LMU’s Seaver College of Science and Engineering reaches record-breaking number of female students
LOS ANGELES, September 6, 2007 - Loyola Marymount University’s efforts to attract and retain female students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) majors are paying off. According to national statistics, women make up only 25 percent of the STEM workforce. But those findings may change in the future if LMU’s recent experience is reflective of nationwide trends. Today, 432 students, or more than 52 percent of those enrolled in LMU’s Frank R. Seaver College of Science and Engineering, are women. In addition, about 30 percent self-identify themselves as Hispanic or African American.
"More women are studying science as a result of LMU’s extensive outreach efforts,” said Richard G. Plumb, dean of the Seaver college. Programs such as the Science and Engineering Community Outreach Program (SECOP) and Technology Goddess are changing the gender ratio in the Seaver College of Science and Engineering.
SECOP is a pre-college program that brings some 30 underrepresented low-income minority high school students to LMU for a two-week residential “boot camp” to improve their STEM skills. The students experience campus life and are mentored by LMU students science and engineering undergraduates as well as the professors. It also provides students with important information about the SATs, college admission and scholarships. SECOP gives high school students the opportunity to have fun and learn what it is like to go to college.
“This program is unique because we reach out to kids who have little access to information about careers in science and engineering,” says Barbara Christie, director of SECOP. “The results are amazing. The students realize that being strong in math and science can lead to lucrative and rewarding careers in engineering, biomedical research or a health-related field.”
Making girls aware of the range of science and engineering careers in society attracts more women to STEM careers. One of the most effective ways to help young women choose and sustain a STEM educational path and subsequent STEM career is mentoring, according to the National Science Foundation.
LMU has also partnered to support “Technology Goddess,” an outreach program developed by Microsoft Corporation that is designed to encourage and educate young women about career opportunities in the technology fields.
Recently, Ramona Wright, LMU assistant director of alumni relations, spoke to 40 girls about exploring STEM careers. She offered advice about making effective decisions, and she encouraged the girls to follow seven “keys” to becoming a successful “Tech Goddess.”
“The seven keys to becoming a successful ‘Tech Goddess’ are educating yourself, following your passion, being proactive, acting with integrity, learning to collaborate, identifying positive mentors and loving yourself,” Wright said.
About Loyola Marymount University
Located between the Pacific Ocean and downtown Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount University is a Catholic University offering a wide variety of undergraduate and graduate degrees. Founded in 1911, LMU is the largest Catholic university in Southern California with nearly 5,500 undergraduate students and more than 3,000 graduate and law students. Students can choose from more than 80 majors and programs in four colleges. The university emphasizes the Jesuit and Marymount educational traditions: education of the whole person – mind, body and spirit – as well as the values of ethics and social justice.
For more LMU news, please visit www.lmu.edu/news
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