STEM can unleash the power of positive social change around the world and in your backyard

Hello World,
Did you know that STEM isn't just about math and science? It is about creating and utilizing tools and technology to spark positive social change! It has that power! Take for example Hollaback, (http://www.ihollaback.org/) this is a non profit and a movement co-founded by Emily May. It uses Math to determine that 70-99% of women experience harassment while walking on the street.It uses Technology to provide a means for on-line collective storytelling, to raise awareness, and more. It uses Science to determine that women benefit from the opportunity to share these stories, learn that they are not alone, and that this fuels them into a collective voice for positive social change!

Image from Take Back the Tech

Take Back the Tech is another program that relies on STEM. This program is information technology based and motivates a global network of women to work together to ensure safe on-line spaces for women and girls. When someone asks, what did you do for work or at school today? You can say- I made the world safer! I brought awareness to my community! I made a difference in the life of another! All thanks to STEM. 
So what positive social change do you want to start? What STEM areas do you need to learn to do it? 
I want everyone to feel free to learn and love science! So that's why I blog (figuring it out as I go). 
What will you do? I can't wait to see :)

Image from Take Back the Tech

Mathtastic!

Hello World!
Today I bring you, math music! Yes, you heard me right. Whether you prefer the beat of rap or the energy of techno dance music- these teachers are taking math to a whole new level! This teacher, by the name of 2 Pi, raps his way through the quadratic formula and more.

This link will take you to his very inspiring history and also features a smooth R&B version of the Pythagorean theorem http://www.npr.org/2013/01/08/167471106/2-pi-rhymes-and-radii
While this link will take you to a fun math rap video http://uk.news.yahoo.com/jake-scott-math-rap--teacher-raps-maths-lessons-at-montgomery-blair-high-school-151749865.html#Fm09Vcl

Techno more your style? Prefer a little Pit Bull? Try this teacher! http://www.today.mccombs.utexas.edu/2012/11/rapping-math-teacher-mark-rogers

Think rapping is only for guys? This teacher won an award for her math raps
http://www.hpe.com/news/x383677894/Rapping-math-teacher-wins-rookie-of-the-year
and these girls had fun with a math parody of Bruno Mars 

What would you rap or rhyme to? I was thinking about the math I use, my math rap would look something like this:

Vector math, it really is great

Multiply columns of 3, 5, or 8

Little x, y, and z

They all come to me

I add them up in each column

No need to be solemn

Big X, Y, and Z

They all come to me

These multiplied columns of 3, 5, or 8

Vector math, it is First Rate!

:) 

OK so I am not a rap star, but it was sure fun! I encourage you to try your own math song, or have a math rap meet. Remember, math is fly and that's no lie! Please share your math or STEM song, I'd love to hear it!

Starry Starry Night, Starry Starry Nails

Hello World!
The night sky is a beautiful and mysterious thing, filled with shiny sparkly stars, planets, and the key to our place in the universe. I hope you have the chance to look up at the stars tonight, because tonight is special, Saturn will be at optimal viewing! Even if you can't check out Saturn tonight, I encourage you to check out your local planetarium to use their telescope and facilities. Not sure where the closest planetarium is? Use this handy resource to find one, wherever you are in the universe!

http://www.ips-planetarium.org/?page=planetariumfinder

 

Image from I love science facebook post

 

After you are done checking out the stars, you can take them with you everywhere you go! With these super fabulous nails! I just LOVE these nails, and the Milky Way galaxy, because it is home to our planet Earth, and it is pretty.

 

Picture from The Upper Cut Salon Blog

 

There are still many mysteries to be solved in our galaxy (not so far away). The best part is that YOU can help solve them! Right now! If you like "where's waldo" type activities, want to learn new skills,  boost your resume, or contribute to society, or stargaze during the day- go to http://www.milkywayproject.org/ and become a volunteer! Or at least check out their amazing images.

 

If you'd rather Read about the galaxy, check out astrophysicist and writer Janna Levin's website and books http://www.jannalevin.com/index.htm. You can check out her books, podcasts, theories and more!

Image from Janna Levin website

 

Remember, you are a star, setting your own desitiny, as they say, if you shoot for the moon and fail, at least you'll end up amongst the stars! Sounds good to me :)

 

 

 

 

 

science vocabulary

Hello World,
Have you ever wondered what a theory means, exactly? Or what a hypothesis involves? I found this fun article http://news.yahoo.com/just-theory-7-misused-science-words-173348904.html
discussing science vocabulary! In this article, they describe what these terms mean, and how they are misused. They go on to decribe a debate between those who wish to purge society of these terms and those who wish to educate- I'm for educating! I hope you will check it out :)

What is Style? And What's it got to do with STEM?

Hello World,
I admit it, I like fashion. I don't mean following the latest brands, celebrities, or trends, but I do like the use of cloth as an art form, an expression, and a canvass. I especially love all things functional and pretty. Functional art is engineering at its finest, it is the ability to be both beautiful and useful. Certain cars, aircraft, furniture, shoes, you name it! Anything can be designed this way, and you are the owner of what is useful and beautiful to YOU! That is what style is for me, following your own sense of creative enjoyment. I can be stylish in sweatpants or a summer dress, I think!

Drawing by Katie Svec

 

What's style got to do with STEM? Plenty! The design, production, and manufacture of everything starts with numbers. Whether you need to determine the average foot size, the amount of shading needed to make a face drawing have depth, or which color looks best with your unique skin- industry professionals rely on STEM while humans unconsciously use it to make decisions! That is another thing I love about STEM- it is in EVERYthing we do! Even style, which you can see here :)

http://www.blackbookmag.com/fashioneer-1.110/the-science-of-style-the-fashion-almanac-1.30075

 

 

 

 

STEM and the Big Bang Theory

Hello World!
Do you ever watch the show, The Big Bang Theory? It is about a group of friends who are scientists and engineers, both male and female. I found this neat article interviewing Mayim Bialik about her role as a scientist in Real Life and on the show. http://news.yahoo.com/big-bang-theory-star-talks-stem-154403028.html I think it is pretty cool that she is a scientist, mother, STEM advocate, actress, and basically everything she wants to be!

From Mayim Bialik's Website, photo by Denise Herick Borchet

 

She talks about the value of mentorship and the influence that friends can have. I have friends from all walks of life, but my social circle included many science types growing up, we were competitive yet supportive. We took turns making things and exploring. Once, we had a competition to see who could make a better disco ball using items around the house. My disco ball rotated and lit up but I learned the value of using non-flammable materials when it started to melt. If I were to make one now I think I'd use a computer graphics program. That is the great thing about the internet, if you don't have any science friends in your real life, you can find them on-line (use caution of course!). I started this site in hopes of providing a space to chat about science and fun stuff, but there are many others... Stay tuned to learn about them! :)

 

 

 

 

Dive! Dive! Underwater Robots

Hello World,
Today I had the fun of speaking about STEM and learning about a cool program called SeaPerch. This program is deep. Literally. ;) This nifty program teaches you how to build an underwater robot, and then you actually get to do it! Here is more information about SeaPerch http://www.seaperch.org/index Here are some pictures I took of local teachers learning how to soder a SeaPerch.

Why should you build an underwater robot? Think of all the possibilities! Cleaning up the ocean floor, exploring the unknown, transportation to an underwater hotel... the possibilities are endless!  
You can spend the night underwater here http://www.jul.com/overnight.html or here http://www.fivestaralliance.com/male/the-ultimate-underwater-suite-at-conrad-maldives).
You can see the application of robotic fish for the environment here http://youtu.be/z-XI9MrU1iM or for spying here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEeb72ZJKAk&feature=share&list=PL979C3B52F202C43F (I will never look at catfish the same again!)
I haven't slept underwater and I am not a spy, but I sure have enjoyed diving, snorkeling, and contributing to conservation of the environment. It would be even cooler to create an underwater robot! If you made an underwater robot- what would you use it for?

Under the sea in Mexico

Dancing with the chemistry Stars

Hello World!
I love this image, probably because I love to dance. I like the message too, that we can't always choose the music, but we can choose how to dance to it.

Image from a facebook post

 

There are many ways to dance to the tunes of our lives. One of those ways is through chemistry! I saw this super cool article  http://news.wfu.edu/2012/04/27/the-science-of-dance/ illustrating how a group of students merged their love of dance and science. By acting out scientific process, such as protien synthesis, they learned and had lots of fun. They named their class Movement and the Molecular. If you were to dance out a scientific process in chemistry or any STEM area, what would it be?

 

 

 

The life and times of a vision scientist

Hello World!
Have you ever wondered what a vision scientist does? or what that even is? Yes? You are in Luck! No you say? Well perhaps you'd rather learn about the genetics of lupus or DNA analysis in crime labs... once again, you have come to the right place! To check out free lectures on these topics and more, go to http://www.brevardcc.edu/community-resources/lecture-series/women-science-engineering/seminar-replays.cfm Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) offers these resources to you, Free!

The eye of my best friend Priscilla

Why so Few? Women in Science and Engineering

Hello World!
Have you ever wondered why there are so few women in STEM? Well this report will tell you why AND give you activities to remedy that! It discusses "eight key research findings that point to environmental and social barriers — including stereotypes, gender bias and the climate of science and engineering departments in colleges and universities".

http://www.aauw.org/resource/why-so-few-women-in-science-technology-engineering-and-mathematics/

A few highlights from the report

-The learning environment influences girls’ achievement in math. For example, if teachers reinforce the stereotype that boys are better at math than girls, girls perform poorly, but if teachers tell students that girls and boys are equally capable in math, the difference in performance disappears

-A "growth mindset" is the belief that intellectual capacity can be improved. This mindset will facilitate improved math performance. To encourage this mindset, teach girls that intellectual skills are acquired and that attitudes of flexibility, persistance, embracing and learning from mistakes, and taking inspiration from the success of others will help them achieve mastery of any material.  

-There exists bias with regard to women and STEM. Bias has an influence on performance. Bias can be conscious or unconscious, measured, and targeted for change. To test your bias go https://implicit.harvard.edu To counteract bias, refer to the data showing equal capability between boys and girls in STEM, and remind students STEM is learned, not innate.

-Girls have a tendency to few their performance harshly, even when it such harsh views are not warranted. It is important to view performance objectively.

-Spatial skills can be improved with a simple training course. More information about this course can be found here, http://www.engageengineering.org/ and here http://www.wepanknowledgecenter.org/c/journal_articles/view_article_content?groupId=1010&articleId=1705&version=1.0&p_l_id=PUB.1.81

 

I hope this is helpful to you. If you have any tips or tricks that have worked for you, please share! I know that a simple statement such as "have you thought about chemistry? or designing race cars?" or any number of STEM careers can go a long way. It did for me! :)

 

Piece of Pi?

Hello World!

It isn't international pi day, but I couldn't help share this cool image my niece drew. I love that her eye is also pi, which is 3.14159265359 (the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter). To me, she is saying to the world, I am Smart and Beautiful! I am Bold and Caring! I am more complex than any formula! And I Dare you to figure me out! And she is going to figure out anything she sets her mind to, in style.



 

Drawing by Katie Svec

 

If you want to learn more about pi, check out this super fun website with all things pi! http://www.piday.org/

Girls Who Code

Hello World!
Today's post is going to introduce you to a cool new program I found. It's called Girls who Code.
This program involves "pairing 300+ hours of intensive instruction in robotics, web design, and mobile development with engaging, career-focused mentorship and exposure led by the industry's top female entrepreneurs and engineers." If that isn't glamorous I don't know what is! You could make the next big app or just make your life a little easier. Even if you don't want to spend your time coding, knowing the langauge and capabilities  involved in this area will be transformative. I know programming knowledge has been helpful for me in my science career. I hope you check it out!

http://www.girlswhocode.com/

Image from google search

 

 

 

Phantoms in the Brain

Hello World!
I wanted to share a really awesome book with you, it is called "Phantoms in the Brain" by Ramachandran and Blakeslee. This book will introduce you to the fun and fascinating world of neuroscience in an easy to understand way. Dr. Ramachandran will take you on a journey through the unusual to better understand the usual- our brain and behavior. From the phenomenon of phantom limbs to believing your parents to be imposters, you are sure to learn about the brain and enjoy unlocking the mysteries of the mind!

 

More of a visual learner? Check out this great Youtube video featuring Dr. Ramachandran himself! http://youtu.be/sq6u4XVrr58