Engineering can best be described as the process of using science and math to design solutions for big problems. And yet there is a long-standing problem in the field of engineering itself still begging for a solution: Women are significantly underrepresented, especially in computer science. Julia Lapan is focused on answering why. Lapan is director of the University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science's Center for Engineering Career Development. UVA Engineering is far above the national average in terms of the percentage of women earning computer science degrees – approximately 30% of UVA's computer science degree earners are women, compared to 19% nationally, and both the interim department chair and incoming chair are women. However nationally, the number of women earning bachelor's degrees in computer science has been declining, according to the National Science Foundation. In 1997, the national average for women earning computer science degrees was 27%, eight percentage points higher than today. This is despite the fact that computing careers are some of the fastest growing and highest paid, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the computer science industry will grow by 19% in the next four years