Science, math, technology ... you go, girl!

Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be cowgirls! They'll earn a whole lot more if you steer them towards science, math, engineering and technical careers. According to the National Science Foundation, while women make up nearly half of the U.S. workforce, they make up only 26 percent of the science and engineering workforce. It's time for American girls to give science, math and technology a second look because high paying jobs for women are frequently found in fields where women are scarce. Warren Farrell is auther or Why Men Earn More: The Startling Truth Behind the Pay Gap - And What Women Can Do About It.  Farrell identifies over 80 occupations that not only bring home the bacon, but earn women from 5 percent to 43 percent more than men holding down the same jobs. These professions include engineering (on average women make 43 percent more than their male counterparts) and automotive service technicians and mechanics (women earn 29 percent more than men).

Fueling career success

Sixteen-year-old Christine Krenik wasn't aware of her career potential in the spring of 2005, when she was planning her upcoming high school junior year curriculum. However, the Midland Lee High School student liked the idea of taking automotive technology courses. Krenik says, "There were a few other girls in the class—not very many. When I first started, I was intimidated because it was all guys and they weren't very welcoming. But, I liked what I was learning, and I liked my teachers. I was really interested in automotive technology because I enjoyed helping my father work on cars, and I wanted to learn more. I wanted to be able to perform basic auto maintenance and repair tasks—like changing a flat tire—on my own. Then, at the end of my junior year, I liked my auto tech class so much that I decided to take it for another year!"

All Midland Independent School District (MISD) automotive technology courses are taught in the state-of-the-art automotive classrooms and labs at the Midland College (MC) Advanced Technology Center by instructors certified by the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF). MISD contracts with MC to offer introductory and automotive career exploratory courses at the ninth- and tenth-grade levels, and junior- and senior-level courses are offered as dual enrollment, where students can receive both high school and college credit. Many students who pass the MISD high school automotive technology program graduate from high school with enough college credit to obtain an MC certificate in Basic Automotive Technology.

So, what started out as a fun hobby and a desire to learn basic automotive maintenance has now helped to shape Christine Krenik's future career. After high school, Krenik entered Midland College and graduate with an associate of science degree in May 2008. Currently, she is completing a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering at Texas Tech University and will graduate in a few weeks. After graduation, she will begin working for Burns & McDonell, an engineering firm in Fort Worth, where she will be part of a team designing small power plants for hospitals and universities.

Krenik states that less than half of her fellow graduates already have jobs. She says, "I owe a lot to my MC Advanced Technology Center auto tech courses. Ted Sumners, the auto tech program director, pushed me into leadership roles while I was in high school. I organized a lot of the auto tech class competitions, and Mr. Sumners asked me to speak at our end-of-the-year banquet. Mr. Sumners also taught me how to put a resume together. Not only is he a great auto-tech instructor, he also really stresses career-preparatory 'soft' skills like organization, leadership and communication. Because of this, I felt prepared to be in leadership roles when I entered Tech, and my high school auto tech training really helped my organizational skills."

Today, Krenik is involved in the Society of Women Engineers and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. She says there are other women working on mechanical engineering degrees at Texas Tech; however, in a class of 40, the ratio is about one female to every ten males. She explains, "When I frst transferred to Tech, it was a little weird and uncomfortable; I wasn't sure if I liked it. I felt like a lot of the guys thought I wouldn't make it. Some of the guys would say to me, 'you know most girls don't make it in this field.' I guess I showed them—I like it now!"

DNA-mazing

In 1992, Mattel Toys put the first talking Barbie doll on the market. Barbie's first words were, "Math class is tough." Mattel thought they were simply expressing the feelings of most school-age girls. Megan Dutton, an eighth-grade student at Walker Junior High School in Monahans, has definitely proved that Mattel and Barbie are wrong!

Every Thursday afternoon during the summer of 2010, Megan worked with Dr. Paul Mangum, MC Biology Professor, and his DNA summer team to try to amplify, extend and locate a crossover gene in Megan's family DNA segment. Under the guidance of Dr. Mangum, Megan researched the TAS2R38 gene and became very proficient with all the tools needed for lab protocols during her work in the facilities provided by Midland College. Megan's search for the elusive crossover gene was never uncovered, but she gained knowledge and confidence while working with Dr. Mangum and the DNA team. In fact, Megan recently won first place in The University of Texas of the Permian Basin (UTPB) Science Fair and placed sixth place in the State Science Fair competition in San Antonio on April 2.

When asked about her time spent at Midland College, Megan stated, "I love working with Dr. Mangum. He teaches me so much and makes it fun. Because of him, I've found a love for genetics and the possibility of several science fair projects. I know he has helped me to get to state the last two years. I used to be very shy when talking to judges. Dr. Mangum helped me overcome that by introducing me to his DNA team and allowing me to work with them. The DNA team worked on their projects and my project, and I felt very comfortable talking with them ... Dr. Mangum also introduced me to people visiting the lab and made me tell them about my project. I love working at Midland College and hope I can continue doing that. I'm even thinking about starting my college studies at Midland College when I graduate from high school. Thank you Dr. Mangum, DNA team and Midland College for everything you've done for me."