I heard this song by Alessia Cara on the radio a few weeks ago, and actually sat in my car until it was finished because I was like "yaaaaas". (Not really, I don't say that. But I feel it!) I still don't understand "scars to your beautiful", but mostly due to the grammar/sentence structure (is 'beautiful' a noun?)! But I love the underlying message and so it's a nice chill yet empowering song for a nice chill Friday!
Empowering Lyrics: "And you don't have to change a thing, The world could change its heart"
Full Lyrics:
She just wants to be beautiful
She goes unnoticed, she knows no limits,
She craves attention, she praises an image,
She prays to be sculpted by the sculptor
Oh she don't see the light that's shining
Deeper than the eyes can find it
Maybe we have made her blind
So she tries to cover up her pain, and cut her woes away
'Cause covergirls don't cry after their face is made
But there's a hope that's waiting for you in the dark
You should know you're beautiful just the way you are
And you don't have to change a thing
The world could change its heart
No scars to your beautiful, we're stars and we're beautiful
Oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh
And you don't have to change a thing
The world could change its heart
No scars to your beautiful, we're stars and we're beautiful
She has dreams to be an envy, so she's starving
You know, "Covergirls eat nothing."
She says, "Beauty is pain and there's beauty in everything."
"What's a little bit of hunger?"
"I could go a little while longer," she fades away
She don't see her perfect, she don't understand she's worth it
Or that beauty goes deeper than the surface
Ah oh, ah ah oh,
So to all the girls that's hurting
Let me be your mirror, help you see a little bit clearer
The light that shines within
There's a hope that's waiting for you in the dark
You should know you're beautiful just the way you are
And you don't have to change a thing
The world could change its heart
No scars to your beautiful, we're stars and we're beautiful
Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh
And you don't have to change a thing
The world could change its heart
No scars to your beautiful, we're stars and we're beautiful
No better you than the you that you are
(no better you than the you that you are)
No better life than the life we're living
(no better life than the life we're living)
No better time for your shine, you're a star
(no better time for your shine, you're a star)
Oh, you're beautiful, oh, you're beautiful
There's a hope that's waiting for you in the dark
You should know you're beautiful just the way you are
And you don't have to change a thing
The world could change its heart
No scars to your beautiful, we're stars and we're beautiful
Whoa-oh-oh-oh, whoa-oh-oh-oh, whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh
And you don't have to change a thing
The world could change its heart
No scars to your beautiful, we're stars and we're beautiful
~ http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/alessiacara/scarstoyourbeautiful.html
Friday, September 23, 2016
Thursday, September 22, 2016
Throwback Thursday: Edith Clarke
For this week's Throwback Thursday I am honoring Edith Clarke! I couldn't find anyone inspiring to talk about last week (it's not that they don't exist, it's that they are hard to find! Which is why I'm doing this), but Edith certainly turned that around this week!
Edith Clarke was born in 1883 in a small farming community in Maryland as one of nine children. Unfortunately by age 12 she was an orphan. However, despite living in a time when it was almost unheard of for a woman to acquire a college degree, she was able to use her small inheritance to enroll in Vassar College at age 18. She studied mathematics and astronomy, and graduated in 1908 with Phi Beta Kappa honors.
After college, Clarke taught mathematics and physics at a private girls' school in San Francisco and then at Marshall College in West Virginia. "Wanting to be an engineer, however, Clarke enrolled in the civil engineering program at the University of Wisconsin in 1911. A summer job as a mathematical computing assistant at AT&T changed those plans, though, as she decided to remain full-time at AT&T... Clarke eventually became the manager of a group of women 'computers' who made calculations for the Transmission and Protection Engineering Department during World War I. During that time she also studied radio at Hunter College and electrical engineering at Columbia University". (www.agnesscott.edu)
In 1918, Clarke left AT&T to enroll at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in their EE program, and in 1919 became the first woman to earn her master's degree in electrical engineering from MIT. Upon graduation, however, she found the the opportunities for women in the engineering field to be very limited, so she went to work as a "computer" again, this time for General Electric (http://msa.maryland.gov).
During this time, she filed a patent application describing her invention of a graphical calculator to be used in the solution of electric power transmission problems. In 1921, frustrated with her inability to obtain a position as an engineer at GE and wishing to see more of the world, she left GE to teach physics at the Constantinople Women's College in Turkey. But then in 1922 she was re-hired by GE as an officially recognized salaried electrical engineer in the Central Station Engineering Department, making her the first professionally employed female electrical engineer in the United States.
She worked at GE for 26 years until 1945, at which point she retired to join the electrical engineering faculty at the University of Texas-Austin. This made her (you guessed it!) the first female professor of Electrical Engineering in the country. She retired from teaching in 1956, and Edith Clarke died in October 1959 at the age of 76.
Additional accomplishments among her long list of "firsts" include being the first woman to present a paper before the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (later to become IEEE) in 1926. Her paper had critical national importance, as she applied a mathematical technique called the method of symmetrical components to model a large power system and its behavior. (http://www.edisontechcenter.org)
Additionally, she became the first woman to be elected a fellow of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers in 1948, and then, in 1954, she received a lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Women Engineers "in recognition of her many original contributions to stability theory and circuit analysis." (http://www.engineergirl.org) Her two volume work, Circuit Analysis of A-C Power Systems, was published in 1943 and 1950. Edith Clarke was also the first female engineer to achieve professional standing in Tau Beta Pi. In 2015, Clarke was posthumously inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
After that exhausting list of "firsts", I'll leave you with an Edith Clarke quote:
"There is no demand for women engineers, as such, as there are for women doctors; but there's always a demand for anyone who can do a good piece of work."
As always, if you have suggestions for future "Throwback Thursday" women, you can email hadmeathelloworld@gmail.com, comment below, or comment on the Facebook page!
References:
http://www.edisontechcenter.org/Clarke.html
http://www.engineergirl.org/Engineers/HistoricalEngineers/4399.aspx
http://ethw.org/Edith_Clarke
http://msa.maryland.gov/msa/educ/exhibits/womenshall/html/clarke.html
https://www.agnesscott.edu/lriddle/women/clarke.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edith_Clarke
Edith Clarke was born in 1883 in a small farming community in Maryland as one of nine children. Unfortunately by age 12 she was an orphan. However, despite living in a time when it was almost unheard of for a woman to acquire a college degree, she was able to use her small inheritance to enroll in Vassar College at age 18. She studied mathematics and astronomy, and graduated in 1908 with Phi Beta Kappa honors.
After college, Clarke taught mathematics and physics at a private girls' school in San Francisco and then at Marshall College in West Virginia. "Wanting to be an engineer, however, Clarke enrolled in the civil engineering program at the University of Wisconsin in 1911. A summer job as a mathematical computing assistant at AT&T changed those plans, though, as she decided to remain full-time at AT&T... Clarke eventually became the manager of a group of women 'computers' who made calculations for the Transmission and Protection Engineering Department during World War I. During that time she also studied radio at Hunter College and electrical engineering at Columbia University". (www.agnesscott.edu)
In 1918, Clarke left AT&T to enroll at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in their EE program, and in 1919 became the first woman to earn her master's degree in electrical engineering from MIT. Upon graduation, however, she found the the opportunities for women in the engineering field to be very limited, so she went to work as a "computer" again, this time for General Electric (http://msa.maryland.gov).
During this time, she filed a patent application describing her invention of a graphical calculator to be used in the solution of electric power transmission problems. In 1921, frustrated with her inability to obtain a position as an engineer at GE and wishing to see more of the world, she left GE to teach physics at the Constantinople Women's College in Turkey. But then in 1922 she was re-hired by GE as an officially recognized salaried electrical engineer in the Central Station Engineering Department, making her the first professionally employed female electrical engineer in the United States.
She worked at GE for 26 years until 1945, at which point she retired to join the electrical engineering faculty at the University of Texas-Austin. This made her (you guessed it!) the first female professor of Electrical Engineering in the country. She retired from teaching in 1956, and Edith Clarke died in October 1959 at the age of 76.
Additional accomplishments among her long list of "firsts" include being the first woman to present a paper before the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (later to become IEEE) in 1926. Her paper had critical national importance, as she applied a mathematical technique called the method of symmetrical components to model a large power system and its behavior. (http://www.edisontechcenter.org)
Additionally, she became the first woman to be elected a fellow of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers in 1948, and then, in 1954, she received a lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Women Engineers "in recognition of her many original contributions to stability theory and circuit analysis." (http://www.engineergirl.org) Her two volume work, Circuit Analysis of A-C Power Systems, was published in 1943 and 1950. Edith Clarke was also the first female engineer to achieve professional standing in Tau Beta Pi. In 2015, Clarke was posthumously inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
After that exhausting list of "firsts", I'll leave you with an Edith Clarke quote:
"There is no demand for women engineers, as such, as there are for women doctors; but there's always a demand for anyone who can do a good piece of work."
As always, if you have suggestions for future "Throwback Thursday" women, you can email hadmeathelloworld@gmail.com, comment below, or comment on the Facebook page!
References:
http://www.edisontechcenter.org/Clarke.html
http://www.engineergirl.org/Engineers/HistoricalEngineers/4399.aspx
http://ethw.org/Edith_Clarke
http://msa.maryland.gov/msa/educ/exhibits/womenshall/html/clarke.html
https://www.agnesscott.edu/lriddle/women/clarke.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edith_Clarke
Friday, September 9, 2016
Fierce Friday: Rise
Ellen DeGeneres had Tony Marrero, a survivor from the Pulse attacks in Orlando on her show this week, and he talked about Katy Perry's song "Rise" and how inspirational he found it, keeping him going during his darkest moments. Then Katy Perry walked out on stage, and after everyone cried, Marrero told Perry, "I just want to say thank you for everything you do. Your lyrics to that
song helped me from the day I was in the hospital all the way to now.
Thank you."
I had not yet heard the song, so I listened to it. It's a bit slow for my taste, but I'm still making it my Fierce Friday song!
Empowering Line(s): "I won’t just survive. Oh, you will see me thrive... I won’t just conform. No matter how you shake my core".
Lyrics:
I won’t just survive
Oh, you will see me thrive
Can’t write my story
I’m beyond the archetype
I won’t just conform
No matter how you shake my core
‘Cause my roots they run deep, oh
Oh, ye of so little faith
Don’t doubt it, don’t doubt it
Victory is in my veins
I know it, I know it
And I will not negotiate
I’ll fight it, I’ll fight it
I will transform
When, when the fire’s at my feet again
And the vultures all start circling
They’re whispering, "You’re out of time”
But still I rise
This is no mistake, no accident
When you think the final nail is in
Think again
Don’t be surprised
I will still rise
I must stay conscious
Through the madness and chaos
So I call on my angels
They say
Oh, ye of so little faith
Don’t doubt it, don’t doubt it
Victory is in your veins
You know it, you know it
And you will not negotiate
Just fight it, just fight it
And be transformed
‘Cause when, when the fire’s at my feet again
And the vultures all start circling
They’re whispering, "You’re out of time”
But still I rise
This is no mistake, no accident
When you think the final nail is in
Think again
Don’t be surprised
I will still rise
Don’t doubt it, don’t doubt it
Oh, oh, oh, oh
You know it, you know it
Still rise
Just fight it, just fight it
Don’t be surprised
I will still rise
I had not yet heard the song, so I listened to it. It's a bit slow for my taste, but I'm still making it my Fierce Friday song!
Empowering Line(s): "I won’t just survive. Oh, you will see me thrive... I won’t just conform. No matter how you shake my core".
Lyrics:
I won’t just survive
Oh, you will see me thrive
Can’t write my story
I’m beyond the archetype
I won’t just conform
No matter how you shake my core
‘Cause my roots they run deep, oh
Oh, ye of so little faith
Don’t doubt it, don’t doubt it
Victory is in my veins
I know it, I know it
And I will not negotiate
I’ll fight it, I’ll fight it
I will transform
When, when the fire’s at my feet again
And the vultures all start circling
They’re whispering, "You’re out of time”
But still I rise
This is no mistake, no accident
When you think the final nail is in
Think again
Don’t be surprised
I will still rise
I must stay conscious
Through the madness and chaos
So I call on my angels
They say
Oh, ye of so little faith
Don’t doubt it, don’t doubt it
Victory is in your veins
You know it, you know it
And you will not negotiate
Just fight it, just fight it
And be transformed
‘Cause when, when the fire’s at my feet again
And the vultures all start circling
They’re whispering, "You’re out of time”
But still I rise
This is no mistake, no accident
When you think the final nail is in
Think again
Don’t be surprised
I will still rise
Don’t doubt it, don’t doubt it
Oh, oh, oh, oh
You know it, you know it
Still rise
Just fight it, just fight it
Don’t be surprised
I will still rise
Thursday, September 8, 2016
Throwback Thursday: Ada Lovelace
For this week's Throwback Thursday, I'm taking a look at Ada Lovelace. This is a name I've been hearing for a while, and always mentioned when discussion Women in STEM, but I realized I actually know nothing about who this mysterious "Ada Lovelace" is! Time to change that.
Ada Lovelace was actually born Augusta Ada Byron on December 10, 1815. She was the only legitimate child of famed poet Lord Byron, though Ada never had a relationship with him. Ada went on to marry William King, who became the Earl of Lovelace. This then gave Ada the title Countess of Lovelace. Ada Lovelace died November 27, 1852, at the age of 37, from cancer.
Ada's mother, who had mathematical training herself, insisted that her daughter receive tutoring in mathematics and music, "as disciplines to counter dangerous poetic tendencies" from her father. (www.sdsc.edu) This was a most unusual education for a woman at this time as the participation of noblewomen in intellectual pursuits was not widely encouraged. (Not that it's particularly encouraged 200 years later!) However, Ada and her mother were part of the elite London society, which gave Ada the opportunity to meet Charles Babbage at a party when she was 17.
(And here is where I start directly quoting other sources as I can't say it better!)
Charles Babbage, a professor of mathematics at Cambridge, was the "inventor of the Difference Engine, an elaborate calculating machine that operated by the method of finite differences".(www.sdsc.edu)
"Ada got a chance to look at the (Difference Engine) before it was finished, and was captivated by it. Babbage also created plans for another device known as the analytical engine, designed to handle more complex calculations.
"Ada was later asked to translate an article on Babbage's analytical engine that had been written by Italian engineer Luigi Federico Menabrea for a Swiss journal. She not only translated the original French text in English, but also added her own thoughts and ideas on the machine. Her notes ended up being three times longer than the original article. Her work was published in 1843, in an English science journal...
"In her notes, Ada described how codes could be created for the device to handle letters and symbols along with numbers. She also theorized a method for the engine to repeat a series of instructions, a process known as looping that computer programs use today." (www.biography.com)
"The Notes included the first published description of a stepwise sequence of operations for solving certain mathematical problems and Ada is often referred to as 'the first programmer'" (http://www.computerhistory.org)
"Perhaps more importantly, the article contained statements by Ada that from a modern perspective are visionary. She speculated that the Engine 'might act upon other things besides number... the Engine might compose elaborate and scientific pieces of music of any degree of complexity or extent'. The idea of a machine that could manipulate symbols in accordance with rules and that number could represent entities other than quantity mark the fundamental transition from calculation to computation. Ada was the first to explicitly articulate this notion and in this she appears to have seen further than Babbage. She has been referred to as 'prophet of the computer age'. Certainly she was the first to express the potential for computers outside mathematics." (http://www.computerhistory.org)
Overall, Ada "understood the plans for the device as well as Babbage but was better at articulating its promise." (www.sdsc.edu)
Truly amazing how a woman in the mid-1800s could already visualize all of the amazing things humans went on to do with computers, aside from just calculating mathematical equations. Especially considering that when I saw the commercial for the first iPhone, I thought it was as joke! There was no way you could do all that with a cell phone. Yet here we are.
Ada Lovelace has a computer language named after her (Ada), that was created on behalf of the United States Department of Defense. Also, "Ada Lovelace Day" is an annual event celebrated in mid-October whose goal is to "... raise the profile of women in science, technology, engineering and maths," and to "create new role models for girls and women" in these fields. I've never before heard of Ada Lovelace Day (we have all these events to inspire women, but they aren't well advertised!!) , but look forward to celebrating this year on October 11!
References:
http://www.biography.com/people/ada-lovelace-20825323
https://www.sdsc.edu/ScienceWomen/lovelace.html
http://www.computerhistory.org/babbage/adalovelace/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ada_Lovelace
Ada Lovelace was actually born Augusta Ada Byron on December 10, 1815. She was the only legitimate child of famed poet Lord Byron, though Ada never had a relationship with him. Ada went on to marry William King, who became the Earl of Lovelace. This then gave Ada the title Countess of Lovelace. Ada Lovelace died November 27, 1852, at the age of 37, from cancer.
Ada's mother, who had mathematical training herself, insisted that her daughter receive tutoring in mathematics and music, "as disciplines to counter dangerous poetic tendencies" from her father. (www.sdsc.edu) This was a most unusual education for a woman at this time as the participation of noblewomen in intellectual pursuits was not widely encouraged. (Not that it's particularly encouraged 200 years later!) However, Ada and her mother were part of the elite London society, which gave Ada the opportunity to meet Charles Babbage at a party when she was 17.
(And here is where I start directly quoting other sources as I can't say it better!)
Charles Babbage, a professor of mathematics at Cambridge, was the "inventor of the Difference Engine, an elaborate calculating machine that operated by the method of finite differences".(www.sdsc.edu)
"Ada got a chance to look at the (Difference Engine) before it was finished, and was captivated by it. Babbage also created plans for another device known as the analytical engine, designed to handle more complex calculations.
"Ada was later asked to translate an article on Babbage's analytical engine that had been written by Italian engineer Luigi Federico Menabrea for a Swiss journal. She not only translated the original French text in English, but also added her own thoughts and ideas on the machine. Her notes ended up being three times longer than the original article. Her work was published in 1843, in an English science journal...
"In her notes, Ada described how codes could be created for the device to handle letters and symbols along with numbers. She also theorized a method for the engine to repeat a series of instructions, a process known as looping that computer programs use today." (www.biography.com)
"The Notes included the first published description of a stepwise sequence of operations for solving certain mathematical problems and Ada is often referred to as 'the first programmer'" (http://www.computerhistory.org)
"Perhaps more importantly, the article contained statements by Ada that from a modern perspective are visionary. She speculated that the Engine 'might act upon other things besides number... the Engine might compose elaborate and scientific pieces of music of any degree of complexity or extent'. The idea of a machine that could manipulate symbols in accordance with rules and that number could represent entities other than quantity mark the fundamental transition from calculation to computation. Ada was the first to explicitly articulate this notion and in this she appears to have seen further than Babbage. She has been referred to as 'prophet of the computer age'. Certainly she was the first to express the potential for computers outside mathematics." (http://www.computerhistory.org)
Overall, Ada "understood the plans for the device as well as Babbage but was better at articulating its promise." (www.sdsc.edu)
Truly amazing how a woman in the mid-1800s could already visualize all of the amazing things humans went on to do with computers, aside from just calculating mathematical equations. Especially considering that when I saw the commercial for the first iPhone, I thought it was as joke! There was no way you could do all that with a cell phone. Yet here we are.
Ada Lovelace has a computer language named after her (Ada), that was created on behalf of the United States Department of Defense. Also, "Ada Lovelace Day" is an annual event celebrated in mid-October whose goal is to "... raise the profile of women in science, technology, engineering and maths," and to "create new role models for girls and women" in these fields. I've never before heard of Ada Lovelace Day (we have all these events to inspire women, but they aren't well advertised!!) , but look forward to celebrating this year on October 11!
References:
http://www.biography.com/people/ada-lovelace-20825323
https://www.sdsc.edu/ScienceWomen/lovelace.html
http://www.computerhistory.org/babbage/adalovelace/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ada_Lovelace
Friday, September 2, 2016
Fierce Friday: Girl in a Country Song
I remember hearing Maddie & Tae's "Girl in a Country Song" a few years ago, and just loved how they called out how girls are treated in many country songs! It takes some guts to do that! Also the gender reversal of the video is hilarious.
Empowering line: "'Cause I got a name, And to you it ain't 'pretty little thing', 'honey' or 'baby'"
Lyrics:
Empowering line: "'Cause I got a name, And to you it ain't 'pretty little thing', 'honey' or 'baby'"
Lyrics:
("No country music was harmed in the making of this song, this is only a test-t-t.")
Well, I wish I had some shoes on my two bare feet
And it's gettin' kinda cold in these painted on cut-off jeans
I hate the way this bikini top chafes
Do I really have to wear it all day? (Yeah, baby)
I hear you over there on your tailgate whistlin' [whistle]
Sayin', "Hey girl." ("Hey, girl.")
But you know I ain't listenin'
'Cause I got a name
And to you it ain't "pretty little thing", "honey" or "baby"
Yeah it's drivin' me red-red-red-red-red-red-redneck crazy
[Chorus:]
Bein' the girl in a country song
How in the world did it go so wrong?
Like all we're good for
Is looking good for you and your friends on the weekend
Nothing more
We used to get a little respect
Now we're lucky if we even get
To climb up in your truck, keep our mouth shut and ride along
And be the girl in a country song
Well, shakin' my moneymaker ain't ever made me a dime
And there ain't no sugar for you in this shaker of mine
Tell me one more time, "you gotta get you some of that"
Sure I'll slide on over, but you're gonna get slapped (Hah!)
These days it ain't easy being that
[Chorus:]
Girl in a country song
How in the world did it go so wrong?
Like all we're good for
Is looking good for you and your friends on the weekend
Nothing more
We used to get a little respect
Now we're lucky if we even get
To climb up in your truck, keep our mouth shut and ride along
And be the girl in a country song (Yeah, yeah, yeah, baby)
Aww no, Conway and George Strait
Never did it this way
Back in the old days
Aww y'all, we ain't a cliché
That ain't no way
To treat a lady...
[Chorus:]
... like a girl in a country song
How in the world did it go so wrong?
Like all we're good for
Is looking good for you and your friends on the weekend
Nothing more
(Woo)
We used to get a little respect
Now we're lucky if we even get
To climb up in your truck, keep our mouth shut and ride along
Down some old dirt road we don't even wanna be on
And be the girl in a country song
("Yeah, baby, I ain't your tan legged Juliet. Can I put on some real clothes now? ")
Aww, no
(Ha-ha-ha...)
Well, I wish I had some shoes on my two bare feet
And it's gettin' kinda cold in these painted on cut-off jeans
I hate the way this bikini top chafes
Do I really have to wear it all day? (Yeah, baby)
I hear you over there on your tailgate whistlin' [whistle]
Sayin', "Hey girl." ("Hey, girl.")
But you know I ain't listenin'
'Cause I got a name
And to you it ain't "pretty little thing", "honey" or "baby"
Yeah it's drivin' me red-red-red-red-red-red-redneck crazy
[Chorus:]
Bein' the girl in a country song
How in the world did it go so wrong?
Like all we're good for
Is looking good for you and your friends on the weekend
Nothing more
We used to get a little respect
Now we're lucky if we even get
To climb up in your truck, keep our mouth shut and ride along
And be the girl in a country song
Well, shakin' my moneymaker ain't ever made me a dime
And there ain't no sugar for you in this shaker of mine
Tell me one more time, "you gotta get you some of that"
Sure I'll slide on over, but you're gonna get slapped (Hah!)
These days it ain't easy being that
[Chorus:]
Girl in a country song
How in the world did it go so wrong?
Like all we're good for
Is looking good for you and your friends on the weekend
Nothing more
We used to get a little respect
Now we're lucky if we even get
To climb up in your truck, keep our mouth shut and ride along
And be the girl in a country song (Yeah, yeah, yeah, baby)
Aww no, Conway and George Strait
Never did it this way
Back in the old days
Aww y'all, we ain't a cliché
That ain't no way
To treat a lady...
[Chorus:]
... like a girl in a country song
How in the world did it go so wrong?
Like all we're good for
Is looking good for you and your friends on the weekend
Nothing more
(Woo)
We used to get a little respect
Now we're lucky if we even get
To climb up in your truck, keep our mouth shut and ride along
Down some old dirt road we don't even wanna be on
And be the girl in a country song
("Yeah, baby, I ain't your tan legged Juliet. Can I put on some real clothes now? ")
Aww, no
(Ha-ha-ha...)
Thursday, September 1, 2016
Throwback Thursday: Katherine Johnson
Today's #ThrowbackThursday is in honor of Katherine Johnson, an African American physicist, space scientist, and mathematician whose work helped the US land a man on the moon.
Unlike Margaret Hamilton and Grace Hopper, who I had heard about previously albeit super briefly, I had never heard of Katherine Johnson until last week while searching the #womensequalityday hashtag on Instagram to see all the inspirational messages. One of the posts was from @blackgirlscode, who honored both Women's Equality Day AND Katherine Johnson, as last Friday, August 26, she turned 98 years old!
(Same, Katherine. Same. I've always said I prefer math because you are either right or wrong. Unlike English where a teacher can give you a bad grade just for not liking your style! Not that I'm still bitter or anything...).
Katherine Johnson was born August 26, 1918 in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. At an early age, Johnson showed a passion and talent for math, however the county she lived in did not offer schooling for black students past the eighth grade. Her father understood the importance of education and wanted his daughter to meet her potential, so he drove his family 120 miles to Institute, West Virginia so she could go to high school. Katherine ended up skipping through grades quickly and graduated from high school at age 14, and then from West Virginia State College at age 18.
After years as a teacher and a stay-at-home mother, Johnson began working for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, the predecessor for NASA, in 1953. NACA began hiring women for the tedious work of measuring and calculating the results of wind tunnel tests in 1935. During the war, they expanded this effort to include African-American women as well. These women had the job title of "computer" before the time of electronic computers. NACA was so pleased with the results that they kept women employed as "computers" even after the war was over, and a spot opened up for Katherine Johnson.
Johnson calculated the trajectory for Alan Shepard, the first American in space. She also calculated the launch window for Shepard's 1961 Mercury mission and the trajectory for the 1969 Apollo 11 flight to the Moon. NASA began using electronic computers in 1962 for John Glenn's orbit around Earth, but Glenn refused to fly unless Katherine verified the computer's calculations.
On Tuesday, November 24, 2015, Katherine Johnson received the nation's highest civilian award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, from President Barack Obama, for being a pioneering example of African American women in STEM.
Note to self: do more research on these early women computers. I love the fact that computers used to be women!!
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katherine_Johnson
http://www.makers.com/blog/women-behind-hidden-figures-movie
http://www.nasa.gov/feature/katherine-johnson-the-girl-who-loved-to-count
Unlike Margaret Hamilton and Grace Hopper, who I had heard about previously albeit super briefly, I had never heard of Katherine Johnson until last week while searching the #womensequalityday hashtag on Instagram to see all the inspirational messages. One of the posts was from @blackgirlscode, who honored both Women's Equality Day AND Katherine Johnson, as last Friday, August 26, she turned 98 years old!
Katherine Johnson was born August 26, 1918 in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. At an early age, Johnson showed a passion and talent for math, however the county she lived in did not offer schooling for black students past the eighth grade. Her father understood the importance of education and wanted his daughter to meet her potential, so he drove his family 120 miles to Institute, West Virginia so she could go to high school. Katherine ended up skipping through grades quickly and graduated from high school at age 14, and then from West Virginia State College at age 18.
After years as a teacher and a stay-at-home mother, Johnson began working for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, the predecessor for NASA, in 1953. NACA began hiring women for the tedious work of measuring and calculating the results of wind tunnel tests in 1935. During the war, they expanded this effort to include African-American women as well. These women had the job title of "computer" before the time of electronic computers. NACA was so pleased with the results that they kept women employed as "computers" even after the war was over, and a spot opened up for Katherine Johnson.
Johnson calculated the trajectory for Alan Shepard, the first American in space. She also calculated the launch window for Shepard's 1961 Mercury mission and the trajectory for the 1969 Apollo 11 flight to the Moon. NASA began using electronic computers in 1962 for John Glenn's orbit around Earth, but Glenn refused to fly unless Katherine verified the computer's calculations.
On Tuesday, November 24, 2015, Katherine Johnson received the nation's highest civilian award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, from President Barack Obama, for being a pioneering example of African American women in STEM.
Note to self: do more research on these early women computers. I love the fact that computers used to be women!!
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katherine_Johnson
http://www.makers.com/blog/women-behind-hidden-figures-movie
http://www.nasa.gov/feature/katherine-johnson-the-girl-who-loved-to-count
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