When was the last time you visited a science center or museum?

I'm in Washington, DC now.  I'm in town for the AAAS (Science Magazine) conference.  I love science conferences and I love this gathering in particular.  It's the world's largest science conference and an inter-disciplinary mix of scientists, social scientists, engineers, educators and science-tech policy makers .  The energy is amazing.  Nerd heaven, I say. Nerd heaven, indeed.

And on February 16 and 17, 2011, I attended the first ever International Public Science Events Conference, a pre-conference gathering of outreach scientists, science educators (formal & informal) and related institutions.  We shared ideas, successes, and challenges to promoting science and engineering to the general public - you - via small and large events and celebrations.  I co-moderated a workshop on Broadening Participation with the incomparable and kindred Madhu Katti of Reconciliation Ecology. 

Me with Madhu Katti

We focused on ways science event planners could attract audiences beyond the 'usual suspects' which are white or Asian middle-class families from suburbia, with one or both parents college educated.  In what ways can science events be marketed so that they experience increased participation from families of color, or new citizen families, or working-class families, families from the inner city or deep rural parts of their respective states, or make them enjoyable for people who aren't 12 years old or younger?

All the conference participants shared ways to make our science meet-ups,science cafes, science cabarets, and science events more accessible and engaging.  That was the objective of the entire pre-conference. Then as I listening to Dr. Dennis Wint, President and CEO of The Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, PA, discuss how and why science centers/museums matter in public engagement, I began to wonder...How important is science and math education to people who aren't in the business of science or math education.  I mean, yeah, I know you think it's important, but how would you articulate that to another parent or community member?

Me with Dr. Wint of the Franklin Institute

Then Dr. Wint touched on how science centers/museums are a great science educational resource, sometimes the best thing going if your school system is slashing and burning education in science, math, and arts - like many are. I agree, and I wondered how many people are taking advantage of these continuing education centers?
So I did my own social media poll. When's the last time you, your friends/family visited a science center or museum? Which one? What city?  Folk responded on twitter using the hashtag #scicenter.

I got about 20 responses.  Most people attended fairly recently (within the last few months, I assume spending family time over the holiday). Here's a summary of responses.

• MIT Museum for opening of MIT150 exhibit
• Ontario Science Center in Toronto
• Franklin Institute in Philadelphia!
• American Museum of Natural History in NYC x2
• Science Centers of San Jose, Philadelphia and Cleveland
• Science Museum & Childrens Museum of Atlanta
• Hong Kong Science Museum for the exhibition "Marvelous Inventions of Leonardo da Vinci"
• Liberty Science Center Jersey City, NJ
• Discovery Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia
• National Space Center Leics, UK. 
• Science Museum, London x2
• Natural History Museum, London x2
• North Carolin Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh-Durham 
• Museum of Life + Science in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina
• Fels Planetarium (Part of the Franklin Institute, so it gets another tally)
• St. Louis Science Center x4 (my backyard)
• McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center Concord NH
• Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in DC
• The Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago
• Cape Fear Museum in Wilmington, NC (they have a giant ground sloth skeleton)
• Taupo Vocano Centre in New Zealand
• Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago

also got some Zoo/Aquarium/Botanical Garden responses, too

• North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores  
• St. Louis Zoo
• Missouri Botanical Garden

What about you?  When's the last time you visited a science center, what city?

ScienceOnline Bound, Baby!

Happy New Year!


Good day good people. I am SOOOOOOOO geeked and excited about the upcoming science blogging conference MLK weekend in Research Triangle, North Carolina. It's one of my favorite meetings: it's science, it's social media and it is definitely ALL fun. I live for this stuff! (LOL)

I'm also quite proud of the fact that I'll be attending this meeting as the NESCent Blog Travel Award Winner. (My Kanye West blog entry about the evolutionary significance of gold digging was the winning entry: How some females respond to nuptial gifts.)
I'll be lending a hand here and there and you can chime in and follow along at home.

Here's how.

1. Offer some really great input to my session. I'll be co-moderating a super-cool session on the how social media can be used for science outreach in ecology, marine biology, conservation, and other 'outdoorsy' science disciplines.
Technology and the Wilderness – co-moderated by Miriam Goldstein, Jason Robertshaw, Danielle Lee and Karen James

Technology offers unparalleled opportunity for outdoor education – yet it is viewed as a cause of “Nature Deficit Disorder.” But little glowy screens can be amazing educational tools. Potential directions include tools (for example: a citizen science iPhone app from Mote Marine Laboratory), networking (e.g., Outdoor Afro bringing people of color outdoors together), and exploration (e.g., following up on the Blogging From the Field/Trash Gyre sessions from past years, citizen science, teenagers blogging their discoveries).

Please feel free to add your input for this session in my comments, below.

2. Check out the full conference lineup and weigh in on other sessions, too. Afterall the goal of the conference is to make connections and improve how science is communicated to everyone, everywhere. Link to the full program.

You can also follow the conference online via: Ustream chatroom, Twitter, and FriendFeed. If appropriate, volunteers will convey good questions/comments from the virtual audience into the room.
Here are the links to follow along online at home:
On the Scienceblogging.org blog:
on Twitter: @scio11 and hashtag #scio11 and Follow me, too @DNLee5 (I'll be tweeting all weekend)
You can also offer comments and follow my session at the hashtag #TechWild
on FriendFeed: scienceonline2011 and Follow me, too DNLee
on Facebook: Scienceonline2011 and I'll be posting on my Facebook Fan page, too
Live stream (and recorded): Scienceonline2011 Ustream  (Thanks to sponsorship by AAAS, Science, & Eureka Alert and National Association of Science Writers)
Science Online app for iPhone, it's free: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/science-online-2011/id412080541?mt=8
3. I'm also part of the band of misfits putting on the Open Mike Night. There'll be all kinds of carousing and nerdy-shenanigans for this event.

I hope you're able to participate in some way. It really is an open access feel. Sharing science with general audiences, like all of you is my passion and the passion of the most participants. Our goal is make science accessible and engaging for everyone. Please, help us do so by sharing your honest feedback with us.
Until later,
Stay warm and safe

DNLee

Making Science Make Sense with Dr. Mae Jemison

On Wednesday, September 8, 2010, THE Dr. Mae Jemison spoke a room of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) educators and advocates at the state of Missouri STEM Summit presented by the Department of Elementary & Secondary Education.

As I listened to her keynote talk: "Diversity in STEM: The New American Imperative", I fought hard, very hard, to control myself.  I was not only super excited about seeing her in person, but was so moved by her words.  She discussed shy science literacy matters for everyone, EVERYONE, and why bringing more women and under-represented minorities into STEM career tracks is critical to our nation's success.  As she put it, training ALL of our students in STEM prepares them to take jobs in innovation; or alternatively for those that do not wish to become scientists or engineers, we want them to be ready to understand and use new technologies and make decisions about science and tech policy or personal matters is important.

I really felt like she was reading my mind and sharing those thoughts with the world, especially when she remarked, "What was best about my education in science is that it gave me the ability to think critically and be flexible."  That's the heart of why science literacy matters.  It prepares individuals to make the best decisions possible for themselves and their families.


She then got to the heart of the talk for this audience of formal and informal STEM educators and advocates - How STEM is taught and learned.  I sat down in front directly facing Dr. Jemison, meeting her eye every time she look up.  And her words rang so true to me that the remainder of this post I'm using first person voice because everything she was saying, I have said, and I feel as passionately as she. And if you can imagine, I was bursting inside ready to stand up and testify; but vigorous head nodding was all I allowed myself to do in that professional setting.

Point #1 - Kids love science. They have this innate curiosity to learn about the word, to tinker, to figure things out.  The rote memorization of fact has bored the love of science and engineering out of most kids. "We have got to figure out how to use the prodigious construct for learning and keep them engaged in science past the exploratory/curiosity in science.  Rote memorization is not the way to get to improved STEM access to all students. Hands-on inquiry-based learning is a fancy name for kids doing science."  Science is a VERB, it's what I do.  (That last sentence is me).

Point #2 - STEM cuts across all fields. Reading,writing, arithmetic. Students learn all kinds of subject matter via science and science can be used to reinforce other subject matters.  It is an applied way to utilize these skills.  For examples, students read about experiments, take measurements, and summarize and present results.

Point #3. Everyone should be on board to improve STEM access and literacy.  Industry is very is important but we should run schools like businesses, but because industry gives us the feedback we need to help students prepare for these great careers in STEM.

Point #4 - Just putting a kid in front a computer is NOT science literacy. "Giving a child a chance to grow a potato in a cup is better science education than all of that fancy technology equipment!!" Preach, preach it.

Point #5 - What’s best for all students to do well in science that they have to have Exposure, Experiences, and Expectation – whether they become professional scientists/engineers or not. (And by now I was ready to jump up and shout).  A majority of career opportunities in science and engineering do NOT require a 4 year degree. As adults, we have got to do better job as guidance counselors or as parents or mentors.  We've got to help them know what their options are and make sure they are adequately prepared for them.

Exposure: Students must exposed to what scientists and engineers do.  This helps them know the variety of career possibilities available to them.

Experiences: One really needs some hands-on experiences to gain confidence in a subject. Try it out, then you'll know if you're good at it, want to do it, etc.  And confidence aligns with better performance in a subject.  Don't think so? But some studies have found that girls do as well or better than boys in math & science until the end of high school.  By then they are given the message that aren't as good as boys in this subject and coincidentally, they begin to perform poorly. For some reason, girls are given messages that make them feel less confident in their abilities in science and engineering, even when they do very well in these subjects.  Experience is the key to build confidence and better performance in STEM for all students.

Expectation: Expectation is predictive. Youth & Adults live up or down expectations. Pay attention to the words you say and the tone you set before all children, teens and adults.  Think back to the example of girls and math. 

At the end of her talk, I was the great science stalker that I am.  I managed to get not only a picture with her (even as her handler was trying to shuttle her out), but I hugged her, too.  I had to, I just had to.  I was ready to tackle the handler.  I was like, "Lady, do you not know how momentous this moment is for me right now?  I'm  seeing one of my role models - in the flesh, before my eyes. I'm ready to body-check for the chance to meet this woman!"  But it was all good.  Both Dr. Jemison and her handler were really sweet and accommodating and allowed some very quick group pictures before whisking her away to catch a flight out of Kansas City.

Dr. Jemison talking with a high school student from Kansas City. The young lady was sharing her interest in science.

My picture with Dr. Jemison, along with the outreach staff at St. Louis Science Center

Dr. Jemison is involved with science outreach and STEM diversity through two great programs: International Science Camp – The Earth We Share and Making Science Make Sense. Check them both out for more information.

Travelogue: Blogging While Brown - recap #2 - the People and Sessions

I met some amazing people at the Blogging While Brown Conference and I would be remiss if I did not tell you all about them or at least link to their blogs.  But first, a highlight video of the Blogging While Brown.

Ananda Leeke – just a sweet spirit and person, started the conference off on the right note – with yoga.  Yes.  She led all of us early birds on a Yoga and Stress Relief for Social Media Users session.  I had to sit behind the table for the hip-opening exercise because I was wearing a skirt, but it was a great set – learning to live in the moment of right now.  Breathing in and out.

The Technology Review Session with Media 2.0 Leaders and Innovators Cheryl Contee of Jack & Jill Politics, Angela Benton of Black Web 2.0 and Politic 365, and Adam Conner, Facebook – yes, FB itself was a great session. I halted live tweeted and took physical notes.

A few things I learned:

(AC) 300 million of the 400 million Facebook users are non-English Speakers meaning careers in language translation and outreach to non-English global markets is the wave.

(AC) Mobile users are twice as engaged as in Facebook and social media, in general.  They can use text messaging to ask people to join Facebook Fan pages and Causes

(AC) Facebook is now one of the top referrals to websites and is a perfect way to engage people in blogs more.

(AC) A click is not just a click anymore. Thanks to Facebook’s set up you can now install a

(AC) Put a FB Like button on your blog.  I’m still trying to install this (Help!); it’s not showing up.  I really think readers would respond to this. And Facebook can be used to moderate comments.  If I keep getting spam comments, I might resort to this.

(AB) If you’re inclined to make a business of blogging, then consider building a network of websites with each one being a type of forum space around special topics.

(CC) SEO is still important but explore the many options available and utilize all the tools available, e.g. Google tools provides keyword search and popular keyword analytics, and don’t neglect up and coming Search Engines Bing and MINT

(CC) If you have a large blog and lots of traffic, consider Wordpress because it is a more sustainable platform for growing.

(CC) Email is going the way of the Dodo. Tweeting, Facebook, and texting are more popular ways for people to stay in touch, especially for younger people.

(CC) The future of Social media is Mobile.  There is no digital divide in the Mobile Tech World. Becoming more mobile friendly will be key for bloggers who want to stay ahead of the curve.  That’s the new frontier for me, too.

(CC) 25% of the people on Twitter are African-American. Wow! I didn’t realize that.

(CC) Creating more engaging blogs are the future. Recommended tools include Linkwithin – it suggests other related blog posts for readers to read.  Also, video is a great way to enhance a blog and it’s always a hit with readers.  I really like both of these ideas.  I’ll be adding both soon.  In fact, I’ve been getting a lot of encouragement to do video and I’ve been testing some out on the Facebook Fan Page. Would love your feedback.

FTC Blog Advertising Guidelines with Stacey Ferguson, Federal Trade Commission, Division of
Advertising Practices was quite informative.  Basically, all incidences of sponsorship – money, gifts, free services, anything – must be fully disclosed with a blogger is writing about or even tweeting about something. Incidentally, Stacey is also with Blogalicious – A 3-day conference Celebrating Diversity in Social Media this October in Miami, Florida.

Scott Hanselman – we played Scrabble together and finally got a chance to meet in real life.  At the opening reception on Friday he walked right up me and asked me about the Blog Your Way to Antarctica contest. He rocks for an unlimited list of reasons.  He presented an AWESOME presentation – 32 Ways to Make Your Blog Suck Less. I’m still working on adding some of the bells and whistles he suggested. 

The Business of Blogging: BEYOND Ad Networks was also a great session featuring Donna Maria Coles Johnson and The Nichelle Stephens of Pepsi Inspire.  But we end up using Nichelle’s Cupcake Blog as an example to explain business principles that every felt hungry and wanted desperately taste one of her cupcakes…I’m still Jonesing.

I was honored to be a part of session featuring kick butt bloggers/activists Luvvie and Latoya Peterson.  These ladies are amazing. Luvvie outlined how much the Red Pump Project has grown in a little over a year, including birthing an HIV/AIDS Awareness program for the gents called Red Tie Project.  Rock the Red, everyone. Latoya Peterson just blew me away. Racialicious isn’t just a blog about the intersection of pop culture, race, and sexism. No! It is a thesis.

The Town Hall meeting moderated by Shawn P. Williams, featuring Shirley Franklin – former mayor of Atlanta, Chris Rabb and Jioni Palmer - Communications Director for the Congressional Black Caucus, was an interesting forum indeed.  You notice I have no link for Mr. Palmer.  He was the recipient of much ire in the room and on Twitter because of his less than eager acceptance of Social Media as a viable tool of engagement with the public for the CBC.  Yeah, I was hurling a few tomatoes (symbolic tweets) at him as well.  But overall the session was very engaging and informative. The take home message: Social media is a movement and a very important tool for engaging (minority) audiences in the political process.

And no doubt the highlight of the entire meeting was the panel of Break Through Bloggers featuring Baratunde Thurston (he tweet that he liked my talk and I’ve been floating ever since), my Doppelganger Patrice Yursik (you all already know how much I heart her), and Anil Dash (a science policy social media guru who works with AAAS).  The panel was moderated by Lola Adesioye.  I loved all of what they said!

Some more AMAZING people I met at Blogging While Brown 2010 included:

The Danielles:  Wordyless, The Cubicle Chick, and of course the Black Snob (the former 2 ladies plus me made the infamous Danielle’s from STL Trio)

The Danielles from STL (l-r) Me, The Cublicle Chick, and The Black Snob

Another St. Louis Blogger – Glamazini – rocks some amazing natural hair dos and her blog provides hair care insights and book reviews (a recent one of the Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot – a book about science and society. I keep feeling like blogging genres keep intersecting and I Love it).

Hometown bloggers (straight from the M or Memphis Tennessee) Notorious Spinks and Mesha who asked the most provocative question at the conference.

Anjuan Mance – Technology Translator and Minority Advocacy – and just an all-round nice gentleman
Adria - another fab person and Tech Guru.

Adria and Scott Hanselman

And I had a great time hanging out with DC area bloggers: Lola, Leon, my Cyberboo 2000 SkuzeMeWoods, and Fly Black Chick.

 (l-r) Luvvie, Fly Black Chick, and Afrobella

More Blogging While Brown 2010 pictures can be browsed at the official online Photo Album on Flickr. Please check them out.

Travelogue: Blogging While Brown - recap #1

The 3^rd Annual Blogging While Brown Conference in Washington, DC, June 18-19, 2010 was a smashing success.

My very first highlight was being confused with Breakthrough Blogger and Black Weblog Award Best Culture Blog Hall of Famer Afrobella.  Seriously, two people on separate occasions thought I was her.  Dallas South News Blogger, Shawn Williams was even congratulating me for ‘my appearance in Business magazine’ to which I responded, “What? That’s news to me.  Oh, you must be confusing me for someone else.   That someone is Afrobella – who is THE leading Beauty blogger in Black Blogosphere, if not the entire Blogosphere.  Her fabulous blog has landed her writing and review gigs with Vogue (yes) as a contributor to Vogue Black, AOL Black Voices, and American Airlines’ Black Atlas Web site.

 Yeah, I don’t mind at all being her Doppelganger. (But actually, I think she and my great friend Darcella Craven could be twins. Incidently, people confuse DC as sisters all of the time.)

More great news…

The opening reception and game night was sponsored by CTIA and Comcast.  It was a great time.  I played Scrabble with fellow #BWB bloggers, Scott, Natalie, and Stacy.  We all though playing for fun was just fine until we learned the sponsors provided pretty sweet tech prizes to the winner – An Acer Netbook for 1^st place.  Long story short – I was a beast. I love word games and Scrabble in particular. (Ask any of my friends, one year for my birthday I was given a Scrabble Dictionary.  Love!)  And guess what happened? I won! Yes, competition was pretty stiff.  But I wanted that Netbook.  I listed this on my Graduation wishlist and I took this competitive opportunity as a direct sign from the Universe and the Good Lord Above that this was my chance to receive this gift. 

But it wasn’t without scandal.  I misspell a word – SWIMING.  I wrote the word out by hand a million times but spelling it with 2 ms didn’t look right to me either.  But my amazing opponents didn’t catch it either, someone at the next table called it out. They gave me guff about it – and rightly so.  However, since no one caught it and the word had been played against the decision was to let it stand. Whew! Lucky me and the Netbook was mine, all mine.

The Conference proper was twice as big as last year and I really had a great time.  The topics last year were great but in my mind some of them were a little irrelevant to me.  Not this year.  I was fully engaged the entire time and I really like the addition of the unconference to the mix.  Attendees were able to talk further about topics and network.  Thank you conference planners – Gina, Shawn, Aminah, Elizabeth, Cheryl, Shalon and everyone else.

It was a great experience!  Tomorrow I’ll talk all about my presentation about Science and outreach to under-served audiences.

Blogging While Brown about Science

Blogging while brown about science

View more presentations from Danielle Lee.

I'm here in DC and I'm Blogging While Brown

Hey there! I'm here in DC and the conference is off to a great start.  Last was opening night and Saturday the talks start.  In fact, I just went through my presentation again.

This is just a quick post to let you know to expect more. Actually, I'll be live blogging and tweeting the whole time, so if you want a blow-by-blow of the conference then go to Twitter. (You don't have to join just to read what everyone is saying). Or you can see that I'm saying at my Facebook Fan Page.

Links are below.  Come back!

Urban Science Adventures! © Facebook Fan Page

@FeteSociety - that's me on Twitter

@BWBConference - Blogging While Brown Conference Twitter

#bwb - the hashtag to read what everyone is saying on Twitter at the Conference

Wow...the sessions have been amazing: The Future of Blogging, new FTC Guidelines and How to Make your Blog suck less.
And in preparation for my talk, I uploaded my talk, which is link-heavy - full of great resources about STEM outreach via social media. Sneak peak here.

Blogging While Brown Conference Twittercast

Join The Blogging While Brown Conference organizers, attendees, and presenter tonight, Wednesday, May 19, 2010 for a Twittercast.

It will be a chance for fellow conference attendees to discuss objectives, answer questions and connect.  It's also a sneak peak into to the dialogue and people who will be at this amazing conference.

Twitter address is http://www.twitter.com/bwbconference (@BWBConference)

The hash tag for tonight's twittercast is #bwb

You can follow the discussion be either following us on twitter are going a twitter search for #bwb.

The Twittercast will go from 8:00PM to 9:00PM EDT. That's 7:00PM-8:00 CDT.

I'll be there: @FeteSociety (www.twitter.com/FeteSociety). Ask me questions about the panel Beyond Gossip, Hip Hop, Hair, and Politics:Bloggers as Change Agents and Educators

 

I want you to participate, too.

Now, until the conference (June 19-20, 2010) there will be weekly Twittercasts at  8:00 pm EST/7:00 CST.

 

You can also attend the conference.  I've been informed that there is a special discount for my blog readers. So, let me know if you want to go (or have signed up) and I'll make sure you get the special 10% discount code.

 

The conference will be interactive.  In fact, the conference is more of an "Unconference" - with an adjacent room designated for “table talks” and in depth Q&A with panelists and fellow attendees.  Attendees will be able to request and propose discussion topics on the day of the conference and they will be assigned a table or tables to lead their own discussions.

 

And if you can't make it to conference, then watch it!  Theye are sending the entire schedule to CSPAN.  Although they have no control over which sessions they will choose to broadcast if any, but will let us know as soon as they find out.

More details about the conference at bloggingwhilebrown@gmail.com.

It's April no fooling

Wow! It's April already. The last couple of weeks have been like a whirlwind. I was completely preoccupied with defending my dissertation, but things didn't slow down after that. It picked up speed. Let me recap the last couple of weeks.

I defended March 10. That's my celebration cake featuring, yes, buttercream prairie voles - a whole family, including mama vole with attached pinky pups.

Visited San Francisco for the first time in my life. It was grand. I love it. Saw all of the sights. Took one of those double-decker tour buses and saw all of the sights.

Really, really great science museum. It's a Planetarium, Aquarium, Natural History Museum, and Terrarium all in one. Plus, it has a living roof. I checked out the Sharks & Rays swimming.

Chinatown

I serendipitously discovered that the American Chemical Society was in San Francisco a the same time for the Spring 2010 National Meeting & Exposition. This scientific society is so large they host spring and summer meetings. Insane. I tried to stop through and check out the exhibit hall, perhaps meet some chemists to interview; but I couldn't get through security. No kidding.

Then I took the BART over to Berkeley, homeland of my academic parents. I was lured to the Bay for a focus group meeting with COPUS, or the Coalition on the Public Understanding of Science. It's a grassroots community of researchers, scientists, engineers, teachers, and everyday people who want to share science with everyone.

Here's just a sample of some of the grand people I met with. I'm super excited about the future direction of COPUS and I'm looking to engage every single of one you. Look out.

I also got to catch up with some friends and fellow bloggers who live in The Bay area.
My friend Alex is an awesome science photographer.

And I finally got to meet my newest blogging BFF, Rue of Outdoor Afro. We had a blast. If I land a job out here, I already having a running buddy. She's the best.

Wow! Which brings me to today. It's a beautiful spring day in my part of the country. How's the weather in your neighborhood?The sunny days, warmer weather, the need to move and exercise more fills me with such energy. Everything is sprouting and growing, almost overnight. Have your cameras ready and take lots of photos. The trees and lawns will be blooming in no time.

And April is the perfect time to celebrate Green. Through the many earth-centered initiatives you're bound to find a way to connect to the mother of us all - Mother Earth. Join me and others in these initiatives.

National Environmental Education Week: April 11-17, 2010

Earth Day: April 22, 2010

National Arbor Day: April 30, 2010

All this Greeness has inspired the upcoming edition of the Diversity in Science Carnival. The April carnival will be hosted at Rooted in the Earth (no the pun did not escape me). Since April is the month we celebrate earth day, arbor day, environmental awareness and all other earthy-eco-related things, the the theme for Diversity in Science Carnival will be “All Shades of Green” Diversity in Outdoor and Environmental Awareness. If you are blogger interested in participating, please submit your posts via the carnival submission form.
But also be sure to check out the super-fab March Diversity in Science Carnival. Wild About Ants did a superb job with the Women's History Month theme.

Stimulate your Brain: STEM Scholarships & Internships

Middle school and High School are the preparation grounds for your future. But what happens after you receive your diploma? Graduating from high school signals the end of your childhood and the beginning of your adult life. This means the start of your journey to independence, bills and responsibilities. Most adults don’t expect you to leave home and be self-sufficient immediately; but you do need to be ready to accept the challenge. It’s never too early to prepare for post-graduation (or too late).

A post-high school education is your best plan for securing a stable future for yourself (Vo-Tech, Community college or university). For those of you interested in a career in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math (STEM), a college education will be order. However, funding a college education is no simple matter. Getting accepted in the school of your dreams is not the end of the story. Financing your education takes planning – the sooner the better. When parents ask me about how to fund their children’s college education I tell them to start right now, even as early as middle school. The Federal Financial Aid form (FAFSA) is a perfect place to t start, but with the cost of education rising faster than inflation and the cost of living, Pell Grants and Students Loans will not be enough. Apply for competitive scholarships throughout middle and high school. If you’re in college, apply for additional scholarships as well as internship and mentoring programs.

Here are some announcements:

1. The Society of Wetland Scientists Diversity Program Undergraduate Mentoring Awards
This professional science society offers full travel awards to undergraduate students to attend its annual meeting. The 2010 meeting will be held June 27 – July 2, 2010 meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Thanks to generous funding by the NSF, undergraduate students from underrepresented groups can receive wetland sciences career mentoring for at the annual meeting. Students must complete an application. In order to maximize the opportunity for interested students to apply, the deadline has been extended to January 30. Visit the website for details and the application.

Students from the 2009 SWS Conference. (This could be you!)

2. The 2010 Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship
Dr. Anita Borg (1949-2003) devoted her life to revolutionizing the way we think about technology and dismantling the barriers that keep women and minorities from entering the computing and technology fields.
Google is proud to announce the 2010 Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship, awarding a group of female students each a scholarship for the 2010-2011academic year. All finalists and scholarship recipients will also be invited to attend a 3-day Scholars' Retreat at the Googleplex in 2010. The Google Anita Borg Scholarship program is available to undergraduate or graduate female students studying computer science (or closely related field) at a university in Africa, Australia, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, New Zealand and the United States. The candidate must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale or 4.5 on a 5.0 scale or equivalent. Deadline to apply is February 1, 2010. For complete details for this and more scholarships for diverse students, please visit Google Scholarships
h/t Blacks Gone Geek

Additional Scholarships and Fellowships in various disciplines can be found at these sites.
a. The Multicultural Advantage - lists of scholarships and fellowships with upcoming deadlines.
b. Planning and Preparing for College – updates of Scholarships, Internships, and the college application process.

Making Breakthroughs and Breaking the Color Barriers in the Great Outdoors

The Breakthrough.

I’m busy, busy, busy like a bee. I have been busy writing. Writing is a necessary part of science. I know my dissertation meter has moved in a while. It doesn’t mean I haven’t been writing. It’s just that I am reluctant to count a word until I feel that what I have written is perfect. Perfectly worded and perfectly placed.

But I’ve been feeling like I need to claim my words, all of them – even the imperfectly worded and placed ones. So my word meter reflects those words. I expect that I will lose many of those words – to revisions, and re-drafts. I also think that my final dissertation word count might actually be less than 40,000 words (10,000 words per chapter).
I now claim 28, 981 words!

I feel gravid – productive, full of promise and excitement.


Breaking the Color Barrier in the Great American Outdoors
My spirits have been quite high lately. I’ve made new online friends and discovered new websites and blogs. I feel excited to be apart of a community, a movement of people who care about increasing diversity in outdoor experiences.



Not long ago I learned about a fantastic upcoming conference - Breaking the Color Barrier in the Great Outdoors. It meets next week - September 23-26 in Atlanta, Georgia, and will feature a host of great speakers including some people I am big fan of: Majora Carter
Dudley Edmundson
Dr. Carolyn Finney

It's a conference of educators, environmental activists, outdoor recreationists, and nature enthusiasts that focuses on how members of diverse communities (people of color) participate in these activities and examines reasons/strategies for getting more people of color outdoors enjoying nature. Isn’t that right up my alley? See the CNN interview with conference organizer, Audrey Peterman: Aiming to add more diversity under America's blue skies - CNN.com

I've met some people online who are also involved in this barrier breaking, too.
Wayne Hubbard, host and producer of Urban American Outdoors (Kansas City, Kansas)
Kellen Marshall-Gillespie, fellow Ecology Ph.D. Student at the University of Illinois-Chicago and owner of Roots and Shoots Organic Gardening
Rue Mapp, founder of Outdoor Afro (Albany, California)

Even though I won’t be attending the conference (and I am so tempted to just go anyway), I really need to stay close to home and finish writing. I’ll catch up with all of those great people sooner or later.

In the meantime, I’ll be sporting my swag (thanks Rue, cause I sport the the Afro outdoors all of the time. hahaha) and breaking down color barriers in the great outdoors my own way….By trying to win this contest to Antarctica!!! So, please continue to support me. Please vote and pelase spread the word.

Urban Wildlife Watch: Mimosa trees (Travelog Europe)

While in Europe for the professional science conference and holiday, I came across many plant, animal, and invertebrate species that I was familiar with in the States. Some of these species came from Europe and were brought to North America, some were taken from North America to Europe, and some were species from other parts of the world that were taken to both Europe and North America. Throughout the month of September I will showcase my pictures of these animals and botanicals and provide a little narrative comparing and contrasting the biodiversity of Europe and North America.

This is my first introduction - the Mimosa tree.

The Mimosa tree comes from the Mimosaceae family of trees and the Genus Albizia.

As I was taking a leisurely stroll on the off day of the IEC conference, I was so pleasantly surprised to see a Mimosa tree. I felt like I had bumped into an old friend in a strange place. I photographed the trees and the following dialogue played through my mind.

"My, fancy seeing you here. You're here on holiday in France, too."

To which the trees replied, "No, we live here. You must be mistaking us for our cousins who live everywhere".

You see, I know this tree, sometimes called the silk tree, because my paternal grandmother had a pink Mimosa tree in her backyard. I guess it still is there. I haven't stepped foot in that wondrous, awesome backyard - teeming with urban wildlife in a very, very long time. *Sigh* I digress. I remember this tree as magical. Shorter than the other trees in the yard, but much, much taller than me, this tree always provided a cool, shady spot in the backyard. Its pink, fluffy flowers just seemed to lie atop the bi-pinnately compound leaves in the canopy. As the flowers and seed pods died they gently fell to the ground as discarded husks and silk on the ground, clinging to nearby bushes and shrubs.

As a child (before I learned the details of tree and leaf anatomy) I noted that the leaves of this tree was different than the other trees in her backyard which included pecan trees, oak trees, and a mature apple tree. The leaves were sensitive to touch and would fold down. Plus, the leaf stem had additional, smaller stems attached on each side. The tender little leaflets, all in a row on each side of a thin stem could easily be rubbed off with a single swipe of a closed hand - which I often did. It didn't escape my attention that the naked stem was an ideal switch for my grandmother, so I often discarded the stems. But that is what a pinnately compound leaf is. It has several small leaflets lined up on a single stem. There are many different tree species that have these types of leaves. If you look closely, some of leaflets sprout out from the stem together in pairs, called opposite arrangement, and some of the leaflets are alternately arranged.

graphic courtesy of The Ohio State University Extension Bulletin

Leaf (and stem) arrangement is the first step in identifying trees, assuming you do not know the name of the tree in front of you. Using a field guide and dichotomous key, plus a keen sense of observation, you could identify most any tree you come across. But I will admit to you, I usually depend on my personal knowledge of one or two key features of the tree. As a result, I can only accurately identify a few species of trees. I know a Mimosa tree because of its pretty pink flowers and bi-pinnately compound leaves. However, I cannot identify this tree in the winter or early spring when these obvious characteristics are absent. Which brings me to my point. It's okay if you only know a few trees or animals by sight. As you see more and more of the plant (or animal), you'll begin notice seasonal changes and learn more about how to identify it from fewer characteristics.

Though I have seen the Mimosa tree in the United States and now in France, the tree species originally comes from Asia and the Middle East. It has been introduced to many different places all over the world with agreeable climates - warm weather and rainfall. It is regarded as an ornamental tree - one that has been cultivated and grown because it is beautiful and attractive. Yes, it still can do important jobs like provide food and shelter for animals and insects, but we plant it because it is pretty and provides shade to people. So, that may explain why I saw this tree at a park in Rennes, France - the War Veterans Memorial - and in my grandmother's backyard.

This particular tree has a support joint underneath.

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Now, it's your turn. Share your Urban Science Adventure Urban Wildlife Watch Story.

Have you ever seen this type of tree before?
Where had you become acquainted with this tree - a backyard, a park, during a vacation or visit somewhere?
What name was it called?
Do you know if someone planted the tree or was it always 'just there'?
What activities do you enjoy doing near or with this tree? relaxing in the shade, climbing, watching bees?

Write me and tell me all about your Urban Science Adventures! ©. Share pictures, too.

Quick Pics of the Netherlands

bicycle parking lot at the train station
the canals (Amsterdam)

Martini Tower (Groningen)

view from Martini Tower (Groningen)

canals of Groningen at night - learning some photography skills from Kevin

pretty park (Leek)

Sir Francis

Leek

pretty cloud formation - no camera tricks here (Groningen)



My time in Europe is drawing to a close. If you would like a post card please leave a comment and your address in this post. I return to the States on Tuesday, September 1.

Wordless Wednesday: Quick Pics of Me in Europe

checking out the tourist map of Rennes

resting at Thabor Park, Rennes

Vilaine River, Rennes

self-portrait over theVilaine River of Rennes

Stopping traffic in Rennes

Stepped off of the Super train so I can say I also visited Belgium.

in Amsterdam, the Netherlands
traveling about town the Groningen way.

posing next to wall art, men carrying balls of cheese, I bet it's gouda


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I just wanted to announce that this blog has debutted in the Top 100 blogs in the monthly Black Blog Rankings hosted by Electronic Village.

Thanks for your support and please vote for this blog in the best Science/Tech Blog for the 2009 Black Weblog Awards.

Dank u