2007-03-11: NOGLSTP PARTICIPATES IN GLOBAL MARATHON: 24 HOURS OF ENGINEERING INSIGHTS FOR WOMEN

FOR RELEASE:
March 11, 2007

NOGLSTP PARTICIPATES IN GLOBAL MARATHON: 24 HOURS OF
ENGINEERING INSIGHTS FOR WOMEN

The National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals, Inc (NOGLSTP) is proud to be a participant in the third annual “Global Marathon For, By and About Women in Engineering,” Dr. Amy Ross, Vice President of Research and Development at Diamics, Inc., and Mentoring Program Coordinator for NOGLSTP, will present a live telephone presentation at 11 PM, EST on Thursday, March 22 entitled “Mentoring for GLBT Scientists, Engineers and Technology Students and Professionals: Bridging the Gap from Academe to Industry.” during the marathon. NOGLSTP’s participation brings gay, lesbian, bisexual, and
transgender (GLBT) visibility to mainstream engineering, industry, educational professionals, and students. Visibility is important to encourage recognition, role models, and equity in engineering education and equity in the workplace. Dr. Ross’s topic on mentoring for all levels of engineering is important to build a bridge and a ladder up to educational opportunities, industry recruitment and employee retention. Through an affiliated partnership plus with
MentorNet®, NOGLSTP provides a mentoring program for its membership and other interested GLBT students, postdoctoral scholars, and early career academics in engineering through one-on-one mentoring
with GLBT academic and industry mentors. NOGLSTP is among the 41 endorsing societies of National Engineering Week (E-Week), as well as an affiliate of the American Association for the Advancement of
Science and a sustaining member of the National Postdoctoral Association.

The 2007 Global Marathon, providing insights and information on engineering careers to high school and college students, their teachers, counselors and parents, and professional women engineers worldwide, is begins at Noon EDT Thursday, March 22nd and continues through Noon EDT Friday, March 23rd. The 24-hour marathon of webcasts, Internet chats and teleconferences at the Engineers Week website – www.eweek.org – connects an international community of women engineers
and other professions with expertise in a wide variety of disciplines. Each presenter will lead a 30- to 60-minute presentation with postings and questions from participants worldwide. All sessions and presentations will be archived for future access. The Global Marathon, which coincides with Women’s History Month, was created by the
National Engineers Week Foundation and is supported in 2007 by Lenovo and Verizon Business. Verizon Business is providing the underlying network-based technology for the Global Marathon, including voice conferencing, net conferencing and webcasts, all of which will be
carried by the Verizon Business global IP network.

The Global Marathon was created to:
• provide a forum to share information for, by and about women in engineering for a variety of groups engaged in related issues;
• highlight to employers that women are still underrepresented in engineering;
• make many publics aware of existing programs and opportunities for girls and women
• help dispel myths about women & girls in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM);
• provide a unifying event for groups working towards recognition, recruitment and retention of women in engineering,
• increase awareness of STEM issues among pre-college, college, and young career women, and help to address issues of concern such as retaining women in college engineering programs and the workplace; and,
• provide opportunities to host local, live outreach events and connect them globally.

Sessions will originate from various locations in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, China, Hong Kong, and Japan, and will also target audiences in Africa and Latin America.

Engineers have long promoted diversity outreach, but the Global Marathon takes on added urgency on the heels of startling findings from a survey of attitudes among high school girls, teachers and counselors, engineering students, and engineers. According to the
Extraordinary Women Engineers Project study, led by a coalition of engineering associations and the WGBH Educational Foundation and released in April 2005, a staggering number of high school girls – more than 90 percent – do not even consider engineering as a career option.

Further, jobs requiring engineering and scientific degrees continue to increase, but the number of students preparing for these careers remains static. Women and minorities are particularly underrepresented. Currently, only about ten percent of America’s engineers are women, despite the fact that women make up 46 percent of the nation’s workforce. Women comprise 55 percent of all college undergraduates, but only 20 percent in engineering.

Even more troubling is that, despite the fact that less than 15 percent of U.S. high school students have the prerequisites to even pursue scientific or technical degrees in college, there is no lack of ability or preparation on the part of girls and young women. Previous studies have found that girls, on average, are just as or more likely as boys to have taken the high school science and math courses (biology, chemistry, physics, and advanced algebra) necessary to enter
engineering school.

About National Engineers Week Foundation
Engineers Week, a formal coalition of more than 75 engineering, professional, and technical societies and more than 50 corporations and government agencies, was founded in 1951 by the National Society of Professional Engineers. The program is dedicated to ensuring a diverse and well-educated future engineering workforce by increasing understanding of and interest in engineering and technology careers
among young students and by promoting pre-college literacy in math and science. Engineers Week also raises public understanding and appreciation of engineers’ contributions to society. Co-chairs for
Engineers Week 2007, February 18-24, were the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) and Tyco Electronics. Visit www.eweek.org for information on all Engineers Week programs.

About National National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals, Inc.
NOGLSTP is a national organization of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people (and their advocates) employed or interested in scientific or high technology fields. NOGLSTP’s goals include
educating the scientific and general communities about LGBT issues in science and the technical workplace; educating the queer community about relevant topics in science; dialogue with professional
societies and associations; improving our members employment and professional environment; opposing queer phobia and stereotypes by providing role models of successful LGBT scientific and technical
professionals; and fostering networking and mentoring among our members. NOGLSTP is a non-profit educational organization under IRS section 501(c)(3), an affiliate of the American Association for the
Advancement of Science, a participating professional society in the MentorNet® Affiliated Partners Plus program, a sustaining member of the National Postdoctoral Association, and an endorsing society of
National Engineers Week. Visit www.noglstp.org for more information on NOGLSTP

About Verizon Business
Verizon Business, a unit of Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ), is a leading provider of advanced communications and information technology (IT) solutions to large business and government customers worldwide. Combining unsurpassed global network reach with advanced technology and professional service capabilities, Verizon Business delivers innovative and seamless business solutions to customers around the world. For more information, visit www.verizonbusiness.com/.