Encouraging Young Women to Pursue Science and Engineering Careers through Chemistry Dana Levlne New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ 07102 FEMME (Females in ~ n g i n e e r i nMethods, ~, Motivation, Experience), is a pre-college summer program for twentyfive brieht and eifted ninth made females wholike math and science. Now in its fourth year, the program nurtures and stimulates these talents and encouraees - its participants to prepare for careers in science or engineering. Conducted a t New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) during four weeks in July, Monday through Friday, this free program provides intensive and rigorous activities in science, math, and engineering. I t includes guest speakers, labs, projects, trips to industrial and scientific sites, and career counseling. Costs to run the program in 1984 were approximately $30 per student per day with funding obtained from private industrv and ohilanthro~icfoundations. Students commuted to tde c a m p s from their homes in Newark and the surroundine urban and suburban communities. Participants were chosen on the basis of their interest in math and science, a competitive exam, school grades, and a personal interview. They were from low to middle income families; approximately half the group was minority. Why select only females for this enrichment program? JohnR. Opel, President and Chief Executive Officer of IBM, said, in answer ( I ) ,
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We need to unleash a secret weapon: women. Women make up half our population, but they make up less than ten percent of our scientists and engineers. Why? Because for years we have told them that math and science and engineering belong to boys. The result is that we have a great reservoir of talent that we are not tapping. Specifically, although women have a 45%participation rate in all ~rofessions(2). onlv one in everv four scientists and just one in every 26&gineers is femaie. In 1980 and 1981, women received 2.7% of the bachelors' degrees in engineering and 33.4%of the bachelors' degrees in science (3). One major reason for this underrepresentation is a young woman's failure to take the necessary prerequisites in high school. The percentages of boys and girls who have taken three or more years of high school math and science are, for math, 63%compared to 47'3, and for science, 48%compared to 35%.. resnectivelv " 14). . , Before women achieve naritv . " with men in science and engineering, they must first receive the necessarv education. motivation. and self-confidence. This is goal oi the I.'F:.MGE program. The FEMME Drorram utilizes the personnel and facilities of NJIT as well as thk resources of theneighh~rin~scientific, industrial, and eneineerine community. Topics covered are ones refleeting current ancfprojected employment needs and the career interests of the participants; namely, chemistry, computer science, energy, engineering, and environment. The philosophy is not t o rely on textbooks or tests, hut t o educate through direct participatory experiences. Instead of reliance on the written word and the blackboard, learning occurs by "doing instead of viewing." This approach complements traditional high school curricula rather than duplicates it. Students also generally work together in teams; cooperation allows them to pool their knowledge and teach one another. Chemistry is a major facet of the program with a concentration on laboratory experiments, plant trips, and talks by
scientists and engineers about their work and careers. (Many of the speakers are women who also serve as role models.) As summarized in Table 1, students have rated the chemistry component highly and believe they have learned a considerable amount. Trips In scheduling trips t o a variety of nearby chemical facilities, there are advantages to a location in an industrialized area. Students spoke with on-tlie-job scientists and engineers, heard about a variety of jobs in chemistry, and were exposed to real work situations. Places visited are listed in Table 2. Laboratory Experiments Students generally were given a homework andlor reading assignment as well as a short talk on the subject before beginning an experiment. Demonstrations were performed and procedures for the proper handling of chemicals and common-sense safety precautions were stressed. Working with a partner to carry out experiments, students calculated results, made observations and reached conclusions. LabTable 1. Student Evaluation of the Chemlstry Component of the FEMME Program. 95% 68% 32%
believed they learned more about science believed they learned a great deal of chemistry had wanted to learn more about me subject
58% 2 1%
found chemistry a very interesting subject found it interesting
90%
37%
thought me laboratory experiments ware worthwhile learning experiences felt there were not enough labs
79% 47%
thought the plant trips were interesting believed the" learned a lot from me s w a k e n
.
Table 2.
Trips to Sclentlflc Facllltles
Site
Purpose
Exmn Refinery Linden, NJ
Oil refinery in operation
Procter 8 Gambia State" Island, NY
Packaging cake mixes and blending vegetable oil
Colgate-Palmolive Jersey City. NY
Production of toothpaste and soaps
Revlon Ediwn, NJ
Manufactureof cosmetics
Bell Telephone Labs Murray Hill, NJ
Research in progress
Givaudan Nutley. NJ
Synthesis and analysis of flavors and fragrances
St. Barnabas Medical Center Li"i"0~t0". NJ
Tour of clinical labaatory
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Table 3. Evaluation of 1981 FEMME Studentsaupon thelr Graduation from High Schoolo took four or more years of high school math took four or more years of high schwl science Median S A T Verba score Median S A T Math scare Median class rank enrolled in college chose college major in science, engineering, or computer science chose a science major chose an engineering major chose a computer science major
100% 88%
top 5% 92%
71 % 29% 33% 8%
'The number of studsnts respoMing was 24 out of 25. 'The number af New Jersey high schools represented was 13. Of thaw, seven were urban h1m JC~DOIS and rlx were suburban hlah schoab.
oratory sessions lasted two t o three hours and were held three times a week. T h e experiments conducted are indicate d in Appendix 1. Those interested in the details may write t o the author for experiments not given a literature citation. Speakers Scientists and engineers spoke about their work, educational backgrounds, and career opportunities in chemistry. Professionals from NJIT, in addition to scientists from industry, government, and other universities, gave talks. Topics presented by these speakers are included in Appendix 2. Evaluation One important indication t h a t the F E M M E program is meeting its objectives is the number of years of math and science the students complete in high school and the college major they select. Follow-ups with "graduates" show they are confident of their ability to succeed in male-dominated professions, continue t o take math and science, get good grades in their high school courses, and remain enthusiastic about technoloeical careers. group of 1981 entered college in the fall of The 1984. Statistics for these women are presented in Table 3. I t is readily apparent t h a t the program has accomplished its coal. Almost evervone has taken four vears each of math and science in high school. Seventy-one percent of t h e 24 women responding have chosen a college major in science, engineering, or computer science. ~ i s i o r i c a i l y ,even if a girl liked math and science, t h e chances have been t h a t she would not continue t o pursue these interests (5). Therefore, a selection rate of 71% is very good. (Prior t o participation in t h e program, 50% of the group were interested in such careers.)
FEMME
Acknowledgment T h e author wishes to thank Howard Kimmel, the Director of Pre-College Programs, for his advice and assistance, Joseph Manjkow for devising t h e electrolysis experiment, James Grow for working o u t the nuclear chemistry experiment, Faye Darack and Arthur Greenherg for developing the air pollution experiments, and the Revlon Foundation for its financial contribution to the program.
Literature Cited (1) 0 p d . J . . Scionco.217.111S
(19821.
(2) "Women end Minorities in Science and End"eering,i. National science Foundstian,
1984.o. 1. (3) aeiemoce iii, P. 32. Jan.
(41 '"High School and Beyond: A National Longitudinal Study for the 1980b," National Center far Education Statistics, Washington. DC, 1981. ( 5 ) Cole, J..Amer. Sci..69.335(1981). (6) Mohrig,J..andNeckem, D.. "LsboratoryExperimentsiiOrganiiChemiitt~,i.3rded., Van Nostrand, New York. 1979,p. 104. (7) Breanter. R.. Vandewerr, C.. and MeEwen, W., "Unitized Experiments in Orgsnle Chemistry: 4th ed., Van Nmtrand. New York, 1977, p. 463. (8) Eider. B.. "Air Pollution in New Jersey:'Amedean Lung A11oeiati.3" d N a w Jersey, Union,NJ, 1979. (9) Mohrig, J., andNeckers. D.:'LaborstaryExperimentsin OlganicCherni8try.'. 3rded.. Van Noatrand, Now York. 1979, pp. 46.67.
838
Journal of Chemical Education
Appendix 1. Laboratory Experiments Performed Deodorant A solid "stick deodorant was made by mixing together water, polypropylene, and stearic acid. The formulation was completed by adding small amounts of bactericide, perfume, and food coloring. The mixture was then poured into a push-up container. Aspirin (adapted from ref. (6)) Historical and medical information on painkillers was presented and the structure of aspirin, an ester, discussed. Acetylsalicylic acid was synthesized by aeetylation of salicylic acid with acetic anhydride, the crude product recrystallized, and its melting point determined. Hydrocarbons Prior to the Exaon refinery tour, students saw a film on petroleum refining and read about how the gasoline fraction of petroleum is increased by cracking and isomerization. A homework sssignment asked them to list 100 things made from petroleum. In the lab, they worked with hall-and-stick models to build simple alkanes, alkenes, and aromatics, and by studying the models they learned about structural and geometric isomerism. Distillation A discussion of methods of water purification and the importance of clean. fresh water to a nation's eeonomv was held. Students hmught wmplesut ocean, pmd.ur river ibatrr torhe lahoraroryand rarrird our a ~implediitrllarwn oi thrir sample. They also purified their iomple hy freezing it i n an ier-mlt hnth. Acidity Students were given a brief introduction to acids, bases, pH, and indicators. For homework, the class was asked to categorize household products as acids or bases. Students titrated commercial vinegar using a standardized solution of sodium hydroxide and then calculated the percentage of acetic acid in vinegar. Methyl Orange (7) The aza dye, methyl orange, was synthesized by diazotization of sulfanilic acid using sodium nitrite and hydrochloric acid, followed hv,couoline . u to dimethvlaniline. The reaction conditions (temverature and pH) were discussed as well as the importance of aniline dyes to the textile industry. Students dyed white cotton fabric with their methyl orange. Electrolysis Prior to this lab, students carried out a physics exercise on electricity in which they constructed simple circuits and verified Ohm's Law. They then ~erformedan electrolysis experiment to plate nickel onto copper. Their nickel-coated copper strip, when engraved, made an attractive bracelet or name plate. Analogies were made to the production of silver-plated flatware and gold-plated jewelry. Half-Life of a Radioactive Element The day before this experiment, students used Geiger counters to determine that samples of indium had little or no radioactivity. The metal was then activated overnight in a small nuclear reactor. The next day, the indium samples were retrieved and the activity measured. The data was graphed, and the half-life was determined and compared to the published value. Chromatography Students read about the types of air pollution prevalent in urban areas (a), toured the NJIT Air Pollution Lahoratoryand were shown how air pollution samples are gathered and analyzed by thin-layer chromatography and high pressure liquid chromatography. Then, usine" Matheson-KitaeawaToxic Gas Detectors,. thev. collected auto" mobile exhaust fumes and measured the concentrations of benzene, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides. In another exercise, the group took monthly air pollution data compiled over the past year, together with weather bureau temperature and wind velocity charts, and constructed en air pollution map of New Jersey. Caffeine (9) The physiological effects of caffeineand the foods containing this
substance were discussed. Tea was decaffeinated by extraction with methylene chloride, the crude caffeine purified by sublimation, and analyzed by thin-layer chromatography. Appendix 2. Topics Discussed by Guest S p e a k e r s
Computers in Chemistry Students were shown state-of-the-art molecular modeling 6y6tems and were given demonstrations of the rotation of simple mole~~~~~~~b~~~ spoke about how cules on the "AX 11.7~~. do the needed and display the three-dimensional shape of lame " molecules. such as the active site of csrhoxvoentidase A and "map" the receptor for acetylcholine. ~
~
~
~
~
~
~~
.. .~~
Biochemistry Many of the participants indicated that they intend to study medicine. Topics were presented which demonstrate that research in biochemistry or biomedical engineering is interesting and exciting. For example, a molecular biologist, presently working in the
area of recombinant DNA, spoke about recent advances in genetics and the prospects for treating inherited disorders such as diabetes by microbial production of human insulin. A second speaker discussed the piezoelectric effect and how her research has shown that broken bones heal more rapidly when stimulated by a weak electrical current.
Food Technology A chemical engineer spoke about his company's process for decaffeination and how salad dressing ismixed to keep the oil suspended in the vinegar. Students were able to contrast their bench-top-scale operations. experiments with Chemical Manufacturing A chemical engineer gave a presentation on public misconceptions about synthetic versus natural substances and the notion that "chemicals'' are harmful. Another speaker reviewed the field of synthetic fuels. He described the catalytic process for converting coal to natural gas and gasoline.
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Number 10
October 1985
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