October 2, 2002

Honorable Ron Wyden
Chairman
Science, Technology & Space Subcommittee
516 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Honorable George Allen
Ranking Member
Science, Technology & Space Subcommittee
204 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Chairman Wyden and Ranking Member Allen:

We write to you today as a group of concerned scientists and engineers who understand that our nation, now more than ever, will rely upon our expertise and knowledge to help protect our nation’s security and maintain our competitiveness in the global economy. The United States cannot achieve these goals without the active participation of one-half of the population, and we believe it is in the interest of our nation to increase the representation of women in the fields of science, engineering and technology. In working toward this goal, Title IX has an important role to play in encouraging women to pursue advanced degrees in science, engineering and technology.

As the Hart Rudman Commission on National Security to 2025 warned, America’s failure to invest in science and to reform math and science education is the second biggest threat to our national security. Unfortunately, we are seeing the ranks of scientists and engineers dwindle. The number of undergraduates graduating from institutions of higher education with engineering and technology-based degrees has steadily declined over the past generation, from 77,000 in 1985 to 60,000 in 1998. Of these graduates, only a small number are women. For example, according to the Society of Women Engineers, only 20% of undergraduates in engineering programs are women. Unless we encourage and increase women’s representation in our fields, we will be losing out on an important source of human capital.

Since its enactment 30 years ago, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (“Title IX”) has brought about great changes for women in American higher education institutions. Title IX prohibits sex discrimination in all aspects of federally funded education programs. As a result of Title IX, girls and women flocked to sports in unprecedented numbers, and high schools and colleges formed tens of thousands of teams to accommodate them. Before Title IX, one in 17 high school girls played team sports - now it is one in 2.5. While Title IX is best known for opening the doors of opportunity for women and girls in athletics, it is not limited to athletics. Title IX applies to “any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.” Accordingly, Title IX can have a significant impact on the academic arena as well.

As we reflect on the last 30 years of Title IX, we urge the Subcommittee on Science, Technology and Space to examine the ways in which Title IX can help open doors for women in the world of science, engineering and technology. Unless we use every tool at our disposal to breakdown barriers preventing women from entering and flourishing in the fields of science, engineering and technology, we will be doing the nation a grave disservice.

Respectfully submitted,

Kristina Johnson
Dean, Pratt School of Engineering
Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Duke University

Sydney Kustu
Professor of Plant and Microbial Biology
University of California, Berkeley

Susan Bryant, PhD
Professor of Development and Cell Biology
Dean, School of Biological Sciences
University of California, Irvine

Sue V. Rosser, PhD
Dean, Ivan Allen College
Professor of History, Technology, and Society
Georgia Institute of Technology

April Brown
Professor and Chair
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Duke University

Mary Frank Fox
NSF Advance Professor of Sociology
Co-Director, Center for Study of Women, Science & Technology
Georgia Institute of Technology

Lorna Gibson
Matoula S. Salapatas Professor of Materials Science and Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Gary S. May, PhD
Executive Assistant to the President and
Motorola Foundation Professor of Microelectronics in Electrical and Computer Engineering
Office of the President
Georgia Institute of Technology

Judith P. Klinman
Professor and Chair of Chemistry
Department of Chemistry and Department of Molecular and Cell Biology
University of California, Berkeley

Susanne Lohmann
Professor of Political Science
University of California, Los Angeles

D. A. Niemeier
Professor and Department Chair
Civil and Environmental Engineering
University of California, Davis

Britt A. Holmén
Assistant Professor
Civil and Environmental Engineering
University of Connecticut

Kim Roddis
Professor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
University of Kansas

Bonnie Melhart
Associate Dean of Science and Engineering
Texas Christian University

Pauline Yahr
Professor
Department of Neurobiology and Behavior
University of California, Irvine

Evelyn M. Silvia
Professor of Mathematics
University of California, Davis

Heather J. Miller, Ph.D, P.E.
Associate Professor
Department of Civil Engineering
University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth

Shobha K. Bhatia
Professor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Syracuse University

Bingmei Fu
Assistant Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Stephanie M. White
Professor, Computer Science and Management Engineering
C.W. Post Campus, Long Island University

Bin Yu
Statistics
University of California, Berkeley

Brenda J. Buck
Geology
University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Cristina Amon
Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Carnegie Mellon University

Natacha DePaola
Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Cila Herman
Professor of Mechanical Engineering
The Johns Hopkins University

Debra J. Richardson
The Ted and Janice Smith Family Foundation Department Chair
Information and Computer Science
University of California, Irvine

Marianne Bronner-Fraser
Professor of Biology
California Institute of Technology

Ann Sakai
Associate Professor
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
University of California-Irvine

David James
Chair
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Alison Flatau
Visiting Associate Professor
Aerospace Engineering
University of Maryland

Alice M. Agogino
Professor of Mechanical Engineering
University of California, Berkeley

Diane Lambert
Bell Labs

Lucy Y. Pao
Associate Professor
ECE Department
University of Colorado, Boulder

Nancy G. Love
Associate Professor
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Nancy Hopkins
Amgen, Inc. Professor of Biology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology