Back in the late 1990s, Mattel came out with a Barbie doll that, among other things, informed many little girls (and some little boys) that “math is hard.”  It was the wrong message to send then, and the wrong message now.  We all know that girls (and boys) should be encouraged to pursue math and science, and not feel they aren’t smart enough to take these essential courses.

The worry, at the time, was that Barbie would plant her message of underachievement in a many young girls, denying us a generation of Madame Curies, Sally Rides, and even Danica MacKellars.  After all, would a plastic doll lie?

Fortunately, our fears seem to be unfounded.  This week, women were the big winners of the Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology, taking top honors for individual and team projects.  Looks like those chemistry sets had a far greater impact than Malibu Barbie and her dream house.

Congrats to Isha Jain, Janelle Schlossberger, Amanda Marinoff, and all of the others who participated in the Siemens competition.  Now winning Siemens, that’s hard.