Professor at Cal Poly Awarded $100,000 for Grant - KCOY Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo - News

Professor at Cal Poly Awarded $100,000 for Grant

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- A Child Development professor at Cal Poly is awarded $100,000 for a new grant to study women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The grant was awarded as part of the National Science Foundation's ADVANCE program.

The NSF awarded the grant to Mary Armstrong, an associate professor of English and Women's and Gender Studies Department chair at Lafayette College. Armstrong will be researching why underrepresented women have not kept up the pace with most women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. Armstrong also served as the chair for Cal Poly's Women's and Gender Studies Department between 2000-2009. The NSF ADVANCE program was created in 2000 to increase the participation of women to get careers in science and engineering.

Even though the number of people involved in the STEM program has increased, it still needs more women from different race, ethnic and other backgrounds to join.