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Girls in STEM

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The School of Psychology would like to invite you to the event "Paving the way for girls in STEM and keeping them on the path" hosted by the Geary Institute for Public Policy on May 21, 2024, at 9 am.

The Arithmós Project in Ireland found that primary school boys outperform girls in certain maths skills, while girls experienced higher levels of maths anxiety. This can impact students' performance and achievement in maths tasks. Findings also pointed out that Maths anxiety can start early in childhood, be passed down from parents or teachers, and persist into adulthood.The Arithmós Project Report launch will take place during the event “Paving the way for girls in STEM and keeping them on the path".

The Gender Equity in Irish Architecture (GEIA) research project aims to address the gender disparity within the profession. Through surveys and interviews, the project is examining attitudes towards gender equality, working culture, and the impact of gender on career trajectories in Irish architecture. Preliminary findings from the Irish Architecture Career Tracker Survey show insights into gender discrimination, sexism, and attitudes towards gender equality policies in the field.

The event "Paving the way for girls in STEM and keeping them on the path" highlights key findings from both projects funded by the Irish Research Council. It emphasises the importance of addressing maths anxiety in early years to boost girls' interest in STEM careers, as well as promoting gender equality in STEM fields, such as architecture, to ensure their retention. Early intervention and support are crucial for student success and well-being, and providing resources for parents and educators is essential to help students overcome maths anxiety and achieve their academic goals. By allowing for gender comparison the GEIA research project's findings reveal the key challenges for both women and men in the profession of architecture and thereby point the way towards achieving greater gender balance in architecture as well as other built-environment professions. 

Speakers are Flavia H. Santos and Dervla Macmanus from University College Dublin, and Pierpaolo Dondio from Technological University Dublin. The roundtable will be facilitated by Dr Dorren McMahon from the Geary Institute for Public Policy forging an opportunity for the speakers to interactively address questions from the audience, the moderator, and one another.

Participation in this event is free but registration is compulsory.

Eventbrite details: (opens in a new window)https://t.co/mpcIozSnC5

Dr Flavia H. Santos from the School of Psychology leads both the Arithmós Project, funded by the Irish Research Council, and the ENIGMA Project, supported by the European Commission's Erasmus Plus programme. Dr Pierpaolo Dondio developed and implemented the digital game Seven Spells, he also founded the Happy Maths Programme. Dr Dervla MacManus is a former architect and a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in UCD School of Philosophy. Her research project, Gender Equity in Irish Architecture, is co-funded by the Irish Research Council and the Royal Institute of Architects Ireland.

The Arithmós Project(opens in a new window) Policy Brief is available at [PublicPolicy.ie], the Geary Institute’s online platform for disseminating policy-related research in order to inform academic and contemporary debates about public policy in Ireland.

UCD School of Psychology

Newman Building, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.