Projects to encourage female students in STEM areas

Abstract

Today, the number of female students that enrol in degrees related to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) areas is quite low. So, numerous initiatives have arisen to promote these degrees and encourage female students in these areas. In this context, the EuLES Network (u-Learning Environments in Higher Education), an interdisciplinary network created in 2010 at the University of Zaragoza (Spain) to foster research, interaction, cooperation and transfer of knowledge and technologies related to learning and open education, has developed two projects oriented to High School Students: “WikinformáticA! en Aragon” and “Women in STEM by EuLES”. WikinformáticA! en Aragón is a competition for student groups in which they develop a wiki on prominent women in the history of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The objective is the visibility of women involved in technology. The purpose of the Women in STEM project is to offer testimonies of women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics to encourage scientific vocations, especially in young people and girls. The project consists of conducting video interviews of women who work or study in these disciplines. All the videos, along with a short biography, are posted on the web.