Spotlight on Digital Media And Learning

8.1.11 | You’ve probably heard by now that three girls swept the the inaugural Google Science Fair. In the weeks since the announcement, I’ve been struck by how writers around the web have put the girls’ accomplishments in a variety of intriguing contexts—allowing us to grasp both the inspirational significance of the moment and the responsibility to continue to break down barriers.

To briefly re-cap, the global competition, open to teens age 13-18, drew more 7,500 entries from 91 countries. Fifteen finalists (nine boys, six girls) were flown to Google headquarters, where the winners were announced July 11: 

• Lauren Hodge (Dallastown, Penn.) in the 13-14 age group. Lauren studied the effect of different marinades on the level of potentially harmful carcinogens in grilled chicken.
• Naomi Shah (Portland, Ore.) in the 15-16 age group. Naomi endeavored to prove that making changes to indoor environments that improve indoor air quality can reduce people’s reliance on asthma medications.
• Shree Bose (Fort Worth, Texas) in the 17-18 age group. Shree discovered a way to improve ovarian cancer treatment for patients when they have built up a resistance to certain chemotherapy drugs.

Bose, the Grand Prize winner, received a $50,000 scholarship, a trip to the Galápagos Islands and an internship at CERN (view her project submission here). Shah (project) and Hodge (project) each received $25,000 scholarships and internships at Google and LEGO. You can watch the final event on YouTube.

Vint Cerf, a Google Science Fair judge and the company’s chief internet evangelist told The New York Times that gender did not play a role in selecting the winners. Nonetheless, “I was secretly happy to see that happen,” he said, “because for ages men have dominated the science field, and in many cases women who have done excellent work have been ignored.”

That fact—and lingering stereotypes that girls are not as science- and tech-savvy as boys—is what sparked many congratulatory posts. As Jorge Rivas writes at Colorlines:

Compared to men, women are far less likely to work in the physical science and mathematics fields. They’ve often not been welcomed in the field, it was only five years ago the the president of Harvard University said that men outperform women in maths and sciences because of biological differences. It’s inspiring to see these young women going for what they believe in.

A Boston Globe editorial about the winners reminds readers of a 2010 report by the American Association of University Women that addresses the barriers blocking women’s participation and progress in STEM fields:

The challenges standing between a more equal state of affairs, as summarized by the paper, remain daunting: “social and environmental factors shaping girls’ achievements and interest in math and science; the college environment; and the continuing importance of bias, often operating at an unconscious level, as an obstacle to women’s success.’’

The Google winners weren’t held back by these obstacles—perhaps in part because many of them hadn’t yet entered the institutional settings where they’re most prevalent. But the example they set is an inspiration.

Veronica Arreola, who writes a science-themed blog for Girl w/ Pen, discusses the line she walks rooting for girls without seeming anti-boys. Her tweet on girls winning the Google Science Fair was widely re-tweeted with comments such as “Woohoo! Get it, girls!” “This news makes me so happy,” Who runs the world…”—but they weren’t a ding at the other sex:

For some of the women in my life who were talked out of science, told they can’t do math or all the above, headlines like this are validation that their third grade teacher was wrong, wrong, WRONG! And yes, for some of us, it is also just plain and simple celebrating that 39 years after Title IX, a mere two generations, we are witnessing what is truly an exhibit of girl power. Three young women unafraid of their brain power holding some pretty kick ass LEGO trophies.

All three winners started pursuing their curiosity and passions when they were very young and continued to do so with the active support of their parents. But it’s not just about giving girls the opportunity—it’s about creating a culture that values women in STEM fields. And that’s where it gets more complicated.

Several recent articles I’ve read address how popular culture devalues women’s abilities and even presence in scientific fields. In a recent New Yorker article on Silicon Valley’s male-dominated culture, Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer (and Google’s former vice-president for global online sales and operations), comes face-to-face with the marginalization of women in science during a conversation with her son:

Sandberg says that the impact of popular culture struck her when her son was playing a Star Wars game. “When I grow up, I want to live in space and be a Star Wars person as a job,” he told his mother.

“I’d like to come, too,” she responded, “because I always want to live near you.”

“You can’t come,” he said. “I’ve already invited my sister, and there’s only one girl in space.”

At first, Sandberg laughed. And then it dawned on her that “there is only one woman in these movies.”

The article, by Ken Auletta, includes a number of startling statistics and anecdotes that we’ll cover in more depth later on this week. Meanwhile, at the USA Science and Engineering Festival blog, festival organizer Larry Bock calls on the media to spend less time analyzing Kate Middleton’s designer wardrobe and more time introducing kids “to some of the most inspiring and committed heroes and role models today: scientists and engineers.”

While that might not happen, it’s never too early to start thinking about next year’s Google Science Fair. If you know a teenager who might be interested, encourage her or him to sign up for updates here.