RIP Sally Ride: Another Hero Lost

Sally Ride passed away today of pancreatic cancer. As the first American woman in space, as well as the youngest (32) and gay, her impact on history is undeniable. Amongst all of the writing on her life today, my favorite comes from PBS:

Sally Ride saw space as a tool for inspiring young people. She's a hard core scientist, she's an astrophysicist, she's a person who really was the real deal when it came to space science, and yet she never for a moment neglected or overlooked that this was a tool for inspiring a new generation. She wrote books aimed at that clientele, aimed at boys and girls, but primarily girls.

She saw space as a way to keep kids engaged in these subjects. She saw space as part of the overall well-being of our country. To her, bringing humans to space was in some ways a means to an end, in a way that it provided a means for young people to be engaged.

Check out a great video and tweets celebrating her life.

Reactions to the death of Sally Ride

Sally Ride passed away today of pancreatic cancer. As the first woman in space, as well as the youngest (32) and gay, her impact on history is undeniable.

Storified by Shareef Jackson · Mon, Jul 23 2012 21:36:12

First Female U.S. Astronaut, Sally Ride, Comes Out In Obituary http://www.buzzfeed.com/chrisgeidner/first-female-us-astronaut-sally-ride-comes-out via @BuzzFeedShareef Jackson

RT @CNET Sally Ride: Farewell to an American original (photos) http://cnet.co/LJLcAF #NASASocial #SpaceTweeps #NASATweetupA Geek Mom (Shannon)

Sally Ride, first U.S. woman in space, dies at 61 | http://ti.me/NQvdxKTIME.com

NASA statement on passing of Sally Ride: "In a space agency filled with trailblazers, Sally K. Ride was a pioneer of a different sort."CBS News

Sally Ride was the first American woman in space and a champion of women in science. Generations of Americans have lost a heroine today.D Wasserman Schultz

Dear cancer: FU for taking another remarkable person. #SallyRide was 32 when she went to space & died at 61. Imagine if she had more time.Linda Seid Frembes

I remember Sally Ride's thumbs up & smile as she strolled to climb into her rocket. Her smile said, "Hear me roar." RIPScott Simon

NASA: Sally Ride, America's first female astronaut, has died http://lsnlw.com/t/3268100685/Shareef Jackson

As the first woman in space, Sally Ride's life was marked by breaking barriers with courage and class. An inspiration for all #RIP #LegendNancy Pelosi

Rest in peace former astronaut #SallyRide.The first woman in space was truly an inspiration to all...Mary Benton

Technology For Frog People

Frogger, one of my favorite classic games

My man BrothaTech decided to shoot a video with his kids about how they can have fun without technology. I'm a big fan of this - people, especially kids, need to lead a balanced life that's not 100% gadget based. At the end of the cute video, BrothaTech's daughter gives a shout out to the frog people. It makes sense when you watch, I promise. So check it out!

My Chalkboard Erases Your Computer

I've read a lot about school districts using tablets to help with classroom education. In theory, it's great for subjects such as science and mathematics - students are allowed to view examples of graphs and concepts in an interactive way.  Hell, my high school now allows students to beam their work up to the board, effectively removing the requirement for kids to go up to the board and solve problems. We were still checking DOS-only email and browsing the web with Netscape while I was there.

However, this must be balanced with keeping it old school and getting your hands chalky at the chalkboard. It teaches kids how to present their work in front of others and show their thought process. Most importantly, it forces kids how to deal with an awkward situation.  Many people have a hard time going up in front of a crowd.  As much practice as possible is needed, and school is the perfect place for learning how to deal with the anxiety of butterflies.

I visited the NJ SEEDS program at The Hill School in Pottstown, PA, and sat in on a math class. I'm a proud 1994 alum of this program, and I observed an amazing thing in the classroom. The students pointed out an error in one of the teacher's calculations, and the teacher took advantage. She called students to work out why she was wrong on the board - using long division! Some kids struggled more than others, but everyone got it. Math victory!

I know it's strange to say on a science and technology blog, but sometimes classroom and instruction are better when the tech is not the dominant factor. Kids should take handwritten notes, write on the board when necessary, and learn how to deal with the awkwardness of being up in front of a group.  It will pay off in the future!

#ScienceLooksGood: Carl Sagan is the Man

My good friend Monika Brooks alerted me to this wonderful PBS post that challenges scientists to explain concepts to a group of 11 year olds. The topic, as shown in the video below, is "What Is a Flame?"

The contest is appropriately named after one of my heroes - Carl Sagan. He was an astronomer with an uncanny ability to explain complex terms in a normal way. 

Hey Carl!

This was best exemplified in his book and TV series Cosmos, which defined space exploration for many folks in the 80s. I didn't discover Cosmos until 2002, and I immediately fell in love with it.  Check out the Cosmos intro below:

#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.