The current public debate about the "innate abilities" of girls and women to excel in math and science has focused attention on the ongoing role that gender and gender expectations play in shaping women's aspirations, opportunities, and accomplishments. To examine the costs of such gender expectations in the fields of science, math, and technology and to explore effective ways to prepare young women to challenge them, Girls Inc. of the Island City's Women of the 21st Century Club convened a special panel on July 19, 2005, to engage in a dialogue with audience participants.

Members of the panel included

Donna Milgram	Executive Director of the National Institute for Women in Trades, Technology, and Science
Ellen Spertus, PhD.	Computer Science Professor at Mills College and part-time software engineer at Google
Neveia Chappell	Product Marketing Engineer at Agilent Technologies and member of the Society of Women Engineers
Margaret Torn, PhD.	biogeochemist at Lawrence Berkeley Lab and recent winner of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers
Violet Votin, PhD.	a recent graduate of Stanford University and member of the Association for Women in Science

Also appearing at the event were girls in Girls Inc.'s Operation S.M.A.R.T. (Science, Math, and Relevant Technology) program. The event was held from 6:30-8:30 PM at the Girls Inc. Meyers Center, 1724 Santa Clara Ave. in Alameda.