Women in Science Program supports females at IU

"Woman scientist" is a term the Women in Science Program at IU works to make a reality rather than a contradiction.\nThe program works to encourage women to pursue careers in science, technology and engineering. It has been operating and expanding for more than 12 years.\nCarol McCord, assistant dean of the Office for Women's Affairs, said WISP offers networking opportunities, social events and grants to women attending IU who plan to pursue a career in science. WISP supports women faculty at IU who work in the science department.\n"Our goal is to give people an opportunity to do what they want to do," she said.\nThere are many women who pursue degrees in sciences and math, but the percentage of women who are actually professionals in these fields rank from only 10 to 30 percent, according to www.now.org.\nMcCord said she believes that one of the reasons women do not pursue careers in sciences is because many women who have educated themselves in a science-related field eventually end up having a family. She said there are too many time conflicts for women between the lab and taking care of their children. She also said these women often encounter biases with their colleagues. \n"Some feel that if a woman has a child, she is not serious about her career," McCord said. "Science isn't a nurturing thing."\nWISP also provides childcare for women scientists that work at IU, McCord said.\nShe said the idea of only men being scientists is implanted in American culture.\n"When (girls are) in middle school, we notice a sense of 'I can't do this,'" she said.\nDespite discouragements for women pursuing careers in science, McCord said she feels very optimistic about the future of women in science.\n"But we're not there yet," she said.\nSophomore Cecilia June is majoring in astrophysics, and she acknowledges the difficulty women go through in careers in science.\n"I understand that it is harder for women to be taken seriously in this field, and \noften their discoveries and theories are pushed aside or credited to their male workers," she said. "However, I believe with women taking more interest in science and further proving their capabilities in quite a difficult field, women in general will be taken more seriously."\nFreshman Ashley Gooch is a biochemistry major who feels no intimidation in the field she is about to enter. \n"I don't really feel any pressure to succeed just because I am a woman," she said. \nHowever, she said she encountered the bias of science being only a man's job in some lectures.\n"Every time we talk about the important people and discoveries in class, a man is always involved," she said. "Very seldom do we learn about women"