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STEP UP: Engaging Students in Discussion of the Underrepresentation of Women in Physics

ORAL

Abstract

Efforts to increase the representation of women in physics need to include a focus on high school students and thus need to engage high school physics teachers. High school is often the first and last time that a student takes a physics class. Fortunately, nearly half of high school physics students are young women. STEP UP is a national community with the goal of inspiring young women to pursue physics in college. We have created two lessons for high school teachers to implement: Women in Physics and Careers in Physics. This talk focuses on the Women in Physics lesson which explores the underrepresentation of women in physics and the role of implicit bias and cultural stereotypes. Students complete an assignment prior to the class discussion in which they reflect on the experience of women in physics. Classroom discussion is built around an interactive presentation on the underrepresentation of women in physics today and its causes. The presentation is designed to elicit students' personal experiences. Following the class discussion, students write an essay about how they perceive society's influence on women's career decisions and on their own individual career choices. We analyzed student work to examine the impact of the lesson on students’ views.

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Authors

  • Robynne Lock

    Texas A&M University - Commerce, Texas A&M University–Commerce

  • Chao Ma

    University of Texas at Arlington, Florida International University, Texas A&M University-Commerce, Texas A&M University–Commerce, University of Houston Downtown, Texas A\&M University, Carnegie Mellon University, Department of Physics, MSEC, Texas State University, Ingram School of Engineering, MSEC, Texas State University, MSEC, Texas State University, Ingram School of Engineering, Texas State University, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC 27707, USA, Department of Electrical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA, Texas Tech University, Texas A&M University, University of San Francisco, University of Wuppertal, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Houston, University of Texas at Dallas, Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics and Astronomy, Texas A & M University, Center for Neutrino Physics, Department of Physics Virginia Tech, None, Department of Physics, University of Texas at Dallas, Department of Electrical Engineering, Yale University

  • Chao Ma

    University of Texas at Arlington, Florida International University, Texas A&M University-Commerce, Texas A&M University–Commerce, University of Houston Downtown, Texas A\&M University, Carnegie Mellon University, Department of Physics, MSEC, Texas State University, Ingram School of Engineering, MSEC, Texas State University, MSEC, Texas State University, Ingram School of Engineering, Texas State University, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC 27707, USA, Department of Electrical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA, Texas Tech University, Texas A&M University, University of San Francisco, University of Wuppertal, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Houston, University of Texas at Dallas, Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics and Astronomy, Texas A & M University, Center for Neutrino Physics, Department of Physics Virginia Tech, None, Department of Physics, University of Texas at Dallas, Department of Electrical Engineering, Yale University

  • Chao Ma

    University of Texas at Arlington, Florida International University, Texas A&M University-Commerce, Texas A&M University–Commerce, University of Houston Downtown, Texas A\&M University, Carnegie Mellon University, Department of Physics, MSEC, Texas State University, Ingram School of Engineering, MSEC, Texas State University, MSEC, Texas State University, Ingram School of Engineering, Texas State University, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC 27707, USA, Department of Electrical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA, Texas Tech University, Texas A&M University, University of San Francisco, University of Wuppertal, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Houston, University of Texas at Dallas, Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics and Astronomy, Texas A & M University, Center for Neutrino Physics, Department of Physics Virginia Tech, None, Department of Physics, University of Texas at Dallas, Department of Electrical Engineering, Yale University

  • Chao Ma

    University of Texas at Arlington, Florida International University, Texas A&M University-Commerce, Texas A&M University–Commerce, University of Houston Downtown, Texas A\&M University, Carnegie Mellon University, Department of Physics, MSEC, Texas State University, Ingram School of Engineering, MSEC, Texas State University, MSEC, Texas State University, Ingram School of Engineering, Texas State University, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC 27707, USA, Department of Electrical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA, Texas Tech University, Texas A&M University, University of San Francisco, University of Wuppertal, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Houston, University of Texas at Dallas, Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics and Astronomy, Texas A & M University, Center for Neutrino Physics, Department of Physics Virginia Tech, None, Department of Physics, University of Texas at Dallas, Department of Electrical Engineering, Yale University