The Des Moines Register – Robert T. Fraley
“Right now, high school seniors across Iowa and the country are completing applications for colleges and universities. How many of them are pursuing STEM-related areas of study? How many of those interested are young women? The most popular field of study for all students is business administration followed by psychology. Top degrees for women are business, education and social work not science, technology, engineering, math. The STEM-related needs of the 21st century are profound. To meet these future challenges requires marshaling all the great minds we can muster and encouraging them to pursue education and career paths in STEM-related fields. This is especially true for women who are underrepresented in these fields. Iowa Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds understands this. She and I were on a panel called “Empowering Women and Girls through STEM Education” in October at the World Food Prize event in Des Moines. Lt. Governor Reynolds co-chairs the Governor’s STEM Advisory Council in Iowa, created to increase student interest and achievement in STEM and to promote economic development in the state. It is imperative that we support initiatives like this and create new ones. While female enrollment in STEM programs is up at Iowa’s major universities, it is only a good start.”(more)