Math is hard!
Posted on 02/28/2005 3:25:32 PM PST by Jacksonville Patriot
Published on Wednesday, February 23, 2005 Women In Science Discuss Changes Students make recommendations to Summers'
By RISHENG XU Crimson Staff Writer
While professors and deans took to Lowell Lecture Hall yesterday to discuss Harvard’s president, members of the student group Women in Science at Harvard-Radcliffe (WISHR) held a session to brainstorm ways in which current University policies hinder female students from concentrating in the sciences. This meeting was the first in a series of three sessions meant to generate suggestions for the Task Force on Women in Science and Engineering, one of the two committees recently created by University President Lawrence H. Summers in response to the controversy about his January remarks.
Barbara J. Grosz, Higgins Professor of Natural Sciences and chair of the science and engineering task force—and a pointed critic of Summers in recent weeks—spoke at the beginning of the meeting, but left the students to work the details out themselves.
“This is a brainstorming session,” she said. “I’m really here to move things along.”
She asked that any other comments at the meeting be kept off the record.
The six students present—four of whom were female science concentrators—attributed the disproportionate number of male science concentrators to a variety of factors.
But all agreed that the this disparity was perpetuated from the beginning of their first years at college.
Students cited their experiences in introductory courses as particularly traumatic—saying that some male teaching fellows would drive their classes at relentless rate and would deflect questions from female students.
To counter this, Tracy E. Nowski ’07 and Patricia Li ’07, co-chairs of the policy committe of WISHR, suggested optional sections created specifically for women, perhaps being even taught by female teaching fellows.
And Li and Nowski said that the potentially stressful experience of placement exams can turn women off from the heavy competition of the sciences.
“Even a two or three hour review session, right before placement tests would help,” said Nowski, who is a concentrator in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.
“Harvard told me I was bad at math...what else was I supposed to think?”
Li, a chemistry concentrator, and also a Crimson editor, reiterated Nowski’s point.
“It’s also stressful to see other people being placed into harder classes,” she said.
Sophia K. McKinley ’06, chair of the speakers committee of WIHSHR’s National Symposium on the Advancement of Women in Science, added that female students can sometimes be less confident of their abilities in science.
“Intimidation is a big problem,” McKinley said. “There are people who come in who are physics olympic medalists.”
As a result of this, Nowski said that Harvard students are unwilling to experiment with outside subjects related to their concentration.
“You are pigeon-holed when you come to Harvard,” Nowski said. “Science people say that they can’t write papers, and humanities people think they can’t do science.”
These issues, combined with science courses’ incompatibility with a study abroad program, are the leading reasons why fewer women declare concentrations in science at the end of freshman year, according to Li,
To help attract female concentrators, students suggested class activities such as an ice cream social for Chemistry 5 students.
Other options that the students discussed included starting an early mentorship programs for female freshmen considering the sciences.
Previously, WISHR has also discussed ways to streamline funding for summer housing for women working in laboratory research, an issue Summers and Dean of the College Benedict H. Gross ’71 have agreed to look into, according to Limor S. Spector ’07, secretary of WISHR.
Chemistry 5 students usually know how to make their own "ice cream".
Math is hard!
At first I thought this was a cruel farce; then when I saw it was true, i realized just how pathetic harvard has become.
-...saying that some male teaching fellows would drive their classes at relentless rate...-
Oh - BOO HOO. Let me get my cryin' towel.
....potentially stressful experience of placement exams can turn women off from the heavy competition of the sciences.
&&
If you can't run with the big dogs stay on the porch.
They don't need an ice cream social; they need a WHINE and cheese event.
I really thought, at first, that this was satire.
This is so incredibly ridulous it's funny
"Female science concentrators"?? Where these people who concentrated female science (gynecology?) or where they females who concentrate science...you know, like bullion cubes? 
I was always encouraged by my professors. I think these women are whiners. Yes, science and math are hard, because you cannot BS your answer. You have to provide PROOF and CORRECT ANSWERS.
Bah. I hate stories like this. And an ice cream social?? My department would have had a beer bust. HA!
1. "The six students present..."
So the world (Harvard) has to stop spinning to accommodate the whims of 6 students?!?!
2. "Tracy E. Nowski ’07 ... co-chair of the policy committe of WISHR... who is a concentrator in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies..."
Oh, won't that lend credibility to the group!
3. "...the potentially stressful experience of placement exams can turn women off from the heavy competition of the sciences...
Imagine how much they'd be b*tching if Harvard just dumped them into upper level classes!
4. "Li, a chemistry concentrator, and also a Crimson editor, reiterated Nowski’s point. “It’s also stressful to see other people being placed into harder classes,” she said."
Maybe being a Crimson editor is more important to her than studying science? Maybe she needs to choose where to spend her time. And she doesn't like other (more qualified) students being placed appropriately into harder classes? Poor baby!! Also see point #3.
5. “Intimidation is a big problem,” McKinley said. “There are people who come in who are physics olympic medalists.”
So she's saying that she's really not qualified to be a science (physics) student at Harvard. Did she not know that Harvard is highly competitive? Was she an affirmative action admission? Perhaps she should apply to a different college more in tune with her talents.
6. "These issues, combined with science courses’ incompatibility with a study abroad program, are the leading reasons why fewer women declare concentrations in science at the end of freshman year, according to Li,
What a Barbie! If you want to spend your junior year shopping for shoes in Europe, then major in something not as time-consuming or rigorous as science.
And out of this room full of Harvard females branstorming for how long, we get a suggestion for an ice cream social! Yeah, just give each of these gals a tubful of Ben n' Jerry's. That will show Harvard they're serious!
Congratulations that you succeeded in your science career in college. I dropped out of physics and into English and political science because the former was too difficult. One semester after Professor Berringer spent the whole hour solving third order differential equations to come out with E=mc2, I switched my major.
In short, you are a better "man" than I am. LOL. My compliments to you.
Congressman Billybob
Seriously, law is not something I could ever excel at...I am too much a black and white thinker, without the patience to go through the arguments necessary to prove a legal point. Plus I have the unfortunate tendency to cry when I become angry. HA!
I honestly hate this type of victimization role that women take. It is SO unnecessary, particularly because most science schools are really glad to have women majors!
I remain unimpressed with Harvard. Ice cream socials, indeed!
this is a joke, isn't it?
You have to see this thread and tell me it is a joke!
The way to advance at Harvard for these honeys is probably lower necklines and shorter skirts. And, shave once in a while!
LMAO I'm afraid it's not.....now to me it all depends on what kind of ice cream it is and if they have sprinkles....
are these girls dingbats or what? They don't want placement tests, want special help, want the course to go slower and don't want to be upset by people being put in a higher group.
Have I gone into a twinkie zone or what?
sorry cajun....but the answer is YES....and don't forget my sprinkles....the multi-colored ones *hehehe*
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