I’m no engineer， nor have I ever had the desire to involve myself in the world of STEM （science， technology， engineering， and mathematics）. I can only imagine the weight on one’s shoulders， knowing that a wrongly placed decimal point， in the drafting of an architectural structure， could lead to the deaths of hundreds or even thousands of innocents. It’s a responsibility taken on by only the smartest， bravest and most confident members of society. It also happens to be a profession dominated by men.
　　Perhaps if the latest trends are any indication， female engineers will one day overtake their male counterparts. But， unfortunately， that day is not today， as women remain vastly underrepresented in scientific fields， even in the most advanced countries around the world.
　　This month’s featured articles follow several courageous women looking to contradict some of the preconceived notions out there surrounding intelligent women. My Life as… An Engineering Student shows how Meg Mikrut sacrificed any semblance of a social life for one filled with complicated equations and precise calculations. Love， Life and Math： My Life Story follows Maria Lando on an epic cinematic adventure； using math as her superpower， as she turns dreams into scenes on the silver screen. And， in Physics Is Beauty， Lindsay LeBlanc justifies her 3 a.m. laboratory sessions in the search for a Bose-Einstein condensate.
　　The world needs more women like these， undeterred by the millennia of chauvinism and sexism. My sister Julia， a few years back， earned an engineering degree from the University of Miami. And I couldn’t be prouder. Though I’ve been here in Guangzhou， unable to witness her success first hand， I often have visions of her， standing just 5 feet tall， on some rough and rugged construction site， bossing around guys twice her size. It certainly makes me hopeful for the future， a time when brains always win over brawn. And gender is just some box you check off on an application form.
　　我不是一名工程师，我也没有一点欲望要投身到科学、技术、工程，以及数学的世界当中。我只能想象出某个人肩上的重负，深知在描画一幅建筑结构的草图时，一个点错的小数位，就会夺去数百，甚至数千无辜者的生命。这是一项只由最聪明、最勇敢、最自信的社会成员来承担的责任。那也恰恰是一项由男性主导的专业。
　　或许，如果当下走势是某种昭示的话，那么女性工程人员有一天将会压倒她们的男性同行。但是，不幸的是，那一天并非今天，因为女性参与科学领域的人数依然严重不足，这种情况甚至在世界上最先进的那些国家里亦是如此。
　　本月的主题文章讲述了几位勇气可嘉的女性的故事，她们对围绕在聪慧女性身边的某些成见发起了冲击。《工科女生的自白》一文展示了梅格·米克鲁特如何为一个充满复杂方程式和精确计算的世界，牺牲了正常的社交生活。《数学：我的人生，我的爱》一文讲述了玛丽亚·兰度史诗般的电影界历程——运用数学作为她的超能力，将自己的梦想转化成银幕上的重重场景。在《物理学之美》一文中，林赛·勒布朗解释了自己坚持凌晨三点依然在做实验的原因，只为寻得玻色—爱因斯坦凝聚态。
　　这个世界需要更多这样的女性，她们并没有被数千年以来的沙文主义和性别歧视吓阻。我的妹妹茱莉亚，几年前从迈阿密大学获得了一个工程学位。当时的我自豪得不得了。虽然，我如今身在广州，无法直接见证她的成功，但我头脑中常常有关于她的景象：她站起来只有五英尺高，却在某个坑坑洼洼的建筑工地上使唤着身边那些比她块头大一倍的人。这当然也让我对未来抱有希望，希望那个时候智力会战胜体力。而性别只不过是某个你在申请表上勾选的项目而已。