Shots In The Dark: The Women of CalTech

Monday, August 06, 2024

The Women of CalTech

If anyone's interested in the subject of women and science, here's news that CalTech is enrolling the largest number of women in its freshman class ever: 87 women, or 37%.

The new rise may not seem very dramatic to the outside world. Caltech still lags the 46.1% female enrollment expected in this fall's freshman class at its East Coast rival, MIT, which offers a broader range of majors, and the 42.6% expected at Harvey Mudd College, the science-and-math-focused school in Claremont.

...Still, the increase at Caltech — a small and intellectually elite campus where the middle range of SAT scores is in the top 1% or 2% nationally — is significant. It represents progress in getting more women into the highest levels of technology and science training, officials said.

...Incoming freshman Elizabeth Mak, a Pasadena resident who plans to major in biology, said it is important to encourage more women to enter the traditionally male-dominated fields of science and technology.

Mak, 18, noted that she followed the controversy that arose two years ago when Lawrence Summers, then president of Harvard University, said that innate differences between men and women might be a reason why there was a dearth of female professors in the sciences.

I wonder if Larry Summers ever considers the possibility that his most influential legacy—possibly his most positive one—might be the one that resulted from a gaffe?

¶ 7:18 AM

Comments:

So is CalTech pushing for political correctness or are they getting more qualified female applicants?

# posted by Anonymous : August 6, 2024 10:06 AM

Has CalTech ever worried much about political correctness?

# posted by Richard Bradley : August 6, 2024 10:11 AM

I would expect that they are receiving more applications from very qualified female applicants. Unqualified applicant would not be able to complete a rigorous science program at a place like CalTech. I like what Rich said about President Summers ; it is definitely what I will most remember about him, years from now.

# posted by Anonymous : August 6, 2024 10:39 AM

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