On Sunday, July 2024, 7, a laboratory tour for female junior and senior high school students was held at Aoyama Gakuin University's Sagamihara Campus. Nationwide, the low ratio of women in science and engineering faculties is a problem. What do the female students studying at Aoyama Gakuin University think about the cause of this? We bring you the panel discussion at the event and interviews with the participating faculty and students.
STEM fields: A general term for the four educational fields consisting of the initials "Science," "Technology," "Engineering," and "Mathematics."
Tour of the Sakamoto Laboratory, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, introducing the "ARICA Ultra-small Rapid Reporting Demonstration Satellite"
Current university and graduate students' thoughts on "barriers in the STEM field"
This event is part of the "Girls Meet STEM College" program launched by the Shintaro Yamada D&I Foundation, a public interest incorporated foundation, with the aim of eliminating the gender gap in the STEM field. In collaboration with the science and engineering faculties of 24 universities nationwide (as of July 2024), the event is working to make STEM fields more accessible.
The event, held at Aoyama Gakuin University, included a panel discussion where female students studying at the Faculty of Science and Engineering and the Graduate School of Science and Engineering spoke candidly, a laboratory tour to see the actual laboratories, and roundtable discussions between junior and senior high school students and university and graduate students. The event conveyed the appeal of the STEM field and the reality of campus life to female students who were unsure about which field to choose.
The panel discussion had three themes: "What were the doubts and difficulties you faced when considering entering the Faculty of Science and Engineering?", "Why are there so few women in the Faculty of Science and Engineering?", and "How has your image changed before and after entering the Faculty of Science and Engineering? What would you like to tell high school students?".
A panel discussion by students
"Concerns when deciding to enter the Faculty of Science and Engineering"When asked about their choice of subject, most students answered, "I decided without hesitation because it was a field I was originally interested in." However, Eri Hashimoto, a second-year doctoral student in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the Graduate School of Science and Engineering (undergraduate, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering), revealed that although she was originally good at Japanese, she chose the STEM field because of her interest in manufacturing.
"Mathematics was my weak point and my high school teachers were against me, but I thought I could satisfy my interests in science, so I studied hard," says Hashimoto. In high school, the choice between humanities and sciences was relatively late, in his third year, so he carefully considered and devoted himself to studying both. Not choosing between humanities and sciences early on had a positive impact on his decision to go on to the Faculty of Science and Technology.
"Why are there so few women in the Faculty of Science and Engineering?"There were various opinions on this topic. Mina Matoba, a first-year master's student in the Department of Intelligent Information Science at the Graduate School of Science and Engineering (she studied in the Department of Information Technology at the Faculty of Science and Engineering as an undergraduate), answered, "A sense of resistance to numbers." Matoba said that in high school, only a few girls chose Mathematics III. She pointed out that a barrier to STEM fields is created at the time of class selection in high school.
In addition, Kaori Obayashi, a second-year doctoral student in the Department of Basic Sciences in Science and Engineering at the Graduate School of Science and Engineering (undergraduate: Department of Physics and Mathematics, Faculty of Science and Engineering), responded, "Because most of the teachers of science and math in middle and high schools were male, it's hard to imagine girls going into science. In TV dramas, STEM fields are often portrayed as male professions, so I think there are fewer opportunities for women to become interested in science and engineering."
"Changes in image before and after entering university"Before enrolling, many students thought that the Faculty of Science and Engineering was "serious and difficult." However, after enrolling, their image changed to "friendly and cheerful," and "it can be difficult, but I'm not worried."
Finally, when asked for a message to junior and senior high school students, most students encouraged them to pursue STEM fields, saying, "It doesn't matter what the gender ratio of your faculty or department is, you should choose what you want to do."
The current state of Aoyama Gakuin University's Faculty of Science and Engineering, with departments where the female ratio exceeds 50%!
After the event, Professor Makiko Suwa from the Department of Chemistry and Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, was asked for her impressions. She responded with a sense of accomplishment.
"When planning this event, we focused on incorporating the voices of female students in the field. This was worth it, as it left a lasting impression on me that everyone was smiling after the event. Experiences like this, such as visiting laboratories in the Faculty of Science and Engineering and actually talking to students, are surely very meaningful. I think that by having the opportunity to hear the experiences of female role models, studying in the STEM field will become an option for the students in the future."
Aoyama Gakuin University decided to participate in "Girls Meet STEM College" in support of the Yamada Shintaro D&I Foundation's philosophy of "increasing the ratio of women entering STEM faculties to 2035% in 28." The average ratio of female students in the Faculty of Science and Engineering in 2024 will be 19%, so there is still a gap to be filled. However, Professor Suwa said that there are some years in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry where the female ratio exceeds 50%.
"The ratio of females in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is over 40% in every year. However, in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and the Department of Mechanical Engineering, it is around 10%. It may be an unconscious bias, or perhaps there is a strong image that it is a field that is difficult for women to enter. On the other hand, the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is closely related to food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, etc., and is a relatively familiar field, so it may be easy to get into. I think that in other departments as well, if students can imagine what they will be able to do by using AI, or how cutting-edge robots will change the world, I think the number of applicants will increase."
They feel that there is a need to create opportunities to spark interest in STEM fields, and this event also aroused interest among junior and senior high school students through laboratory tours and interactions with students.
Hirata Laboratory Tour, Department of Chemistry and Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering "Understanding human diseases and aging through research using fish as a model"
Narano Ayaka, a fourth-year student in the Department of Mathematical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, also commented, "Many of the junior and senior high school students who participated were worried about choosing between the humanities and sciences and about their futures. However, some said they don't have anyone in the sciences close to them, or have no opportunities to hear them speak. That's why I think it's important to increase opportunities like this one so that people can get a concrete idea of what science is like."
Encouraging people who want to learn, regardless of gender
Tuition fees for science faculties tend to be higher than for humanities faculties, and financial and age-related concerns about continuing on to graduate school are also obstacles. Professor Suwa prefaced his remarks by saying, "Science faculties inevitably incur costs for experiments and research. This is because we teach a wide range of specialized content, and it can't be helped," before going on to say the following:
"We don't want students to give up on continuing their education because of high tuition fees. That's why our university offers a variety of scholarships and a system that waives all or part of tuition fees for students with outstanding grades. In particular, there is a full tuition waiver for doctoral programs in the graduate school. Furthermore, AGU's Future Eagle Project (FEP), a project aimed at nurturing outstanding doctoral students, provides students with a monthly living support allowance of 18 yen and a yearly research allowance of 25 yen, creating an environment where students can concentrate on their research.
At the event, parents also expressed concern that their daughters' career options would be limited. However, I believe that in the coming age, women who obtain a doctorate will be the strongest. The hurdles to obtaining a doctorate are by no means low, but the skills they gain by thinking about how to overcome them and working as a researcher can be put to good use in society. In addition, I think that women's unique characteristics and ideas also come into play. Looking at the actual graduates, women who obtain a doctorate have a considerable advantage when it comes to finding employment, and there are many cases where they have been hired by major companies. I would like to create an atmosphere on campus where it is easy to say, 'Let's go all the way to a doctorate.'"
Sagamihara Campus, where Aoyama Gakuin University's Faculty of Science and Engineering is located
Kaori Obayashi, a second-year doctoral student in the Department of Basic Sciences at the Graduate School of Science and Engineering, decided to continue her studies thanks to the support system provided by FEP.
"When I was going to graduate school, my parents asked me about my thoughts about the future stage of my life, and there were times when I wondered, 'My classmates have gone out into the world and become independent, so should I continue doing what I want to do as a student?' At times like that, the support system of FEP gave me the push I needed. If there was a system that could reduce the number of people who were discouraged by worries like mine and support those who want to continue on to doctoral courses, then I thought I should take advantage of it."
Kaori Obayashi studied abroad at Pennsylvania State University using the FEP support system.
There are many other things she would like to do in the future, such as creating opportunities for female students to come together across departmental boundaries. Professor Suwa also expressed her enthusiasm, saying, "I would like to strengthen the horizontal connections within the faculty. We are moving forward with plans to create an environment where students can pursue what they like, regardless of gender."