Attracting Females to STEM/FIRST

[Melissa McBrien]

I'm a woman in an aggressively all-male field (surgery) and the key for me was mentors. They were all men, but starting with my dad, through my calculus teacher in high school, through to my surgical preceptors, they were my support and sounding board. I have watched our male programming mentor walk one girl after another through programming autonomous, and it is inspiring to watch their confidence grow. Many ultimately choose to work on other aspects of the team, but he is often their gateway. He has a friendly, non-judgemental manner, and they aren't afraid of making a mistake or asking "dumb" questions.

Teen girls tend to be more concerned about the social situation and to be more deferential to others.

This is key. Girls may require a little pushing to speak up and take charge. Once they do, their comfort level with the team will increase exponentially. I remember sitting at rounds in the ICU while the attending physician questioned the team about a patient's condition. I knew all the answers but would whisper them to a resident who I was comfortable with. He finally told me to shout 'em out myself, and I figured out that I wasn't going to die from speaking in public, and that I actually did know something.

Don't teach students that we need a balance of minorities, teach them that we need a balance of skills.

Absolutely. I earned my education and my career - it wasn't given to me because "they needed a woman for that job". No one wants to have their efforts cheapened by that attitude.

And - as you get more girls moving forward into STEM careers, more will follow. It has happened in my field, as incoming medical students see more females in surgical specialities.