Name-Calling: Top Causes and Solutions, by Becky A. Bailey, Ph.D. - Barnes & Noble
How to Bully-Proof Girls
Mind - Research Upends Traditional Thinking on Study Habits - NYTimes.com
http://www.sadlierreligion.com/webelieve/frommyhometoyours.cfm?section=article
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/27/science/emmy-noether-the-most-significant-mathematician-youve-never-heard-of.html?ref=science
READ ABOUT MATH
Algebra Exposed by Danica McKellar
Lost in Lexicaon by Pendred Noyce
Geekspeak: Why Life + Mathematics = Happiness - advanced read
GIRLS LOVE STEM
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BACK lN 1968 when it still was
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fashionable to light up a cigarette,
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Virginia Slims entered the marketplace
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with a unique, sleek product
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and a popular marketing campaign
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Aimed at women. Not only was the
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new cigarette narrower than other
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brands-that was the "slims" in
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Virginia-but it had a catchy slogan
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meant to appeal to young professional
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women: "You've come a long
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way, baby."
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The catchphrase quickly became
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part of the day's vernacular. Some
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today may consider it sexist and a
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cynical campaign to sell tobacco
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products, but in the 1970s and'8Os
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the theme came to encapsulate the
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advances women had made in participating
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in almost every sphere
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of public and economic life. Even
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so, some stereotypes linger, and
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one of them is that engineering is
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not for women.
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Diversiffing the engineering
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workforce from its traditional male
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dominance is something organizations
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like ASME, the Society of
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Women Engineers,t he National
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Science Foundation, and numerous
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others are working hard to do. The
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Girl Scouts of America is another,
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and it has come a long way since the
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organization was founded.
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Celebrating its lOOth anniversary
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this year, the group continues to
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sell its iconic cookies,but that's
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one of the very few things that has
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not changed since1 912T. he Girl
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Scouts are working hard to help
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shake the widely held notion that
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young women don't thrive in areas
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of science,technolog}rengineering,
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and math. To prove that girls love
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STEM, the Girl Scouts teamed up
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with Lockheed Martin to conduct
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a research report called Generation
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STEM: What Girls Say about
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Science,Technology, Engineering,
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and Math. The conclusions of the
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report may surprise you.
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It found, for example, that74
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percent of teen girls are interested
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in the field of STEM and in STEM
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subjects; and that most girls are
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interested in the process of learning,
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asking questions, and solving
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problems. It also found that girls
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who are interested in STEM are
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high achievers who have supportive
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adult networks and are exposed
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to STEM fields (for more on the
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Girl Scouts' report, visit MEmagazineBlog.
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org).
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In all, the report shows that a
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high number of teen girls are interested
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in STEM fields and subjects,
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and are drawn by the creative and
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hands-on aspects that characterize
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these fields. It also shows that
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parents or other role models play a
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significant role in the development
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of STEM interest among girls.
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For the Girl Scouts, the topic of
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STEM is framed in leadership.
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That is, the Scouts emphasize the
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importance of Ieadership skills to
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make the world a better place. The
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Research suggests that girls are
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more interested in STEM careers
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when they know that their work
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will help others. ASME also understands
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this and its own initiatives,
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such as EngineeringForChange.
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org, are stimulating thousands of
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young engineers each year.
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Beyond the research report, the
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Girl Scouts truly have come a long
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way in developing Ieadership in
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young women. New programs and
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recognition badges now focus on
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science and technology and aim at
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fostering a generation of women
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who embrace technology and understand
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that a career in engineering
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is a matter of choice, and not a
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matter of gender.
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John G. Fal c ioniE, di tor - in-Chief
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fatcionij@asme.org
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$ twi t ter .com/ jnofha tcioni
mechanical engineering