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STANDING_WATER

                                       December 27, 2005

The sexism of the Materials
Science Deparment at Stanford.
                                    Some heard about,
                                    some directly
  One year, a professor was         observed.
  overheard to say something
  like: "If we just went
  strictly by grades and
  test scores, the entire
  incoming class in the
  department would be women.
  And we're *not* going to
  have a class of all women."


  A woman applying for an
  opening in the faculty gave
  a technical talk about her
  work.  It was very
  impressive: There seemed to
  be an incredible amount of
  material.  She didn't look
  old enough to have done it
  all.  Comment from one of             Commentary from
  the faculty: he suggested             one of the grad
  that it was only *superficially*      students: "She
  impressive.  When you really          didn't wear any
  get into it you can tell              make-up."
  that it's not that great.


  And me, I got to sit through a
  number of meetings where the
  lone woman's remarks seemed to
  keep getting ignored.
  "Hm... but what about the idea
  that *she* just brought up a few
  minutes ago?"


    You might think: well, but that was
    over a decade ago.  Surely things             Also:
    must've gotten better since then, eh?         Different departments
                                                  certainly have
                                                  different character.
       I haven't checked.
                                                     One scientific
       But my guess would be, "no".                  department of
                                                     the Ivy West
       The younger professors with                   should not be
       the inside track to tenure                    presumed to
       were not fundamentally                        represent all.
       different from the older ones.

          The jerks were
          recruiting more
          of the same.

                A self-reinforcing pattern.

                A standing wave.


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