Quote: Well-known solution to the problem of training women scientists: Women's colleges

I learned about a recent newspaper post written by two professors (Audrey J. Ettinger, Ph.D Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and Amy J. Reese, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences) at Cedar Crest College and wanted to share it here. The part I liked best is the following:

“We are proud to be part of a well-known solution to the problem of training women scientists: Women's colleges like Cedar Crest College have been shown, over a period of decades, to produce a higher proportion of graduates in the sciences and to produce women leaders in all arenas.”

The literature suggests that college-aged women in a single-sex environment are more engaged in their education and have higher levels of self-confidence, perhaps due to being taken seriously for four years. We and others have observed that the single-sex environment drives women to participate in all parts of the learning process, which seems particularly important for science laboratory training. Young women considering careers in science should seriously consider a women's college as a helpful step on their pathway to scientific success.”

If you are interested in a STEM career, I encourage you to read their post entitled, “Ettinger and Reese: Eliminate barriers to science and math jobs for women” as well as consider attending a women's college, like Cedar Crest.

Cedar Crest College is located in Allentown, PA and offers many different STEM based programs including: Biological Sciences—Biology, Genetic Engineering, Neuroscience, Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, Global Diseases (Minor); Chemistry—Chemistry, Biochemistry; Forensic Science;  Nuclear Medicine Technology; Nursing; Nutrition; Mathematics; Pre-Professional Programs (Pre-Med, Pre-Dent, and Pre-Vet); and Psychology.