University senior Vasha Dutell wasn’t sure computer science was a good field for her until she began making robots.
“I started realizing the broader applications of computer science. There was this idea about being alone, coding and not talking to anyone,” Dutell said. “But I’m not just sitting alone and coding by myself. I’m going and doing tons of stuff, like web design, robotics — there’s so much.”
She is one of few women majoring in computer science at the University. University computer and information science department director Kathleen Freeman Hennessy said she often wonders why so few women choose to major in computer science.
At the University, about 15 percent of undergraduate computer science majors are women. Nationally, women comprise only 14 percent of bachelor’s degrees in computer science — down from 37 percent in 1985 to 25 percent in 2004, according to the National Science Foundation.
“I don’t think women have realized how much you can really do with computer science,” Hennessy said. “It’s much more than just playing with a computer. It’s good for anyone who is creative or logical, or who likes to make things. It’s a terrific field for anybody, but I almost think particularly for women.”
In 2010, researchers from Miami University found that women don’t think math and science fields provide them with opportunities to help people — a career goal researchers found is important to many women.
Dutell thinks if more women enrolled in a computer science class, they would be surprised by how applicable it is. She wishes she had more female peers in the major whom she could talk to about homework or assignments.
“I think I had a hard time making friends in the major,” she said. “I think it would be easier for me if there were more women.”
This year, she became involved in the Women in Computer Science group at the University. She is part of the group’s K-12 outreach program, which began last month. The group partnered with Willamalane Park and Recreation District and Springfield Public Schools to offer classes about computer programming basics. Dutell has given presentations on robotics and said girls were just as interested as the boys.
University senior and computer science major Melody Li said she doesn’t understand why more women are not involved in computer science.
“It’s not like being good at computers is some kind of male-inherited gene,” Li said. “If you have the creativity, if you have the motivation, you can excel in this field.”
The College of Arts and Sciences at the University gives scholarships to students interested in computer science, but none are offered just for women. Director of financial aid Jim Brooks said since he began working at the University last year, his office hasn’t talked about offering scholarships for women.
Hennessy thinks having scholarships for women would be a good way to encourage more women to major in computer science. Dutell also hopes the University can attract more women to the major.
“I think women have just as much to offer as men,” she said. “If you only have men in a field, you’re only getting that sort of contribution. You’re definitely losing something if you don’t have women involved, too.”