Taking a Look at Our Economic Woes

Jonathan Alter, in his column discussing Barack Obama's potential choices for vice president, lists everyone but the most obvious (and best) candidate: Al Gore. Who could be more ready to take the position than someone who's already held it? The day after the election, President Obama could say, "Here are your two portfolios: energy and the environment. Run with them."
Milan J. Kralik Jr.
Spinnerstown, Pa.

Don ' t Know Much About Biology
Kudos to Sally Hoskins for her essay on her important work as a biology teacher ("Lessons in Life [Science]," MY TURN, June 16). We wouldn't regard someone who was unfamiliar with Shakespeare or Mozart as well educated, but for some reason it is okay to not understand how a cell is put together or to express skepticism about evolution. Society urgently needs to confront a number of challenging issues including environmental change, emerging infections, poverty, energy and population growth. If we are to succeed, everyone will have to understand how the natural world works, not just scientists.
Ferric C. Fang
Seattle, Wash.

There has always been a percentage of the population that gives the "eww" reaction when presented with things biological, but today it is more pronounced because children are being raised with less contact with nature. Many children don't even play in their backyards anymore, but stay inside playing their videogames. No Child Left Behind has caused outdoor activities to be squeezed out of the curriculum. Fear of lawsuits causes even more restrictions to be made, which in turn makes people more reluctant to get into the countryside. Some are afraid of the ticks. The more ignorance there is, the more fear. The more fear, the more avoidance. The more avoidance, the more ignorance. Human beings need intimate contact to develop an appreciation of things. The attitudes of the students in Hoskins's class were formed long before they got there. Nature is losing its constituency because of this process. Unless we take action to turn all this around, it will become ever more difficult to bring us all into balance with nature.
Chaffee Monell
Central Valley, N.Y.

Geeks in Skirts
I must have been one of the nerdettes without knowing it ("Revenge of the Nerdette," June 16). After I graduated from college with a B.A. in mathematics (back in 1953), the next six years found me teaching high-school math courses in Illinois districts. It was my brother's suggestion that math is a boys' subject that had made me decide that it could also be a females' subject. While my college roommate continued to teach high-school math courses for more than 30 years, I retired to raise four daughters. My granddaughter just graduated from high school and garnered half her school's math award. (She and a male achieved the same grades in math throughout high school: that is either half the award or just plain "sharing.") Congratulations to the current nerdettes.
Patricia D. Herrmann
Arlington Heights, Ill.

I am a 1950 graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a degree in mechanical engineering. There were many other coeds in the fields of architecture, electrical engineering, aeronautical engineering, chemical engineering, biology, chemistry, physics and metallurgy during my time there. We did not think of ourselves as nerds or nerdettes. We were science and engineering students just as much as the men were. We got professional jobs upon graduation and made commercial, industrial and academic contributions. There was no feeling of being a misfit in a field that we thought was as suited to us as to males. Fortunately there are now even more opportunities for women who are interested and good in math and science.
Irma S. Cohen
Hempstead, N.Y.

While it's nice to see attention paid to young women excelling in math and science, it's unfortunate that you still feel compelled to discuss these women's clothes and physical appearance. An article on the technological achievements of male students would never put so much emphasis on how "sexy" they look. Until the media can discuss the achievements of women without reassuring people that they are still "hot," young women have a long way to go to gain acceptance and equality. As a third-year student at UCLA, I recently created a short documentary on the lives of female "geeks" at my university. Almost all the students I interviewed, including the males, voiced their concern with the pressure on women to be stereotypically feminine and good looking as well as intelligent. Your article sends a strong message to young women that unless they fit these stereotypes, their knowledge and achievements will be valued less.
Stacey Capoot
Los Angeles, Calif.