9732530 Basch The National Council for Research on Women (NCRW) will produce and disseminate a special edition of Issues Quarterly (IQ), `Balancing the Equation: Women and Girls in Science, Engineering, and mathematics,` and IQ Fax. NCRW is a working coalition of 77 research centers in the US with connections to over 1,500 other organizations and networks worldwide concerned with improving the status of women and girls. The goal of this project is to sustain and stimulate national dialogue and action on issues affecting women and girls in science, engineering, and mathematics (SEM). IQ will synthesize a broad range of research, data, and perspectives on women and girls in SEM. It will include first-hand interviews with K-16 educators, representatives of girls' organizations and women's scientific professional organizations and networks, women practitioners in science and technology, representatives of industry, and this issue's editorial committee members. IQ will also include data and information from recently published books, scientific and higher education journals, government reports, and reports from professional organizations. By highlighting current research, policy, and action on integrating women as full participants in the mainstream of scientific and technological education, employment, and enterprise in its IQ and IQ Fax publications, NCRW will advance the accessibility and usability of this information by a large and diverse group of researchers, educators, policy makers, advocates, and a broad general audience. By increasing the awareness and involvement of this community on issues of gender, science, and technology, it will encourage research on and exploration of the benefits of science to society and the importance of diversifying the community of scientists. **
