Organic Chemist Victoria Helan Explains How We Can Encourage Our Girls Toward Careers In Chemistry

The entire universe is a series of mathematical equations. Whether it's physics, measuring distance and speed, engineering, measuring angles and the effects of gravity, or its chemistry, counting numbers and combinations of molecules, everything is math. Our brains are wired to measure the patterns of sound knows as music, and our bodies are created to perform highly complex mathematical calculations in fractions of a second. And yet, when it comes to careers that require a heavy concentration of math, somehow, somewhere, our girls get the message that it's just "too hard." Many avoid careers in science, biology, chemistry, physics, medicine. Why? University of Illinois PhD Candidate in Organic Chemistry Victoria Helan joins us today to discuss helping girls overcome their fear of math and encouraging them to seek careers in chemistry.