Over time, millions of acres of land have been transformed into bustling cities through the science of engineering. How was this possible? What made us capable, and who exactly created our modern society? However, we have not yet reached our full potential as a society, and this is accounted for by one simple reason: discrimination against women.

Women have constantly faced discrimination throughout history and still do to this day. This results in potential contributions to society being lost, notably to the scientific field. Through the process of STEM—science, technology, engineering and math—society has been able to thrive like never before. Yet as a male-dominated society, the significant contributions made by women are sometimes forgotten or made impossible altogether. 

Examples of notable women that made great contributions to STEM include Emily Warren Robeling, who stepped up for her sick husband as chief engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge, and Kathrine Johnson, a mathematician for NASA who did great, though undervalued, work with orbital mechanics. Since there is a growing realization that it’s not just men that have made important achievements in these areas, women are being more and more encouraged to join the scientific field. However, what exactly are the benefits of having women’s minds represented in STEM, and how has this affected our own STEM engineering program here at Dublin High?

The Principles of Engineering class at Dublin High consists of about 20% women and 80% men. However, this doesn’t mean the effect of having more girls as part of the science hasn’t been noticed. Dr. Schick, an educator of POE at Dublin High, has taken into account the different ways girls approach engineering compared to boys. 

“Girls in class tend to have a more user-friendly approach, so they thoroughly consider the user’s needs whereas the boys are more of the structural thinker.” Dr. Schick continues to show his appreciation for the girls in his class, stating, “I enjoy seeing that mix in the classroom. We definitely need more women in the classroom for a mixed perspective.” 

Not only teachers are realizing the importance of women’s perspectives in the classroom, though. One student of STEM, Tanisha Mandalia, also had opinions to share with us about female student engineers. 

“Making connections in this class is great, and the projects are a lot of fun!” Tanisha says. “Everyone has a different perspective, and it’s important to involve women in the discussion.” 

Even though it’s only recently that women have been more encouraged to join scientific fields, there is so much more we can do to inspire young women to contribute to science and the unique benefits that would come from it. 

It is important to recognize how far we’ve come with our women in science; however, it is equally important to recognize that we still have a long way to go. By encouraging women to pursue science, we change perspective in the classroom now, and in the world later. Having men in this workforce is, of course, not any less important, but it’s critical that we have balanced involvement in the scientific field, for balanced results—and that can start right here at Dublin High School. 

Bibliography: 

History. Com, Published 2024: https://www.history.com/news/brooklyn-bridge-emily-roebling# 

Nasa.gov Published 2016: https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/langley/katherine-johnson-biography/