[hinckley buzzard]

"Even though what he said is almost certainly true."

We've had good research data for thirty years and more that demonstrate the plain validity of his comments.


"this room full of the country's most accomplished scholars on women's issues in science and engineering,"

If this Midol-deprived idiot-chick were right, she'd have a "room full of accomplished woman scholars in science and engineering."

But she doesn't. She has a bunch of liberal arts types who probably can't do basic calculus, bloviating about "women's issues."

Studies have verified that only about 15% of the human race has the aptitudes to be successful engineers. They really are, like artists, born not made. And very few of that small minority are female.

[Aetius]

I guess the truth is no defense.

[Dark Fired Tobacco]

As a licensed engineer I can tell you that 15 percent is overly optimistic. I've heard it given as low as five percent of the general population. The 15 percent may be among college graduates. Add to that the reality that the better engineering schools admit only about 30 percent of applicants to the graduate level, and the selectivity becomes even more evident. We are talking 700 plus GRE scores just to get into some land grant schools at the master's level. In contrast to the 80 percent of law students that can anticipate passing the bar the first time, the chances of an engineering graduate passing the first eight hour exam is around 85 percent, but the actual license exam, given four years later, has a pass rate in the 30's to low 40's in many states. It's not so much a matter of raw intelligence as it is the ability to think in a particular way. By the way, females are having a good success rate in engineering, and it is becoming a very open profession in terms of gender.

[repub_phdstudent]

I'm a young woman working toward my PhD in a science and math-related field. I don't take offense to these comments--I've noticed at the conferences I've attended that the people in my field are primarily men. What people seem to forget is that when studies comes out like this, the results are not suggesting that *all* individuals are lacking in some way...so, I like to think that I'm one of the few women who will be successful!
:-) Besides, why should anyone take offense? I'm little and certainly can't bench press as much as my boyfriend, so should I walk out on him and be angry? Of course not! Take care!