\t\t\t\tIt’s a girl thing!<\/p>\n
Pop quiz:<\/p>\n
What’s the first “girl thing” that came to mind?<\/p>\n
Stereotypes have a way of superseding our rational senses, so don’t beat yourself up if you immediately thought of make-up or sparkly dresses or slumber parties.<\/p>\n
The latest “girl thing” to sweep the globe, however, is not another glitzy gimmick.<\/p>\n
It’s …<\/p>\n
science.<\/p>\n
Yup, science.<\/p>\n
Last summer, the EU Commissioner for Research and Innovation, M\u00e1ire Geoghegan-Quinn, launched the Women in Research and Innovation<\/a> campaign to encourage more women to choose research careers.<\/p>\n Go, girl!<\/p>\n It all started with a statistic:<\/p>\n Women make up more than half the EU’s student population and account for 45 percent of all doctorates (PhDs), but they account for only one third of career researchers and are very poorly represented at the senior level. <\/em><\/p>\n Suddenly, a slogan was born:<\/p>\n “Science: It’s a Girl Thing!”<\/p>\n The first facet of the campaign is bent on bringing teen girls face-to-face with inspiring women-scientist role models and enlightening them about the excitement and challenges of being a professional scientist or engineer. The second phase targets college-level women and encourages them to choose a career in research.<\/p>\n