Doctoral student Kelley Stewart in the lab of Paul Vlachos at the Advanced Experimental Thermofluid Engineering Research Lab at Virginia Tech looks into a left ventricular simulator tank The silicone model has two valves connecting the ventricle to fluid outside of the tank This closedloop system allows researchers to vary stroke volume heart rate and pressures to simulate diastolic dysfunction

Still few women in engineering

April 26, 2013
Once again, researchers are trying to figure out why few women get into engineering. Could it be that women with high math abilities also have high verbal abilities — and base their career choices on the latter?
Doctoral student Kelley Stewart in the lab of Paul Vlachos (at the Advanced Experimental Thermofluid Engineering Research Lab at Virginia Tech) looks into a left ventricular simulator tank. The silicone model has two valves connecting the ventricle to fluid outside of the tank. This closed-loop system allows researchers to vary stroke volume, heart rate, and pressures to simulate diastolic dysfunction.

Once again, researchers are trying to figure out why few women get into engineering.

In a recent study on women and engineering by the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Michigan, researchers found that many women have stronger verbal and reading skills than their male counterparts — and many choose to leverage those skills in careers that lead them away from science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.

"It’s not lack of ability ... that orients females to pursue non-STEM careers, it’s the greater likelihood that females with high math ability also have high verbal ability," says Ming-Te Wang, one of the study’s authors and a psychologist at Pittsburgh.

On a related note, the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) has just published its 12th SEW literature review on women in engineering. The resource lists, distills, and analyzes data from about 400 recent studies and books on the issue.

For the first time, it’s also presenting information on how women balance their work and personal lives.

"So much has changed, but women today still face the pressures of finding time for their work, families, and personal development," says Alyse Stofer, SWE president.  SEW reviewers Peter Meiksins of Cleveland State University and Peggy Layne of Virginia Tech concur, citing a 2012 article in The Atlantic that posits that it's not surprising when women leave demanding careers because of these pressures.

Scientific American has posted a followup piece on how to leverage the findings of Wang to address the stagnant numbers of women in engineering — by teaching math and engineering in a way that appeals to polymaths. The idea is to lure more women skilled in both math and communication with Renaissance-type teaching that integrates the works of Kurt Vonnegut, M. C. Escher, and Katherine Boo into engineering courses that engage both the left and right brain.

Photo courtesy National Science Foundation and John McCormick • Virginia Tech.

About the Author

Elisabeth Eitel Blog

Elisabeth is Senior Editor of Machine Design magazine. She has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Fenn College at Cleveland State University. Over the last decade, Elisabeth has worked as a technical writer — most recently as Chief Editor of Motion System Design magazine.

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