education and in careers in science; we have a long way to go—but progress is being made, and has always been made, by determined girls and women.

Here are a few articles that captured our attention as we celebrate the intelligence, curiosity, and drive of girls and women; explore progress being made and issues that affect women and girls in science, and look at the contributions women have made in science throughout history.

7 Women Inspiring Twitter on the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, from Mashable—Twitter celebrated women scientists on the International Day of Women and Girls in Science with the hashtag #WomenInScience. Mashable shares the stories of seven remarkable women scientists.

Want to Be a Woman in Science? Here Is Advice From Those Who’ve Gone Before, from iAfrica—“Science can be like a family ... Surround yourself with excellence. This is especially important for women. Don’t underestimate yourself, aim high and be around people and colleagues who intellectually challenge you.”

Is This the Year of Women in Science?, from Forbes—Science educator Melanie Fine explores the limits in making any one year the “year of” women in science—and looks optimistically to continued gains for all women in scientific fields: “With the numbers of women entering scientific fields growing each year, there are now more women than men enrolled in the U.S. in both science-related bachelors and graduate degree programs. We should expect to see these numbers rise in the near future.”

This Is Why I’ve Written 500 Biographies of Female Scientists on Wikipedia, from The Independent—Jess Wade, a British physicist, discusses the importance of representation and her journey improving the representation of women scientists and engineers on: “The lack of diversity in science is more than just unfair – it impacts the science we do and the systems we create.”

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Holiday Gifts for the STEM Girl in Your Life

It's always a great time to encourage and nurture a love for science, technology, and math for girls—and the holidays are a perfect time to find gifts that inspire the young scientist in your life to discover, play, create, code, build, and explore their world. Click through for a fascinating (and fun!) selection of STEM gifts.

By Nitasha Syed

You know holiday season is here when your overnight delivery game goes up 10 notches and you see the words BOGO wherever you go. Gift buying is not an easy process so here is a go-to list of items that are perfect to inspire young girls in your life to take interest in math and science!

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Africa must bust the myth that girls aren't good at maths and science

In Africa, as throughout the world, societies are recognizing that girls and women have just as much to offer scientific and mathematical fields as boys and men. Still, the stigma and the mindset that "girls just aren't that good at science and math" persists. If we want to see more women in careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics; we have to start at the beginning of the pipeline -- when those women are girls, being influenced by the representations they see and the ideas that surround them. This article from CNBC Africa explores how education and communication play a part, as well as specific obstacles faces by black women, the role of history, how to address the gender imbalance, and how to encourage exploration of math and science by girls, opening minds -- and expanding horizons.  cnbcafrica.com - Africa must bust the myth that girls aren't good at maths and science

Children’s ideas about what their gender means for their intellectual capacity are formed before they have even turned six. One idea that’s particularly pervasive and dangerous is that, only boys are good at maths and science.

Popular media only exacerbates the problem. Research has shown that girls hardly ever see adult women doing jobs that involve science, technology, engineering and maths on television programmes. Children’s programmes also rarely feature women doing anything scientific.

These early stereotypes may lead to young girls developing a “fear” of these subjects throughout their schooling. This ultimately limits their career aspirations. They become afraid to enter into fields that are based on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Statistics compiled by UNESCO reveal that, globally, women make up less than 30% of the people working in STEM careers. The situation is worse in some countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

In South Africa, where I live and work, the problem is worsened by the country’s apartheid history. Today, black women are still struggling to access scientific careers at all. Those who do may fall victim to the “leaky pipeline” syndrome: they start degrees in science, but don’t continue to postgraduate level or go on to work in STEM fields. There are many reasons for this, including gender bias.

by Nox Makunga, Stellenbosch University

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'Science Wide Open' Aims to Change the Game for Girls In Science

Women scientists rock. And although women have made discoveries throughout history and many start out with a keen interest in science, there is still a gender bias in most scientific fields--and it starts with little girls.

We're big believers in the saying "if she can't see it, she can't be it," so we were thrilled to see the book series Kickstarter Science Wide Open succeed wildly, exceeding its goal by more than ten times.

Science Wide Open, by John Coveyou, will teach "some basic concepts in chemistry, biology and physics in simple and memorable terms by using the natural questions and curiosity of a young child"--but the coolest thing is that the series will do so by telling the stories of women scientists throughout history. The author hopes to inspire a generation of young girls to strive to explore the mysteries of science, just like boys and men have always been encouraged to do.

Coveyou has covered science for young minds before, and has a passion for tapping into the well of wonder and curiosity that drives young people to learn and discover the world around them. It was his daughter that motivated him to represent women in his latest series. Click through to learn more, and keep teaching our young girls and boys to explore and care for the world!

observer.com - Despite the fact that women-led companies perform three times better than those with male CEOs, women in the U.S. earn only 28 percent of computer science degrees, own only 5 percent of tech startups and hold only 11 percent of executive positions at Silicon Valley companies. They make up only 29 percent of the science and engineering workforce, and only 11 percent of physicists and astronomers are women. No matter which part of the STEM world you look into, women are underrepresented. And throughout history, many of the discoveries of female scientists have been actively diminished and sometimes even stolen. That’s not to say girls and women aren’t interested in science, though—a 2012 study from the Girl Scout Institute found 75 percent of girls were interested in fields related to science, technology, engineering and math.

So where are the women scientists? The gender gap in STEM certainly has to do with bias, but the real reason there are so few women in science starts long before they’re ready for careers. It starts when they’re toddlers.

From an early age, girls are—both indirectly and directly—discouraged from pursuing math and science. They’re given (or at least marketed) dolls and play kitchens, while boys are naturally thought to want LEGOs and microscopes. A new Kickstarter from Genius Games, however, is trying to change that with a series of children’s books about women scientists that is both educational and inspiring. It’s called Science Wide Open and has already raised over $30,000 in just the first three days, which is five times its goal.

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Intel: Connecting People to Their Potential

  Education is the single most powerful tool we have for unlocking economic opportunity and building a foundation for a successful future.

Technology plays an increasingly critical role in that equation, improving options for and the quality of education for millions around the world.

Empowering Girls and Women Through Education and Technology

Intel: Empowering Girls & Women Through Education & Technology

Expanding technology access is a crucial early step in empowering underserved populations, including girls and women.

The educational benefits made possible by technology can be powerful no matter if a person wishes to learn how to speak English, increase crop yield or become an entrepreneur. Click here for more information.

Intel: Connecting People to Their Potential

Through the Intel Global Girls and Women Initiative, Intel is working to empower millions of girls and women around the world by closing the gender gap in education access, inspiring more girls and women to become creators of technology, and connecting girls and women to opportunity through technology access.

Internet Access: A Global Example

Internet access differs dramatically around the world. Notably left behind are girls and women. On average, nearly 25 percent fewer women than men are online in developing countries. This represents 200 million fewer women than men who are online today.

• In Sub-Saharan Africa, the size of the gap is nearly 45 percent.
• The gap is nearly 35 percent in South Asia, the Middle East and North Africa.
• It is nearly 30 percent in parts of Europe and across Central Asia.
• In most higher-income countries, women’s Internet access only minimally lags that of men’s and in countries such as France and the United States, in fact exceeds it.
• As a comparison, the gender gap in China is about 20 percent.

Statistics from Women and the Web Report by Intel Corporation

Educate a Girl, Change the World

Intel: Connecting People to Their Potential

Girl Rising is a global action campaign for girls' education. It started with a groundbreaking, inspirational flm. Now it’s a movement to lift barriers to girls' education, to drive change and motivate leaders to take action.

Intel is a founding strategic partner of the Girl Rising campaign as well as supporter of the digital distribution of the film.

Girl Rising

From Academy Award-nominated director Richard E. Robbins, "Girl Rising" journeys around the globe to witness the strength of the human spirit and the power of education to change the world.

Viewers get to know nine unforgettable girls living in the developing world: ordinary girls who confront tremendous challenges and overcome nearly impossible odds to pursue their dreams. Prize-winning authors put the girls’ remarkable stories into words, and renowned actors give them voice.

Join the Campaign

Want to show the film at your school, company or community organization? Millions have experienced Girl Rising around the world. Bring the flm to your community by hosting a screening. A story can inspire. A story can deliver powerful truths. A story can change lives. Click here to learn how to get involved with Girl Rising.

Connecting Women to Opportunity Through Technology

Intel: Connecting People to Their Potential

Intel She Will Connect

The Intel She Will Connect program aims to close the Internet gender gap by connecting millions of girls and women to opportunity through technology. The Internet in particular, has transformed the lives of billions of people. It functions as a gateway to ideas, resources, and opportunities that never could have been realized before.know how to use the Internet, but we don’t know how to use it to benefit our lives.”

Women and the Web

Technology, the Internet in particular, has transformed the lives of billions of people. It functions as a gateway to ideas, resources and opportunities that never could have been realized before. All around the world, the Internet is helping people to imagine new possibilities. But girls and women are being left behind.

As the Internet can provide enormous economic, social and professional value, the Internet gender gap has very serious consequences for women and for society more broadly.

Learn more about the Women and the Web Report.

Inspiring Girls to Become Technology Creators

Intel: Connecting People to Their Potential

MakeHers Report: Engaging Girls and Women in Technology through Making, Creating, and Inventing.

Our world needs more female innovators to tackle its toughest challenges.

The Maker movement has the potential to engage more girls and women in creating technology: Learn how Making can inspire more women to be technology innovators.

Six ways to engage more girls and women in making

• Build: Build more girl- and women-inclusive maker environments in public places like libraries and schools.
• Encourage: Encourage parents to "embrace the mess" and engage in making with their sons and daughters.
• Design: Design maker spaces that enable open-ended investigation of projects meaningful to girls and women.
• Align: Align with current fads to attract girls to activities such as coding and making hardware.
• Develop: Develop initiatives that five girls more access to female mentors and makers of their own age.
• Include: Include facilitators in maker spaces to create a safe, supportive, inclusive environment for girls and women.

Intel supports a range of programs, competitions, and resources that seek to inspire and empower more girls and women to create and build the technology of the future.

Intel focuses on programs that feature hands-on activities such as "Maker" projects and coding, involve peer mentors and role models and connect technology and engineering careers to positive social impact.

Yes, Girls Do Code

From creating apps that teach coding to inventing umbrellas that light up when hit with raindrops, girls show they have the skills and vision to excel in technology careers.

The Girls Who Code program teaches girls coding skills through computer and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) projects to inspire and prepare them for college and to close the gender gap in technology-related companies. Watch the video.

Intel Science Talent Search (STS)

Intel STS finalists demonstrate vision, creativity and determination to make the world better using science. Projects range from seeking better ways to locate cancer cells, to using computer science to find distant galaxies. Five female semifinalists and finalists in the Intel Science Talent Search share their groundbreaking discoveries in medicine, astronomy and biology, breaking down gender stereotypes in STEM to show that girls can change the world. Explore their projects.

Exposing Girls to Technology

The CompuGirls program offers girls from under-resourced school districts the opportunity to attend summer and after-school classes to learn the latest in digital media, games and virtual worlds.

It’s not often people have the opportunity to connect professional skills with their personal passions. Eshe Pickett, a design automation engineer at Intel, believes that volunteering with CompuGirls is an opportunity to change the world, "one girl at a time." Pickett not only enjoys her job, she enjoys the unique opportunity to combine her professional skills with her passion for impacting the lives of young women. Read more...

Click here for more information about Intel’s initiatives to inspire girls and young women to pursue studies and careers in technology, engineering and computer science and to see all the ways Intel is collaborating to connect people to their potential and advance economic empowerment.

Article by Suzanne Fallender, Intel Corporation

All photos courtesy of Intel Corporation

© 2015 Intel Corporation. All rights reserved. Intel and the Intel logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.*Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.

Supermodel Karlie Kloss chats with us about the launch of Kode With Klossy, a coding camp for girls

techcrunch.com - Karlie Kloss made headlines last year when she announced she was not only a high-ranking model but could also code in Ruby.

Kloss, who says she’s always been interested in math and science, started learning to program a couple of years ago.

The supermodel partnered with the Flatiron School in New York City last year to launch #KodewithKarlie, a scholarship program for teen girls.

The supermodel is now starting Kode With Klossy, a coding summer camp for girls ages 13-18. The two-week camp will provide scholarships to 80 young women from New York, Los Angeles and Karlie’s hometown of St. Louis, Missouri.

Kloss chatted with me recently about why she decided to pick up the coding trade, how that plays out in her supermodel world and why she decided to launch a camp for young women interested in programming.

TC: You’re a supermodel with an ultra-successful career in the fashion industry. Why learn to code? What’s the story behind wanting to do that?

KK: I grew up in St. Louis and didn’t really know anything about fashion until I walked in a charity fashion show at my local mall and was signed to a modeling agency. Before my modeling career took off, I really loved my math and science classes in school. My dad was an ER doctor and as a girl, I dreamed of following in his footsteps. Taking coding classes brings me back to the excitement I felt as a kid in first-period biology. I’m a curious person and coding allows me to think about how our world is built.

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Featured Act: Empowering girls with tech and science in Ghana

The Melton Foundation is a network of citizens around the world that promotes global citizenship to address issues around the world, as well as to encourage individuals and organizations to reach across boundaries and work together. Last month they started featuring philanthropic efforts in their 100 Acts of Global Citizenship  program. The first Featured Act is the work of Melton Fellow Vladimir Fomene, who encourages young students--especially girls--to learn coding and computer science starting at an early age.

meltonfoundation.org - This post is the first Featured Act from our 100 Acts of Global Citizenship program. To discover more acts, visit our campaign page!

Vladimir Fomene, a Melton Fellow from Cameroon, studies computer science at Ashesi University. When he started thinking about his Act of Global Citizenship, Vladimir wanted to address a social cause in his own field of study. That's how he came up with the idea to empower young people, especially girls, with technology skills.

"When I started coding, I realized that things would have been easier if I had started when I was very young," Vladimir said. "I thought it would give people more opportunities if they start coding at a very early age."

Vladimir organized a workshop for junior high students at Christ the King International College in Accra which included teamwork activities, a graphic design session and scratch programming session. Although the session was open for both boys and girls, Vladimir especially encouraged the girls to participate actively.

"In STEM fields, there is a gender balance problem because they are dominated by men," Vladimir says. "Many more girls are interested in going for technology fields, but they are not introduced to these things early on."

Read more here.