William Atkins
Sunday, 09 November 2008 21:17
Science -
Biology
Page 2 of 4
The research team, led by Dr. Mertz, studied high school competitions in math, such as the
William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition and the
International Mathematical Olympiad.
(I bet many of you had not even heard of these math competitions!)
(No doubt the latest Hollywood scandal, the gossip around the neighborhood, or the score of one of your favorite professional sports teams garner more interest in most families than mathematics and the sciences.)
(This is a very sad commentary on what Americans feel is important in our country!)
The researchers found that girls were under-represented on ALL country’s teams within these math competitions. In the United States, its team did not even have a girl on its team in some years.
(No doubt plenty of girls were participating in the various beauty contests held around the country!)
Mertz states,
“It’s not that girls don’t have the intrinsic aptitude to excel at this level, but that something’s happening in the U.S. to inhibit it.” [Science News: “The numbers rarely add up for girls”, November 8, 2008, page 10]
She adds,
“They [U.S. society]
still believe this myth that girls can’t excel at math.” [Science News]
The Mertz led study states,
“Girls and boys with mathematical ability, whether profound, gifted, or merely above average, should be identified and encouraged to study mathematics beyond the high school level so they may pursue careers in STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics]
fields because these jobs are plentiful, well-paying, challenging, interesting, and beneficial to society.”
Page three continues this statement by Dr. Mertz.
