I was reading through the SWE magazine and came across a quick article on Classroom Environments Provide Cues and Impact Participation. It was about a study that showed that females who were exposed to a stereotypically geeky classroom (SciFi posters, coke cans, video game boxes) were less interested in computer science than those shown non-geeky objects in the classroom (nature posters, a dictionary, coffee mugs, etc.). How crazy is that? That means that female students who walk into classrooms with geek stuff are less likely to take math, science, etc. That's bad! A lot of classes have that kind of stuff in them.

I am unbelievably lucky to have incredible friends and family. All together they raised $675 for Big Brothers Big Sisters. How impressive is that?! I can't believe how generous and kind my friends and family are; they consistently astonish me. I'm so fortunate to have them!

The new report from AAUW on why are there so few women scientists and engineers is terrific. I highly suggest it for anyone in engineering. I had the chance to see one of the authors speak at a conference, and I was struck by some of their findings. You can download a full copy of the book on their website or request a paper copy while they last.

Some of the key points I found interesting:

• Even people who consciously reject negative stereotypes about women in science can still hold those beliefs at an unconscious level. Most people associate science and math fields with “male” and humanities and arts fields with “female.” Take a test to learn about your unconscious bias at https://implicit.harvard.edu.

I haven't blogged in awhile, but a lot has happened and I figured I was overdue.

The autocross season has started, and the SoloRu is almost ready to make it to an event. I've made good progress on the new transmission and it should be done next time get to Dave's for a few hours to finish it up. Hopefully, I'll have that done for the next event in June. The car's going to be phenomenal to drive once I get there.