In his Phys-L post of 14 Oct 2002 00:10:41-0700 on this thread,
Bernard Cleyet wrote: "Have you read Pythagoras' Trousers?"
My pleas (Hake 2002) for more adequate referencing on discussion list
posts [consistent with Pea's (1999) wild idea that discussion lists
might actually contribute to improving education research and
practice rather than just serving as electronic pubs for exchanging
opinions and tidbits of information] has evidently fallen mostly on
deaf ears (or should I say "bleary eyes").
The Cleyet reference is (Wertheim 1997). See the interesting
commentary by condensed-matter physicist Markowitz (2000).
Likewise in his Phys-L message of 13 Oct 2002 17:18:53-0700 on this
thread, Larry Woolf wrote:
"I just presented some workshops at an Expanding Your Horizons . . .
(Math/Science Network. 2002) . . . conference, aimed at increasing
science awareness for middle school females:
<http://www.expandingyourhorizons.org/>
<http://www.sdsa.org/EYH/>. At that conference, we were told about
the following excellent resource for encouraging women to consider
science and engineering:
This is the National Academy's "Celebration of Women in Engineering:
A site for Parents, Teachers, and Engineers, and others interested in
helping girls (sic) discover the opportunities of engineering
careers" at the "Celebration of Women Engineering" site
[<http://www.nae.edu/nae/cwe/cwemain.nsf> / "Parents, Teachers, and
Mentors" where "/" means "click on"].
However, we do have many closely related National Academy references,
such as those listed below. Also, for those interested in women in
engineering, a key-word search of Mallow & Hake (2002) for
"engineering" (use the pdf's binocular icon) will turn up many
worthwhile references.
Math/Science Network. 2002. Online at <http://www.eyhnet.org/>.
"Expanding Your Horizons in Science and Mathematics" conferences are
designed to nurture girls' interest in science and math courses and
to encourage them to consider science and math based career options
such as engineering, computer science, and biometrics. The
Math/Science Network created the first EYH conference at Mills
College in Oakland, California, in 1976.
Markowitz, D. 2000. "My Opinion - Others May Differ: Who Wears
Pythagoras' Trousers?" "APS News," March; online (for APS members) at
< http://www.aps.org/apsnews/0300/030008.html > : The book is
"Pythagoras' Trousers: God, Physics, and the Gender Wars". . . .
(Werthheim 1997). . . The title reminds us that Pythagoras and his
followers combined natural and supernatural studies. They originated
the idea God is a mathematician, an idea that still has currency. The
author covers much of the history of Western science, religion, and
society, and she does so with a deft hand. Her main points are that
women have been deliberately excluded from the highest callings of
the mind, encompassing both science and religion, and that the
persistence of this situation bodes ill for science, for society, and
for women. In the introductory chapter Wertheim zooms in on the most
egregious religion and the most offending science by saying: 'Physics
is thus the Catholic Church of science'. . . .' A good deal of
Wertheim's argument is that male physics and female physics are
different, and, being different, it would be beneficial to have both.
It is a yin/yang kind of thing. BUT IS IT SO?" (My CAPS.)
NAP. 1986. National Academy Press. "Computer Chips and Paper Clips:
Technology and Women's Employment," Volume I; online at
<http://www.nap.edu/catalog/924.html>.
NAP. 1987. National Academy Press. "Computer Chips and Paper Clips:
Technology and Women's Employment," Volume II: Case Studies and
Policy Perspectives; online at <http://www.nap.edu/catalog/951.html>.
NAP. 1991. National Academy Press Women in Science and Engineering:
Increasing Their Numbers in the 1990s: A Statement on Policy and
Strategy; online at <http://www.nap.edu/catalog/1878.html>.
NAP. 1994. National Academy Press, "Women Scientists and Engineers
Employed in Industry: Why So Few?"; online at
<http://www.nap.edu/catalog/2264.html>.
*NAP. 1997. National Academy Press, "Adviser, Teacher, Role Model,
Friend: On Being a Mentor to Students in Science and Engineering";
online at
<http://www.nap.edu/catalog/5789.html>.
NAP. 2000. National Academy Press. Committee on Women in Science and
Engineering. "Who Will Do the Science of the Future? A Symposium on
Careers of Women in Science National Academy Press"; online at
<http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10008.html>. See especially the
contributions by Lederman (2000), Georgi (2000c), and Dresselhaus
(2000) to this symposium. [See Mallow & Hake (2002) for the
references.]
Pea, R. 1999. "New Media Communications Forums for Improving
Education Research and Practice," in E. C. Lagemann and L.S. Shulman
(eds.) "Issues In Education Research" (Jossey-Bass, 1999); on the web
at <http://www.sri.com/policy/ctl/html/context5.html>.
Wertheim, W. 1997. "Pythagoras' Trousers: God, Physics, and the
Gender Wars." W.W. Norton.
This posting is the position of the writer, not that of SUNY-BSC, NAU or the AAPT.