A Community
Conversation: Girls and the Sciences
Originally broadcast Tuesday, March 9, 2010 on WSKG Public
Radio
Listen to the program now
in streaming audio (59 minutes):
Continue the conversation on
our discussion board, Community Connections
There is a growing movement to encourage young people to pursue
studies in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
Historically, girls in particular have not been encouraged
when they had an interest in those fields, being made fun of and
ostracized as being a geek or a nerd. On this Community
Conversation our guests represent education, corporations and
community organizing. We'll discuss what efforts are being made to
change perception and to actively be involved in
nurturing the young scientists and engineers, mathmaticians
and technological innovators in our communities.
Guest for this program:
B. Roe Hemenway has a doctorate in
applied physics. His field is Fiber Optics research. Mr.
Hemenway is Manager of Intellectual Property Science &
Technology, Corning Incorporated and is involved with FIRST (For Inspiration and
Recognition of Science and Technology) regional qualifying teams of
Lego Leagues International in the Corning area. He is very
interested in finding a mechanism to foster adult interest in
working with kids in the STEM fields.
FIRST was founded by in 1989 by Dean Kaman, to
inspire young people's interest and participation in science and
technology. Based in Manchester, NH, the 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit
public charity designs accessible, innovative programs
that motivate young people to pursue education and career
opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math, while
building self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills.
Deborah Daugherty is a physics teacher at Union
Endicott High School and advisor for the Union-Endicott Tigertronics
Robotics League.
Mrs. Daugherty has been teaching physics at Union-Endicott
High School since September 2002. Prior to teaching, she was a
systems engineer at Lockheed-Martin System Integration in Owego,
NY. Mrs. Daugherty holds a BSEE from Clarkson University and an
MSEE from Binghamton University and is certified in NY to teach
Physics and Technology. In addition to US FIRST, Mrs.
Daugherty has been a co-adviser for the Union-Endicott High School
Science Olympiad team since 2003. She says,"I definitely
experienced some of the same discouragement.
Luckily, my parents encouraged me to pursue an engineering
career. When I started at Clarkson, the male -
female ratio was 14 - 1. I think it has gotten
better since then. I did encounter some
discrimination at school, but not in the work force."
Diana Bendz, former IBM senior location executive
who has been working on putting together an organization called
Girls! Balance the Equation, a national effort to stimulate
interest in Sciences, Technology Engineering and Math for girls and
young women of all ages. Diana spent years in senior positions at
IBM, so she's seen firsthand how important math and science are in
today's workforce. Her initiative unites groups that are already
doing great work in this area -- like NASA, the Girl Scouts and
astronaut Sally Ride's organization for science. Diana tells me
that by mid-year, they will launch a website, girls balance the
equation dot org. It will be a resource for girls of all
ages, as well as for parents and teachers.
Roy Williams is an astronomer and educator at
the Kopernik Observatory in
Vestal, NY. Mr. Williams was born in Houston, Texas on April
25, 1966. His early interest in science is due to the fact that his
father worked in Mission Control and later at the Kennedy Space
Center in Florida. A graduate of Vestal High School, he went to
Broome Community College and then received his Bachelor's in
Geology from Cortland College. He taught 8th grade
Physical Science for five years at Vestal and Chenango Valley
School districts. He obtained his Master's in Science Education
from Binghamton University in 1999 and is permanently certified in
both Earth Science and Physical Science.
Mr. Williams has been involved with Kopernik Observatory since
1978 when he was elected the youngest voting member of the Kopernik
Astronomical Society. In high school he participated in Project Sky
Map to map the sky and helped create a computerized sky atlas using
Turbo Pascal. In the late 80s, he became an active member of
the KAS, volunteering for public Friday nights. In 1993, Jay
Sarton, "handed-over" over Friday nights public programs and high
school intern program to Roy Williams. It was from this point
forward that he excelled in creating a volunteer force that made
Friday night multiple programs possible.
Through the years, Roy Williams has provided excellent teaching,
curriculum development, marketing and provided some of the best
events at Kopernik Observatory. Some of these events included: a
visit from the Sci-Fi channel for Comet Hale-Bopp, Astronaut Dan
Bursch, famed astronomer John Dobson, and Kopernik was one of only
three sites to premier HBO's "From the Earth to the Moon". He has
continued to help promote Kopernik by writing a monthly column in
the Press & Sun-Bulletin and making monthly live appearances on
the WBNG Five-O'clock newscast. On a personal note, Roy Williams
enjoys mountain biking and has studied karate for eighteen years
under the supervision of Master Hidy
Ochiai.
To participate during the program, call 1-888-359-9754 or send
an email to: communityconversation@wskg.org
Continue the conversation on
our discussion board, Community Connections
