Keynote: Keynote: Sally Ride
From Anita Borg Institute Wiki
Notes by Moya Watson
She was the first US woman in space, but says nowadays it's common to have at least one female astronaut in the crew - if not 2 or 3 out of a crew of 5-7. She showed beautiful pictures of the earth from space, highlighting detailed features, pointing out the thin atmosphere, and showing off a sunset from space.
Her real concern now is the decline in numbers of female engineers. "The more smart people you have to solve a problem, the better solution you're going to get."
"The problem starts before college" - but "The truth is that girls and boys start their education with equal interest and ability in math and science." Of 4-year-olds, 68% of boys and 66% of girls report that they like science. Both lose ground in middle school, but girls faster than boys. The role of social pressures and societal stereotypes steps in.
Negative societal influences include:
- Lingering stereotypes
- Peer pressure / pressure to fit in
What's needed:
- Support
- Role models
- Encouragement
She's taking hiatus from UCSD to found Sally Ride Science, which aims to encourage kids, especially girls, to go into science: "We expect this to work." "Don't underestimate the influence you can have on girls."
During the Q&A session, question from the "youngest attendee" at the conference: "How do you start the shuttle?" She explained the automated process and then how the computer actually allows sparks to ignite the fuel at zero on the countdown.
"Weightlessness is fun," she told us!
Future trend that CS/engineers can participate in: the interplanetary internet, needed to get huge streams of data back.