WAMC Radio Series on the Role of Women in Science and Engineering Now Available Online

ALBANY, NY (10/06/2008)(readMedia)-- WAMC Northeast Public Radio is pleased to announce that the radio series, The Sounds of Progress: The Changing Role of Girls and Women in Science and Engineering, is now available for listening through WAMC's Women in Science website, http://www.womeninscience.org/.

Much progress has been made in recent years toward closing the gender gap in science and engineering education and careers. However, despite advancements in some areas, women remain underrepresented in critical parts of our workforce, where the need for increased participation is greatest, such as computer science, physics, and engineering.

Supported by the National Science Foundation, The Sounds of Progress radio series sheds light on new gender-based research findings, and tells the stories of real-life role models from the past, in an effort to fortify the role of future women scientists and engineers. Part I of the two-part series consists of eight documentary-style stories that take listeners on an audio road trip to colleges and universities throughout the U.S. to examine the latest research and practices designed to increase the participation of women in science and engineering.

"These stories put a human face on research by allowing listeners to meet the real people-girls, women, parents, educators, program directors, and others-behind the data. They also give researchers an opportunity to share, with a national audience, answers to critical questions about how to advance gender equity in science and engineering fields," says series producer Glenn Busby.

Part II of The Sounds of Progress takes a different approach to highlighting the role of women in science and engineering. It presents twenty-six two-minute radio stories, produced by Mary Darcy, about women throughout history who made significant contributions to these fields. Narrated by actress Kate Mulgrew (internationally known for her role as Captain Kathryn Janeway in Star Trek Voyager), these stories make use of compelling narratives from the past to illuminate the important role women have played in shaping scientific progress.

Part II features inspirational women, such as Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman to earn a medical degree. She was rejected by 29 medical schools before being accepted into Geneva Medical College in 1847. Elizabeth went on to graduate at the top of her class and lead her own successful medical practice.

To listen to The Sounds of Progress, visit WAMC's Women in Science website, http://www.womeninscience.org/, where you can access streaming audio, download a series podcast, or request a free CD-set. In addition to being a resource for researchers, school administrators, and organizational leaders, the podcasts are ideal for use by educators in the classroom, and the CD-sets will make perfect gifts for aspiring scientists.

The Sounds of Progress was made possible by support from the National Science Foundation under grant number HRD-0631603. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and the people or subjects covered in each radio segment featured and do not necessarily reflect those of the National Science Foundation. For more information about this series, or other WAMC Women in Science programming supported by the National Science Foundation, please call (800) 323-9262, ext. 169 or email womeninscience@wamc.org.

WAMC Northeast Public Radio is a non-commercial, listener supported public radio network broadcasting 24 hours a day to portions of seven New England and Middle Atlantic states. A full list of WAMC's frequencies and details on programming can be found at http://www.wamc.org/.