Posted by Davin Flateau on 24 Mar 2006 at 11:32 am.
Filed under General, Astronomy, Exploration Place.
I recently saw a full page ad in the Sunday New York Times placed by the Ad Council for the Girl Scouts of America. That’s probably the largest printed public service message you can get on the planet. Click on the ad for a larger view:
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star (resung by science)
Twinkle, twinkle little star
You’re a ball of gas that’s very far.
32 light years in the sky
10 parsecs which is really high
Helium, carbon and hy-dro-gen
Fuse to make our starry friend.
When it enters supernova stage
It explodes with bursts of rays.
And if the star’s mass is big and bold
It will become a black hole!By the 6th grade, many girls lose interest in math and science, which they may need for future jobs. So next time your daughter asks you to sing a lullaby, sing it in science. For some simple ideas, go to girlsgotech.com
Maybe you’ve seen it running in other magazines and newspapers, or have heard the radio ad.
It’s been tough to inspire young Americans to become scientists and engineers lately. The boom in the U.S. medical industry has spawned a surge in college biology majors, but aside from that, less and less young people see science and engineering as lucrative or desirable careers. The years of schooling and the relative low pay when compared to law or business careers are often cited.
Many people can recognize, too, that the glamour, or the esteem that once gleaned the title of scientist or engineer has been rubbed dull. This is in stark contrast to the pace and excitement of scientific discovery; science has never been more exciting or accessible. But too many kids see science as something “other people” do. Today’s popular culture heroes are athletes, businessmen (Donald Trump and Bill Gates) and custom car technicians.
I’m willing to bet that many kids couldn’t name one scientist, let alone one they could cite as a role model. Combine that with the negative experience a lot of kids have with math and science at the middle and high school level (and who hasn’t had these experiences), and you start to wonder why we have any science or technology majors at all!
But there’s some good news when it comes to the effort to close the gap the boys vs. girls that has always existed when it comes to careers in science. As recently documented in a recent NPR story, academic and education groups have been hard at work for decades trying to steer more girls into science and technology. And their efforts are starting to pay off.
This is also a huge role that informal science education facilities have. If science centers and planetariums can inspire excitement and awe about technology, science and math, then we have a fighting chance to make a better society.
