A New Angle Reading Reaction #3

So much research, time and effort has led us to see the flaws in the education and institutions of science and technology in our society (not to single out scientific institutions because all institutions have there flaws). Women and people of color get lost in the STEM pipeline, engineering fields are designated male intellectual zones and Western methods of engineering education and practice dominate the field. Yes, we see the statistics and recognize the situation and are left wondering, "What now?"

However, there are pinpoints of light in the field of science, technology and society, because people are taking action to make a change. In the article, "Conclusions: Science, Technology and Multicultural Education," Hess examines practical ways to incorporate women and people of color into the institutions of science and technology. First Hess establishes that science and technology are not "socially" neutral forces impenetrable to change, but they can be affected and changed by the society which constructs them. Hess makes the point that "when the social body is diversified the content of science and technology changes as well as well as its communication and social structures." This belief opens up our minds to engage in different methods of doing engineering, or science. And if the model is "reconstructable" there is a way to include women and people of color instead of permitting their exclusion or trying to fit them into an already established mold.

One strategy is to incorporate social sciences and humanities with engineering. Is Hess saying, that we ought to construct classes in universities that combine engineering processes and learning with a broader multicultural perspective that also includes how science and technology affect society? Hmm what would be an appropriate title for a class such as this...perhaps Global Engineering? Yes! How exciting is it that our participation in this class allows us to engage in this new dialogue that includes engineering with a multicultural perspective?! It is true however that this class has a much stronger focus on societal implications of engineering than the engineering processes themselves, but still it is implementing the technique of incorporation.

In another article entitled, "A New Era," Loftus gives us an example of the Smith Picker Engineering Program that has embraced this multiculturalism and found that their presentation of engineering materials appeals to women. For example in a class entitled, "Continum Mechanics I" students study statistics and dynamics while including case studies such as the earthquake in Mexico in its historical and social context. The teacher explains that one learns better when the information is in context. And it appears that this learning style is much more appealing to women because it incorporates the interpersonal and relatable information that gives life to the stark presentation of math. Sue Rosser, dean of the liberal arts college of Georgia Institute of Technology, found that "research has shown that girls can solve an engineering problem as quickly as boys when it is embedded in a social context."

These techniques are a result of practical implementation of the information that has been gathering about women and people of color in STEM fields. First we have identified that it is possible to view science and technology through a new lens. Since science, technology and society influence one another, as society changes, the production of scientific and technical processes can change as well.