Neil DeGrasse Tyson & the GZA

I grew up on hip hop and science, so I was thrilled to see The GZA appear on an episode of Neil deGrasse Tyson's Star Talk. It's fun to watch because they are both fans of each other.  The genuine interest and respect for one another's work is incredibly apparent. My favorite part is around 16 minutes, when they talk about how current hip hop isn't "literate" and how many artists nowadays don't have a muse. A little later, during a great conversation about violence in hip hop , Tyson compares the artful use of lyrics to one of the film masters, as "Hitchcock forces you to fill in the blanks". Check it out below! 

If you can't see the video below, click here.

Creating A Culture to Support Diversity in the Sciences

Laci Green explains it all in her own amazing way. Warning, there is some Gangnam Style involved ...

Best quote: "We need to create college environments and culture that support women in the sciences in the same way that the men are supported". I can't count the amount of women that have told me that they've felt bullied and talked down to as they've supported their scientific goals.  

If you can't see the video below, click here.

#1ReasonWhy We All Must Stand for Diversity

I've posted in the past about gender diversity in the sciences. There have been gaffes, such as the EU attempt to get women more involved in science by making it "sexy". But there has been plenty of positivity out there too - women like Adria Richards, Clara Ma, Andrea Deveaux, Sally Ride, and the ladies of Nerdgasm Noire Network.

Iit disgusts me to read stories that women in the gaming industry are sharing via the #1ReasonWhy hash tag on twitter, and covered by publications such as Mother Jones and GamesIndustry.biz. Women are not being valued for their contributions to the gaming community and it had to stop if we ever want to be the true center of innovation and excellence that we claim to be.

When women are being asked about husbands and body parts more than there science and tech skills, is there a question why less women wan to enter these industries?

The more women we have making games, the more games we will have that accurately represent the full human condition. Lets face it - a male dominate industry is not good for any of us, especially given the purchasing power if women in our economy.

Discrimination within the science and tech industries only harms us all. Lets put a stop to it.

Celebrate Women in Science!

Photo via Mike Wall and Space.com shows Clara Ma, the originator of the Curiosity name

I came across a great article profiling some of the women involved with launching the Curiosity rover into space and landing on Mars. In particular, I love the following quote by Ann Devereaux, a flight systems engineer on the Curiosity team:

When she speaks about her job to young students, she tells them she hates math, according to a profile on NASA’s website. “Who ever said you have to like math to be an engineer?” she adds, understanding that a dislike of math keeps many kids from exploring STEM career. “What’s interesting are the cool applications you can do that need some math applied to them to make them work.”

It's not just about learning obscure, theoretical math - it's about applying math to real world solutions. This is something that I try to get across to the youth that I work with,  but especially young women that tend to be more easily deterred from math than young men.  Showing people the cool applications of math, instead of just problems and equations, is a much better way to get people excited about science.

#ScienceLooksGood Only When You Treat Everyone Equally

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The above video is the sad attempt by the European Commission to promote gender diversity in the sciences.  What were they thinking? How about you just ... show normal looking women participating in science experiments? They don't have to be doing "cute" things like trying to be fashionable, analyzing makeup, or striking a pose every time the camera is on them. Support women by showing women.

Sometimes I think these marketing companies outthink themselves when they're trying to be creative and come up with a commercial that gains traction. Unfortunately, this particular commercial went viral for the wrong reason.  Whether it's gender diversity, racial diversity, age diversity, or any thing else - we just want to see people that look like us doing what we want to do. That's it.

For better examples of promoting diversity, see WiSE (Women in Science and Engineering) and NSBE (National Society of Black Engineers). Don't forget about Liu Yang, the first Chinese woman in space and a national hero?

Your move, European Commission.