Motivation: Mathematics and the sciences are areas where girls are often under-represented. Technical schools have consistently had a non-representative female enrollment. In most cases at these schools, females constitute less than a quarter of the student body. According to reports in Gender Gaps, (1) computer science continues to have a lower percentage of women students, even as the number of women in mathematics and the sciences are rising. These trends start at a young age. By the time girls reach high school, they are unlikely to have received positive feedback in the technical arena, discouraging them from pursuing interests in computer science. They are not exposed to the possibilities that exist and are thus more likely to take lower level data entry and word processing courses, while boys take higher level programming courses.(2)

    Middle school girls are not encouraged to reach their full potential. As their self-esteem plummets, these girls are often encountering lower expectations in mathematics and the sciences. These lowered expectations tend to lead girls to believe either they are not good at these subjects or that talent in these areas is atypical and hence undesirable.(3) Even when they do succeed, these girls are often told it is the result of hard work and determination, whereas the boys in the class receive confirmation of being smart and talented in their work. It is little wonder that girls become socialized to believe that they are not or should not be talented in mathematics and the sciences. This belief, coupled with self-esteem issues, causes many girls to avoid any risk of humiliation in the classroom, lest they exemplify the image that they lack talent or that they are not normal with respect to their peers. Acknowledgment of their skills is necessary, lest their talents go dismissed or undermined. They need to learn about the possibilities that are open to them in typically male-dominated fields and require positive female mentors to guide their work and development.

    Outline of the program: I propose a three-week summer computer science program for approximately 20 middle school aged girls. This program will have two distinct features: teaching a challenging and comprehensive introductory level computer science course that extends beyond pure programming while incorporating self-esteem development and awareness of gender issues. This second aspect of the program is crucial so that these girls will have the confidence, as well as the ability, to pursue interests in the computer science field. During these three weeks, the girls will live at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, California.

    I wish to design a program that will incorporate an introduction to programming with other aspects of computer science, such as algorithms, logic, data structures, web design and the Internet. The girls would participate in a variety of activities, such as lectures, guided programming sessions, and seminars on technology and gender issues. In addition to these activities, I would also like to arrange for women speakers and organize special trips to places such as Disney Feature Animation, JPL, and San Diego Super Computer Center.

    Having participated as a teaching assistant in the Center for Talented Youth program last summer, I am familiar with activities that will work for this age group. It is very important to provide a variety of activities that will pique their interests - I want to stress the possibilities that are open to these girls more than the mastery of one programming language or one small component of computer science. I also think that being immersed in the college environment is an important part of the program, it allows the girls to separate themselves from their school-based peer groups and really discover their true talents and interests.

    The Harvey Mudd computer science department is supportive of this endeavor, and will provide accounts on the department's machines for the summer. Dr. Lisette de Pillis, Associate Professor of Mathematics, is very interested in this camp, and has agreed to assist with preparation and implementation of the endeavor. She is also willing to offer the students the unique opportunity to work in Harvey Mudd College's parallel computing environment, the Beowulf project. In addition, Dr. Elizabeth Sweedyk, who will be joining the Harvey Mudd computer science department in the fall, will be assisting with the preparations and acting as a role model for the girls.

    Assessment : Short term success of this program would be assessed by the girls's attitudes and their personal assessment of how the program helped them. A more important assessment would be a personal follow-up to see if these girls continued to pursue their technical interests throughout middle school and high school. High school programs that encourage young women to pursue higher education and careers in science, engineering, and mathematics are extremely important, but I do believe that it is necessary to reach these girls earlier in their educations. An important part of assessment of any program is to look at all the factors that contribute to a particular trend and low female involvement in the mathematics and sciences stems from many causes. I feel that an important factor is lack of encouragement at a time when young women need it most: at the middle school level. One logical solution that comes to mind is incorporating high school programs with elementary and middle school programs.

    This incorporation of programs could also be used as an important part of a long-term assessment program. Success of these programs would be apparent as these girls entered high school and college and begin to themselves change the current trend of low female enrollment in science, engineering, and math. A component of a successful high school program could be to have these high school aged women serve as role models to the middle school aged girls. This type of role model or mentoring program would be beneficial to both the high school and middle school aged females. The high school women will be able to share their experiences while encouraging the younger girls to continue their interests. In addition, the high school females may learn more about their personal interests as they mentor and teach the middle school girls about what opportunities are available to them.

    A mentoring system such as this would also allow for a very dynamic long-term assessment program since it would be possible to use the internet to connect different females together. Various high school, middle school, and even elementary school programs could work together to create environments where all interested females could interact with each other, even it were not possible for them to participate in a local program or camp. It could also serve as a forum to continue discussions that this NSF Sponsored Workshop at Santa Clara raises, which would allow for further assessment of various programs.

    Conclusion: I believe it is extremely important to give young girls the opportunity to explore possibilities in the field of computer science. Computer science continues to be predominately male orientated. This, along with the lack of prominent female figures, causes many girls to not even consider it a future option. A chance to work with computers, discuss gender issues, and observe what women in this field are achieving will give these girls an opportunity they are unlikely to receive in their normal school environments. This project will be an important step in giving young girls equal opportunities in mathematics and the sciences. My exploration of the existing disparities in education has demonstrated the great need for action and inspired me to implement plans to narrow the inequalities experienced in technical fields.

    I think that the program I wish to start is very unique. Primarily, as an undergraduate starting such an endeavor at Harvey Mudd College, I can serve as a unique role model. My enthusiasm stems from the challenges that I encountered throughout my middle school and high school years, and then later as one of the few computer science majors at a primarily male engineering school. While I may not have the experience of already starting such a camp, I believe that my enthusiasm and plans for the middle school program will be an asset at the workshop. It will be helpful for me to hear about what type of programs are succeeding at the high school level. By exchanging my goals, experiences, and expectations with the high school programs, I believe we can gear each of our programs to help achieve the long-term goal of encouraging more young women to pursue higher education and careers in science, engineering, and mathematics.