Some of my favorite women are graduate and post-doctoral level scientists and science educators.
Whether or not they know it, they are inspiring me to encourage my daughter to not only advance her education, but also investigate, question and hypothesize. If you’re reading this, science-smarty lady-friends, I thank you.
It’s no secret that women are under-represented in the areas of math and science. For my part, I did alright in both of them, though less so as I moved into later high school. I also happened to display an early aptitude for writing, and so was always encouraged in that direction.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve discovered an awe for the natural world. Instead of arty movies about poets, I choose dinosaur and astrophysics documentaries. This isn’t to say that I fully grasp them – far from it. But I can’t help but think a different pedagogical approach might have nudged me and some of my female peers to at least give science careers a try.