Today's Date: March 29, 2024
Chosgo K23: One of the Best Bluetooth Hearing Aids for Seniors   •   Anaergia Announces Delay in the Filing of Its Audited Financial Statements and Related Disclosures   •   Navigating Spring Break Sexual Health: Advice from Dr. Deb Laino Sex and Relationship Therapist and Powerful Life Coach   •   Re:wild and Colossal Biosciences team up to leverage revolutionary technology to save critically endangered species on the brink   •   Syngenta Group reports $32.2 billion sales and $4.6 billion EBITDA in 2023   •   Fosun Management on 2023 Annual Results: Focusing on Core Industries with Established Advantages   •   e.l.f. Cosmetics Debuts TikTok Shop Super Brand Day   •   World Class Dyslexia, Literacy, and Neuroscience Experts Gather with Educators for Two-Day Professional Learning Event   •   Anaergia Announces Escrow Closing of Second Tranche of the Strategic Investment   •   Naropa University Launches Pioneering Psychedelic Minor     •   Coachella Concerned That People Have Sex, Says AHF   •   Midea Group releases its first-ever ESG brand story with an unexpected VIP visit highlighting its commitment to sustainability.   •   National University Receives 2024 Military Friendly® Gold Designation   •   Walmart Connect Announced as Presenting Sponsor of the 2024 WIN Summit   •   Unique online yoga platform offers lifeline for menopausal women   •   Charity Navigator Launches Women's Advocacy List for Women's History Month   •   Committee for Children Now Offers a PreK-12 Full-Suite Solution with the Highly Anticipated Launch of Second Step® High Scho   •   101 Mobility® Eden Prairie: Leading the Way in Mobility and Accessibility Solutions   •   AMIGOS FOR KIDS LAUNCHES "THE MISSING REVIEW"   •   Navigating Birth Control: Expert Advice from Dr. Bana Kashani, OB-GYN
Bookmark and Share

Study: Technology Helps Female Researchers

 BERKELEY, CA — Access to information technology benefits female research scientists more than their male counterparts, increasing research productivity and collaboration, according to a new study co-authored by Assistant Professor Waverly Ding of the University of California, Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.

The study concludes that IT is an “equalizing force” for researchers and suggests innovations in IT may contribute to scientific productivity.

Women researchers at non-elite universities in particular increased their publication counts by 18 percent when their institutions provided IT as a communications tool, according to the study, published in Management Science (September 2010). “I’m not saying IT isn’t helping men; it’s positive for both," says Ding. “However, women gain more from IT advancement in universities than men do.”

The co-authors of the study, titled “The Impact of Information Technology on Academic Scientists’ Productivity and Collaboration Patterns,” include Sharon Levin and Anne Winkler of the University of Missouri-St. Louis and Paula Stephan of Georgia State University.

Their study focused on more than 4,000 researchers in the life sciences from more than 150 universities during the past 25 years. Because the Internet was not common or widespread until the mid-1990s, researchers studied the availability of BITNET at a scientist’s institution.

BITNET was the embryonic form of today’s Internet and used primarily at academic institutions to link scientists across universities. The goal was to foster communication and collaboration, but it did not consist of email or any search engines, and was gradually replaced by the Internet. The study measured productivity by changes in a scientist’s publication count – the number of articles published in peer-reviewed journals -- and the quality of the publications.

After a university installed the BITNET system, women's publications increased 19 percent while there was no statistically significant gain in access to BITNET for men. Furthermore, women gained 27 percent in obtaining new co-authors while men only gained 13 percent.

At lower-ranked universities, researchers have fewer colleagues and less diversity in terms of their research areas, making collaboration more difficult.
"IT gives researchers a tool so they may connect with colleagues at other institutions and collaborate to obtain cutting-edge knowledge,” explains Ding.

She adds, “Furthermore, the research supports the need for more collaboration, being open, and increasing the extensiveness and diversity of one’s research network – that’s the lesson of this study.”


STORY TAGS: WOMEN NEWS, MINORITY NEWS, DISCRIMINATION, DIVERSITY, FEMALE, UNDERREPRESENTED, EQUALITY, GENDER BIAS, EQUALITY

Video

White House Live Stream
LIVE VIDEO EVERY SATURDAY
alsharpton Rev. Al Sharpton
9 to 11 am EST
jjackson Rev. Jesse Jackson
10 to noon CST


Video

LIVE BROADCASTS
Sounds Make the News ®
WAOK-Urban
Atlanta - WAOK-Urban
KPFA-Progressive
Berkley / San Francisco - KPFA-Progressive
WVON-Urban
Chicago - WVON-Urban
KJLH - Urban
Los Angeles - KJLH - Urban
WKDM-Mandarin Chinese
New York - WKDM-Mandarin Chinese
WADO-Spanish
New York - WADO-Spanish
WBAI - Progressive
New York - WBAI - Progressive
WOL-Urban
Washington - WOL-Urban

Listen to United Natiosns News