Author: Judith S. Weis, pp.13
Date: May 16,1994
The commentary by Neal Lane, director of the National Science Foundation, regarding the need for more women in science [The Scientist, Jan. 24, 1994, page 12] was very welcome. Lane would do well to examine his own agency's programs to encourage more women to enter science.
I investigated NSF's educational programs for women and minorities several years ago (Journal of College Science Teaching, 21:11-13, September-October 1991) and found that the Career Access program, the major educational one for "underrepresented groups," involved major programs for minorities (multimillion-dollar "centers"), while the only programs that could focus on women and girls were small "Model Projects."
In 1989, $5.7 million supported the Comprehensive Centers for minorities, while only $0.3 million supported Model Projects, of which $0.15 million supported projects focused on women.
That year, only six model projects were funded out of about 150 applications, a ...
