Announcement

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• Are you a girl between the ages of 18 and 22?
• Are you studying a science where the men far outnumber the women?
• Are you starting your studies this autumn or did you start in the autumn of 2008?

If the answers are yes, why not share the story of how you decided what to study?

What or who inspired and motivated you to choose mathematics, physics, chemistry, computer science or a engineering subject? How did particular episodes, experiences, individuals or other factors have an impact on your choice of studies? How do you feel about being one of the few girls in the academic programme you have chosen? What expectations do you have for your years as a student? What will it take for you to complete your studies? What could conceivably cause you to terminate your studies, or to switch the focus of your studies and/or your place of study? What do you think about your future professional and career opportunities?

We hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to put your story in writing. This project is intended to describe, understand and explain why some girls choose subjects that most girls avoid.

This is how you can participate

• Write freely in whatever form suits you best! If you want to, you can write down your thoughts about the questions mentioned about, but the approach is completely up to you.
• Write in the dialect of your choice. Or write in English, if you would like.
• The length of your paper should be between 1500 and 5000 words.
• Write your story in the template and complete the information at the top of the document.
• Send your contribution to: skrivdittvalg@naturfagsenteret.no by 31 December 2009

If you find it difficult to write, submit your story on an audio file in .mp3 format.

Prize

The winner will be drawn at random from among the stories. The prize is a trip to a destination of the winner's choice worth NOK 5 000. The gift certificates for travel will be sent to the winner by post.

How the stories will be used

Selected stories will be printed in their entirety or as excerpts in connection with the publication of articles and books. The scientists who use the material will be subject to an obligation of confidentiality. The stories will not be published under the author's name or in any other way that might make it possible to identify the author. We would nonetheless encourage you to use pseudonyms when you write, but the people and the events must be real.

The stories will be stored with password protection and will be treated confidentially. The material will be stored at the Norwegian Centre for Science Education, University of Oslo, until 2012 - and beyond the project period if there are any follow-up studies made. The stories will be anonymised in 2018 and shredded by 1 January 2026.

Consent

By sending us your story, you are giving us permission to use the story as background material for the research project, and for the story to be anonymised and then published in its entirety or as excerpts.

The study has been registered with the privacy ombudsman for research at the Norwegian Social Science Data Services.

Follow-up study

We would like to get in touch with you again at a later date with questions about your experiences from your studies and the time after you complete your education. Participation is voluntary, and you can withdraw from the follow-up study at any time without stating your reasons, even after you have submitted your story and taken part in the drawing for the prize.