NCWIT is pleased to announce that on Monday, April 22, two recipients of the NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing will be in Washington, D.C. to attend the White House Science Fair, hosted by President Obama. Jasmine Johnson, 18, from Conyers, Georgia, is a senior at the Rockdale Magnet School for Science and Technology; and Rian Walker, 17, is a senior at Ocean Springs High School in Ocean Springs, Mississippi.

Do Women with "Options" Avoid STEM?

Did you know that a recent study found that women who are strong in both verbal and mathematical skills tend to select non-STEM occupations? Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Education examined data and survey responses from 1,490 college-bound American students, including their SAT scores, motivational beliefs and values, and occupations at age 33. They found that students with high scores in both math and verbal abilities—a group that contained more women than men—were less likely to have chosen a STEM occupation than those who had “moderate” verbal abilities.

Hiring and Cultural Fit

Did you know that, according to a recent study in the American Sociological Review, more than half of all employers interviewed ranked cultural fit as the most important criterion during job interviews? Cultural fit -- the perception that a candidate shares similar hobbies, background, or other characteristics with those already working at the organization -- has become a buzzword lately, particularly among startups where a new employee can represent 10% of the company’s workforce. Having the required technical skills is important, of course, but so is being able to “fit in” within a small company environment.

The Dirty Little Secrets of Women + Gaming

Did you know about the “#1reasonwhy” hashtag on Twitter? Back in November, a woman video game programmer responded to a Twitter question about why there aren’t more women in the industry by citing a few examples of bias with the “#1reasonwhy” hashtag. Women (and men) in game development chimed in with hundreds of examples of hostile environments, bias, and even misogyny, filed under the hashtag, and the media jumped on the story.