BU Succeeds With Dorms for STEM
The ladies of STEM can stick together now. Last fall, Boston University opened a residence hall for undergraduates in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). The hall is an expansion of the original WISE@Warren program, a floor for freshman women interested in the sciences.
WISE-UP women have meetings, host lectures, and attend events relating to STEM and its pioneering women. It is also a safe and open space where women support each other and have an understanding of their housemates’ struggles.
Wise@Warren was created in 2007 to foster a community for young women pursuing degrees in STEM. In the same year, women earned only 17 percent of bachelor’s degrees in STEM.
In an interview with BU Today, STEM Education Initiatives Director Bennett Goldberg touted the success of the WISE@Warren program. According to a seven-year longitudinal study, participants in the program were nearly 50 percent more likely to graduate with a STEM degree than women who started in STEM, but didn’t participate.
It just goes to show that when women team up, there are results to show for it. Major ones. And many students are applying to be part of the WISE-UP community next year. According to David Zamojski, Director of Residential Life at BU, 21 women currently live in WISE-UP and 51 have applied for next year.
Similar programs have cropped up in the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Iowa State University, and Rutgers University. We hope to see more!
This post originally appeared at Vitamin W.
About the Author
Padmini Parthasarathy is a journalist based in New York, NY. Her work has appeared in The Times of India, Huffington Post, Tehelka THINKblog, Washington Square News, and on PolicyMic.com.