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A new attitude toward science Mail Tribune / Drew Fleming Jennifer Cummings, a biology-chemistry major, is one of the Southern Oregon University students who has administrators pleasantly surprised with the strong science enrollment by women. This year, 21 of 24 expected chemistry graduates are female. Chemistry professor pleasantly surprised By Sara Murphy ASHLAND � Compared to most colleges, Southern Oregon University�s chemistry program has a chemical imbalance. About 61 percent of SOU�s declared chemistry majors � and 83 percent of the students expected to graduate with a chemistry degree this year � are women. Even for a girls-can-do-science generation, those numbers are surprising: Chemistry is still one of the state�s most male-dominated disciplines. Popular majors The most popular majors for men and for women in the Oregon university system; the numbers in parentheses are the overall ranking for all students. Note: some categories are ties. Men�s Top 10 Business management/administration (2) Social science and history (1) Engineering (8) Biological sciences (7) Visual and performing arts (5) English (6) Psychology Interdisciplinary studies (8) Computer science (n.a.) Conservation (n.a.) Women�s Top 10 Social science and history (1) Business management/administration (2) Psychology (3) Health (4) Visual and performing arts (5) English (6) Education (10) tie) Foreign language (n.a.) Interdisciplinary studies (8) Biological sciences (7) Source: Oregon University System, 1997-98 numbers "It�s a wonderful sign of progress," says chemistry professor Lynn Kirms. "Girls are getting it, and that�s a good thing." In the 1997-98 school year, men received about 72 percent of Oregon�s undergraduate chemistry degrees. That year, only two disciplines in the Oregon University System were more male-dominated than the physical sciences: engineering (88 percent male) and computer science (84 percent male). Women, meanwhile, far outnumbered men in the areas of home economics, health professions and psychology. "When women go into science, they tend to go into something softer than chemistry, such as biology," says chemistry professor Laura Hughes. That�s true statewide. Women received slightly less than half the biological science degrees handed out in 1997-98. It�s also true at SOU, where 59 percent of the student body this fall is female. Women make up 62 percent of SOU�s declared biology majors. However, the physical sciences at SOU � with the exception of chemistry � remain mostly male. Men account for about 72 percent of declared geology and physics majors. So what is it about the chemistry at SOU that women find appealing? Well, like most scientists, the student chemists know better than to give out definitive answers without thorough research. They are, however, readily willing to hypothesize. "This is a small sample size, so it might just be a fluke," says chemistry major Rhiannon Penkert. That�s similar to what Professor Hughes thought when she first heard that 20 of the 24 students expected chemistry degrees this year would go to women. While this year�s high numbers may be a fluke, the overall trend may not be. "Looking at our classes coming up, it still looks like we�ll have a higher percentage of women than men," Hughes says. Over the past 15 years, about 40 percent of SOU�s chemistry graduates have been women. About 61 percent of the declared majors are female. Hughes and Kirms, the department�s two female professors, say it�s not their influence as role models that�s prompting more women to conquer chemistry. Rather, they say, it�s the attitude of the department. "In general, our entire chemistry department tries hard to provide a welcoming and supportive environment," Hughes says. "This isn�t just for the women, or even for the majors, but all the students who take our classes." The department�s eight professors have an unofficial open-door policy and try to make themselves available to students, Hughes says. "As a woman, I find that attitude attractive," she notes. Students agree. They say the professors are demanding, but friendly and inviting. Another factor, the students say, is that they�ve been taught not to be afraid of science. "Ever since we were in middle school, our generation heard, �You can do science,� " says Laura Olson, co-president of the Dead Pyros chemistry club. "I was over-pushed," adds student Amy Pearson. "Like, �You can do anything � go into science.� " Regardless of their reasons for interest in the field, the students say they were probably influenced by having so many other women in the major. "When there�s women already there, it�s easier to come in," says Kelly Houston, who speculates that women like to travel in packs. "Like how we go to the bathroom together," she says. Department chair Bob Bleasdell says the students may be on the right track. "I think they hit it," he says. "Once you get the nucleus (of women) there, it attracts others. "It�s nice that everybody feels welcome," he adds. "That�s great." Some areas still show unequal enrollments Most disciplines in the Oregon University System see a roughly equal number of male and female students. Some, however, are dominated by one or the other. Here�s the breakdown on Oregon�s most gender-dominated disciplines (based on 1997-98 undergraduate degrees): Top 5 male-dominated disciplines: Engineering (88 percent male) Engineering-related technologies (88 percent) Computer Science (84 percent) Physical Sciences (77 percent) Math (69 percent) Top 5 female-dominated disciplines: Home Economics (90 percent female) Health Professions (77 percent) Psychology (71 percent) Foreign Languages (70 percent) Education (68 percent) Gender benders In 1997-98, most science degrees went to men in the Oregon University System. At SOU, however, female majors now dominate two science departments. Here�s a look at how SOU stacks up to the state: Biology: SOU, 62 percent female; OUS, 48 percent female. Chemistry: SOU, 61 percent female; OUS, 28 percent female. Geology: SOU, 28 percent female; OUS, 30 percent female. Physics: SOU , 27 percent female; OUS, 23 percent female. Source: Oregon University System Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.