Encouraging Women to Study Engineering
Determining what types of programs work best to recruit and retain women and minorities in engineering may now be easier, thanks to new assessment tools being developed by a team of representatives from seven educational institutions across the U.S.
A new program--called ADAPT, for "Database for Activity and Participant Tracking"--allows users to enter and collect data to coordinate student activities and direct recruitment and retention programs across campuses. ADAPT provides quick reports of participants by demographics, by activity, or by a combination of activities.
The program and other assessment tools are the result of a three-year effort by the "Assessing Women in Engineering" project supported by the National Science Foundation.
The new assessment tool will be available for free on the Assessing Women in Engineering Web site, www.engr.psu.edu/awe, along with tested and validated surveys, data collection templates, and national benchmarking and capacity-building tools.
Tech Camps for Teens
This year, more than 1,500 middle school girls are being urged to embrace math, science, and technology, and to take their places among the next generation of engineers, scientists, and future innovators at IBM EXITE camps.
At week-long camps in the U.S., Canada, Latin America, Europe, and the Asian Pacific, campers are taking part in a variety of engineering and science projects that underscore the impact that technology makes in everyday life.
In announcing the camps, Janet Perna, general manager, Information Management Solutions, IBM Software Group, emphasized that “Studies show that young girls enjoy math as much as boys, but by the eight grade, twice as many boys show interest in pursuing careers in science, engineering, and math. We’ve got to make young girls understand that a career in technology does not have to be dull or boring. It’s just the opposite. Technology and science-related careers offer opportunities to be creative, to become a leader, to give back to your community, and to establish financial independence.”
Since the program’s inception in 1999, more than 4,000 girls have participated in EXITE camps around the world.
Digital Mammography May Not Improve Breast Cancer Detection Rates
Digital mammography provides no clear-cut improvements over traditional film X-rays in the ability to detect cases of breast cancer, says a new technology assessment report. At best, the new technology is expected to offer incremental improvements in cancer detection rates. But that alone may be enough to spark a large-scale transition to the new technology, according to a study issued recently by the health research group ECRI.
Digital mammography systems cost at least three times as much as film systems, but they still have several advantages over traditional X-rays. In addition to reducing radiation, they also facilitate the use of computer-aided detection systems, and can be easily transmitted for second opinions. For these reasons, many health care professionals predict that screen-film mammography will eventually be replaced by digital mammography once it is proven that the image quality and diagnostic accuracy of both technologies are at least equivalent.
