I have watched the whole education system progress now since the early sixties. When I passed through Highschool only the very few could look forward to university. Thus only the cream got in along with the rich. That cream were essentially STEM qualified.
The system then expanded to draw in ultimately around two thirds of the potential market and of course that meant a vast expansion of non STEM program takers. for most, this parked them until they were ready to tackle salesmanship or business support. where maturity finally matters.
By and large men and women fare equally in conventional STEM programes. The trouble begins in application. This has never been a nine to five proposition. And an exit to deal with children is impossible. It is no accident that the best Stem minds are typically diagnosed as Aspergers which happens to be a male dominent syndrome.
Investigating the statistical. distribution of male and female SAT marks back in the sixties, it was quite apparent that while the distribution was essentially the same the highest standard deviation was populated by men mostly,. This is still a small number. Think ten out of a thousand STEM overacheivers. Do not worry. They were all in my class.
Today we need way more STEM prospects entering university and this takes gifted education during high school. Better still insist on mastery of calculus for university entrance. So do it twice. Then everyone entering is a STEM prospect.
You know, it was not so long ago that mathematics was taught through the Arts and languages department.
I have a story I think Global Warming & Terra Forming Terra would want to cover about this year’s Fast Company Queer 50 List, which highlights the importance of queer women and nonbinary innovators in business and technology.
Before the pandemic hit in March 2020, women were the majority of the U.S. workforce. Then, COVID came and took 1.8 million jobs away from women—and a large portion of them are finding it difficult to return to work. Economists have not been able to pinpoint a single, specific factor why women are not returning to work, but despite the recent economic boost, millions of women are still unemployed.(1)
Even though women earn more college degrees than men—undergraduate and postgraduate(2)—women are still underrepresented in the important fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Now more than ever, there needs to be more female role models in STEM to help encourage young girls and non-binary individuals—who are often misrepresented—to join the field.
Fast Company Promotes Female Role Models
Fast Company, in partnership with Lesbians Who Tech & Allies, put together a list of 50 influential leaders in the LGBTQ+ and non-binary communities who are pioneers in the fields of finance, tech, entertainment, venture capital, and media.
The Queer 50 List, in its second year, will hold an award ceremony in June, during Pride Month.
"It's wonderful to have a list that mixes all facets and highlights queer women, [elevating] tech and business," Kalinowski says of the Fast Company list. "I didn't expect to receive [the award] again and it's humbling to be listed among such an incredible group of people." – Caitlin Kalinowski, listed no. 18 on this year’s list
While the awards take place in June, Kalinowski believes it is crucial for women, minorities, and under-represented communities to continue to be a focus year-round.
An educational environment is often where up-and-coming scientists, engineers, and mathematicians grow their passions. However, it can be difficult to follow that passion when there is lack of support or lack of role-models available—especially queer and minority role-models.
More women are actively advocating for equality and acknowledgement in hopes that today’s youth can walk toward their future with more confidence and education to back up their passion.
“This is a full-stack problem and will take a lot of effort to fix it. Everyone has a role to play in closing the gap and leading the way for the next generation in STEM.” – Caitlin Kalinowski
A Decline in the American STEM Education
A 2019 report by the American College Testing Program (ACT) showed that “the percentages of graduates meeting the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks in math and English are the lowest they’ve been in 15 years.”
ACT reported that from the 1.8 million ACT test-takers in 2019, a mere 26 percent reached the “college-ready” benchmarks in all four subjects tested. More disconcerting is that 36 percent of the test takers met none of them.(3)
“America is falling behind in the tech field. [It’s concerning] we need to have the ability to compete and win in this area. We should be worried. We need to make significant investments and change the way we teach these fields.” – Caitlin Kalinowski
Why is it so important for there to be more diverse role models in the STEM field? Caitlin Kalinowski can speak to the following:
What gender stereotypes exist?
What is imposter syndrome?
Why is there a need for females and minorities in STEM?
Why are more role models in STEM needed for females and minorities?
How do you build confidence in females and minorities?
What struggles do females and minorities face entering the STEM field?
How can workplaces be more inclusive?
How can the STEM industry work to hire more females and minorities?
About Caitlin Kalinowski
Caitlin Kalinowski earned her BS in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University in 2007, where she is a guest lecturer at Stanford’s School of Engineering and the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design. Currently, Caitlin is Hardware Director for Facebook Reality Labs’ Oculus VR products— including 2020’s Oculus Quest 2, Oculus Quest, Oculus Go, and Oculus Rift. Previously she was a technical lead for Mac Pro and MacBook Air products and was part of the original unibody MacBook Pro team. Caitlin has also been instrumental in her support for the arts in California and her work blazing paths to encourage girls to enter STEM. For more information visit https://caitlinkalinowski.com/
For an email or phone interview with Caitlin Kalinowski contact me at mradmin@jotopr.com or text/call 727-777-4621.
You may also send your questions via email along with your deadline—we will accommodate.
I look forward to hearing from you,
JoTo PRTM
727-777-4621
Hsu, Andrea; “Millions of Women Haven’t Rejoined the Workforce—And May not Anytime Soon—“; 4 June 2021; National Public Radio, npr.org/2021/06/03/1002402802/there-are-complex-forces-keeping-women-from-coming-back-to-work
Catalyst, “Quick Take: Women in the Workforce—United States”; 14 Oct 2020; catalyst.org/research/women-in-the-workforce-united-states/
Finn Jr, Chester E; “The American K-12 Decline”; 7 Nov 2019; National Review; nationalreview.com/magazine/2019/11/25/the-american-k-12-decline/
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