[Edu-sig] Women, robots, and Python

[Nagarjuna G.]

On Mon, Aug 19, 2002 at 04:05:47PM -0400, Douglas S. Blank wrote:
> Greetings!
> 
> I've just joined this list, and have found the last couple of weeks' 
> discussions to be right on target for me.
> 
> I teach at Bryn Mawr College, an all women's school just getting a 
> computer science (and cognitive science) program off the ground. The 
> problems of gender and CompSci are complex ones, but ones that I think 
> Python has a role in which to play. I hope that discussion continues here.
> 
> We aren't ready to teach any courses in Python (yet) but the last 
> project that I started is written in Python, called Pyro, for Python 
> Robotics.

I have forwarded many of the mails from this thread to my colleagues
who are interested in gender and science.  Since this thread really is
going on and on, and I wish to add my experince of Python and girls.
I worked with seven girls recently on the developement of a
Python/Zope based knowledge management project (called GNOWSYS
http://www.zope.org/Members/nagarjuna/GNOWSYS).  I have also worked
with boys in the same project.  I haven't found any marked difference
in the nature of their contributions.  They have exhibited same
analytical skills as the boys, and in fact found the girls'
contribution more substantial since I found them more sincere and have
spent more time .  But, I havent found anything that makes Python girl
friendly.  Python is programmer friendly, irrespective of gender.  I
am taking mostly girls this time in the project, because I want to have
more female hackers around.

Nagarjuna