College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Iowa State University

Stepping forward

Conference looks at how women can be retained in scientific fields.
Low numbers of women in academic ranks of the SMET (science, mathematics, engineering, technology) fields continue to persist; therefore colleges and universities need to do more than just attract women into these disciplines. They need to actively find ways of keeping women in higher education.

"One of the salient problems in academia is the real shortage of women, especially graduate students and faculty, in the science, math and engineering fields," said Jill Bystydzienski, director of Iowa State's Women's Studies Program and professor of women's studies and sociology.

A conference dealing with these issues, "Retaining Women in Early Academic Science, Math, Engineering and Technology (SMET) Careers," will be held at the Gateway Center in Ames Oct. 17-20.
Funded largely by a $55,000 grant from the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Gender Equity Program, the conference aims to create a forum for the exchange of research findings on barriers to graduate and early faculty women’s full participation in SMET fields. Additional funding has been provided by the Provost's Office, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the College of Engineering.

"The conference will not just discuss problems, but also will provide team participants of mainly Midwestern, land-grant universities the opportunity to develop strategies and action plans aimed at retaining women in these fields," Bystydzienski said. "The three-day conference will bring together science and women’s studies faculty, administrators and graduate students to work in teams on retention projects that they will implement on their campuses.

"There are women in the pipeline who are already in these fields, but many leave," she continued. "One of the reasons why they leave is the culture that we have on college campuses. We're hopeful to create a supportive environment for these women."

The conference will feature six keynote speakers including:
- Sue V. Rosser, professor of history, technology and society at Georgia Institute of Technology. Rosser has contributed widely to the discussion of theoretical and applied problems of women and science and women’s health.
- Josephine Beoku-Betts, associate professor of women’s studies and sociology at Florida Atlantic University. Beoku-Betts will focus on perspectives on science, social origins and family influences on women scientists in Third World contexts.
- Virginia Valian, author of the book Why So Slow? The Advancement of Women in Academia.
- Sally Gregory Kohlstedt, professor of history in the Science and Technology Program at the University of Minnesota. Kohlstedt will discuss reflections on women in science in the 20th century.
- Amy Bix, associate professor of history at Iowa State. Bix will address the history of American women's engineering education.
- Carla Fehr, assistant professor of philosophy. Fehr is scheduled to speak on a feminist scientific method.
The conference also will feature panels and sessions concerning the situation of women in science, mathematics and engineering fields. Some presenters will discuss retention programs and initiatives that have been implemented at their universities.

Conference attendees are scheduled from Iowa State, University of Iowa, Purdue University, Texas A&M, North Dakota State University, University of Missouri-Rolla, University of Illinois, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, DePaul University, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Kansas State University, University of Arkansas, Michigan State University, and Prairie View A&M.

"This conference is bringing together participants from universities comparable to Iowa State - those that focus on the sciences and technology like we do," Bystydzienski said.

The conference program and registration forms are available at www.iastate.edu/~wsprogram/smet/homepage.html.