Page 27 - October 2010

merly the American Association of University Women). In mechanical engineering, a field that includes many acousti- cians, women comprise a mere 6.7% of the workforce. In the ASA, only 16% of the membership is female. As the number of U.S. students studying STEM fields decreases, the female population remains a huge untapped resource. Young women have substantially higher grade point averages in science and mathematics in high school. (GPAs 2.76 for women vs. 2.56 for men in 2005 according to U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics) Yet, a much smaller percentage of young women pursue STEM careers in college (29% for men vs. 15% for women in 2006 according to the National Science Foundation). The reason for the disparity in higher education has been linked to self confidence issues regarding math and science ability beginning in middle school. [F. Pajares, “Self-efficacy beliefs and mathematical problem-solving of gifted students,” Contemporary Educational Psychology, 21(4), 325–344 (1996).]
The ASA’s Women in Acoustics Committee has begun a program to address the self confidence issues of middle and high school girls. One of the key initiatives of the program is to provide positive role models in scientific careers. The first step occurred at the recent ASA meeting in Baltimore. Middle and
high school girl scouts from the local area were invited to par- ticipate in a demonstration session at the meeting. Over twen- ty hands-on acoustic experiments, mostly presented by female members of the society, were available. A contingent of female midshipmen from the nearby Naval Academy presented an additional five exciting hands-on demonstrations. Drs. Kathleen Wage and Lora Van Ufflen presented a live broadcast from their Philippine sea test and a question and answer ses- sion with the girls was conducted via the internet. The Women in Acoustics Committee now plans to conduct a similar ses- sion at every domestic meeting of the society.
As the number of jobs in science and technology grows, it is apparent that talent must be tapped from the entire pop- ulation. The Acoustical Society of America is committed to encouraging women in math and science by continued spon- sorship of the Women in Acoustics Committee to help address the unique challenges of women researchers today and the new Girl Scout program for the next generation.
For more information on women in STEM careers, see the AAUW publication “Why so Few?: Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.”
Thanks to Elaine Moran and Fredericka Bell-Berti for their help in researching this article.AT
Marcia Isakson received a B.S. with a double major in engineering physics and math- ematics in 1992 from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. Upon graduation, she was awarded the Hertz Foundation Fellowship for the study of atomic and molecular physics. She earned her M.A. in atomic and molecular physics from The University of Texas at Austin in 1994. From 1994 to 1997, Isakson served as an officer in the United States Army at Fort Hood, Texas and in 1997, Captain Isakson was honorably discharged. In 2001, she began work on acoustics at Applied Research Laboratories at the University of Texas at Austin where she earned a Ph.D. in 2002. Her research interests include finite element propagation modeling in shallow water waveguides, and acoustic reflection from ocean sediments. Marcia lives in Austin, TX, with her husband, Ike, two beautiful children, Grace and Nicholas, and three dogs.
26 Acoustics Today, October 2010