All I ever wanted to be was an astronaut.
Like most kindergartners ‘Astronaut’ was my buzzword – my
go-to vocabulary utterance when an adult would ask that cliché question, “What
do you want to be when you grow up?” I drew pictures of planets, perfected my
five-pointed line-by-line star, and interjected “countdowns” whenever I wanted
to sound cool. And after watching the Right Stuff with my dad I couldn't
imagine a life more glamorous or dangerous or exhilarating than that of an astronaut. I was completely swept off my feet by science.
As elementary school trudged on many of my classmates that
had also proclaimed ‘Astronaut’ as their future career began choosing other,
possibly more lucrative career paths – professional sports star, the next
Britney Spears, Leonardo DiCaprio’s on-screen peer, or maybe just his future
wife. I was left in the dust as they dreamed out the mansions they would buy
and the cars they would own; I simply planned which college I could afford and
how to earn scholarships to become an Aerospace Engineer. I’m sure many of
them, likely the majority of them, thought ‘Astronaut’ sounded just as far
fetched as movie star, but the most important thing was that I never saw it
that way.
Looking back I find it fascinating that kids latch onto
science at a very early age, when learning is fun and the emphasis in the
classroom is more about developing interpersonal skills and creative thinking.
But as time goes on, and kids become stressed by grades categorically arranged
by subjects, their focus shifts to a sort of “survival” mode, sometimes
struggling to master a particular subject and in turn dreaming about a future
that doesn't include a chance of failure in these areas. “Science” is pushed aside for the mainstream
“reading, writing, and arithmetic” and many students forget they even liked it
in the first place.
The beauty of science is its inherent integration. As an Attitude Determination and Control Officer for
the International Space Station, I can’t rely solely on math to perform my job
successfully. Engineering is way more than math. It is about teamwork within
Mission Control and across continents, it is about reading software upgrades
and bugs, it is about planning trajectories and understanding orbital
mechanics, it is about communicating plans or responding to emergencies clearly
and concisely, it is about integrity and personal challenges. Classroom lessons
focused on science build all of these critical skills – teamwork, reading,
mathematics, communication, integrity, responsibility – often disguised as
hands-on learning, group efforts, and exciting reactions. These physical connections
with hardware or chemicals or popsicle stick bridges are the experiences that
are remembered and which inspire students to pursue careers in STEM (science,
technology, engineering and mathematics). In a way, they hearken back to those
moments in kindergarten when creativity and critical thinking, even about
finger paints or play-doh, was encouraged and careers, like ‘Astronaut’ seemed
absolutely attainable.
Right now, we are in the midst of a generation completely
reliant on technology, but one that places too little value on science and
engineering (at least, in this humble blogger’s opinion). Its not hard to find
students these days using Google, smart phones, tablets, and other interactive
technology to read up on the latest Hollywood gossip, stay up-to-the-minute on
sports scores, or play Candy Crush (ok, guilty once in a while) instead of
crunching out an innovative piece of code or engineering a smaller, more
efficient battery, or just looking at pictures from the Hubble Space Telescope
with a sense of wonder. How ironic that these engineering marvels, these
machines on the cutting edge of science and technology are, indirectly,
contributing to their own creators decline.
It has never been more important than now to step up the
game. We need to work together to advocate for the importance of science lessons in America’s classrooms at a national level. At a classroom level, we
need to equip teachers with the technologically rich lessons necessary to
facilitate science education; we can’t afford not to. At a parent and community
level we need to plant the seeds of science and curiosity, and actively
cultivate them. And at the student level, kids should be encouraged to vocalize
goals and act on them!
Scientists and engineers aren't born with a TI-89 calculator
in hand and a brain full of differential equations. Nope. We are inspired by the world around us, challenged by the problems that face us, and encouraged by
those who love us. We are charged to create a better future for everyone –
cleaner energy, smart buildings, and magnificent space stations. Our work is
often selfless, inconveniently scheduled, and mentally draining…but it is also
incredibly rewarding.
All I ever wanted to be was an astronaut – piloting a
multi-billion dollar space station is a pretty cool interim job ;-)
Need a family-friendly technologically savvy resource to
cultivate tomorrow’s brilliant scientists and engineers? Or maybe you want to work out your own gray matter? Check out National Geographic's Brain Games, it premiers TONIGHT!!! Set your DVRs for 9pm on National Geographic Channel!
Full Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post, but I do personally think National Geographic is pretty rad and I'm thrilled to write a lil' something for them! Also, all opinions are my own, not National Geographic's or NASA's!
Full Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post, but I do personally think National Geographic is pretty rad and I'm thrilled to write a lil' something for them! Also, all opinions are my own, not National Geographic's or NASA's!
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