The neuroscience of gratitude

Hello World!

I cannot believe how time has flown! Before I move into December, I must post about the science of gratitude. I have been noticing many articles on the neoroscience of gratitude and attended a neuroscience of gratitude lecture by the ladies featured below (holding their books). I must say there is a recurring theme and that is, neurons that fire together wire together. While it is easy to think that you must have something in order to cause gratitude, having thoughts of general thankfulness can also bring about that which you desire! Simply pausing to appreciate can generate greater health, wealth, happiness, and more. Here is a fantastic link on a summit held by UC Berkely, which features top researchers, concepts, and more;

http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/new_insights_from_the_gratitude_summit

The other main take away is that you must practice gratitude just as any other skill or habit (like brushing your teeth). We are hard wired for a negativity bias, but regular observation for what we appreciate can help reduce the negative effects of negativity bias. So how do you start? One easy way is a simple gratitude log, writing every day something that you can appreciate, you can download apps, and other techniques might include directed attention to the sensations you experience in a given moment. Right now, I am grateful for the opportunity to write this blog post, for anyone who reads it, science, diversity, art, gratitude, lectures about gratitude, websites about gratitude, family, friends, and so much more. Feel free to share what you are grateful for, I would love to hear! I hope you have a day full of thanksgiving! If you are still reading this, thank you!

In gratitude,

:)

November diversity awareness and observances

Hello World!

Happy November to you! I am pleased to share the monthly list from Theta Nu Xi, multicultural sorority inc. of different observances, campaigns, and days of observance to further your awareness, education, and diversity skills. Happy November!

• Addiction Awareness Month
• Child Safety and Prevention Month
• Lung Cancer Awareness Month
• MADD's Tie One on For Safety Holiday Campaign
• National Adoption Month
• National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month
• National American Indian Heritage Month
• National Child Mental Health Month
• National Diabetes Awareness Month
• National Healthy Skin Month
• National Impotency Month
• National Inspiration Role Models Month
• National Long Term Care Awareness Month
• National Marrow Awareness Month
• National Military Family Month
• National Native American Heritage Month
• National Novel Writing Month
• National Sexual Health Month
• National Stomach Cancer Awareness Month
• Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month
• National Day of Mourning - November 27, 2014 (Thanksgiving Day)
• International Day for Tolerance - November 16

:)

The Club

Hello World!

I hope you are having a frightfully good day (feel free to read a past post in the science of scary). I am writing today to share about something one can do when you are new in town and feeling uncertain, and that is find a supportive interest group! I did just such a search and found the club, http://theclubsv.org a women's technology leader group and I attended one of their events. It was fantastic! I met diverse women who were all nice, welcoming, and supportive. It is important, whatever you do, to have a network of people to rely on, and it always amazes me how much more a person can grow and accomplish with a group! At this meeting they had the VP from Pandora (the music service) and she spoke of the need to be curious and face your fears when pursuing your passion. She also talked about an "itty bitty committee" that rests on your shoulders telling you negative things that keep you from your full potential. It is necessary to quiet these voices and we do this by addressing the doubts (asking questions, answering what if, etc) and letting our curiosity take over (there will be no room for fear)! I really enjoyed her talk, it was genuine and real and fun to listen to. She owned her talents and imperfections and did not let doubt or the like keep her from her dreams. I also heard from a different speaker who discussed the fear and lack of opportunity of being around other women, only to discover what a powerful force such groups can be. So on this day known as Halloween to many, traditionally associated with fright, I encourage you to find Your group, and have a hauntingly good night!

:) 

World's largest wind tunnel

Hello World!

The other day I had the opportunity to tour the world's largest wind tunnel! It was quite a sight!

You might wonder what the purpose of such a large wind tunnel is, besides of course, generating mass amounts of wind... I learned that new airplanes get tested for their aerodynamics (ensuring your safety), old airplanes, such as the Wright brothers plane (replica) was tested for its aerodynamic design, and other objects that fly get tested here, such as the Mars Rover parachutes. The ability to test an object provides both knowledge and the ability to see if it would work as designed, before a catastrophic failure or to maximize performance. I know the team who worked at the wind tunnel (from the director to the interns) loved their job. Pretty cool!

(Photo from YouTube of car in wind tunnel testing)

Here are some neat sites I found where you can learn more, learn the math behind aerodynamics, and even make your own (virtual) wind tunnel to test your ideas!

http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-world-s-largest-wind-tunnel 

http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/k-12/airplane/tunnozd.html

http://raphael.mit.edu/Java/ 

Have a windyfull day ;)

NASA nails

Hello World!

I recently attended the 75th anniversary of NASA Ames http://www.nasa.gov/ames/openhouse2014/#.VEvDoNm9Kc0 research center and spotted these fabulous nails at the event! I just love when fashion and science go together. 

I also loved seeing around 120K or so people come out to support STEM! From Mars rovers to industry partners to the mass gathering of 150 food trucks, there was something for everyone. My favorite was the world's largest wind tunnel (to be posted). For more about Ames and what they do, (and some cool opportunities!) check out http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/home/

It is exciting to be in STEM, you create what your future holds! 

:)

Thinking

Hello World!

I hope you are doing well, I read this interesting article and wanted to share. It discusses cognition and meta cognition (thinking about thinking) and ways we can all improve our abilities, such as flexibility, curiosity, and embracing development over the idea one is either born with it or not. 

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/harvard-says-best-thinkers-7-182227176.html

It is helpful to me to remind myself the power of our thoughts and the influence on our lives... I encourage you to read the article and enjoy some food for thought! 

Wonder what Rodin's thinking person sculpture thinks? For a little art with your science check out http://museum.stanford.edu/view/rodin_garden.html

:)

If the shoe fits

Hello World!

I saw this interesting article on shoe fitting  and wanted to share! It had some good pointers that I found useful and I thought you might too (for shoe physics you can check out earlier posts!).

https://www.yahoo.com/style/5-ways-to-tell-if-heels-will-hurt-before-you-buy-them-98831193072.html

:)

The astronista

Hello World!

I enjoy reading other blogs as well as writing them and wanted to share this super nifty blog I found;

http://theastronista.com

The astronista is also by a female scientist, with an interest in fashion. She actually makes science themed clothes and shoes and sells them too. She is a student, works for a planetarium, and posts fun and educational info.

I hope you enjoy!

:)

October Diversity Events and Awareness

Hello World!

When you think of October, do you think pumpkins, scarecrows, and Halloween? How about money, ergonomics, or bullying prevention? There are many other holidays, observances, and more to be celebrated or undertaken for education and awareness. 

They include:

(World) Blindness Awareness Month
Emotional Wellness Month
Financial Planning Month
Global Diversity Awareness Month
International Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC) Awareness Month
Intergeneration Month
LGBT History Month
National AIDS Awareness Month
National Book Month
National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month
National Disability Employment Awareness Month
National Depression Education & Awareness Month
National Domestic Violence Awareness Month
National Down Syndrome Month
National Ergonomics Month
National Family Sexuality Education Month
National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month
National Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Awareness Month

Appreciation and credit for the above list is given to Theta Nu Xi (thanks ladies!). I encourage you to pick one or more of those items for further study! Looking at the list, I see STEM in all those topics in various forms and it reminds me how STEM can be useful in areas outside of STEM! I am also reminded to be grateful for life and be more empathetic to others.

If you know of other October observances, please leave a comment!

:)

  

Costumes of empowerment

Hello World!

Happy first day of October! With costume party ads in abundance and occasion for dressing up not far away I was excited when I found this link (via girls inc) for costumes that empower. 

http://www.amightygirl.com/halloween

I think it is important to consider what one chooses to dress as, to ensure it does not offend or take away from one's dignity. 

While attire does provide an avenue for a certain attitude, attitude can also influence attire as seen in this quote I saw the other day "Epictetus, once wrote, “Know, first, who you are, then adorn yourself accordingly.” —it’s not the clothes that make the person but vice versa". 

Food for thought! 

:)

Imaginary numbers

Hello World!

My nephew gave me this great math funny comic so of course I had to share!

I also thought it would be good to share links about imaginary numbers in case you do not recall them. 

https://www.khanacademy.org/math/precalculus/imaginary_complex_precalc/i_precalc/v/introduction-to-i-and-imaginary-numbers

And 

http://www.mathsisfun.com/numbers/imaginary-numbers.html

You might think that this stuff is hardly used, but I was chatting with a friend the other day who told me about the old days of using Pythagoras to calculate touch screen inputs on cell phones and the app that was required to be made for a job interview at a tech company. It is pretty amazing how much math is all around us... Imagine that! 

:)

Great resource

Hello World!

I am moving (so posts may be sparse) but wanted to share this great website with you! (All things tech and community) 

http://anitaborg.org

I also returned from a meeting where I had the fun of sharing data and thoughts!  It is really fun to use STEM for cultural heritage preservation, I am grateful for culture and that I can do something that helps it continue. Well, have a STEMtastic day!

:)

Big Bang Theory

Hello World!

One of my dear friends sent this to me and I had to share. It is pretty cool to see science advocacy from an actress/scientist, who knows maybe you'll be the next Bill Nye the science guy (Val the science gal?)!

"While most people know me as an actress on "The Big Bang Theory," I also have a Ph.D. in neuroscience from UCLA. I am a science geek and I embrace it! ..."

http://www.cnbc.com/id/101992948

:)

Math fun

Hello World!

I saw this funny cartoon and had to share!

:)

Congrats!

Hello World!

I would like to extend my congratulations to Maryam Mirzakhani for winning the 2014 Fields Medal, considered the Nobel Prize of math! She is the first women to win this award. I am encouraged to know math does not have to be a barrier and inspired by her accomplishment. Congrats to her!

:)

A piece of Pie chart please

Hello World!

I was sent this hilarious image and it led me to wonder about the history of the pie chart...

...And find this great article 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/magazine/who-made-that-pie-chart.html?_r=0 

The article states that pie charts were invented in 1801 by William Playfair, a Scottish engineer and they were adapted by Florence Nightingale (a statistician as well as a nurse, read more here http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/nightingale_florence.shtml) to pursuade people for her cause. I think that is one of the great examples of the value of diversity and different perspectives, people can build and grow and perfect their ideas off each other, or look at old concepts in new ways. 

Data and it's visualization are very important, but where can you go to learn more about info graphics, data visualization and other new tools to accomplish the telling of your data story? Here is one link I found to a free course http://www.open.edu/openlearn/science-maths-technology/computing-and-ict/computing/visualisation-visual-representations-data-and-information/content-section-0

I also found other cool resources shared by this cool women's tech blog here 

http://www.mv-voice.com/blogs/p/2014/04/17/analyze-data-yourself-with-r---a-fast-growing-language-for-statistics-forecasting-and-graphs

In the above article you can read about the language R, courses, groups that meet up to learn about stats tech, weather and it's visual representation and more. Be sure to check it out!

What started off as something funny has led me to the very serious, and that is the value and importance of visualizing your data and being open to diversity, for life or work.

Hope you enjoyed the pie chart! I am sure it was a tasty byte ;)

:)

Pioneers in Engineering

Hello World!

While doing some research for an engineering article I'm writing, I found this fun piece on 5 women pioneers in engineering. Did you know that sattelites stay in orbit longer thanks to the inventions of Yvonne Brill? Or that Lillian Moller Gilbreth engineered the art of living? To learn more about these and other innovative engineers check out 

https://www.asme.org/engineering-topics/articles/history-of-mechanical-engineering/5-women-pioneers-in-engineering

Have a STEMtastic day!

:)

I = mr^2 or the physics of ballet

Hello World!

I recently aquired these fabulous ballet flats (on sale!) for everyday street wear and it made me wonder about the physics of ballet shoes and ballet in general. I found this great website that applies and explains ballet moves in mathematical terms, www.unc.edu/~shahk/Sites/Site/Welcome.html

I encourage you to check it out as it was quite enjoyable to read. Each tab on the page explains a different element of ballet from the shoes to the graceful (and illusory!) leaps. 

 For even more details and some great references check out this website http://www.hep.uiuc.edu/home/g-gollin/dance/dance_physics.html 

If you want to read about Yale professors who put the calculations in choreography check out http://www.symmetrymagazine.org/article/may-2014/the-physics-of-dance 

And if you want to read even more, check out this student paper

http://arxiv.org/pdf/0706.2717.pdf or this book (available on Amazon)

As for me I think it is time to practice rotational inertia. 

Happy STEM dancing! 

:)

Diversity in Fashion

Hello World!

I saw this article and found it very inspiring. https://www.yahoo.com/shine/healthy-living/nordstrom-latest-brand-to-redefine-beauty-by-featuring-disabled-model-174358741.html 

It discusses new ad campaigns featuring people who are differently abled. I think differently abled is a more accurate way of saying disabled, as people are still abled, just differently. In any case, I thought it was great to see all people being represented and wanted to share.

:)

Happy Let Out Your Inner Geek Day @ Dumpling Nerds

Hello World!

Happy let out your inner geek day!

http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/07/13/go.geekness.day/

I celebrated at Dumpling Nerds, my favorite Korean cafe.

While there, I learned that food must be sent to a special lab that will weigh and burn the food and then enter the pre post weights into a special formula in order for calories to be officially stated on foods.

I learned that you should not use cans of food that are dented or dropped because that can introduce bacteria and other harmful toxins to your food. If you open a canned good and it hisses (off gassing) you should discard it because it has been tainted.

I also ate their delicious dumplings. Now I will celebrate with Pi ;)

Happy Geek day!

:)

Science Museum 2 (STEM funnies)

Hello World!

So I promised several entries on my visit to the science museum... Here are fun STEM jokes or play on words I learned while there;

And a sign of our new times! 

:)

Social influence

Hello World!

This article http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/5526236?utm_hp_ref=tw  is a reminder that we still have a long way to go in allowing all people to be what they are capable of being. Even to our own selves, we may create an image that reinforces the messages we hear or say. It is challenging to realize it when it happens, much like air that we do not see yet feel the effects of, micro messages are hard to detect but very powerful. Statements that introduce doubt, discourage, or diminish someone from their pursuits because of gender, ethnicity, etc must be banished. It is a lifelong journey to believe in ourselves and others perhaps, but it is one reason I blog and it is worth the difference I hope it makes. Here is supporting You, and me, in our STEM journeys! 

:)

Day at the Science Museum

Hello World!

I spent a fun day at my local science museum learning new facts, exploring science (such as walking on Mars and playing a harp with no strings), I even bought cute space themed fashions! I have several posts worth of material but I wanted to start with a few inspirational displays I saw such as;

And 

And 

I really loved this quote by Jane Goodall because you can apply it to so many challenges in life, it is a great reminder that we must communicate. That is a skill to be developed and refined throughout life, sometimes it takes practice, other times it takes great courage and an open mind.

It is encouraging to see the people pictured above and hear their triumphs and tribulations. I look forward to sharing more of my science museum experience with you in the posts to follow!

:)

STEM Pride

Hello World!

Did you know that famous and significant STEM professionals such as Alan Turing, Josephine Baker, and others were LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender)? It is true! Many important people are part of a minority group. It is important to share the history of all populations, both majority and minority. It is important because if we don't see what different groups contribute we might be tempted to believe that they didn't. This would be a shame for there are many contributions! From national security to mathematics to the lowest infant mortality worldwide, we can be grateful for the contributions of diverse people. To read more check out 

http://www.noglstp.org/

:)

Coupon Class

Hello World!

The other day I went to a coupon class! You might think, "a class on coupons?" (I did) but it was really cool! It lasted several hours & I learned many things about coupons, including a little coupon STEM!

Here are some interesting things I learned:

- you may not think you have time to coupon but consider that a couple hours can save you $100, that is like getting paid  $50 an hour which isn't too bad. The class leader believed that saving is just as valuable as earning.

- to get the most from coupons, you should stack them, which means using a manufacture & store coupon together, when you do that when the item is on sale, you come out Way ahead on the savings.

- putting aside the money saved can pay for trips, bills, and more! It adds up to a significant amount every year.

-you can get manufacture & store coupons from fliers, newspapers, store ads & even by complementing the product manufacture directly! (For smaller companies). You can also trade coupons with friends (you give baby product coupons in your paper, they give you their pet product coupons).

- you can save yourself the effort of searching for the best deals by going to

http://www.couponersunited.com where they do the work for you!

- you can get up to 6 newspapers delivered to you to get the max coupons possible for most places. Place the coupon fliers in a folder divided by each week & when you need to make a purchase you will be ready with coupons!

- if you use a coupon on the free item of a but one get one free deal, you save on the one that isn't free! You can arrange your coupons so well that the store pays you for the item! Or transfers the savings to other products, making your bill lower (who knew?!)

- if you shop solely from coupons, they Will work for you! The instructor said that he replenishes his pantry & plans meals based on the sakes/coupons. 

-Stocking up is good (hoarding is not good), it allows you to get the stuff (dry goods that don't go bad) you always use cheaper! Who could argue with that?

-Do you get stuff you don't want with your deals? Save it for donation! One of the things I like about this group is that they deliver extra unwanted items to people in need. Did you know that coupons are used mostly by people in a high income bracket? The savings don't always reach those who need it most, so this group offers education classes to try to change that. 

- as you can see there is a lot more to coupons than meets the eye!

I hope this was helpful & you get a good deal on what you are looking for. Be sure to check out the couponers united site for more info, recipes, coupons & more!

:)

Make STEM

Hello World!

Here is a cool STEM program announcement!

CNCS Expands STEM AmeriCorps Maker Education to Five Cities

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, President Obama is hosting the first-ever White House Maker Faire to celebrate a nation of makers, and to help empower America’s students and entrepreneurs to invent the future.  In response to the President’s call to action, the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) is expanding its Maker Education Initiative to provide this educational opportunity to more than 22,000 students and families in these cities. The agency is deploying 12 AmeriCorps members in Baltimore, MD; Detroit, MI; Pittsburgh, PA; Miami, FL; and San Antonio, TX.  These new efforts will build on those of the 10 AmeriCorps members currently serving in California to engage students from low-income communities in STEM-related activities, the arts, and other learning opportunities.   “Maker education creates an opportunity for students to learn about careers that inspire them to dream new dreams,” said Wendy Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. “Our AmeriCorps members’ enthusiasm will help these students explore the wonders of math and science in an exciting way and spark greater interest that can create new avenues of opportunity for them.” In addition to the Maker Faire at the White House, June 18 is also a National Day of Making. For more information, visit www.whitehouse.gov/makerfaire and follow #NationOfMakerson Twitter. The Maker movement promotes key values such as creativity, problem solving, collaboration, and self-expression, and has the potential to get more girls and boys excited about STEM. Through STEM programming associated with the Maker movement, AmeriCorps members will provide the foundations and make connections that can increase interest in these fields and expand economic opportunity for the participating students. With a focus on students in under-served urban and rural communities, this programming intends to expand the pool of Americans prepared to perform the jobs of the future and create a STEM workforce that can address the challenges of the 21st century. STEM education has been the focus of several CNCS education programs as the agency supports the goals of the President’s STEM AmeriCorps initiative first announced at the 2013 White House Science Fair. The initiative is a multi-year effort to place hundreds of AmeriCorps members in nonprofits across the country and mobilize STEM professionals to inspire young people to excel in STEM education. By following the guidance of the President’s Task Force on Expanding National Service, CNCS has been able to demonstrate the power of public-private partnerships. Current STEM AmeriCorps initiatives include partnerships with FIRST, Maker Education Initiative, Citizen Schools, Teach for America, and other organizations – efforts collectively engaging tens of thousands of students in STEM learning and building new avenues for the growth of these programs. CNCS recently expanded its STEM education efforts to a summer program that is placing 256 AmeriCorps VISTA members in six Southern states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, and West Virginia. These AmeriCorps members – serving through community groups, educational institutions, and corporate sponsors – are connecting approximately 18,000 at-risk students in low-performing schools to STEM opportunities. The agency also just announced a new partnership with US2020 and Citizen Schools, committing 25 AmeriCorps VISTA members to support US2020’s goal of mobilizing 1 million STEM mentors by the year 2020.  Fifteen AmeriCorps VISTA members will serve in seven cities – Allentown, PA; Chicago, IL; Indianapolis, IN; Research Triangle Park, NC; Philadelphia, PA; San Francisco, CA; and Wichita, KS – while 10 will support efforts nationwide. # The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) is a federal agency that engages more than five million Americans in service and champions community solutions through its AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, Social Innovation Fund, and Volunteer Generation Fund programs, and leads the President's national call to service initiative, United We Serve. For more information, visit NationalService.gov.

An eclectic mix of STEM

Hello World!

Nearly every day one can finds articles that relate to diversity, science, fashion or all three! From talented students to printing your own cosmetics, there has been plenty to read about lately, here is a handful of things that have caught my eye, enjoy!

http://news.msn.com/us/florida-girl-graduates-college-and-high-school-a-week-apart

http://t.living.msn.com/style-beauty/makeup-skin-care-hair-tips/very-soon-you-will-be-able-to-print-makeup-instead-of-buying-it

https://shine.yahoo.com/shine-beauty/blogger-experiments-with-wearing-different-levels-of-makeup--then-tests-how-people-respond-to-her-162033647.html

https://shine.yahoo.com/shine-beauty/study-reveals-makeup-says-174800608.html

https://www.yahoo.com/shine/fashion/how-a-new-group-called-alda-is-changing-the-modeling-industry-from-within-195023862.html

http://t.living.msn.com/style-beauty/fashion/the-worlds-most-comfortable-high-heel-shoes-come-with-a-1000-year-guarantee

https://shine.yahoo.com/photos/teenager-travels-through-fashion-history-in-super-cool-photo-series-slideshow/2010s-photo-1399060200593.html

:) 

Meteor Shower!

Hello World!

Tonight begins a meteor shower! 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/05/22/meteor-shower-camelopardalid/9434097/

If you decide to check out this starry night, be sure to let your eyes adapt to the dark for at least 20 minutes, it will appear as if there are more stars then when you first looked up at the sky, but in reality it is a phenomenon known as adaptation! Your visual systems "switches" from its less sensitive color broadband to the more sensitive luminance channel, for more on that check out this fun link http://www.optics4kids.org/getattachment/13cb7b00-117a-4e69-9d5d-35ad7d949199/Optical-Illusions.aspx

Or this on line text book 

http://webvision.med.utah.edu/book/part-viii-gabac-receptors/light-and-dark-adaptation/

Why should you eat tonight's falling stars? Because they are "meteor" (meatier), :) a joke created by my dad, brought to you by me, in all seriousness, please enjoy the night sky and the beauty of many falling stars, if I make any wishes, it will be for world peace and STEM for all who desire it. 

:)

Rocket stars & Red Carpets (part 2)

Hello World!

Here is part 2 from my experience on the red carpet with rocket stars. I will share with you new STEM programs I learned of and the amazing STEM projects lead by the youth of today interspersed with displays that I found inspiring!

First, cool new programs- I have blogged about Mavericks before but in case you did not see their nifty video where they launch payloads into high altitude check outhttp://science.kqed.org/quest/video/amateur-rocketeers-reach-for-the-stars/

You can also find scholarship opportunities with the astronaut foundation (the reason for this fabulous gala!) at http://astronautscholarship.org

As far as cool projects, they covered a wide spectrum of degrees (mechanical engineering to aeronautics to acoustics) and areas of application, from the human body to hospitals, here is where our future is headed! One young lady is working on "human body on a chip: producing micro fluidic tissue scaffolds" with the goal of replicating human physiological systems for safer drug and vaccine testing. 

Another women is studying the Kirkendell effect. This is where gaps in bonded materials occur, traction ally, this means less efficiency in the materials desired purpose but she is looking at these gaps  in a new way, using this phenomenon to create 3D hollow woven structures, these micro structures may aid structure and heating, which is pretty cool (or hot).

Another women is studying the mechanical design of the InSight Mars lander to reveal the mysteries of terrestrial planet evolution by studying seismology, heat flux, and meteorite impacts. Pretty impressive! What is amazing is that all those women were young students, showing your ideas, knowledge and passions can be noticed and make a difference today as well as in shaping our future. 

There was another woman who served on the board of the astronaut scholars, she has her own engineering consultant company http://www.quietlymakingnoise.com where she helps literally design a better world, such as hospitals with reduced noise so patients will heal faster. 

Highlighting the importance of diversity was one guy studying diversity platforms, creating tools from reliability engineering to assist decision-makers in tracing the impact of force diversity on risk and reliability. I was very impressed with these great projects and the people behind them, I am excited for the future and convinced that we must harness diversity, girl power, math, and more for the incredible journey of life.

Whatever you study or do, let us go forward and err on the side of awesome!

:)

Red Carpets and Rocket Stars (part 1)

Hello World! 

I have returned from a glamorous evening walking down the red carpet and mingling with rocket stars, it was such a blast and so far out ;) 

Red carpet and the dreamy Saturn 5

I socialized with politicians, astronauts, and all types of people who support STEM, as we celebrated new astronaut hall of fame inductees and raised money for the next generation of star scientists, engineers, and allied supporters. 

STEM celebrity sightings included Charlie Bolden, Winston Scott, Kathy Thornton, inductee Shannon Lucid and more! To read their bios and amazing accomplishments check out http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/

It was really cool to meet women who were pioneers, explorers, scientists, pilots, executive officers, and more, but also cool to hang out with male advocates and supporters, too. I believe we are all in this together-making one part of a system better has an influence on all parts of a system, be it a beautiful rocket, a fancy gala, or social relations. 

I am grateful for the opportunity to be in this crowd, doing my part for STEM, meeting other educators and leaders, learning about technology on the horizon, and honoring past STEM culture. It was inspiring and fun! And even fashionable! One astronaut auctioned off his special made tartan pattern tie, others wore the little black dress with star themed accessories, many sharp looking gowns and tuxes... I decided to go with my work suit, but it Was designed by Calvin Klien. From the red carpet to the rockets and the STEM stars, it was as glamorous as it gets! I will share specific new STEM program information I learned and other educational or inspirational items from the weekend in the next post. But I leave you with this quote and encourage You to dream big and reach for the stars :)

What to wear to an astronaut affair?

Hello World!

You never know where life, or STEM, takes you... Soon it will take me on a walk down the red carpet at Kennedy Space Center to dine under a Saturn five rocket and hang out with astronauts who are being inducted into the hall of fame. I am not the rocket star, no, but I am excited just to be there! This future event can be traced back to a single offer to help someone in STEM years ago... Just never know where a chance encounter will take you or when you will need a nice formal!! 

:)

A fantastic day of STEM!

Hello World!

How are you? I have to admit I am pretty excited. Yesterday I spoke at the University of Central Florida engineering forum, it was great to hear about other STEM programs and successes and fun to share my story and knowledge. There were several personal highlights though, the first was that a women came up after I spoke and told me that Stylish STEM had helped her girls after school science club and that she had more girls in it than last year, yay! It made my day and reminded me that we don't always know the positive impact we have. I also got invited to speak at another conference, which is encouraging. I have been attending my local toastmasters international club (to improve public speaking) I guess it worked! It reminds me to keep trying, improving, and not give up. If you want to work on your public speaking, you can find a club near you through this link http://www.toastmasters.org

Lastly, I received a thank you token, I have blogged before about gifts being a part of my culture, I appreciate the little things, they just make life fun!

 I am grateful that STEM is an avenue I was and continue to be encouraged to pursue, I hope you will find the fun in STEM too! 

:)

Links

Hello World!

The other day I came across new links and resources to STEM! I am always amazed at how many activities and resources are out there... I had to share. 

I hope you enjoy :)

http://stem-works.com/

http://www.pathwaystoscience.org 

http://www.usna.edu/STEM/applications.php

www.goorulearning.org 

http://www.usna.edu/STEM/resources.php

Engineer girl

Hello World!

I think engineering is pretty cool, you get to solve problems, help the world, have fun... Engineers are in so many fields- from biomedical sciences to packaging, from space to sound and light, you name it, you can engineer it! Here is a cool new website I found http://www.engineergirl.org/ it has lots of great resources. Have fun exploring! 

:)

Happy STEM!

Hello World!

Are you happy? What is happiness, exactly? A great deal had been studied about what contributes to unhappiness, but the science of being happy is more recent and just as important! Here is a fun info graphic I found to share a little happy STEM 

http://living.msn.com/life-inspired/the-science-of-happiness-2#16

Have a happy day!

:)

Happy Pi Day!

Hello World!

Happy Pi Day! 

Here are some great websites to help you celebrate 3.14, this "celebrity among mathematical constants" and all it's uses and implications

http://www.piday.org

http://www.exploratorium.edu/pi/

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2014/03/pi_day_history_perfect_symmetry_a_mathematical_constant_wave_formulas_and.html

Time to go enjoy some Pi! 

:)

Photo STEM

Hello World!

I am much busier than usual this month and recovering from a very bad flu case, but I saw this article and had to share! It is about the female programmer of the nifty app Instagram (for photo filtering and more). She has a neat story to share about how she got there and what makes STEM so fun:

https://shine.yahoo.com/work-money/meet-woman-spends-her-entire-day-instagram-214300014.html

I leave you with my latest Instagram and look forward to blogging more next month

 :)

Rosie the Riveter

Hello World!

The other day (okay months ago) I got to meet Rosie the Riveter!

She spoke about riveting of course. In all honesty, I never knew much about this activity but it turns out it was crucial to the building of various aircraft. Each little dot you see on an aircraft is where the skin (the sheet metal) gets attached to the frame. Thousands and thousands of these rivets had to be completed by hand with special tools. It was pretty neat to see the demonstration.

Rosie also spoke about the impact on society that women had as well as the impact that riveting had on women.

Here are some great articles that introduce different aspects of Rosie, from the fact that many ethnicities were Rosie to the Rosie that still rivets today. The social impact of empowerment that occurred is pretty neat to learn about, and from. Enjoy!

:)

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/women-races-created-wwii-iconic-rosie-riveter-article-1.1256754

http://www.nps.gov/pwro/collection/website/home.htm

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/93-year-old-rosie-riveter-working-california-assembly-line-article-1.1470166

Love Notes

Hello World!

I recently saw two things recently that made me reflect on love. One was a cartoon and another was one of my favorite sites. This cartoon is making reference to the capability and need for self love (in an ironic way)

                  (From yahoo comics)

The other, an organization for empowerment, http://www.iamthatgirl.com   features many articles about finding your worth and not relying on others for approval (but not being narcissistic either). The one that caught my eye though was a love letter to herself that the founder of this organization writes each birthday. I pondered what I might write to myself and found it a little awkward, but also helpful. How easy is it to fault ourselves? How easy is it to want to be more? In writing a love letter, we look at strengths, things we appreciate, things we connect with, hopes as well as reality- turning that view toward me reminded me to keep smiling on those days that it is challenging and to better accept myself. I believe self acceptance can be cultural, with varying degrees but learning from others and applying something new is pretty powerful. You may wonder, but why write it down? There are quite a few studies that show writing things down can make them more concrete, easier to remember, easier to grasp, and more. See this article for more on that http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/10/the-power-of-writing-thin_n_165675.html

And For a great article on the science (improving) your scientific writing, check out   https://www.americanscientist.org/issues/issue.aspx?id=877&y=0&no=&content=true&page=4&css=print

Here is too affirming we have the "write stuff"!

:)

Lemurs Love Math

Hello World!

Did you know that lemurs love math? It is true! They are pretty good at crunching numbers and heaps of fun to be around. (http://research.duke.edu/blog/2010/11/animal-intelligence for more on that or this link for a nice lemur math worksheet http://www.safarisamblog.com/lemur-math-challenge/) 

I had the fun of hanging out with them at a wildlife conservation ranch where I learned (from our female guide) that camels don't store water in their humps, that zebras stripes keep flies away, and other fun facts.

 If you want to obtain cool educational materials or learn how to observe lemur behavior in the wild check out

http://www.lemurreserve.org/fieldtrainingprograms.html

You don't have to go to their native home of Madagascar, you can go to Florida and actually camp out under the stars to lemur watch! Maybe you will be the next Jane Goodall (http://www.janegoodall.org for more on her, or this nice post about a young women who studied lemurs and found a female dominant social structure. She currently is looking at monkey math http://www.apa.org/gradpsych/2009/01/math.aspx

There are so many fun ways to study STEM! No more monkeying around, I will leave you with some lemurs to look at :)

:)