Women In Science
Josephine M. Cheng
IBM Fellow and Vice President
IBM Research – Almaden
Today, women make up over one-half of the educated workforce. It can be argued that the number of women in science and engineering fields is significantly lower. But things are changing. Women in science are and have been great contributors to the industry – and we can only expect to see more of this in the years to come. To put it into perspective, women pursuing advanced degrees in computer science is a relatively new concept; something that just started about 30 years ago. At that time about 9% of women in academic science and engineering fields graduated with a doctorate in computer science. Today, that percentage has risen to 21%. Women obtaining doctorate degrees in physical sciences and math have also seen a steady increase over the past 20-30 years, at a slow but steady 25% rise.
While I believe we should all be proactive in galvanizing an interest in the field of sciences among younger generations of girls and women, I’m happy to have seen some noteworthy (and encouraging) shifts in career trends. Of the women that are in technical careers, the percentage of them in academia is showing a decline relative to an almost equal incline in those joining the business/industry sector. And today, these women are making a solid impact. I lead a research lab in San Jose that is home to some of the top female engineers in the world. This past year, 2 of IBM’s women researchers were honored as IBM Fellows (to join 11 existing females in this prestigious category, including myself!). These women are some of the top female technical leaders in the world. The esteemed IBM Fellow honor is rare and highly coveted, even among men.
And these leaders are in good company. Many of IBM’s eminent researchers are female – and they are credited with driving projects that are helping solve the world’s problems: safer drinking water and beach conditions, cloud computing for smarter energy consumption, photovoltaic energy systems, petaflop data storage breakthroughs, Web 2.0 technology, and more. The contributions of female scientists and engineers are unprecedented. It’s clear that there is a positive upswing in women’s accomplishments and the future of women in science.
There are numerous science and engineering organizations that aim to reach young girls and foster interest in the field, offer inspiration, and provide guidance and motivation. Each year, our own Girl’s Technology Camp is host to approximately 30 girls from local elementary and middle schools who wow us with their talent, skill, and passion. It’s this type of proactive community outreach that really brings us satisfaction at the end of the day. Helping promote ideas around science and technology and seeing the girls excel helps solidify the fact that there is a promising future for our female technical community.
Women have made leaps and bounds in the technical industries – innovation and discovery are found on every corner of the globe. Let’s continue to position science and technology as attractive academic choices as well as lucrative career paths.
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Josephine M. Cheng, BASIC Board Director
IBM Fellow and Vice President
IBM Research – Almaden
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