Raising Awareness
Our Island Universe
I created and host a weekly, 90-second series entitled Our Island Universe. This weekly series is a look at all things space — how what goes on “up there” affects us “down here”. While topics generally cover how our ancestors viewed the night sky, to new discoveries in astrophysics, it really is an opportunity for me to share my passion for science and why science matters. It is also an opportunity to talk about how science is done and how we know what we know. Our Island Universe is designed to improve science literacy and raise awareness about science in my rural region of Virginia. Astronomy is a shared cultural connection and by telling stories of our past and present, I hope to inspire the future.
Planetarium Public Science Talk Series
Science is constantly changing, constantly uncovering new clues about our place within the Cosmos. Even more incredible, there are actually people who get paid to figure out why the Universe is the way it is and not some other way! I think it is important for the public to see science "in action", to see people engaged in the discipline, advancing our understanding of our address in the cosmos, and just as importantly, sharing their passion and their enthusiasm for their research. Beginning in Fall 2012, I created and curated a series of special Planetarium Public Science Talks that was intended for a general audience to see the scientist at play in their sandbox -- the Universe. These were speakers I intentionally sought out and invited because I thought the science they are doing is really cool AND also because I thought they would give a dynamic public presentation. Billed as "intellectual nourishment" for the mind, these presentations routinely drew upwards of 300 people to a large auditorium to hear "cutting edge" science. Every presentation was presented via Facebook live but was also recorded and made available via the Planetarium's YouTube channel. Past speakers included Dr. Scott Ransom (Pulsars, Magnetars, Black Holes, Oh My! The Wickedly Cool Stellar Undead), Dr. Heidi Hammel (Pluto: Planet or Pretender?), Dr. Jason Kalirai (Telescopes as Time Machines: The Hubble Space Telescope's Outrageous Legacy & the Future to Come with the James Webb Space Telescope), and former Chief Engineer and now Manager of the NESC Integration Office at NASA/Langley, Ms. Jill Prince (Journey to Mars: NASA's Path to the Red Planet)! My personal highlight was hearing former JMU colleague and Professor of Mathematics & Statistics, Dr. Caroline Lubert, discuss her acoustic research at NASA's Wallops Island Flight Facility (When I Grow Up, I Want to be a Rocket Scientist)!
Space Explorers Summer Camps
In order to reach impressionable young Americans at a time when they are thinking of what they want to pursue when they grow up, I created three, week-long Space Explorers summer camps that took place at the John C. Wells Planetarium. Each camp was broken by grade level. I created and led a half-day camp for rising 2nd to 4th grade students, a full-day camp for rising 5th to 8th grade students, and a residential camp at JMU for rising 8th to 10th graders! Via these camps housed at a state-of-the-art planetarium, I sought to inspire and excite the next generation of scientists and engineers. These engaging, hands-on, inquiry-based camps demonstrated to students that science is constantly changing, constantly uncovering new clues about why our universe is the way it is and not some other way. We asked basic questions about the natural world and then use the scientific method to try to answer them. For example, we investigated the size and scale of our solar system, learned about the robotic exploration of it, and learned about our own planet Earth and our fragile environment. Each summer I arranged special Space Explorers camp visitors that included JMU science professors, engineers working at NASA on new missions, and even a NASA astronaut!
Science Sunday for Girls
How do you become something you don't see? We've long known that the lack of diversity in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields has been a persistent problem for decades. When we asked our Space Explorers to describe what they think a scientist looks like, we saw traditional stereotypes of "white", "male", and "old" year after year in their illustrations. Are scientists really different from everyone else? Are they "six sigma deviants" on some Bell curve?! We say science is for everyone but our caricatures of scientists, our words, and our actions say something else. We cannot continue to exclude from our classrooms and labs roughly half of our population. By doing so, we are not only limiting the conversation but we are also excluding bright minds that can bring their talent to bear on some really tough problems.
A recent NSF study shows that white men currently make up 51 percent of all STEM jobs despite making up only 31 percent of the population — which means women and most minority groups are underrepresented and underserved. Not only does this contribute to race and gender wage gaps — STEM workers typically have higher salaries and currently enjoy a lower rate of unemployment than the general working population — but it also critically shortchanges the STEM community, since it means there are talented minds that haven’t been reached and important perspectives that are missing. Science Sunday for Girls was my small contribution in encouraging young American girls in the Valley to consider careers in science & engineering. Science is for everyone and its important that young girls know that and see that in action!
We have submitted several papers now on what we have learned first-hand about the kinds of hands-on, engaging, inquiry-based activities that lead to the largest gains in deep student learning. In addition to reaching young Americans, our summer Space Explorers camps and Science Sunday for Girls events provided JMU pre-service students and physics majors interested in teaching with real, hands-on teaching experience, learning how to differentiate their instruction for the various students that attend our camps and events, as well as how to teach science that naturally stokes a student's own curiosity about the natural world.
A recent NSF study shows that white men currently make up 51 percent of all STEM jobs despite making up only 31 percent of the population — which means women and most minority groups are underrepresented and underserved. Not only does this contribute to race and gender wage gaps — STEM workers typically have higher salaries and currently enjoy a lower rate of unemployment than the general working population — but it also critically shortchanges the STEM community, since it means there are talented minds that haven’t been reached and important perspectives that are missing. Science Sunday for Girls was my small contribution in encouraging young American girls in the Valley to consider careers in science & engineering. Science is for everyone and its important that young girls know that and see that in action!
We have submitted several papers now on what we have learned first-hand about the kinds of hands-on, engaging, inquiry-based activities that lead to the largest gains in deep student learning. In addition to reaching young Americans, our summer Space Explorers camps and Science Sunday for Girls events provided JMU pre-service students and physics majors interested in teaching with real, hands-on teaching experience, learning how to differentiate their instruction for the various students that attend our camps and events, as well as how to teach science that naturally stokes a student's own curiosity about the natural world.
Comments
Post a Comment