What Are Some Important STEM Resources For Women?
by TeachThought Staff
According to findings by the Economics & Statistics Administration, less than 25% of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) jobs are held by women — even though they make up more than half the workforce and college degrees. An undeniable glass ceiling hovers over these industries, and women and men alike do their best to start lugging stones at it. While plenty of progress has been made over the past few decades, more efforts need undertaking to ensure a more equitable place for females in these traditionally male-dominated industries–a goal the following essentials share.
1. Women in Science, Technology, and Mathematics ON THE AIR!: Listen to radio shows about the past, present, and possible futures of women working in the STEM fields, courtesy of WAMC Northeast Public Radio and the National Science Foundation.
2. Committee on Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine: Since 1990, the National Research Council has hosted the Committee on Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine (CWSEM), which organizes events dedicated to promoting exactly what the name states.
3. STEMinist: Stay on top of news, views, trends, and research about women in STEM through profiles, articles, networking opportunities, and plenty more media.
4. Women@NASA: NASA supports an initiative encouraging women and girls to pursue careers in the aerospace industry, with plenty of recruitment and career opportunities (including SISTER) meant to close the gender gap.
5. TechWomen: Presented by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, TechWomen promotes collaboration between American, Middle Eastern, and North African as a means of furthering science and technology as well as cultural harmony.
6. Association for Women in Science: AWIS partners with other organizations and businesses in order to address issues of women working in the STEM fields and keep young girls interested in studying the related subjects.
7. STEM Equity Pipeline: Women and minorities are incredibly underrepresented in the STEM fields, and this partnership between the National Advisory Board, Extension Services, and multiple local and national organizations and businesses hopes to change that unfortunate reality permanently.
8. Association for Women in Mathematics: This organization’s goals revolve around encouraging young girls to pursue mathematical studies if they enjoy them, as well as promoting the efforts of novice and established women with careers in the field.
9. Digital Sisters/Sistas Inc.: For women in the STEM industries interested in education, Digital Sisters/Sistas is a great nonprofit reaching out to “traditionally underserved” child and adult students.
10. National Center for Women & Information Technology: Whether an established career woman or an activist and educator looking to nurture a love of IT in young girls, the NCWIT makes for a great organization to get involved with and promote workplace diversity.
11. Women in Astronomy: Head to the Women in Astronomy blog for updated news and commentary about issues pertaining to astronomy, astrophysics, physics, and the ladies who practice them.
12. Society of Women Engineers: When it comes to promoting STEM education amongst young girls and college students as well as celebrating the contributions of female engineers, SWE is one of the best resources both online and off.
13. FemaleScienceProfessor: Issues pertaining to women in academia and the sciences alike push to the forefront of this popular blog by the anonymous Female Science Professor.
14. Agora: Bookmark Agora for multimedia resources regarding the latest women in STEM stories, including the yearly winners of the L’Oreal-UNESCO Awards and information about fellowships.
17. Women in Science: A Selection of 16 Significant Contributors: Despite the title, this e-book by The San Diego Supercomputer Center also celebrates female mathematicians and engineers with major influence over their respective fields – even if their male peers refused to acknowledge them.
18. GWIS: Graduate Women in Science: The Sigma Delta Epsilon fraternal organization launched at Cornell in 1921 and continues offering fellowships and support to the female graduate students belonging to their 17 chapters across the United States.
19. Science: It’s a Girl Thing!: It’s not just American organizations compiling their resources to make the STEM fields more equitable for women; the European Commission launched Science: It’s a Girl Thing! to start destigmatizing perceptions of science, math, and engineering as purely masculine realms.
20. WEPAN Knowledge Center: For female engineers, the WEPAN Knowledge Center proves an essential bookmark chock full of resources, networking opportunities, and other essentials regarding getting ahead.
21. The UKRC: STEM-related businesses looking to recruit more women often call on The UKRC for consultations on increasing workplace diversity along gender lines.
22. ADVANCE: Stop at the National Science Foundation to apply for awards, grants, and fellowships specifically intended to further women’s presence in STEM industries.
23. Under the Microscope: The Feminist Press publishes blogs and books about the numerous ways in which women participate in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics historically and contemporarily.
24. Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology: No matter what visitors need – be it research or a community or event information – the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology has it available for networking and promotional purposes.
25. MentorNet: MentorNet pairs up established female and minority science and education professionals with up-and-comers to ensure they know how to navigate businesses predominantly populated by white males.
26. National Institute for Women in Trades, Technology and Science: This organization devotes itself to closing the gender gaps in both STEM and law enforcement, with tons of information and research for businesses and schools hoping to increase their gender diversity.
27. Women of Color Research Network: The National Institute of Health presents an initiative promoting women of color in the biomedical field, from showcasing and funding their research to offering up networking opportunities and other great events.
28. I Was Wondering…: Women in STEM with daughters or female students – or who volunteer with kids – should turn those teens and tweens onto I Was Wondering … and teach them about the lives and findings of some of the great ladies of science.
29. Biographies of Women Mathematicians: In this Agnes Scott College database, almost the entire history of women in mathematics comes alive through biographies, timelines, and maps.
30. Women in Technology Sharing Online (WitsOn): Students and teachers at participating schools connect with some of the leading women in technology for excellent one-on-one opportunities, all facilitated online.
31. 100 Women Leaders in STEM: STEMConnect celebrates the 100 women currently working in STEM who are keeping their industries moving forward through a massive e-book and a reception honoring honorees’ contributions.
32. Association for Women in Computing: Consisting of institutions and individuals, the AWC offers up networking opportunities, mentorships, and more for female students and professionals who love the computer sciences.
33. Women in Global Science & Technology: Check out what this amazing nonprofit is doing to promote education in and jobs pertaining to the STEM subjects for women in developing nations.
34. Women in Math Project: Marie A. Vitulli at the University of Oregon so very kindly collects research and resources regarding women and math, from intersections with feminist philosophy to fellowships and funding to biographies of great ladies who shaped the field.
35. Gender Equity Project: Hunter College, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Science Foundation team up for a comprehensive project meant to shatter the last remaining glass ceilings within STEM.
36. National Girls Collaborative Project: According to the organization, their mission is “Bringing together organizations throughout the United States that are committed to informing and encouraging girls to pursue careers in STEM by maximizing access to shared resources, building capacity, and leveraging a national network.”
37. Association of Women Geoscientists: With a name like Association of Women Geoscientists, it’s probably safe to assume that both the organization and its website focus mainly on opportunities, research, and events pertaining to women geoscientists.
38. AAUW: Although the American Association of University Women focuses on the entirety of academia, closing the gender gap in STEM remains amongst its highest priorities.
39. TED: In order to counter claims that the face of STEM is “a nerdy guy with no social skills,” the open-source juggernaut collected over 70 talks by leading female scientists, mathematicians, technologists, and engineers into one impressive list.
40. Women In STEM Guide: A guide for women interested in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) disciplines
Image attribution courtesy flickr user CIAT International Center for Tropical Agriculture