“I can’t tell you how many companies come here and specifically want to recruit women students.” — Kristin Tichenor Associate Vice President of Enrollment Management Worcester Polytechnic Institute

"Women can really be masters of their own fate," says Kristin Tichenor, Associate Vice President of Enrollment Management at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. "There are so many opportunities for them, because women engineers are still a relatively rare commodity."

In order to interest more female and minority students in engineering, many big companies, colleges, and universities now sponsor engineering outreach and summer programs for high school girls and minority students (check out the box on the opposite page to search for these programs).

If it's science you're interested in, the opportunities are also vast. Robin Davies, professor of biology at Sweet Briar College, says, "We get a lot of students who think they are pre-med because that's the only career they're aware of that has to do with science. If you enjoy science, there are plenty of things you can do besides med school."

Science: finding what you love
Kim Wilson '06, arrived at Sweet Briar College thinking chemistry was her first love, but the biochemistry courses looked so interesting, she took one. She ended up pursuing a major in biochemistry and molecular biology. "It's a lot of fun," she says, "and a lot of work, too." Her advice: "Find something that you love and enjoy in the sciences. That's the key."

One of the most exciting things for Kim has been the opportunity to participate in summer research projects (something more often available at smaller colleges). One summer she worked on a project synthesizing compounds that potentially could be used as anticancer drugs for ovarian cancer. "What you're doing is new," she says. "No one's ever done it before. You really learn."

Nor does pursuing science mean your world is limited. Kim has taken many non-science classes, since the college requires students to take classes in all areas. "Don't stick to one thing," she advises. "Try a variety. It helps balance out the sciences."

So if you are wondering what the right science is for you, or even if science or engineering is right for you, look for a school that will give you lots of opportunities to try things out, to participate in research, to develop camaraderie with other students, and to get to know professors.

Don't be intimidated by engineering
Jenna Rea '08, chose to major in chemical engineering at Cornell. She had very enthusiastic math and chemistry teachers in high school, but she says, "I was quite clueless about what engineering is or what kind of engineering I wanted to do." She recommends trying engineering out by taking the freshman introductory courses. The campus diversity office provides lots of support for both women and minority engineering students, and women now represent 28% of the engineering students at Cornell. Jenna's major, chemical engineering, is 51% female! "I love the atmosphere," she says. "Engineering is all about working in groups." It's fun, too, she says, that companies are trying so hard to recruit women engineers to diversify their workplaces. "You'll go to a recruiting fair on campus and walk into this huge hall and realize recruiters are looking at you very closely, to try to get you to come to their table."

In high school, Jan Ma, Cornell '07, attended a Society of Women Engineers week-long engineering program offered at Cornell for female high school students the summer after their junior year. She became a biomedical engineering major and worked on a project to deliver genes into cancer cells more susceptible to cancer drugs. She also worked on developing biosensors to detect viruses in patient blood samples. "Most of the problems we work on are real-life problems," she says. "Engineers can do anything. They touch every aspect of people's lives."

The number of women undergraduates in engineering rose steadily during the 1990s and early 2000s, and now about 20% of engineering students are women. Many schools, however, have a higher percentage of women, and certain majors, including chemical, environmental, civil, and bioengineering, have much higher numbers (see chart on this page). Don't let low numbers of women in a field deter you, though. Engineering is about teamwork, and many engineering students find that differences in gender fade as they work together with fellow engineering students in small groups to do what engineers are trained to do: solve real-world problems.

Engineering for a better world
Engineering is changing. By using computers, less time is spent simply doing calculations. And the field of bioengineering is growing, which is good news for women. "There's strong evidence to suggest that technology is more appealing to women if they can see an end point to it to help humanity," says Tony Collins, president of Clarkson University. At Worcester Polytech, Tichenor says, they have created a booklet for prospective students called "The Women's Brochure." It describes math, science, and engineering opportunities and how you can use these to better the world and to help people. It also contains photographs of vibrant, successful young women engineers to counteract the stereotypes many people may have of engineering as a predominantly male profession.

While schools of engineering are eager to attract women, companies recruit graduates with equal zeal. "There is a perception now," says Tichenor, "that they need women engineers to be involved in designing products that will appeal to women consumers." Also, the more women engineers they hire, the more woman-friendly their workplaces will be--and changing that larger world of engineering is what today's students will be part of.

Consider these choices As an engineering student, you can attend either a liberal arts and sciences college or university or a school of engineering and applied sciences or technical institute. Columbia University, for example, has Columbia College and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. You should look at what courses you would take and what you would learn outside your major, in your non-science courses, as these will be different.

Consider also that both science and engineering have a lot of required courses. It's much easier to start out in these fields and change your mind later than to start in something else and change to science or engineering. But don't plan to specialize too much or too fast. Leave your options open while you explore the path that's right for you.

How to find an engineering program Sit in on a class and pay attention to the atmosphere: How clear is the professor? How free are the students to ask questions? How much dialogue is there between students and faculty? Ask to talk to an engineering professor. Don’t be shy; the faculty have an interest in recruiting good applicants. Talk to engineering students. Ask lots of questions.

The highs . . . and the lows According to the National Science Foundation, in 2000 women earned: 58% of the bachelor’s degrees in biology 48% of the bachelor’s degrees in math 47% of the bachelor’s degrees in chemistry 36% of the bachelor’s degrees in chemical engineering 32% of the bachelor’s degrees in astronomy 25% of the bachelor’s degrees in civil engineering Fewer than 14% of the bachelor’s degrees in mechanical and electrical engineering

Check these out! Directory of Science Training Programs for Pre-College Students and Teachers: www.sciserv.org/stp Links to hundreds of science, math, and engineering enrichment programs for pre-college students. Search by state. Society of Women Engineers: www.swe.org Click on “K-12 Programs.” National Society of Black Engineers: www.nsbe.org After “National Websites” click on “Pre-College,” then look under “PCI Resources.” American Society for Engineering Education: www.engineeringk12.org/students This website has a section for high school students, including info on “Finding and Affording the Right School.”

Article by Deborah Knight and courtesy of www.careersandcolleges.com