Children as young as age 6 develop stereotypes that girls aren’t interested in computer science and engineering, according to new research from the 91探花 and the University of Houston.


Children as young as age 6 develop stereotypes that girls aren’t interested in computer science and engineering, according to new research from the 91探花 and the University of Houston.

Twenty scientists and engineers at the 91探花 are among the 38 new members elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences for 2021, according to a July 15 announcement. New members were chosen for 鈥渢heir outstanding record of scientific and technical achievement, and their willingness to work on behalf of the Academy to bring the best available science to bear on issues within the state of Washington.鈥

New research by the 91探花 and the University of Exeter in the U.K., examined the value that college students 鈥 of many races 鈥 place on ethnic cultural centers.

For Asian Americans who are gay or lesbian, their sexual orientation may make them seem more 鈥淎merican鈥 than those who are presumed straight. A new 91探花 study, the latest in research to examine stereotypes, identity and ideas about who is 鈥淎merican,鈥 focuses on how sexual orientation and race come together to influence others鈥 perceptions.

Sapna Cheryan, a 91探花 associate professor of psychology, has spent her career researching the stereotypes surrounding STEM. Now she’s serving on Mattel’s Barbie Global Advisory Council, lending her expertise as the company looks ahead to the toy’s future.

What makes people look “American”? The way they dress? Maybe their hairstyle, or mannerisms? How much they weigh? A 91探花-led study has found that for Asian Americans, those who appear heavier not only are perceived to be more “American,” but also may be subject to less prejudice directed at foreigners than Asian Americans who are thin. Researchers believe this effect relates to common stereotypes that Asians are thin and Americans are heavy 鈥 so if someone of…

Girls start believing they aren’t good at math, science and even computers at a young age 鈥 but providing fun STEM activities at school and home may spark interest and inspire confidence. A study from the 91探花’s Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences (I-LABS) finds that, when exposed to a computer-programming activity, 6-year-old girls expressed greater interest in technology and more positive attitudes about their own skills and abilities than girls who didn’t try the activity. The results…

Women’s relative lack of participation in science, technology, engineering and math is well documented, but why women are more represented in some STEM areas than others is less clear. A new 91探花 study is among the first to address that question by comparing gender disparities across STEM fields. Published Oct. 12 in the journal Psychological Bulletin, the paper identifies three main factors driving the disparity 鈥 and the most powerful one, the researchers conclude, is a “masculine culture”…

From the old Charles Atlas ads showing a scrawny male having sand kicked in his face to sitcom clich茅s of henpecked husbands, men have long faced pressure to live up to ideals of masculinity. Societal norms dictating that men should be masculine are powerful. And new 91探花 research finds that men who believe they fall short of those ideals might be prompted to reassert their masculinity in small but significant ways. Published last week in Social Psychology, the…

Women聽have long been underrepresented among undergraduates in computer science and engineering for a complex variety of reasons. A new study by 91探花 researchers identifies a main culprit for that disparity: inaccurate stereotypes depicting computer scientists and engineers as geeky, brilliant and socially awkward males. And they say broadening those stereotypes is key to attracting more girls to the two fields. Deeply ingrained in modern American society, stereotypes about computer science and engineering are widely accepted by students and…

The media often portray computer scientists as nerdy males with poor social skills. But a 91探花psychologist found women will want to study computer science if they don’t buy into the stereotypes.