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September 27, 2004

Comments

Rudbeckia Hirta

From my own experiences in math, I see a few factors.

1. Undergraduate experiences. Based on my recollections of people who happen to come to mind, many of the men started grad school in a stronger position. I was fortunate to have attended an excellent undergraduate school, but most of the women in my program came in with weaker backgrounds; they were at a decided disadvantage at the beginning of graduate school. Do the best faculty want to take on the weakest grad students as advisees? What kind of project would you suggest for a struggling grad student? I had the same struggles with the material -- just a few years previously.

2. Risk-taking. When pure-math work is going badly, there is nothing to publish and nothing to talk about. The theorem could turn out to be wrong or someone else could prove it first. More applied work seems to be a bit more steady work and a bit safer (she says without knowing anything about applied work). This factor comes up in different ways for different people.

3. Available mentors. Several women in my graduate program chose their research area because one faculty member is especially well-known for being a good advisor to women. A limiting tradeoff.

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