Two years ago, when teaching a molecular biology lab course, I said at
the beginning, before people picked their own lab partners, that there
was research indicating that women in mixed-gender groups get less out
of courses than single-gender groups. The class divided themselves
pretty much by gender, at least among the undergraduates. I think this
had a positive impact on the students. I had also observed men
dominating groups. One-on-one assertiveness training will also help -
the self-confidence from doing it yourself and getting it right is
invaluable. Muriel Lederman Biology Virginia Tech Blacksburg VA
