[EAS]Not For Women Only
pjk
pjk at design.eng.yale.edu
Sat Feb 2 02:50:55 EST 2002
Mail*Link¨ SMTP Not For Women Only
More about women in science and engineering graduate programs,
from the IEEE Press. --PJK
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Date: 2/1/02 4:51 AM
From: Rick Reis
"Women with dreams of a doctorate in science or engineering would be
well served to forget what mama always said about playing nice."
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Folks:
The review below is of a new book, The Woman's Guide to Navigating
the Ph.D. in Engineering & Science, by Barbara B. Lazarus, Lisa M.
Ritter, and Susan A. Ambrose, published by IEEE Press. It should be
of interest to all graduate students and faculty in engineering and
science. The review, by Margaret Mannix, appeared in the January
2002, Volume 11, No. 5, of ASEE Prism, the journal of the American
Society of Engineering Education. http://www.asee.org/prism/
Reprinted with permission.
Regards,
Rick Reis
reis at stanford.edu
UP NEXT: Using Mentoring as a Form of Professional Learning
Tomorrow's Graduate Students and Postdocs
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NOT FOR WOMEN ONLY
By Margaret Mannix
ASSE Prism pp 34-35
A new book unravels some of the mystery for women about graduate
school programs in science and engineering-and offers insights to
administrators and advisers on keeping them in the program.
Women with dreams of a doctorate in science or engineering would be
well served to forget what mama always said about playing nice. If
females want to succeed in graduate school, they've got to be just as
pushy, bossy, and aggressive as their male lab partners. Says one
doctoral student in physics: "You really can't survive if you're
timid."
That's just one of the lessons in the new book, The Woman's Guide to
Navigating the Ph.D. in Engineering & Science, recently published by
IEEE Press. In this day and age, it's hard to fathom the necessity of
such a tome. But one look at the numbers and you'll understand why:
According to the National Science Foundation, women earned less than
half of the doctorates in science in 1998. Of those, only 16 percent
were in engineering.
Culture is to blame for some of that imbalance, as society seems to
rubber-stamp males as the brainiacs of math and science. Women who
excel in those disciplines are oftentimes considered anomalies.
However, some of the bleak showing in the statistics lies in the
nature of the doctoral programs. Co-author Barbara Lazarus, associate
provost for academic affairs and adjunct professor of educational
anthropology at Carnegie Mellon University, says the
testosterone-laden fields of science and engineering are
booby-trapped with all sorts of stereotypes and hidden barriers.
"Women need to learn how to maneuver in a predominantly male graduate
school environment, how to think like academics, and how to be
politically astute," she explains in the book.
Doctoral candidates aren't the only ones who will find the insider
secrets spelled out in the book to be illuminating. If higher
education is serious about attracting more women to engineering, then
administrators, advisors, and professors of both sexes must
critically examine what's going on in their own backyards.
That's crucial, says Lazarus, because "there are all kinds of little
ways in which the system does not work for women." It could a good
old boy atmosphere that short-changes female opinions and
contributions. It could be that the male doctoral candidates gather
for informal lunch bunches, unwittingly trading inside knowledge much
like key business gets conducted on a golf course. It could be that
department meetings are held at a time when, say, children need to
be picked up from school, a disadvantage to someone who has a major
role in child rearing-typically the female half of the parenting duo.
It could be a dearth of female role models or inequality in financial
backing.
Lazarus et al have divided their counsel into four sections that
reflect the graduate school experience: How a Ph.D. program operates;
making it work; potential perils and pitfalls; and, last but not
least, life after the Ph.D. (In other words, finding a job.)
Sprinkled throughout the various chapters are instructive vignettes
from current doctoral students and women in leadership positions in
academia, like Lydia Villa-Komaroff, associate vice president for
research administration and professor of neurology at Northwestern
University. During graduate school, Villa-Komaroff purposely avoided
contact with anyone who didn't think women belonged in the world of
science. "I guess that was a blessing because I never felt like I
didn't belong or shouldn't be pursuing something that I loved. I
learned early on that it's a very good ploy to act confident even
when you're not because then people perceive you as confident, and
that makes a big difference."
One of the most important strategies in a successful doctoral journey
is working with the right adviser, one that will help develop a
student's full potential and remain a lifelong sponsor. Lazarus and
her co-authors highlight what makes such a relationship tick. A
faculty member who shares the same interests and philosophies tends
to make a candidate feel more comfortable. An adviser should be able
to communicate honestly and effectively. After all, the pairing may
last several years. Of course, senior faculty members are no doubt
better connected, but may not be able to spend as much time with the
student as a junior faculty member. But what if the match isn't made
in heaven? Changing advisers might be tough. Perhaps other faculty
can fill the void in the existing twosome. In any case, remember to
approach the problem with tact. You never know when you'll need to
rely on your former adviser. The chapter also provides insightful
tips and nitty-gritty advice on acing qualifying exams, choosing a
dissertation topic, and developing a thesis action plan. For example:
"Plan far ahead when ordering equipment for experiments. It may take
a long time for it to arrive."
Women graduate students with low self-esteem will find the book chock
full of ways to exude confidence, a major prerequisite when defending
research, abilities, and accomplishments. As most professors and
students in science and engineering are male, woman may need to bring
in reinforcements. Lazarus suggests building a support group, seeking
counseling, joining professional organizations, participating in
student activities, and attending conferences. Above all, get a grip
on the realities of graduate school. "It's not a sign of weakness to
need a supportive environment," say the authors.
Women might also find the learning method in graduate school
unfamiliar, intimidating, or difficult. No more lecture-study-test
that defines the undergraduate years. In graduate school, learning
stems from critique and discussion. Some women tend to feel
browbeaten when bombarded with seemingly harsh questions or consider
them personal affronts. Negative feedback should be viewed as part of
the process. Learn to evaluate criticism (opinion) and decide if it's
valued, say the authors. Females also tend to internalize problems,
which leads to discouragement and feelings of self-doubt. The man "is
more likely to think the equipment was bad or the gods were
conspiring against him," says Lazarus. "He is more likely to
externalize the problem."
Women students who strive to balance school and private lives may
also find their doctoral sojourn a smoother ride. Learn to focus on
the task at hand, prioritize, and set realistic goals. Everyone-not
just graduate students-occasionally feels overburdened and anxious.
Again, turn to friends and colleagues for support and advice. "Find a
group of confidants whom you can trust." And, for goodness sake, ride
a bike, sit down to dinner with the family, or take a vacation.
Making use of a newly earned Ph.D. can be a challenge, so the book's
final chapter helps students decide what type of job they might like,
how to approach and conduct the job search, and how to go about the
all-important task of networking. "No one should be left out of your
circle; you never know who can give you a promising lead on the
perfect job," say the authors. Facing an academic or industry
interviewer? The book spells out how they differ. There are examples
of what sorts of questions a student might expect and shouldn't
expect ("Are you pregnant?" is a no-no) from a potential employer and
how to be a model interviewee. "Always have at least a few questions
for the interviewer. It shows your interest in the job and in the
process."
Of course, one of the most important questions in the job search is
usually saved until last: salary. For women, negotiating an offer can
be a daunting task. But consider this, says Lazarus: A man and a
woman are offered the same salary in the same department. "She will
say thank you very much and take the job. He will say, is that your
best offer? He will get another $4,000 and she won't." That smaller
sum can haunt a woman during her career, as increases are typically
percentages of current compensation. Who says talk is cheap?
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Margaret Mannix is a freelance writer based in suburban Washington, D.C.
She can be reached at mmannix at asee.org.
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