NYU Creates Special Programs for
Women Studying in the Sciences

As NYU nurtures a new generation of scientists, a special emphasis is being placed on fostering the growth of female students interested in studying science and mathematics. Through the Women in Science (WINS) initiative, NYU has established a four-year program to attract and retain women in the study of science, and to prepare them for post-graduate and professional work in these key areas.

Students from WinC (NYU’s Women in Computing group) pose during the group’s visit to Google last spring.

WINS began in fall 2006 with a $250,000 gift from Jay Goldberg (SCPS ‘78) and Mary Cirillo. The goal of the initiative is for the University to attract, develop, and retain future female scientists. Five more students became part of the program this fall, bringing the total number of WINS students on campus to 10.

Research shows that women are underrepresented nationally in the sciences, with significant shortages in the physical sciences, math, and engineering. At NYU, while the percentage of female majors in biology (60%) and chemistry (61%) are in line with the percentage of women in the college, there are far fewer women than men majoring in such subjects as mathematics (39.7%), physics (37.7%), engineering (34%), and computer science (20.1%).

Other initiatives on campus dedicated to building community among women in the sciences include WinC (Women in Computing), which started in the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences in October 2005. Since then, the group has steadily been gaining members and has been working with companies like IBM, Google, and Morgan Stanley to organize recruiting and internship events, academic panels, technical workshops, company visits, programming contests, and scholarships to support the group’s talented students.

WinC has a full slate of events scheduled for the fall. For more information on upcoming events, and to read the group’s blog, visit www.cs.nyu.edu/~wincweb/winc.html.

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