This aired today on WAMC Northeast Public Radio. Might be useful in the conversation on how to build community and educational programs at the Complex. Matt
Matthew R. Francisco, PhD Candidate Department of Science and Technology Studies Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute ----- Listen to the radio program here: <http://www.womeninscience .org/sounds1.htm#Stanford> Synopsis: *"Prototypes as Gatekeepers: Consequences for Gender Participation in Computer Sciences* Research indicates that women are less likely to seek careers in computer science than almost any other area of the sciences. Social psychologists at Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA are conducting research to find out why so few women choose careers in computer science and what can be done to reverse the trend. Dr. Sapna Cheryan has led the team of researchers at Stanford University for seven years. The study is complete and the results, which have not yet been published, are presented in this exclusive radio story. Dr. Cheryan discusses the impact that institutions' and companies' physical environments appear to have on women's career decisions. The study findings show that a computer company's physical environment sends signals to women that convey whether they are welcome. Researchers emphasize the need to educate professors and company executives about the simple changes they can make in their practices and environment to make women feel more welcome, and thus, attract more women to careers in computer science. Reese Erlich reports from Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA. (13:49) **Featured in this story: *Dr. Sapna Cheryan, Principal Investigator and Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of Washington; Dr. Claude Steele, Professor of Psychology and Director, Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California; Dr. Sheri Sheppard, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University; Stanford Students - Maya Gendelman, Senior, Ben Fong, Junior, and Chris Williams, Senior For more information about Dr. Sapna Cheryan's research, please visit: http://faculty.washington.edu/scheryan/research.htm andhttp://youtube.com/watch?v=5uYSJ-wCPh0&feature=related
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