The NCWIT Summit is the world’s largest annual convening of change leaders focused on significantly improving diversity and inclusion in computing. Educators, entrepreneurs, corporate executives, and social scientists (both men and women) from across industries and disciplines participate in this one-of-a-kind opportunity. NCWIT is the trusted source for research-based strategies that facilitate reform in computing classes and technical organizations; the Summit sets the stage for NCWIT member representatives, notable field experts, and renowned guests to present and learn about leading-edge practices, to network and form partnerships, and to provide encouragement and inspiration for one another.

According to the new study, the 91 percent of women who work in STEM admitted that gender discrimination remains a career obstacle and a shocking 100 percent of respondents agreed that self-doubt and a lack of confidence stand in their way. Furthermore, some 88 percent of respondents shared that gender bias serves as an obstacle to women's career trajectories, specifically in the postdoctoral stage. The study shed light on factors that greatly contribute to women staying in STEM careers. This includes obtaining independent grant funding, having peer support, being able to draw on support from family and friends, mentorship and having access to professional connections.

NASA reached a milestone when two Americans, tasked with replacing a power controller, ventured out of the International Space Station: the astronauts, Christina Koch and Jessica Meir, became the first to take part in an all-female spacewalk. The walk, which lasted seven hours and 17 minutes and included a brief call with President Trump, was not purposefully planned by the agency. As NASA explained it, one was bound to happen eventually because of the increasing number of female astronauts. But news of the milestone attracted far greater interest than spacewalks normally do, and Americans officials celebrated it as a historic achievement. They pointed to the agency's ambitious goals to put the first woman and the next man on the moon, and then to forge a path to Mars.

After the first all-female spacewalk was scrapped in March, NASA has now scheduled another attempt with astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir for October 21. The announcement was made Friday during a briefing by the agency previewing 10 upcoming spacewalks by astronauts on the International Space Station. For the intended spacewalk in March, Koch was going to be paired with astronaut Anne McClain, who has since returned to Earth. In March, NASA cited spacesuit availability as the reason for scrapping the walk. McClain herself made the decision and the teams supported her, Koch said.

Nacionalni razpis L'ORÉAL – UNESCO Za ženske v znanosti</a>
Odprt je že 14. nacionalni razpis L’ORÉAL – UNESCO »Za ženske v znanosti« 2020, v okviru katerega bosta L’ORÉAL Adria in Slovenska nacionalna komisija za UNESCO trem študentkam doktorskega študija naravoslovnih znanosti, biotehnike in medicine podelila tri enoletne štipendije v višini 5.000 evrov. Program, ki v Sloveniji poteka že od leta 2006, nagrajuje znanstveno odličnost mladih raziskovalk in opozarja na pomen žensk v znanosti.

The high pollution in the oceans is a big problem on the planet. According to recent research, it is likely that in the year 2050 we will find more plastic than fish in the waters of the seas, and for this reason there are many people working to generate solutions to this problem, some very imaginative to reverse this situation. Currently the novelty is a bacterium , developed by students Jeanny Yao and Miranda Wang , who have been developing this project since their school years and today reap the fruits of it. They already have patents and have obtained a financing of 400 thousand dollars to start developing the product. All this with only 20 years old. They have already won 5 prizes thanks to this project, they became popular as they were the youngest to win the Perlman science prize . All thanks to its tiny bacteria capable of transforming plastic into CO2 and water. The technology is used in two ways: To clean the beaches and also to produce raw materials for clothing.

For the sixth year in a row, the percentage of female AP Computer Science exam takers rose, steadily chipping away at the gender gap in high school computer science. While the gender gap is closing gradually, total participation is increasing dramatically! Female students and underrepresented minorities set new records this year. Newly-released data on AP Computer Science exams shows the number of female students increased 32%, from 36,709 in 2018 to 48,569 in 2019. Participation by students from historically underrepresented groups in computing grew 29%, from 28,255 last year to 36,375 in 2019. The total number of young women and students from historically underrepresented minorities in computing in AP computer science has grown ten-fold since 2013, thanks to the incredible network of educators and organizations that share our mission of broadening access and diversity of participation in K–12 computer science. What has driven this change?

When asked to draw a scientist, school-age kids in the United States are increasingly sketching women. That’s the main conclusion of a new study that compiled information about 20,860 pictures drawn by students age 5 to 18 over 5 decades. In the 1960s and 1970s, less than 1% of students depicted scientists as female. But the percentage of women in the ''draw a scientist'' sketches - like the one pictured, drawn by a third grade girl in San Antonio, Texas - has increased over time, reaching an estimated 34% by 2016. And the numbers are even more stark when looking at drawings penned by girls: About 1% drew women in the first 2 decades - but in the past decade more than half have drawn women, researchers report in Child Development. The trend in how children perceive scientists parallels an uptick in the actual number of female scientists. Over roughly the same time period - from 1960 to 2013 - the percentage of women holding science jobs rose from 28% to 49% in biological science, from 8% to 35% in chemistry, and from 3% to 11% in physics and astronomy.

A team of female engineers from ASU just placed third in the world in a robotics competition. They were the only all-female team that made it to the finals, and most of the team is comprised of freshman. They just want to prove that in a male-dominated field, they are a team to be taken seriously. The team's creation is an autonomous underwater vehicle. It can be used for tasks that humans may find dangerous, and the inventions can help people learn more about the oceans. The robosub competition was held in San Diego, with 55 teams from 12 different countries competing. ASU's underwater robotics team placed first among U.S. teams, and third internationally.

A fan of numbers, technologist Sherrell Dorsey of ThePLUG takes a data-driven approach to sharing the stories and struggles of black innovators. When telling a story, Sherrell Dorsey turns to numbers before words. She's the founder of ThePLUG, an online news site launched in 2016 that covers the work and culture of black innovators. And every article published is rife with data and factoids - for example, a deep dive into the lack of intellectual property creation at historically black colleges and universities, or an overview of BlackTechTwitter, an online community for black techies. Product development in the tech industry is driven by numbers, she points out, so ''why not do the same in reporting'' on it? Better yet, adds the Charlotte, North Carolina entrepreneur, why not do so for ''an audience of innovators that do not get to see themselves represented as serious business owners in this space?''