Eileen Pollack

When I was growing up, I wanted passionately to be a physicist. ”

If you're a white male growing up in this society, you're constantly receiving encouragement to go on in science in the form of all the images that you're receiving. ”

When I was in seventh grade, I was bored out of my mind. We seemed to be learning the same things over and over in science and math, and two of the boys in my class were allowed to move ahead into these advanced classes, but I wasn't allowed because I was a girl. ”

The world is a complex place. ”

When you have different kinds of scientific and mathematical minds approaching problems, you will get more solutions. This leads to more innovation and more creative design. ”

Parents don't want their kids to be nerdy. ”

We still raise girls to look to other people for assurance they are attractive and smart, while boys are raised to determine their own value. Many girls are still made to feel it's not feminine to be good at science or math. ”

I was nearly as far behind in calculus as I was in physics. But I wasn't the only woman in the class, so I felt more comfortable asking questions. ”

All the societal pressures that make girls feel as if they're too smart, especially in the sciences - 'No one will date them. They won't be popular.' - don't apply to boys. The boys are being encouraged. ”

If you're the only anything in the room, you're going to feel so self-conscious of your right to be there. ”