Discover
/
Article

Women Graduate Students

JUN 01, 1986
Mildred S. Dresselhaus

When I started teaching solid‐state‐physics courses at MIT, nearly 20 years ago, there were very few women at MIT and very few women students in my classes. It was unusual for women students to ask questions in class or to participate in class discussions. As the number of women students increased, they participated more and more, and in very recent years their class participation has become essentially indistinguishable from that of the men. A turning point appeared to occur when the number of women reached a “critical mass” of about 10–15% of the students in a class. But in some other physics courses at MIT the critical mass hasn’t been reached.

This article is only available in PDF format

More about the authors

Mildred S. Dresselhaus, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Related content
/
Article
The ability to communicate a key message clearly and concisely to a nonspecialized audience is a critical skill to develop at all educational levels.
/
Article
With strong magnetic fields and intense lasers or pulsed electric currents, physicists can reconstruct the conditions inside astrophysical objects and create nuclear-fusion reactors.
/
Article
A crude device for quantification shows how diverse aspects of distantly related organisms reflect the interplay of the same underlying physical factors.
/
Article
Events held around the world have recognized the past, present, and future of quantum science and technology.
This Content Appeared In
pt-cover_1986_06.jpeg

Volume 39, Number 6

Get PT in your inbox

pt_newsletter_card_blue.png
PT The Week in Physics

A collection of PT's content from the previous week delivered every Monday.

pt_newsletter_card_darkblue.png
PT New Issue Alert

Be notified about the new issue with links to highlights and the full TOC.

pt_newsletter_card_pink.png
PT Webinars & White Papers

The latest webinars, white papers and other informational resources.

By signing up you agree to allow AIP to send you email newsletters. You further agree to our privacy policy and terms of service.