The Westminster College Chemistry Club will host Colleen Smith for a presentation on "Why So Few? Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics" (STEM) Monday, March 28, at 11:40 a.m. in Hoyt Science Resources Center 152.  The program is free and open to the public.

The presentation will cover the results of the American Association of University Women's (AAUW) research report.  Smith, who is the outreach coordinator for the Pennsylvania State University Electro-Optics Center, is active in AAUW and shares her interest in the advancement of women in STEM fields.

The report addresses questions that include: "Do girls and boys have separate but equal intelligences that lead more boys to pursue STEM jobs?" and "If girls aren't quite as good with spatial skills, shouldn't they be eliminated from certain STEM endeavors?"

Westminster College ranks first in the nation as the "Best College for Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)," according to rankings by Forbes.com.  Forbes contrasted Westminster's rural setting in New Wilmington's Amish country with its national leadership role in producing exceptional female graduates in the STEM fields.

Westminster's math and computer science department is 50% female, while the national average is below 15%, according to a study done by the National Science Foundation. Forbes noted 36% of Westminster's 2008 graduating class received their degrees in STEM fields and unusually, more of those STEM graduates were women than men.

Contact Dr. Sarah Kennedy, Westminster graduate and assistant professor of chemistry, at (724) 946-7294 or email kennedsa@westminster.edu for additional information.

Natasha Kassim, 2010 Westminster graduate