Tag Archives: NASA

Women in astronomy and computer science: There’s still work to do

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This article comes from Kimberly Kowal Arcand, Visualisation Lead for NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. It forms part of a wider report issued by technology company Digital Science to coincide with Ada Lovelace Day, the annual celebration that promotes women working in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM). 

“Championing The Success of Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths, and Medicine” includes a collection of think pieces around current issues faced by women in STEM authored by industry leaders. The report explores areas of gender inequality and potential causes of this inequality, offering up a collection of solutions.

“Computer science is the only field in science, engineering and mathematics in which the number of women receiving bachelor’s degrees has decreased since 2002 – even after it showed a modest increase in recent years.” Selena Larson.

This is my story, but it is also the story of countless others.

My career is found at the intersection of two forward-looking and fast-paced fields: astronomy and computer science. While I never mapped out this particular trajectory, it’s been a compelling and fascinating journey so far – I look forward to where I can go from here.

Unfortunately, success in these STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) disciplines is not a given for many, especially women and people of colour. Far too often, there are hurdles and obstacles – many unseen and unrecognised – to reach key milestones for those who fall outside the traditional perception and background of what a scientist, technologist, engineer or mathematician should be and where they should come from.

Those who do navigate the gauntlet of challenges and go on to have careers in the fields of STEM may have their contributions overlooked or even dismissed.

There are many who persevere, however, and Ada Lovelace Day is an opportunity to celebrate such accomplishments. While we need to look realistically at the current landscape in STEM fields for women and other underrepresented groups, we can hopefully remain optimistic that the power to change the situation lies within all of us.

Let’s see where experts believe we are and where we still need to go in the two fields where I have spent most of my professional life.

In Silicon Valley, workers at major employers such as Google, Apple, and Facebook are 70 per cent male. Why are there so few women in computer science?

According to Selena Larson, key factors include an overall culture that encourages girls to play with dolls, not robots, and turn their thoughts towards more “traditionally female careers”, accepting the strong stereotype, which developed in the mid-80s,[1] that programmers are typically young white males. This attitude continues into high school and well beyond. For example, male students (81 per cent) [2] take the advanced placement computer science course at a higher rate than female students (19 per cent).

It’s not all bad news, thankfully. Many individuals and organisations have worked tirelessly – particularly in recent years – to open the field of computer science to all who are interested. By 2020, it is estimated that there will be 1.4 million computer-science related jobs available in the US, but only 400,000 [3] computer science graduates to fill them. What’s being done to help women and others be included in that missing million workers?

Making changes in computer science

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Academia, industry or non-profit? An interview with Carrie Leonard

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Contributor Shimi Rii

Carrie-Leonard

{credit}Courtesy of Carrie Leonard{/credit}

After 10 years in an academic setting, first as a PhD student, then postdoctoral fellow and finally assistant research professor, Carrie Leonard accepted a job at BAE Systems, Inc., a global defence, security and aerospace company, where she spent more than 12 years. Based in Honolulu, Hawaii, she started as a manager of Applied Sciences and Algorithms and Ethics Officer, becoming a lead on Advanced Concepts in her last 2 years. I first met Carrie in 2003, when we collaborated on a multi-institutional oceanic eddy project. Over time, Carrie became not only my role model (she was the only female PhD that I knew in a leadership industry position at that time) but also a mentor, providing me guidance and multiple career perspectives. A few months ago, I ran into Carrie at the Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting held at the Oregon Convention Center. As we caught up over beers, she told me about her new position as Director of Science at The Freshwater Trust, a non-profit organization with a mission to preserve and restore Oregon’s freshwater ecosystems. Having now worked in three very different work environments – academia, industry and non-profit – Carrie was full of insight and advice.

What motivated your transition from academia to industry?

I went to work for industry because I could not land a tenure-track academic position. I had a self-funded research faculty position, but was dependent entirely upon my own grant funding. I knew that I was just a few grant rejection letters away from not having a job, and as the main source of income for my family, this situation was not financially acceptable. At this time, I found out about a small technology start-up that was doing ocean remote sensing for the US Navy, and I made the leap into the unknown. What drew me in was continuing to do research in my area of expertise, but with greater job stability, better pay and benefits. The specific employer and workplace was not the driver, but the ability to continue to pay my mortgage and to do research certainly was. Continue reading →

Buzz Aldrin: Space policy, cooperative efforts to Mars and the need to inspire future generations

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Buzz Aldrin is a retired US Air Force pilot, a former American astronaut and the second person to walk on the Moon, on July 21, 1969. He was the lunar module pilot on Apollo 11, the first manned lunar landing in history.

A global space ambassador. Courtesy of the Buzz Aldrin Archive

A global space ambassador.
Courtesy of the Buzz Aldrin Archive

Upon returning from the moon, Dr Aldrin was decorated with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest American peacetime award.

Since retiring from NASA and the Air Force, Col Aldrin has remained at the forefront of efforts to progress human space exploration. On November 16, 2011, Dr Aldrin was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the nation’s highest civilian honour, along with the other Apollo 11 crew members, Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins, and Mercury Seven astronaut, John Glenn, for their significant contribution to society and exploration.

Dr Aldrin has also written eight books including the New York Times best-selling autobiography, Magnificent Desolation, released in 2009 before the 40th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. He has released best-selling illustrated children’s books, two space science-fiction novels and his most recent book Mission to Mars: My Vision for Space Exploration was published by the National Geographic Society in 2013.

“To realize the dream of humans on Mars we need a unified vision. We need to focus on a pathway to the prize.” These were the strident historic words articulated by Buzz Aldrin in July 2009 at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum’s John Glenn Lecture Series for NASA’s 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing.  Five years on, and having very recently celebrated his 84th birthday, Dr Aldrin’s enthusiasm, ambassadorial work, resolute attitude and ideals are no less subdued.

Exciting developments in space science are coming thick and fast and showing notable progress. It is however, US President Barack Obama’s objective of a manned mission to Mars in his lifetime, preceded by a robotic landing on a real orbiting asteroid, that remains a most ambitious follow on to lunar robotic surface control by the US and the occupation of a jointly designed International Lunar Base.

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Exomars and the History of Mars Exploration – Can Russia Help?

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Amy Shira Teitel is an historian of spaceflight, blogger and freelance writer passionate about making space history accessible to everyone. She blogs at Vintage Space where she chronicles her love of space history and space exploration, and she’s currently working on a book about NASA’s pursuit of runway landings during the space race. In the meantime, her work appears regularly on Discovery News, Motherboard, and America Space.

 
In February, President Obama revealed NASA’s budget for 2013. At $17.7 billion the agency is taking a hit, but the biggest loser is the agency’s Mars program which has been allocated $318 million less than last year. This funding cut has forced NASA out of ExoMars, the joint mission with the European Space Agency (ESA) designed to culminate with a sample return mission. Without NASA, ESA is left in pieces; the US agency was responsible for the launch vehicles and interplanetary spacecraft, not to mention substantial funding. Now, ESA is hoping the Russian Space Agency Roscosmos will take NASA’s place. This partnership could be without payoff since neither country has had great luck with Mars. Particularly Russia, whose missions have been thwarted by the mythical galactic ghoul. Continue reading →