stem

The number of women in tech is a huge downer: just 14 percent of executive positions in tech companies are held by women, and only three percent of tech start-ups are founded by women. Frankly put, men outnumber women by a huge margin in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields, but several female-powered programs are looking to change the ratio and lure more ladies into coding and programming.

Increasing the much-needed presence of women in tech starts with nurturing the next generation, and the Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles are on it. In partnership with Women in Games International, the Girl Scouts are introducing a new video game designer patch requiring members to program games (unlike the Boy Scout version, which can be earned by just designing).

While the Girl Scouts' video game designer patch is not nationally recognized yet, Women in Games International's CEO Sheri Rubin told NBC that the organization is working to prove the patch is effective for fourth through sixth graders, before expanding to grades seven through 12 across the US.

If you're beyond your scouting years, don't give up just yet. All-female, career-changing coding camps are cropping up all around the country. Join your sisters in software and learn to code at one of these girl-powered programming courses.

Student scientists are taking over the White House today for the third annual White House Science Fair, and if it's anything like last year's marshmallow cannon spectacular, we're in for some incredible displays of scientific excellence from the country's future STEM leaders.

This year, projects include a watercolor painting robot, algae as biofuel, and a 3D-printed robotic arm. These aren't your average homemade volcano experiments. Watch live coverage from the event as Bill Nye and LeVar Burton interview entrants about their projects.

In fact, the day's technology focus even prompted the White House to join in on the looping video sensation, Vine, with its first upload being an ode to science that you can watch after the jump.

Julie Yu, a staff scientist at San Francisco's Exploratorium, the newest science museum on the block, really loves what she does. It's easy to see why: "On my first day of work, I was told to have fun every day and make sure I have time to play." Doesn't sound like your typical lab-coat-wearing, microscope-peeking depiction of a scientist, does it?

"It's a joy [working in this field]. There are always more questions to ask, and each day is never the same," said Julie, whose main responsibility at the Exploratorium is to help science teachers around the country bring hands-on experimentation into the classroom, using as little money and resources as possible.

You don't need fancy machinery to conduct your own experiment, though. Exploring what's already around you is what Julie says is one of the keys to science success. The Brown University-trained engineer had a brief teaching career at the Tech Museum in San Jose before receiving a Ph.D. in chemical engineering at UC Berkeley.

We spoke to Julie and asked her a question on the minds of every aspiring biologist, chemist, or physicist: what does it take to become a super-rad scientist?

In honor of Julie's passion for kitchen chemistry — which is what first piqued her interest in the subject — we present her three-ingredient recipe for science success.

Britain's first female Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has died at the age of 87. Many knew Margaret, dubbed "The Iron Lady" for her steadfastness, as a skilled politician and dedicated conservative — but the UK's longest-serving prime minister of the 20th century actually got her career start in science.

Margaret graduated from Oxford with a Bachelor of Science in chemistry after completing a dissertation on X-ray crystallography (mapping the chemical bonds and positions of atoms in a crystal) of gramicidin, an antibiotic.

The influence of science on the former female PM was significant. She was mentored by pioneering women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) early on. Dorothy Hodgkin, a Nobel Prize winner for her groundbreaking work with penicillin, was Margaret's dissertation advisor during her years at Oxford.

Later on, despite her views as a staunch financial conservative, Margaret gave a surprising speech in 1989 before the United Nations calling for a "vast international, co-operative effort" to reduce greenhouse gases and fund green energy research.

There's no doubt that Margaret Thatcher was a strong-willed woman with many words of wisdom. Whether or not you agree with her politics, it is hard to deny that Margaret Thatcher was a trailblazer in many ways: first, as a chemist in the '50s, a time when many other women were relegated to housework, and then as Britain's highest ranking official.

Want to know what being a woman in tech is all about? How about being a woman in tech in . . . Africa? For this year's International Women's Day, we're celebrating leading ladies around the world by tuning in to the voices of female trailblazers in technology. Google is live streaming the Voices Global Conference, a 24-hour event hosted by Global Tech Women.

All of the Voices Global Conference sessions feature women working in computer science and will be available for free throughout the day. In addition to the streaming videos, Google will be uploading new episodes of its Women Techmakers series to give more visibility to female developers at the top and provide role models for the next generation of engineers.

The company is providing this online platform for trendsetting techmakers to "help women and other audiences around the world learn more and get inspired about the contributions women are making to technology and computer science."

Check Diversity at Google's YouTube channel for new live streams posted all day long. If you want to jump in right away, hang out with influential female African entrepreneurs and Internet pioneers at Google Africa after the break.

Scientists are knowledge-seeking, fun-loving adventurers who have had a public image problem for far too long, and This Is What a Scientist Looks Like is a Tumblr dedicated to changing that stereotype once and for all.

The Tumblr, run by writer Allie Wilkinson, features experts of the natural, physical, and formal sciences who represent all walks of life. Follow the posts and you'll see: science professionals don't have wild, disheveled hair (that was just Einstein) and most don't even own a lab coat.

Take Michael Ferguson Frick, there on the left. The professor of herpetology (study of reptiles) at the Philadelphia Natural History Museum also happens to be a big fan of motorcycles.

And, on the right, there's Kate, a postdoctoral scholar who uses geochemistry to determine what the climate was like way back when (uh, you rock Kate) and likes "hiking and good beer" as much as the next person.

Meet other Michaels and Kates changing the stereotype that scientists only work behind closed doors at lookslikescience.tumblr.com. If you're a scientist or science student who refuses to be pigeonholed, be sure to submit your name, photo, and bio to the site.

For even more shareable science finds, follow our geek stereotype-defying efforts at POPSUGAR Tech on Tumblr.

On NOVA's Secret Life of Scientists, actress Mayim Bialik of The Big Bang Theory talks about her affection for neurons and being in love with every aspect of the universe. We already knew that Mayim was a woman in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), but we didn't know that she wasn't always confident in the subject.

"When I was young . . . I always loved the concept of science but never thought I was cut out for it," Mayim said, even though she earned a doctorate in neuroscience at UCLA years later. "I assumed there was something about me, that I wasn't made for it."

In the video, the actress and author talks about how she first became interested in the subject: through her on-set biology tutor who "taught the cell as if it was Picasso's most famous painting."

See a picture of Mayim in the lab and watch the clip from Secret Life of Scientists after the break.

These women may be best known as TV stars and sirens of the silver screen, but behind the scenes, they're accomplished women in STEM, which stands for science, technology, engineering, and math. For Girls in Science, a website where young girls can learn about STEM careers, research, and educational opportunities, reveals three Hollywood starlets who have had prominent academic careers and spent time in the spotlight.

Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, and chemist Marie Curie are some of the more familiar faces on the list of lady inventors, scientists, engineers, and mathematicians. But there are three names that surprised us, including Danica McKellar, the star of The Wonder Years and a certified math whiz. Read on to uncover more actresses in STEM, and learn about the amazing contributions of these science-minded women.

As a Ph.D. student at UCLA, Mayim researched obsessive-compulsive disorder in adolescents with Prader-Willi syndrome, a rare genetic deficiency. During her studies, the actress gave birth to a son, inspiring her to become a certified lactation specialist and author a book on parenting titled Beyond the Sling: A Real-Life Guide to Raising Confident, Loving Children the Attachment Parenting Way.

After graduating with summa cum laude honors in mathematics, she went on to star in a variety of TV shows, including The West Wing and How I Met Your Mother, and became a bestselling author of books that encourage young girls to have confidence and enjoy math. Her nonfiction titles include Math Doesn't Suck, Kiss My Math, Hot X: Algebra Exposed, and Girls Get Curves: Geometry Takes Shape.

The model-turned-movie-star was mathematically inclined and invented, along with composer George Antheil, a radio-controlled torpedo intended for use in World War II. The frequency-changing device served as the foundation for secret communication operations during the 1962 naval blockade against Cuba, and many modern inventors recognize her importance in the development of the technology.

Who can hate on the white button-down shirt? It's classic, cool, and looks good with virtually anything. But when Summertime rolls around, I want the fresh look minus the stiff feel. That's where this Splendid Lightweight Jersey Button-Down Shirt ($108) comes in. It's white, thus crisp, but comfy at the same time. Wonderful. Even more wonderful? I found a version that's less pricey.

To see the look for less, read more