Science, Computers and Horses

Mary L Gorden

Only Woman in the Room

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The book for this week’s review of a Women in STEM memoir or biography is The Only Woman in the Room: Why Science Is Still a Boys’ Club by Eileen Pollack.

Technically Eileen Pollack isn’t a woman in STEM.  But her story belongs in this series because:

  • She was one of the first two women to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from Yale.
  • She describes her findings about how the situation for women studying in the STEM fields has changed since she graduated from Yale.

Growing Up a Girl

Many women who grew up with an interest in math and science will related to the first part of this book. In spite of Pollack’s skill in math and science, only boys could take advanced math and science classes. That didn’t keep her from entering science fairs and doing well. She won the honor of “the smartest girl in the school”.  But everyone knew that the honor was secondary to winning the title of “the smartest boy in the school” . This perception didn’t change when she and another girl graduated from their high school as the valedictorian and salutatorian.  The “smartest boy” graduated third.

During her senior year in high school she was accepted at Yale. She planned to become a physicist but teachers encouraged her to put a less technical major on her application. After all, “girl’s didn’t” major in physics at Yale.

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Women in space

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3 mary on the moon

In 1951 when I was six, I announced “When the men who are making the first space ship get finished, I am going to the moon.”

Since you haven’t heard of a woman on any of the expeditions to the moon, it’s obvious that I didn’t make that goal come true. But having a goal like that, and having a supportive grandfather, led me to a successful career in another male-dominated field, computer science.

Recently I was involved in a Twitter conversation. A father was complaining about an article that stated that maybe the reason women aren’t involved in the STEM fields is that they aren’t as good at STEM activities as men.  The father’s statement, which is what got me involved in the conversation, was “This is the last thing my daughter who is fascinated by science needs to hear.”

When I offered him some encouragement to share with his daughter, his response was “She wants to be the first person on Mars.” Clearly this was a kindred soul.  And her father, like my grandfather, would help nourish her dream until it had roots to grow on its own.

Notice that neither of us said we wanted to be the first woman to do something. And I’m sure that the main driving force for Sally Ride and Kathy Sullivan was not to be the first American woman in space or the first American woman to walk in space.  But they were.  What drove them, what drove me and what drives the young girl who wants to be the first person on Mars is something else.  It is a drive to do something that interests us.

For far too long, young people with non-traditional-dreams have been told that their dreams are unrealistic. Sometimes the falsehood that people like them aren’t any good at the field they are dreaming about is added in.  This has to stop.

There are signs of hope. I just saw the movie “The Martian”.  While the main characters are still all men, the movie also has a group of strong women with serious jobs.  And the commander of the mission to Mars is a woman!

So maybe my young friend will be more successful in achieving her goal of space conquest than I was. Or maybe she will find another path through life that interests her more.  But, regardless, she should never be told that “girls don’t”.  Because they do.  They always have.

 

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