04/26/2016
Dava Newman -- the first female scientist-engineer to be named Deputy Administrator of NASA -- says "I’m here to empower the next girl who steps in to her back yard, looks up into the nighttime sky and thinks -- ‘I want to explore the planets and heavens.’” As second in charge at the space agency, the MIT Astronautics Professor is eager to encourage girls' involvement in the sciences and hopes to see one in the commander's seat of the first crewed Mars mission scheduled for the 2030s. She observes that girls are often very enthusiastic about science while young but that there is a dramatic drop-off in their engagement once they reach middle and high school. Part of the problem, Newman believes, is how the conversation is framed in science education: "As an engineer (I believe) we’ve done our profession a disservice. Because I was told for sure you have to be the best in math, the best in calculus class, and the best in science. Well that’s not the message! These are tools and you have to be proficient but if you want to be an engineer you want to build and design rockets or spacesuits or spacecraft and fly things... I don’t want them to have any mental blocks because they don’t see themselves as an engineer or a scientist.”
To read more about this pioneering scientist and her vision for getting girls excited about science, visit http://nyti.ms/1rcRDDk
For ways to help foster your own Mighty Girl's love of science, check out our blog post, "Science at Play: Top Science, Math, & Programming Toys for Mighty Girls," at http://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=10528
To learn about trailblazing women of science throughout history, we highly recommend the excellent book "Headstrong: 52 Women Who Changed Science -- And The World," for ages 13 and up at http://www.amightygirl.com/headstrong-52-women
For a wonderful book about six remarkable women whose curiosity about nature fueled a passion to steadfastly overcome obstacles to careers in traditionally men-only occupations, we recommend "Girls Who Looked Under Rocks: The Lives of Six Pioneering Naturalists" for ages 10 and up at http://www.amightygirl.com/girls-who-looked-under-rocks
And, to inspire Mighty Girl of all ages with stories starring girls who love science, visit our blog post, "Ignite Her Curiosity: 25 Books Starring Science-Loving Mighty Girls," at http://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=10940