"Most girls don't think about careers in science and technology and don't think it's accessible...but when role models come in to speak and they go on field trips, it really gets the girls thinking. After Techbridge, some have personally told me how they want to pursue careers in science & technology." - Techbridge teacher

Startling Statistics

Did you know...

Only 11% of engineers are women (NSF, 2004)
Female share of bachelor's degrees in computer science dropped from 27% in 1985 to 25% in 2004 (NSF)
Only 20% of undergraduate engineering degrees were awarded to women in 2004 (NSF)
In 4th grade, 90% of girls believe that anyone can do well in math if they tried. By 12th grade, only 36% believe this is true. (National Center for Education Statistics, 2000)
By 11th grade, 49% of boys have used an electric motor in class but only 17% of girls have by the same grade level. (Elementary and Secondary Education: An International Prospective, National Center for Education Statistics, 2000).
In a study of software programs used in U.S. schools, only 30% of characters were female. They were also less likely featured in adventure or leadership roles. (Tech Savvy by AAUW, 2000)
Only 10% of students report that school personnel help them with career guidance (Ferris State University Career Institute, 2002). In California, the ratio of students to counselor is 954:1 (California Department of Education, 2002)
For every dollar earned by a man, a woman only earns 79.7 cents (U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2004)
The percentage of girls who say that, given the chance, they would not study math anymore increases from 9% in 4th grade to 15% in 8th grade to 50% in 12th grade (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2000).
A survey of the top 50 universities in the United States reveals that while half of the recipients of a Bachelor of Science degree in math are women, they make up less than 10% of the faculty (Nelson Diversity Survey 2004).