While I was out running today, I was listening to NPR and I happened to catch an interview with Eileen Pollack, author of The Only Woman in the Room: Why Science is Still a Boy’s Club. The author grew up in the 1960s and ’70s dreaming of a career as a theoretical astrophysicist. Although she got
Every once in a while, something piques your curiosity. I saw the stage play The Miracle Worker at Wright State University in September 2012. It was billed as the true story of Helen Keller and her teacher Anne Sullivan. Personally I can’t imagine navigating the world without sight or hearing, and I know certain compromises/adjustments
What is you state flower? Ours in Ohio is the scarlet carnation. But maybe the more pertinent question is where did your state flower come from? I just ran across an article entitled “State Flowers’ Dirty Little Secret” in the October 19, 2015 issue of The Christian Science Monitor Weekly. Most states choose native species
On September 20, 1848, the American Association for the Advancement of Science was founded in Philadelphia. (http://www.aaas.org/) Its purpose was to “procure for the labors of scientific men increased facilities and a wider usefulness.” This was actually a new concept, the term “scientist” having been used in England for the first time in 1833. Of course,
When we think of the Holocaust, we tend to focus on the number dead. But there were a surprising number of resisters. They were brave individuals who normally get forgotten by the history books. It’s our duty to make sure they’re remembered. I’m sure you’ve heard of Oskar Schlindler and Raoul Wallenberg. Their cases have been
I receive a daily email from the publishers of Time magazine, and this article caught my eye. It reports on a new study that claims dishwashing can improve mental health by lowering stress levels… if done “mindfully”. According to the report — In the study, researchers at Florida State University had 51 students wash
I’m not a health-care professional, but in trying to keep up with what’s happening in the world, I’m running across more and more evidence that men and women are physiologically more different than anyone realizes. The latest evidence is a TED talk by Dr. Alyson McGregor, who explains how women have been at a disadvantage
I’ve previously mentioned I’ve been a high school aide for a new Middle Eastern student for two days this week. I tried to help him as much as I could, including taking notes for him in addition to pushing his wheelchair. One thing I noticed was he was frequently asking me “Is this right? Is
Having been a substitute teacher for nine-plus years now, I’m reasonably familiar with the curriculum in many subjects, especially English. Two of the books studied every year are To Kill a Mockingbird (as close as anyone has come to The Great American Novel) and Lord of the Flies. Yesterday I learned there has been a
One of the reasons I was really looking forward to my recent trip to Germany was to absorb some of the unique culture. Maybe get some authentic German food like sauerbraten. While I did find some German food, on the whole I was disappointed. Most of what I ate could’ve been found in any major