姑娘們，別躲著工程學

????我們對美國下一代的女性究竟抱有什么樣的期望？謝麗爾?桑德博格認為，我們的期望并不高?！拔覀儾⒉淮蛩阕屌冇邢衲泻⒁话愕囊靶??！?幾周前，這位Facebook首席運營官在達沃斯世界經濟論壇（World Economic Forum）說?！吧蟼€月，【金寶貝（Gymboree，世界著名早教品牌——譯注）】銷售了一批T恤，男孩T恤上印著‘像父親一樣聰明’，女孩則印著‘像母親一樣美麗’。這事不是發生在1951年！而是就在上個月?！?/p>

????為了打破這些根深蒂固的觀念，美國工程師周基金會（National Engineer Week Foundation）發起了一項活動，將2月23日定為“向女孩介紹工程師”活動日，旨在向她們展示未來的工程師之路。為什么是女孩而不是婦女？英特爾（Intel）資深組件設計工程師兼技術經理艾琳?韋克菲爾德認為，我們必須要讓女孩們在中學階段就開始對工程產生興趣?！叭绻齻儾荒茉谏倌陼r期就萌生對工程的興趣，等她們長大就來不及了?！?/p>

????平心而論，與過去相比，現在越來越多的女性正在涉足工程技術領域。根據勞動統計局（the Bureau of Labor Statistics）的數字，1983年，美國女性工程師的比例僅為5.8%。時光飛逝，26年之后，即2006年，這一比例已經上升至10.7%。到了2009年，計算機軟件工程師和化學工程師中的女性比例分別達到20.2%和18.4%，而在技術經理和機械工程師中的這一比例也達到了8.1%和5.9%。所以我們確實取得了一些進展，但這些還不夠?，F在的問題是，為什么女性將從事工程技術工作視為“災難”？（要知道，在一項“睡眠最充足職業”的調查中，工程師一職赫然上榜。）

????英特爾基金會（the Intel Foundation）常務董事溫迪?霍金斯的看法和和韋克菲爾德一樣，她也認為問題的關鍵在于，讓這些女孩在成長的適當階段產生興趣?！爸袑W階段是關鍵的決策形成期。孩子們接受了足夠的教育，終于可以自己決定課程規劃。令人興奮、有吸引力的工作會吸引他們?！?/p>

????為了推動面向年輕女性的工程教育，同時提高她們對工程領域的認識，英特爾已經與多家機構展開了合作，包括半導體研究公司（SRC）的“本科生研究機會項目”（Undergraduate Research Opportunities）和“工程基礎項目”（Engineering is Elementary），以及女性工程師協會（Society of Women Engineers）等組織。英特爾基金同時還啟動了“英特爾科學天才研究項目”（Intel Science Talent Research），這是一項面向大學學前階段的科技競賽。（2011年的亞軍是年僅17歲的米歇爾?哈克曼。）但霍金斯坦承目前的努力仍然不夠。她說：“總體而言，目前對女性和工程學的關注很多。不過我們很難長期投資、維持某個項目，最終達到扭轉觀念的目的?！卑凑栈艚鹚沟恼f法，在英特爾基金的投資中，僅有20%最終用于培養女學生和少數族裔學生對工程的興趣。

????現在是不是該輪到各大公司挺身而出了？霍金斯稱：“高新科技領域的絕大部分公司都很重視這件事。這是他們永恒的話題?！辈贿^霍金斯好像認為這些努力有些偏離了方向?！拔覀儽仨氷P注女孩，關注年輕女性。我們必須要讓更多的年輕女性去接觸工程領域的成年人。這真是她們想要的全部生活嗎？（女孩）需要更多的機會去創造、設計和制作一些東西?！?/p>

????對于韋克菲爾德而言，就是這樣的結合，才讓她產生了對工程的興趣。前輩們的榜樣示范作用在韋克菲爾德形成職業規劃時起到了關鍵作用，尤其是在她小時候。她說：“我父親是計算機工程師。他是個技術狂人。和他在一起，我覺得自己從事計算機領域的工作完全是自然而然的事。我表姐史黛西比我大15歲，是位機械工程師。我認為她是一位迷人的職業女性，她收入很高，經常去旅行而且打扮得也很漂亮?！?/p>

????What do we expect from our next generation of American women? Not a whole lot, says Sheryl Sandberg. "We don't raise our daughters to be as ambitious as our sons," the Facebook COO said several weeks ago at the World Economic Forum. "Last month, there were t-shirts sold [at Gymboree] that said 'Smart like Daddy' for the boys and 'Pretty like Mommy.' Not in 1951. Last month."

????In an effort to tackle some of these ingrained assumptions, today marks Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day, an initiative launched by the National Engineer Week Foundation, which aims to promote this career path to young women. Why girls rather than women? Erin Wakefield, a senior component design engineer and engineering manager at Intel (INTC), believes we've got to get girls interested at the middle school level. "When they don't get interested in engineering at a young age, it's almost too late."

????To be fair, more women are entering the engineering world today than in years past. In 1983, only 5.8% of engineers in the U.S. were women, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Fast-forward 26 years to 2006, and 10.7% of engineers were women. And women made up 20.2% of computer software engineers, 18.4% of chemical engineers, 8.1% of engineering managers, and just 5.9% of mechanical engineers as of 2009. So we've made progress, but not much. So, then, why are women treating engineering like it's the Plague (especially when it's one of the most well-rested professions around)?

????Much like Wakefield, Wendy Hawkins, executive director at the Intel Foundation, thinks it comes down to making an appeal to girls at the right time in their lives. "Middle school is a crucial decision-making time. Kids finally have the education to make their own class schedule choices, and exciting and engaging work appeals tothem."

????Intel has teamed up with programs like the SRC Undergraduate Research Opportunities (SRC-URO) and Engineering is Elementary (EIE), as well as networks like the Society of Women Engineers to promote engineering education and awareness among young women. The Intel Foundation also created the Intel Science Talent Research, a pre-college science competition. (The 2011 runner-up was 17-year old Michelle Hackman.) But Hawkins admits these efforts are modest. "Overall, there's a lot of attention toward women and engineering. But it's difficult to invest and maintain a program long enough to bring about change," she says. Just 20% of the Intel Foundation's investments are reserved for fostering engagement in women and minority students, according to Hawkins.

????Is it time for companies to step up? "Most companies in the high-tech industry have efforts focused in this direction; it's a constant topic of conversation," says Hawkins. But she seems to think the focus is off. "We need to focus on girls, on young people. We need to put more young women in contact with adults in engineering. Is this the life, the whole package that they want? [Girls] need more opportunities to create, design, to make something."

????For Wakefield, it was just that combination that got her interested in engineering. Role models played a major role in shaping her career path,especially at a young age. "My dad worked in computer science. He was a tech dork. With him, it was never weird that I was a girl working on computer things," she says. "And my cousin Stacy was about 15-years older than me. She was a mechanical engineer, and I saw her as glamorous corporate woman, often traveling to cool places with lots of money and she always dressed nice."