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CORVALLIS, Ore. - While schools, universities and government agencies promote science and technology careers to school girls, women still lag men in so-called STEM fields: science, technology, engineering and math.

At the Jan. 12 Corvallis Science Pub, Sarina Saturn will review the status of women in these fields nationally and discuss how she and other Oregon State University researchers are attempting to diversify the science workforce.

Last fall, Oregon State received a $3.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation to recruit, retain and promote women in STEM fields and the social and behavioral sciences. Saturn, an assistant professor in OSU's School of Psychological Science, is a co-investigator on the grant.

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, women comprise about 48 percent of the U.S. workforce but hold only 24 percent of jobs in STEM fields. This disparity is also reflected in higher education. At OSU in 2012, women made up 23 percent of the faculty in STEM fields, including the social and behavioral sciences.

The Science Pub presentation is free and open to the public. It begins at 6 p.m. at the Old World Deli, 341 S.W. 2nd St. in Corvallis. Sponsors of Science Pub include Terra magazine at OSU, the Downtown Corvallis Association and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.