A variety of studies have shown that, by the second grade, about 75 percent of girls have already developed an implicit belief that science, math and engineering are subjects that belong more to boys. And once that belief sets in, it becomes harder to get back onto the typical path to education and careers in these fields — which is what makes unconventional pathways so important.
Reeja Jayan is the author of a chapter in a recently published book called Women in Mechanical Engineering, in which she shared her nonlinear path toward her current role as an associate professor of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University.
