The Gender Chip Project
Heather Smith, B.S., Civil and Environmental Engineering
What's it like to be a young woman in college training for a career in the high stakes professions of science, math, engineering and technology? A new documentary film, the Gender Chip, provides insight into this question.
In 1998 filmmaker Helen De Michiel brought together several young women majoring in the sciences, engineering and math at Ohio State University in Columbus. They agreed to meet regularly over their next three years of college, and create a community to share experiences and struggles as women stepping into traditionally male domains.
Ranging from their first year of college through to graduation, the Gender Chip Project is a rare and subtle portrait of five extraordinary young women attending this midwestern university who take up the challenge to succeed in traditionally male fields.
The documentary reveals how women are finding new ways to honor their own growth, motivations and experience as they imagine how to make the science and technology workplace a comfortable environment.
The Gender Chip Project offers both a documentary and companion materials designed to assist teachers, parents and mentors who are encouraging girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. To learn more and to view clips from the documentary, visit http://www.genderchip.org.