BUILDING A NETWORK TO SUPPORT GIRLS AND WOMEN IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS

摘要

Women today constitute over half of the U.S. population and almost half of its overall workforce, yet they make up lea than a quarter of the science and engineering workforce. Many historical and social factors contribute to this discrepancy, and numerous individual, institutional, and governmental attempts have been made to redress it. However, many of the efforts to promote, include, and engage girls and women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and professions have been made in isolation. At Kansas State University, the authors have begun a systemic effort to increase the participation of girls and women in STEM. This article describes the creation and initial activities of a network of partners that includes universities, school districts, corporations, governmental agencies, and nonprofit organizations, assembled under the aegis of a project supported by funding from the National Science Foundation.