In science, technology, engineering and mathematics, men far outnumber women in the classroom and the boardroom.

The more people we can attract to science and technology - men, women, everybody - the more economic opportunity we have as a nation.

If you look through the shelves of science books, you'll find row after row of books written by men. This can be terribly off-putting for women.

We can celebrate how far we've come from our sexist past when women and men are equally represented in the pages of science fiction anthologies.

When I was a physics major in the late 1970s, my very few fellow female students and I had high hopes that women would soon stand equal with men in science. But progress has proved slower than many of us imagined.

The only difference between men and women in science is that the women have the babies. This makes it more difficult for women in science but should not be seen as a barrier, for it is merely another challenge to be overcome.

Aviation, this young modern giant, exemplifies the possible relationship of women and the creations of science. Although women have not taken full advantage of its use and benefits, air travel is as available to them as to men.

I was thrilled and amazed when I found out we won the Nobel Prize. The dedicated and talented women and men of the COBE team collaborated to produce the science results being recognized. This is truly such a rare and special honor.

It is pure mythology that women cannot perform as well as men in science, engineering and mathematics. In my experience, the opposite is true: Women are often more adept and patient at untangling complex problems, multitasking, seeing the possibilities in new solutions and winning team support for collaborative action.

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