Dr. Beth Brown (1969-2008)
In graduate school, Beth often felt isolated & out of place. �Beth would confide in Dr. James Lindesay, her professor from Howard University. ��What types of advice do you think James gave Beth when she felt this way?
Dr. Beth Brown (1969-2008)
Last class you learned a bit about Dr. Beth Brown, the first African American woman to earn a PhD in Astronomy from the University of Michigan.
Dr. Brown had 3 pieces of advice for students: �
In your journal…
Which piece(s) of Dr. Brown's advice do you agree with? �How has this advice played out in your life so far?
Dr. George Carruthers (1939-2020)
2. In your journal:
Dr. Carruthers said he was often the only black student in his science classes at his university.
Put yourself in his shoes -- if no one else looked like you in class, how would you feel? How might this affect you?
Dr. George Carruthers (1939-2020)
Last class you learned about Dr. George Carruthers, inventor of a powerful camera/telescope used in Apollo 16.
In an interview, Dr. Carruthers said that when he was a student, he didn’t have any African-American role models because “not that they didn’t exist, but nobody ever publicized them” and that “many of the minority students didn't know that they had a future in science because they figured it was something that was not for them.”
In your journal...
How was George’s experience similar or different to your experience with role models?
Dr. Louise Edwards
How do you think mentoring students of color relates to Dr. Edwards sense of “belonging” in astrophysics?
Dr. Louise Edwards
In an interview, Dr. Edwards was asked, Do you have any woman of color in STEM heros? Who and why? “I would say Jedidah Isler (an astronomy professor)! When I was in my first week of a lecturer position at Yale, she came to my office to introduce herself. I’ve been blown away by the amazing program she has started since.”�
�����
Last class, you thought about what contributes to “belonging” in science. �Has there ever been a time when you felt you really “belonged” in science or some other area? Was it obvious, or did you have to look for it?
Dr. Louise Edwards (1978-present)
Dr. Edwards says that she mentors students to help them feel like they belong
in the science community.
Has there ever been a time when you felt you really “belonged” in science or some other area? Was it obvious, or did you have to look for it?
Ashley Walker, recent graduate Chicago State Univ.
“I’ve faced the loss of loved ones, racism, discouraging/abusive mentorship, and sexism. �My father passed away from lung cancer at the beginning of my third semester (Fall 2016). A few months later I discovered that I was mistakenly declared deceased by the Social Security Administration. I was unable to attend classes in the Spring because of this unfortunate event. I set up a GoFundMe page and with the help of well-known scientists, �I was able to re-enroll in school. The issue didn’t get resolved until a few months later. ”
Despite these obstacles, Ashley made it through college and excelled with a variety of research positions and outreach efforts. What do you think it took for Ashley to overcome her obstacles and be successful?
Ashley Walker, recent graduate Chicago State Univ.
Consider Ashley’s vision for the ideal community for black women. To what extent do you already have access to this kind of community for the activities you care about? What could you do to ensure others around you get access to �such a community?
When surveyed, Ashley was asked: Black women are severely marginalized in our field. If astronomy were an ideal community for Black women, what would that look like for you?
Ashley: An ideal community for me would be having more women of the African diaspora in positions of power. We would be appreciated more, our ideas would be heard, and not stolen or used against us. Our schools would have more young girls and women of African descent in physics and astronomy classes. The workspace would be would be comfortable for us, we would have more support groups, and better pay for Black women. There would be more opportunities for Black women to thrive and survive. Self-care would be mandatory for Black women when things are stressful so that they could decompress and release any negative energy before working or attending classes.
Last class you learned a bit about Ashley Walker, Astrochemist and Planetary Scientist. Founder of #BlackInAstro week, co-founder of #BlackInChem & #BlackInPhysics week.
Dr. Arlie Petters - a Mathematical Astronomer
Dr. Arlie Petters grew up in rural Belize where he was raised by his grandparents. None of his relatives had gone beyond high school - but he was constantly curious. He loved drawing, thinking about his religion and asking questions about the stars.
When he was 13, Arlie immigrated to the United States to live with his mother. He was amazed by “the amount of knowledge that exists in this country,” and excited by his new US high school.
During his first year of college, a conflict with his step-father caused Arlie to become homeless. His grandmother wanted him to come back to Belize to work, but Arlie wanted to stay in school.
“What linked art with the cosmos and mathematics was, I discovered, that the same feeling you get when doing art comes when you solve mathematical problems related to the cosmos. With time, I realized that mathematics wasn't just calculating, but a powerful way of thinking.”
In your journal...
Imagine you meet Arlie at this point in his life. He is 18 and wants to continue his studies in college, but has no support in the United States.
What advice would you give Arlie? Should he look for support to stay in college or should he go back to Belize?
Dr. Arlie Petters - a Mathematical Astronomer
After watching this short video about Dr. A Petters path to astronomy answering the following questions in your journal:
NYT. What difference does it make who teaches general relativity? If ever there was a raceless subject, wouldn't this be it?
Petters. Well, the classroom experience is not completely raceless. I know of cases where certain white professors ask minority students, "Are you sure you belong in this course?" and show shock when such students excel in their advanced courses. It makes a difference for minority students to see a person like them teaching such courses.