Mathematics and Science....a general rant/advice/whatever

Phera
Phera Posts: 269 Member
edited September 19 in Chit-Chat
Hello fellow MFPers,

Just a little preface: I am a female engineer who graduated two years ago with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering and I wanted to share a little something about how I got to this point.

My Dad was the only technical person in my family and my Mom regularly said how awful she was at math. In elementary school I was one of the top people in mathematics and always placed during science fairs competitions. By the time I got to High School I was getting Cs in both science and math classes because it was geeky and uncool to be "nerdy." I still placed in Honors when I took the Golden State exams in science but I didn't tell anyone I took the tests. I went away to college at 17 thinking that I would like to be a psychologist and dropped out after the first year because I really couldn't stand it.

Fast forward a few years of being on my own and taking classes while working full-time, I was lucky to land a job in a lab doing cancer research. I had a fantastic boss who showed me that you could be a scientist without being male, old, and crazy. I know that may seem a bit over exaggerated but really that is one of the stereotypes perpetuated in this society in regards to science and math. It took me a few more years of very hard work but I graduated at 29 with my engineering degree.

Now, that you know a bit of the struggle I had, please excuse my preachiness. Please for your daughters' sake don't perpetuate the stereotypes. I really hid my talents because I didn't want to be one of those dorky people that society makes fun of. I hear so many people that say they are horrible at math yet they use it everyday they go grocery shopping or use their checking account. There are so many technological advances going on right now that require basic science and mathematical knowledge to make informed decisions about. We need more women in there to help shape the world to come.

Thank you for reading and good luck to you in your own struggles.

Replies

  • Phoenix_Rising
    Phoenix_Rising Posts: 11,417 Member
    Glad my ticker could stir up a debate.
    I just thought it was funny. I can kick most anyone's *kitten* in basic math calculations anyday.
    No geometry or algebraic functions, please.
  • CarmenSantiago
    CarmenSantiago Posts: 681 Member
    How isnpirational you are. It just goes to show that anyone can do anything with the right amount of drive and determination. You've worked hard and come a long way. Your parents must be very proud of you. I think you send a great message to young women to not let anything/anyone stop them from reaching for the moon.

    Good luck to you and thank you for sharing. xx
  • zoey1912
    zoey1912 Posts: 18
    Nice post. I agree with you 100%, however, I never felt it was uncool to do well in math and science. I like art and writing a lot and could have gone on that direction with a career but didn't. It's kind of opposite because my parents always pushed me towards math/science and I ended up in med school. I think things are a lot different now.





    url=http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker]90487.png[/url]
    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Food Diary
  • molsongirl
    molsongirl Posts: 1,373 Member
    I SUCK at math always have always will, and i'm ok with that, I have other talents and subjects that i've been able to master, thank god! lol....I'm a natural born pain in the *kitten*..this is a talent, believe me :wink: who speaks 5 languages and has travelled all over the world...science...meh, always found it boring, I hope that none of my kids ever feel the need to "hide" their natural talents even if it means they aren't the "norm."...I have a daughter who is a pro in auto shop, go figure, she changes my oil and fiddles under the hood...I think it's great, saves me a ton of money!! :laugh: and...she is never without a date on saturday night, who knew guys actually dig this!! lol
  • 3babybeans
    3babybeans Posts: 8,268 Member
    I only have my associates in structrual engineering, but I hear you!!! Preach it!
  • christahollis
    christahollis Posts: 152
    Right there with you...I was told specifically growing up that 'girls are bad at math'...and that echoed all the way through until I decided that it was stupid and gender doesn't have squat to do with intelligence...
    now I have my masters and teach biology.

    so pfffft to that!
  • blackbeltfairy
    blackbeltfairy Posts: 66
    Yay! A fellow Fem Eng!

    I'm currently in school, working towards a degree in Process Automation.

    All through elementary and high school, I was considered "weird" for enjoying math and science. I owned a microscope before a Barbie doll (at my request). I had a fossil collection, not a doll collection.

    I agree; parents need to do more to break the barrier between boys and girls.
  • stratdl
    stratdl Posts: 303 Member
    Well said ckakask!

    While I didn't shy away from math and science in school (the girls in my class were pretty much mean :devil: regardless, so I ended up being unpopular and was free to choose to follow my passions), I know what you mean about male scientists!

    I joined the Navy as an Aviation Electronics Technician out of high school (and was asked if I was looking for a husband--or a girlfriend! As if that's the only reason for a woman to join the Navy!!!). There were a couple of fields closed to me as a woman, but I was okay with that (it was cool to work on planes, to my way of thinking) and there were quite a few women in my rating.

    After 6 years in the Navy, I returned to college, earned my B.A. in Physics (where I went to school, Physics is more of an Art than a Science, I guess!) and then went on to earn my M.S. in Medical Physics. I now work in Radiation Oncology and the field is very slowly growing as far as females go. It's 20% female, 80% male. And yes, women are paid a tad bit less, but that's because the average salaries quoted include all the males who have been in our field for eons! In general, the women in the field have about 5-7 fewer years of experience than men. But I'm sure that will change as the older guys start retiring!

    Anyway, I find that the great thing about being a female physicist is that I don't have to worry too much about wearing makeup or having perfect hair because who expects a physicist to have matching socks, let alone be dressed to the nines!!! :laugh: Talk about a stereotype (but I think this one is okay--you're respected for your brain and not the package in which the brain sits)!

    ...I COMPLETELY second your call for the ending of Math/Science stereotypes and the encouragement of young women in these fields. A lot of the technology can certainly use the thought processes that women (who do think differently than men) can bring to the table!

    Cheers, :drinker:
    Deborah
  • jljohnson
    jljohnson Posts: 719 Member
    I am a female "computer geek." I too did well in math and science, and by my sophomore year of high school, computer programming was my favorite class. I even went so far as to take additional programming classes outside of school... in my free time!

    Fast forward to college... I took pride in being the only girl in my computer science classes. Not only that, but I enjoyed defying stereotypes by being a (relatively) pretty, blond, sorority girl. I always got sideways glances when people asked what I was involved in, academically and socially... and I liked it. I think it messed with people a little.

    Long story, short - young women should be proud, rather than embarrased to be who they want to be, even if it means breaking through some of the norms forced on us by society. Just because you're smart, doesn't mean you have to be socially inept too... it is possible to be cool and smart at the same time.
  • KatWood
    KatWood Posts: 1,135 Member
    Hello,
    I graduated with a bachelor of science with specialized honours in applied mathematics and found a job! I've always felt math is undervalued. After all we use it every day. And yes you may never use everything you learnt in highschool but that isn't really the point. Math is not about memorizing an equation it is about learning how to analyize a problem and devise the best way to solve it.

    Anyways, that's my rant from one Math geek to another.

    Here is my fav math joke:
    An engineer, a physicist and a mathematician have to build a fence around a flock of sheep using as little material as possible. The engineer forms the flock into a circular shape and constructs a fence around it. The physicist builds a fence with an infinite diameter and pulls in together until it fits around the flock. The mathematician thinks for awhile then builds a fence around himself and defines hinself as being outside.:flowerforyou:
  • blackbeltfairy
    blackbeltfairy Posts: 66
    Oh, and another thought...

    I don't know about anyone else's experiences with this, but I was not held back by men when pursuing my interests in math and science. The vast majority of naysayers were women!

    Men were never the ones who made fun of me in high school. They were just grateful for a little estrogen in computer engineering class! It was my female friends (now all art majors) who laughed at me, called me a nerd, and generally cast me out towards the end because of my strange interests.

    It was the older women who told me that I should want to be a mom, or a teacher, or a nurse. The older men were the ones telling me to go for it, telling me that I will go far.

    So women, stop crying about your downtrodden state, and start looking at how your own actions are hurting your cause!
  • blackbeltfairy
    blackbeltfairy Posts: 66
    An engineer and a mathematician are at an eighth-grade dance. The boys are all on one wall, the girls all on the opposite.

    The mathematician says, "If the children each take a step towards one another, then half a step, then a quarter of a step, they will never meet."

    The engineer says, "Yes, but they will be close enough for all intents and purposes."

    Not the best, but I like it.

    Another:

    The optimist sees the glass as half full,

    The pessimist sees the glass as half empty.

    The engineer, however, sees the glass as being two times too large.
  • KatWood
    KatWood Posts: 1,135 Member


    The optimist sees the glass as half full,

    The pessimist sees the glass as half empty.

    The engineer, however, sees the glass as being two times too large.

    I love it!:laugh:
  • Phera
    Phera Posts: 269 Member
    Yeah! Thank you for the responses and the jokes. I went the engineering route instead of science because I discovered that my true interest lay in figuring out how systems worked. To me the human body is the ultimate system and if I could find the money and drive I'd probably go for a PhD in tissue engineering.

    I've heard direct comments from both sexes but it does tend to be the older folks or people from other countries. In school I didn't feel hostility from the guys but I did feel I needed to constantly prove myself because of ideas that professors are easier on women. Biomedical engineering is attracting more women than other engineering disciplines such as electrical, computer, and mechanical fields which I think is fantastic but more equal representation in all fields is needed. I've read that of the engineering degrees awarded about 18% are women and after 10 years in the workplace there's only about 10% women.

    I feel the most valuable thing I've taken from math and science training is the ability to break down problems logically. All the schooling is really about training yourself to clearly define a problem and how to go about fixing it.
  • KatWood
    KatWood Posts: 1,135 Member
    I feel the most valuable thing I've taken from math and science training is the ability to break down problems logically. All the schooling is really about training yourself to clearly define a problem and how to go about fixing it.

    I completely agree. It teaches you a way of looking at the world.:happy:
This discussion has been closed.

Categories