The Best of Our Knowledge # 903

Albany, NY – NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION SERIES
THE SOUNDS OF PROGRESS: THE CHANGING ROLE OF GIRLS AND WOMEN IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(STORY 1 IN 8 PART SERIES THROUGH AUGUST)
THE GREAT RESEARCH CHALLENGE: ENGAGING GIRLS IN COMPUTING
Fewer young adults are training for technical careers. Women, especially,
are opting out. Dr. Lecia Barker wants to change that. Dr. Barker heads
the University of Colorado at Boulder's Evaluation and Research Group at ATLAS, the Alliance for Teaching, Learning and Society Institute. The
mission of ATLAS is to expand information technology training from
Kindergarten through college. Barker is also a Senior Research Scientist
in the National Center for Women and Information Technology, which aims
to reverse the absence of women in technology as well. As part of fulfilling
these goals, Dr. Barker has teamed up with the Computer Magnet Program
at Denver Public Schools for her research. Together, they're determining
more effective ways to recruit girls for technology classes. This story
introduces our exclusive new NSF series, and gives researchers a voice, providing them a direct pipeline for publishing their studies in audio to a
national audience.
Shelley Schlender reports. (15:19)

The preceding material is supported by the National Science Foundation under grant HRD 0631603. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this story are those of the authors and
do not necessarily reflect those of the National Science Foundation.

If you would like to hear this story again, see pictures of those featured in
the story, and link to websites for more research details, simply go to our
special place online at: www.womeninscience.org Then click on The
Sounds of Progress button. Here are additional related links:

To download some pictures: http://computermagnet.com/apple_night/pics.html
Also, links to . . .
- Research studies by Lecia Barker and her team about Magnet/Digital Currents
- Epictivity on line - http://epictivity.computermagnet.com/
- Currents Mag - http://currents.computermagnet.com/
- Computer Magnet Program http://computermagnet.com/
- DigitalCUrrents - http://digitalcurrents.computermagnet.com/
- ATLAS, Alliance for Teaching, Learning and Society Institute - www.colorado.edu/atlas
- NCWIT, National Center for Women and Information Technology - www.ncwit.org

Special thanks to Independent Music Awards Winner, artist and composer,
Lynn Patrick, who let us use her music for the above story as follows:
California Zephyr from her 1998 CD, Winnie's Guitar
Snow Angels from her 2002 CD, When She Dreams
10 Dolphins Dancing and Dreaming You from her 2006 CD, On The Wind
Find out more at Lynn's website: www.lynnpatrick.com

THE SCIENCE WORKFORCE -
Dr. Shirley Jackson has been trying to excite and encourage greater
interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics...the
STEM disciplines. Dr. Jackson is past President of the American
Association for the Advancement of Science. As President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, Jackson is warning of what she calls a Quiet Crisis in America. Dr. Jackson says there's a serious threat to the capacity to innovate, due to reduced support
for research and the looming shortage in the STEM workforce. Because of her concerns, we wanted to know if she remains
hopeful new scientists will be found?
Dr. Karen Hitchcock reports. (2:26)