Five Qualities That Prepare a Girl to Succeed in Science

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When I was a child, I was good at math and science, but I didn’t think of them as anything I was interested in pursuing as a career until I got to college. While I started out in college studying psychology, I ended up with an undergraduate degree in biology, and then a Ph.D. in immunology. I wish I had studied more mathematics, statistics, and computer science when I was younger.

If, from a young age, I had been more encouraged to think about mathematics and science as something “for me,” and if I had understood more about how they can be used to solve problems I was interested in, I might have gone deeper when I had the opportunity. That background would help me in my current work, doing mathematical modeling to inform international public health policy.

Besides the obvious intellectual skills and knowledge, what are some qualities necessary for girls to succeed in science? If you want to encourage a girl to pursue her interest in science, these are some gems she will need to mine:

 

Self-Confidence

Even today, girls are often told they are not as good as boys at science and mathematics. Let girls know that they can succeed and excel in these areas! Let them know that they can be scientists. And let them know that science helps people. It makes a difference in the world. It’s not boring! 

 

Curiosity

The essence of science is asking questions. Encourage girls to explore and nurture their natural curiosity. When they ask questions, help them think through how they might be able to answer them. Through research online? By trying something out and seeing what happens? That’s science!  

 

Creativity

We often think of science as the opposite of creativity. In actuality, doing original scientific research requires a lot of creativity. You have to be able to imagine things that do not exist. You have to be able to come up with new and interesting questions about the world. You have to be able to come up with innovative ways of solving problems. All of these require creativity.

 

Patience

Science can require a lot of patience. Experiments can necessitate learning new skills. They can be long and painstaking. They can require attention to detail. Help girls to develop the patience to conduct complex tasks and see them through to completion.

 

Persistence

Research has suggested that when girls fail, they assume it’s because they lack the inherent ability or talent, while when boys fail, they assume they have not worked hard enough. Teach girls to keep trying in the face of failure. Let them know that failure does not mean they lack ability; rather, failure is a way of learning and building their intellectual muscles. Girls who are interested in science and develop persistence are set up for success!

History has shown that women can be brilliant scientists that make a huge impact on society. However, even today, girls may still not see science careers as a path for them, due to lack of role models or subtle conditioning from societal norms. You can help encourage your girls to see themselves as future scientists by helping them to develop the virtues of self-confidence, curiosity, creativity, patience, and persistence.

 

Dr. Katharine Kripke currently does mathematical modeling and economic analyses to inform international public health policy. She specializes in HIV/AIDS and has been working in the HIV field for over 25 years. She loves that her work involves biology, math, international development, human rights, education, and lots of travel to sub-Saharan Africa. She often brings her guitar, so that she can play music for the Bahá’í communities she visits on her travels.

 

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Updated on 1.16.20