Bertha Ye-was Parker

Dr. Alenush Terian

Science
Monthly
District NGSS and Science News

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH

MARCH 2019
Dr. Ellen Ochoa

Website of the YouTube Channel Women in Science:

Month: Of the Month: Overlooked
Legends of Learning Mark Rober Achievements
 Science Monthly

Website of the Month: Legends of Learning

https://www.legendsoflearning.com/

“Do we have to?” “This is boring.” “I don’t want to read.” “Can we play games instead?”

Having trouble with student engagement when it comes to teaching some of the content? Try out Legends of Learning
for yourself and you will see how some of
these games could pull back in a few of
those lost students. At a middle school
training a few weeks ago, some of the
teachers shared this great resource as
something that they can already say gets
the kids’ attentions and leaves them
craving more. This site allows teachers to
make a free account and set up student
accounts so that you can assign specific
games or even playlists of games for
students to play at their own pace.

Topics of games cover Life, Physical, and

Earth and Space Sciences through
exploratory games that require kids to process and apply their new learning to win. While the lessons are designed for
Elementary and Middle School grades, High School teachers may also find value in these games as alternative
assignments for intervention or review of concepts before jumping into a new chapter. Perhaps you could even use
some content refreshers and a game is always more fun that just reading up in a textbook!
 Science Monthly

YouTube Channel of the Month: Mark Rober

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY1kMZp36IQSyNx_9h4mpCg?d
isable_polymer=true

The Next Generation Science Standards have an

entire section of the Disciplinary Core Ideas
dedicated to engineering. Engineering is the
process of designing and refining a solution to a
problem and our students are pros at doing this
with Legos and K’Nex. The next step is getting them
psyched about trying out engineering something
with a wide variety of materials. Mark Rober is
perhaps best known for his viral video from last
December of a “Glitter Bomb” decoy package he
designed to prank package thieves. He designed
the package to look like any other holiday, online-
order but it was rigged with cameras, a mic, a fart spray canister, and a spinning mechanism that distributes a
ridiculous amount of fine glitter on any poor soul who thought they could grab some free holiday gifts. Some of his
other videos feature his creations such as the world’s largest horn and a robot that skips rocks on water, but there
are also a multitude of other science and tech related demonstration videos you might consider sharing in your class.
 Science Monthly

Women in Science: Honoring Commonly Overlooked

Female Scientists
Last month we celebrated the achievements of scientists who were often pushed aside, not for the content of their
work, but because of the melanin levels in their skin. This month we lift up those with two matching chromosomes who
were told to keep house and home and stay away from laboratories because they were not a places for ladies. I
remember watching my own mom rise in the tech industry, learning at the local trade school as courses developed for
computer hardware and microchips. I also remember my mom’s struggles while rising through the ranks at Xircom
and Intel in the 90’s as a she rose above many of her male colleagues but she kept on fighting through the bias and
pushbacks. She showed me what a strong, intelligent, corporate female looks like in the world of science and I have
made it one of my missions to encourage other young girls, the
young girls in our classroom seats right now, to not be
discouraged and that they are welcome and needed in the scientific
community.

Female “scientists” have been regarded in many ancient cultures

as healers and great thinkers of the time, however somewhere
along the way these healers became “witches” and great thinkers
were seen as heretics. Today, women still struggle to have equitable representation in science but at least the world is
progressing to make room in the spotlight alongside famous male researchers. Let’s show our girls that they are
valued, they are intelligent, and that they have always been capable of
succeeding. Websites such as NewsELA and ReadWorks have compiled text
sets embracing the accomplishments of women in history, even if they
were not celebrated at the time of their original discoveries. Here are a
few women in science that you might consider exploring with your
students:

Mary Anning (1799-1847): Jurassic Paleontologist Mary was an

important paleontologist in the early 19th century who discovered many
ancient species. Along the English Channel, she explored for ancient marine
fossils and her discoveries include the first ichthyosaur, or large marine
reptile, and was often consulted by more well known male geologists and
paleontologists even though she was not permitted to join the Geological
Society of London.
 Science Monthly

Dae Jang Geum (Joseon Dynasty ca. 1500): The Royal Physician Jang
Geum was the first female royal physician to King Jungjon. Her work is
mentioned in the royal annals of the early 1500’s with her receiving credit
for assisting the queen in a safe childbirth and treating the queen so well
that the king also chose to be treated by Jang Geum. She received the title
of “dae,” meaning “great,” along with many rewards and compensation for
her work with the royal family. Her work was dramatized by the popular
Korean daytime drama Jewel in the Palace.

Caroline Herschel (1750-1848): First Female on Record to Discover a

Comet (and so much more!) Caroline was a German astronomer and worked
alongside her brother William who spent much of his time developing high
performance telescopes. In 1783 she made her first discoveries, coming across
two uncharted nebulae in the same night. Over the course of her career she
discovered many more astronomical bodies and was the first woman to be
awarded a Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1828.

Maria Mitchell (1881-1889): America’s First Professional Female

Astronomer Born in Nantucket in 1818 to a Quaker family, her parents valued
education and made sure she had the same access to education as other boys
her age. In the the whaling town she was raised in, many wives stayed home while men went off on whaling expeditions,
they had no choice but to be independent and fostered an atmosphere of
independence and equality for women. Maria learned astronomy from her father
who was also a school teacher and at the age of 12 she helped him calculate the
exact time of an eclipse. In 1847 she discovered a comet and used her father’s
name to publish an article about the discovery and accompanying calculations
which earned her the same Gold Medal award given to Caroline Herschel almost 20
years prior. Maria was an early advocate for science and math education for girls
working as a librarian during the day and searching the skies at night.

Alenush Terian (1920-2011): Iran’s First Female Astrophysics Professor and

Solar Observatory Co-Founder After receiving her first science degree, Terian
applied for a scholarship to study her doctorate in France but her professor
refused her application because she was female. With help from her father, she
was able to pursue her students in France anyways and received her PhD in 1956.
 Science Monthly

In 1964, Dr. Terian became the first female Professor of Physics in Iran at Tehran University, the same university
where her previous professor denied her scholarship request. She became a member of the university’s Geophysics
Faculty and co-founded the solar observatory there. She never married but offered up her home to fellow Armenians
and university students who had trouble finding room and board.

Dr. Ellen Ochoa (Born 1958, Age 60): Los Angeles Native is the First Latina Astronaut Dr. Ochoa originally joined
NASA in 1988 as a research engineer at Ames Research Center but later moved to work at the Johnson Space Center
where she earned her way into the astronaut program. In 1993, Ellen Ochoa served a 9 day mission on the space
shuttle Endeavor to study the Earth’s ozone layer. This moment put her in the history books as the first Latina in space,
however her accomplishments span more than just her career as an astronaut. Dr. Ochoa currently serves as the
director of the Johnson Space Center and is the Vice Chair of the National Science Board until 2020.

Bertha Ye-was Parker (1907-1978): First Native American Archaeologist A daughter of both the Abenaki and
Seneca tribes, Parker worked hard to preserve ancient Native American artifacts. Her father was an archaeologist and
she often assisted with his excavations as a child. When her parents divorced, she moved with her mother to Los
Angeles and performed in the Ringling Brothers Circus as part of a “Pocahontas” show. In 1927 however, Parker began
work with her uncle who was also an archaeologist and she began learning more about archaeological work,
discovering first the Scorpion Hill pueblo site. She published works about this site and many others including Gypsum
Cave in 1930 when the earliest known North American humans from the Pleistocene were discovered. In her later
years she went back to show business and worked as a technical advisor and consultant for TV shows and movies that
depicted Native Americans. In the 1950’s she hosted a show with her 3rd husband, Iron Eyes Cody, about Native
American history and folklore.

Reshma Saujani (1975-): The Woman Who Codes A champion for women and
advocate for girls in STEM, Saujani is an active member of today’s scientific
community. Founder and CEO of Girls Who Code, she started her journey as an
attorney and activist, later becoming the first Indian American woman to run for
U.S. Congress in 2010. During the congressional race, Saujani visited local schools
and saw first-hand the gender gap affecting computer science students. These
experiences lead her to start the non-profit Girls Who Code. The organization
advocates for girls in STEM and helps form clubs in schools and communities
where girls can learn coding and other tech skills. She continues to advocate for
female leadership and is an author of such books as Girls Who Code: Learn to Code
and Change the World and Brave Not Perfect.
 Science Monthly

SJUSD S.T.E.A.M. Explosion! 2/7/19 @MVMS

Highlighting the San Jacinto Scientists of the Future

Thursday, February 7th at Monte Vista Middle School, schools from all over the district showcased the work of our
young thinkers, engineers, scientists, mathematicians, and artists. Showcasing work from 4 th-12th grade students, the
San Jacinto community got a glimpse into the inquisitive minds we nurture in our classrooms every day. It was an
evening of exploration and discovery for our community members in attendance and we congratulate SJUSD’s
representatives to the Riverside County Science and Engineering Fair in April! Thank you to those of you who helped
mentor our young people as they investigated the ways of the natural world.
 Science Monthly

Jackie Gardner: SJUSD NGSS TOSA jgardner@sanjacinto.k12.ca.us

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