Month: August 2024

Bruce66423 shares a report from the Los Angeles Times: In a milestone breakthrough, more than half of Caltech’s incoming undergraduate class this fall will be women (source paywalled; alternative source) for the first time in its 133-year history. The class of 113 women and 109 men comes 50 years after Caltech graduated its first class of undergraduate women, who were admitted in 1970. “What this means for young women is that we are a place that can be representative of them and their experiences … where they can grow and thrive and excel and become really impressive, extraordinary scientists and engineers and go on to make a difference in this really research-heavy profession,” said Ashley Pallie, dean of admissions

Gloria L. Blackwell, chief executive of the American Assn. of University Women, lauded Caltech’s achievement as critical progress in reducing the substantial gap of women in science, technology, engineering and math. Although women hold about 60% of degrees in biological sciences, they represent only about 18% in computer science and 20% in engineering, Blackwell said. Research has shown that boys are not better at math and science than girls, but a persistent message in society says otherwise — and especially discourages Latinas and Black girls from pursuing the fields because they face discrimination and have less access to role models, resources and opportunities, the AAUW says. The report notes that Caltech isn’t the first educational institution to reach gender parity in STEM. Harvey Mudd College, a small private institution in Claremont, “enrolled more women than men in 2010 for the first time in its history and in 2014 graduated more women than men in engineering,” reports the LA Times. “Today, women make up 52.8% of majors in computer science, 50.5% in engineering and 68.2% in mathematical and computational biology.”

UC Berkeley is another powerful producer of STEM graduates, with “nearly half of students majoring in those fields [identifying] as women or nonbinary.” However, the report notes that the field they enter varies significantly. “They make up more than two-thirds of students in biological and biomedical sciences, but about one-third in engineering, computer and informational sciences, and mathematics and statistics.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Bruce66423 shares a report from the Los Angeles Times: In a milestone breakthrough, more than half of Caltech’s incoming undergraduate class this fall will be women (source paywalled; alternative source) for the first time in its 133-year history. The class of 113 women and 109 men comes 50 years after Caltech graduated its first class of undergraduate women, who were admitted in 1970. “What this means for young women is that we are a place that can be representative of them and their experiences … where they can grow and thrive and excel and become really impressive, extraordinary scientists and engineers and go on to make a difference in this really research-heavy profession,” said Ashley Pallie, dean of admissions

Gloria L. Blackwell, chief executive of the American Assn. of University Women, lauded Caltech’s achievement as critical progress in reducing the substantial gap of women in science, technology, engineering and math. Although women hold about 60% of degrees in biological sciences, they represent only about 18% in computer science and 20% in engineering, Blackwell said. Research has shown that boys are not better at math and science than girls, but a persistent message in society says otherwise — and especially discourages Latinas and Black girls from pursuing the fields because they face discrimination and have less access to role models, resources and opportunities, the AAUW says. The report notes that Caltech isn’t the first educational institution to reach gender parity in STEM. Harvey Mudd College, a small private institution in Claremont, “enrolled more women than men in 2010 for the first time in its history and in 2014 graduated more women than men in engineering,” reports the LA Times. “Today, women make up 52.8% of majors in computer science, 50.5% in engineering and 68.2% in mathematical and computational biology.”

UC Berkeley is another powerful producer of STEM graduates, with “nearly half of students majoring in those fields [identifying] as women or nonbinary.” However, the report notes that the field they enter varies significantly. “They make up more than two-thirds of students in biological and biomedical sciences, but about one-third in engineering, computer and informational sciences, and mathematics and statistics.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Apple announced that CFO Luca Maestri will step down at the start of next year, transitioning to head of its corporate services team to lead “information systems and technology, information security, and real estate and development.” Kevan Parekh will take over as CFO. The Verge reports: Maestri joined Apple in 2013 after serving as the CFO of Xerox. He became the CFO just one year later, replacing Peter Oppenheimer. CNBC notes that when he took over, Apple’s annual revenue was $183 billion, and last year, it reached $383 billion. Apple also announced an expansion to its share repurchase program to $90 billion, which Maestri would oversee.

This spring, Apple announced it would increase the amount from $90 billion to $110 billion, breaking its own record of $100 billion. It also reported an increase in revenue from its services business of 14 percent, even as sales of iPhones and iPads were down from the previous year. In Apple’s announcement, it said, “…Maestri enabled essential investments and practiced robust financial discipline, which together helped the company more than double its revenue, with services revenue growing more than five times.”

Kevan Parekh, Apple’s vice president of financial planning and analysis, will take Maestri’s place managing the finances of the now $3 trillion company. Parekh has been at Apple for 11 years and previously worked in senior leadership positions at Thomson Reuters and General Motors. Last week, Apple announced that it’s splitting its App Store group into two teams, with App Store vice president Matt Fischer leaving the role in October.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Apple announced that CFO Luca Maestri will step down at the start of next year, transitioning to head of its corporate services team to lead “information systems and technology, information security, and real estate and development.” Kevan Parekh will take over as CFO. The Verge reports: Maestri joined Apple in 2013 after serving as the CFO of Xerox. He became the CFO just one year later, replacing Peter Oppenheimer. CNBC notes that when he took over, Apple’s annual revenue was $183 billion, and last year, it reached $383 billion. Apple also announced an expansion to its share repurchase program to $90 billion, which Maestri would oversee.

This spring, Apple announced it would increase the amount from $90 billion to $110 billion, breaking its own record of $100 billion. It also reported an increase in revenue from its services business of 14 percent, even as sales of iPhones and iPads were down from the previous year. In Apple’s announcement, it said, “…Maestri enabled essential investments and practiced robust financial discipline, which together helped the company more than double its revenue, with services revenue growing more than five times.”

Kevan Parekh, Apple’s vice president of financial planning and analysis, will take Maestri’s place managing the finances of the now $3 trillion company. Parekh has been at Apple for 11 years and previously worked in senior leadership positions at Thomson Reuters and General Motors. Last week, Apple announced that it’s splitting its App Store group into two teams, with App Store vice president Matt Fischer leaving the role in October.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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