I don't think government programs should exclude males or females unless there is a strong rationale. Looking at the criteria at the site, boys ARE able to apply, but they don't want boys to apply. My eldest son is interested in astronomy, so I'll encourage him to do so.
I understand your point of view Bostonian, and as the mom of a son who is really into astronomy and science, the first thing I thought was "Gee, I wish there was a program like this for boys!". Then I realized after reading your reply that boys probably have to be accepted into this program... but fwiw... I'm also a female scientist and I've seen in my education and career how there can be gender barriers and I also understand wanting to get more girls interested in science. Sometimes you can't do everything with limited resources. If I was a mentor scientist in this program, I'd be committing my time expecting to mentor a girl, and that's why I would be making the commitment. So while I get that it should in theory be ok to go ahead and sign up a boy, I don't necessarily think it's something I'd do. But that's just me!
polarbear
