From the Contra Costa Times, San Francisco, CA: Building homes is women's domain
The Women Empowerment Build ended today (Monday) but it's an interesting read:
It was a sight rarely seen at a construction site – women outnumbered men Saturday as they laid bricks and raised wooden frames on homes that will eventually house low-income families in Pacoima.
And today, the proportion will likely skew even more toward the fairer sex as the female cast of TV shows such as The Bold and the Beautiful and Days of Our Lives work alongside volunteers on the Habitat for Humanity's first Women Empowerment Build.
The celebrities will be joined by female leaders in the science, engineering and technology industries, such as Julie Zingerman, a rocket scientist, and Patti Wagner, vice president of information technology at Southern California Gas Company. James Kelly, a male astronaut who flew on Discovery and worked under a female captain, will also work on building six duplexes.
"For the girls, it's critical for them to see women of all different backgrounds and all different trades here and working together," said Donna Deutchman, CEO of Habitat for Humanity in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys. "It's critical for the mentors to work side by side with them to experience and discuss the idea of empowerment and the idea of community change and a woman's role in determining the future of the world."
The six homes are the first of 24 being constructed as part of the last phase of the development at 12600 Carl St. The 1.6-acre site already has 37 homes completed and occupied. Fourteen homes are scheduled
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to be completed by Christmas and another 10 should be finished by next July.
The build is also helping women get hands-on experience in home repair and construction, several volunteers said.
"We're kind of entering into a field where women aren't typically expected to be found, so it's very refreshing," said volunteer Margaret Ku, 22, of Diamond Bar, who added that she had learned to properly use a hammer. "With the proper training, you can do anything."
The training comes at a time when 20 percent of recent home buyers were single females and 10 percent were single males, according to the National Association of Realtors. Between 1980 and 2000, the number of households headed by unmarried women increased by almost 10 million.
"I think that every woman should be able to wield a hammer and use power tools," said Lauren Callahan, 19, of Topanga, who was working on framing a house. "Women don't really get to use power tools or really be involved in the construction aspect ... so it's really great that we get to do some of the things that normally guys would take over."
A community vegetable garden was also in the works. Once completed, it will grow peppers, tomatoes, a pumpkin patch that will bear watermelons in the summer, and a few barbecue pits.
The garden is funded by a grant from Home Depot and landscaping services were donated by ValleyCrest Landscape Companies. The businesses also sent crews made up mostly of women.
They were deployed to various tasks: Some worked on the garden, while others built gates, framed houses, fashioned bricks or installed irrigation for trees.
"A lot of the times, a lot of people think `Oh, women aren't strong enough to lift heavy things or don't have the willpower to come out here and actually be in construction,"' said Bridgett Mills, 21, of Woodland Hills. "That's why a lot of women come out. I think they want to prove that they have the power to get into the actual building. They want to know that they have that skill."
The Women Empowerment Build lasts through Monday, but the group is always seeking volunteers.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Rain
At age 50, I experienced something that I've never experienced before. I actually stood at the demarkation line of rain. On one side, it was cloudy - high cloud, but no rain at all. On the other side, it was coming down....not quite in torrents, but pretty hard.
Oh, I'd driven from where it was raining into where it wasn't raining, but never have I actually stood there. Indeed, it was cooler than that, because I actually saw the rain coming at me. I could see the ground getting wet, hear the tap tap tap of the rain landing on the sidewalks, and see it coming towards me...until it stopped.
Totally cool!
From Wikipedia
Rain is liquid precipitation, as opposed to other kinds of precipitation such as snow, hail and sleet. Rain requires the presence of a thick layer of the atmosphere to have temperatures above the melting point of water near and above the Earth's surface. On Earth, it is the condensation of atmospheric water vapor into drops of water heavy enough to fall, often making it to the surface. Two processes, possibly acting together, can lead to air becoming saturated leading to rainfall: cooling the air or adding water vapour to the air. Virga is precipitation that begins falling to the earth but evaporates before reaching the surface; it is one of the ways air can become saturated. Precipitation forms via collision with other rain drops or ice crystals within a cloud. Rain drops range in size from oblate, pancake-like shapes for larger drops, to small spheres for smaller drops.
Moisture moving along three-dimensional zones of temperature and moisture contrasts known as weather fronts is the major method of rain production. If enough moisture and upward motion is present, precipitation falls from convective clouds (those with strong upward vertical motion) such as cumulonimbus (thunderstorms) which can organize into narrow rainbands. In mountainous areas, heavy precipitation is possible where upslope flow is maximized within windward sides of the terrain at elevation which forces moist air to condense and fall out as rainfall along the sides of mountains. On the leeward side of mountains, desert climates can exist due to the dry air caused by downslope flow which causes heating and drying of the air mass. The movement of the monsoon trough, or intertropical convergence zone, brings rainy seasons to savannah climes. Rain is the primary source of fresh water for most areas of the world, providing suitable conditions for diverse ecosystems, as well as water for hydroelectric power plants and crop irrigation. Rainfall is measured through the use of rain gauges. Rainfall amounts are estimated actively by weather radar and passively by weather satellites.
The urban heat island effect leads to increased rainfall, both in amounts and intensity, downwind of cities. Global warming is also causing changes in the precipitation pattern globally, including wetter conditions across eastern North America and drier conditions in the tropics. Precipitation is a major component of the water cycle, and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the planet. The globally-averaged annual precipitation is 990 millimetres (39 in). Climate classification systems such as the Köppen climate classification system use average annual rainfall to help differentiate between differing climate regimes. Australia is the Earth's driest continent. Rain is also known or suspected on other worlds, composed of methane, iron, neon, and sulfuric acid rather than water.
Oh, I'd driven from where it was raining into where it wasn't raining, but never have I actually stood there. Indeed, it was cooler than that, because I actually saw the rain coming at me. I could see the ground getting wet, hear the tap tap tap of the rain landing on the sidewalks, and see it coming towards me...until it stopped.
Totally cool!
From Wikipedia
Rain is liquid precipitation, as opposed to other kinds of precipitation such as snow, hail and sleet. Rain requires the presence of a thick layer of the atmosphere to have temperatures above the melting point of water near and above the Earth's surface. On Earth, it is the condensation of atmospheric water vapor into drops of water heavy enough to fall, often making it to the surface. Two processes, possibly acting together, can lead to air becoming saturated leading to rainfall: cooling the air or adding water vapour to the air. Virga is precipitation that begins falling to the earth but evaporates before reaching the surface; it is one of the ways air can become saturated. Precipitation forms via collision with other rain drops or ice crystals within a cloud. Rain drops range in size from oblate, pancake-like shapes for larger drops, to small spheres for smaller drops.
Moisture moving along three-dimensional zones of temperature and moisture contrasts known as weather fronts is the major method of rain production. If enough moisture and upward motion is present, precipitation falls from convective clouds (those with strong upward vertical motion) such as cumulonimbus (thunderstorms) which can organize into narrow rainbands. In mountainous areas, heavy precipitation is possible where upslope flow is maximized within windward sides of the terrain at elevation which forces moist air to condense and fall out as rainfall along the sides of mountains. On the leeward side of mountains, desert climates can exist due to the dry air caused by downslope flow which causes heating and drying of the air mass. The movement of the monsoon trough, or intertropical convergence zone, brings rainy seasons to savannah climes. Rain is the primary source of fresh water for most areas of the world, providing suitable conditions for diverse ecosystems, as well as water for hydroelectric power plants and crop irrigation. Rainfall is measured through the use of rain gauges. Rainfall amounts are estimated actively by weather radar and passively by weather satellites.
The urban heat island effect leads to increased rainfall, both in amounts and intensity, downwind of cities. Global warming is also causing changes in the precipitation pattern globally, including wetter conditions across eastern North America and drier conditions in the tropics. Precipitation is a major component of the water cycle, and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the planet. The globally-averaged annual precipitation is 990 millimetres (39 in). Climate classification systems such as the Köppen climate classification system use average annual rainfall to help differentiate between differing climate regimes. Australia is the Earth's driest continent. Rain is also known or suspected on other worlds, composed of methane, iron, neon, and sulfuric acid rather than water.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Speaker shows that girls can be scientists, too
From Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville
Speaker shows that girls can be scientists, too
By NANCY WHITE
Girl Scouts gathered recently at the Museum of Science and History for the "She's a Scientist?!" featuring environmental engineer Becky Heilman. The program was created by Cari Holland, Girl Leadership Program specialist as part of the Science, Technology, Engineering, Math series, which encourages girls to pursue careers in these fields.
"The Girl Scouts who attend the sessions of this program series gain such valuable insider knowledge, that you only hold if you've had the experience or you talk to someone who has - and women like Heilman have been there, done it and are willing to share the know-how with girls," Holland said.
The girls heard Heilman's story and learned how her love for science and math led her to a degree in engineering, and how her interest in the outdoors steered her to the environmental side.
"I'd like to think that environmental engineering is an easy profession to relate to, especially in Jacksonville, where our health and quality of life has improved due to improvements in environmental engineering and in air pollution control.
"I would absolutely recommend working with the Girl Scouts to my colleagues. We are all Girl Scouts, students, daughters and mothers. It was a great experience to help complete the circle necessary to nurture strong women," Heilman added.
Speaker shows that girls can be scientists, too
By NANCY WHITE
Girl Scouts gathered recently at the Museum of Science and History for the "She's a Scientist?!" featuring environmental engineer Becky Heilman. The program was created by Cari Holland, Girl Leadership Program specialist as part of the Science, Technology, Engineering, Math series, which encourages girls to pursue careers in these fields.
"The Girl Scouts who attend the sessions of this program series gain such valuable insider knowledge, that you only hold if you've had the experience or you talk to someone who has - and women like Heilman have been there, done it and are willing to share the know-how with girls," Holland said.
The girls heard Heilman's story and learned how her love for science and math led her to a degree in engineering, and how her interest in the outdoors steered her to the environmental side.
"I'd like to think that environmental engineering is an easy profession to relate to, especially in Jacksonville, where our health and quality of life has improved due to improvements in environmental engineering and in air pollution control.
"I would absolutely recommend working with the Girl Scouts to my colleagues. We are all Girl Scouts, students, daughters and mothers. It was a great experience to help complete the circle necessary to nurture strong women," Heilman added.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Opinion piece: Science, Technology, Engineering, Math AND Girls
Science, Technology, Engineering, Math AND Girls
By Dawn M. Whalen
Imagine –
A five-year-old programming a robot to move, turn and play music;
A seven-year-old building a simple machine with levers and gears;
A ten-year-old using a digital microscope to examine hair and fibers;
A middle schooler writing commands so sensors react correctly to power motors, lights, and sounds.
Did you imagine boys? NOW imagine these children in pigtails, a dress and a tiara.
Assuming that all girls wear dresses and like tiaras may be stereotyping, but how they may like to dress has nothing to do with what they like to do! Opportunity and encouragement to program robots and experiment with microscopes will give girls confidence to pursue STEM-related fields.
Women have always been interested in science (and science-related fields). In the past, however, women fell into a class of scientists hitting the proverbial glass ceiling. As recent as the 1980’s, built-in discriminations were apparent; you were either a Research Associate (most likely a woman) or in the Graduate Studies Program (all men) carrying you up the ladder to Senior Scientist.1 According to the National Science Foundation, 11 percent of engineers and 26 percent of mathematical and computer scientists in 2007 were female. Women of color make up only 2 percent of female STEM professionals.
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science (http://www.dmns.org/) deliberately considered careers girls may be interested in when creating their Space Work exhibit.
Focusing on ‘what you like to do’, the interactive exhibit takes your interests - I'm interested in airplanes and dream of being a pilot – and associates that interest to a number of careers, more specifically careers with NASA.
A girl’s interest in airplanes and flying doesn’t have to lead her to the more common career as a flight attendant; it could lead her to a career as an astronaut, spacecraft engineer, astronaut trainer, or research pilot.
Frances Kruger, Senior Exhibit Developer at the museum states, “Taking your love of something and finding a way to turn it into a career was the direct intent of this exhibit.”
Using the Internet, visit NASA’s (NASA - Careers) Digital Learning Network where students can talk to a NASA employee.
With video-conferencing and live events featuring NASA experts students learn about our home planet, the universe beyond and careers as a scientist or engineer…without the trip to Houston!
Offering “girls only” opportunities to explore and identify with these fields are popular. So, go where the girls are. Girl Scout Camps are a great opportunity to offer this much-needed exposure. After school programs with a “girl power” focus will get girls excited about these topics.
The Association for Computing Machinery, ACM (http://www.acm.org/), understands the need for women in STEM fields and provides a repository that describes over 250 projects for girls funded by the National Science Foundation click here for full PDF document. For example, the Sisters in Sports Science project helps middle school girls embrace math and science principles through sports (using five team sports and five individual sports). Sports naturally reinforce how to overcome obstacles, develop trust, rapport, tolerance, patience and persistence…life skills that are beneficial to everyone, but reinforced in a venue that girls are not always encouraged to choose.
Schools can use science (or any STEM subject) as an opportunity to attract prospective students to their school. Collette Howell, COMPUTER EXPLORERS Franchisee, Sacramento, CA, partnered with a Catholic high school to offer summer engineering classes to middle school girls. The girls, who had expressed interest in science and engineering, visited their potential high school and participated in the engineering class. “A tremendous opportunity exists to encourage those interests,” states Howell, “Parents and students should Google ‘high schools’ and ‘robotics teams’ to find schools that offer a robotics team, a sign that STEM is important at that school.”
Scholarships are available to start a STEM career in college. The University of Akron’s Choose Ohio First Scholarship Program – STEM Initiative supports undergraduate students pursuing degrees in STEM related fields.
Giving girls opportunities to experience STEM related subjects in a comfortable setting will allow them to ‘let their hair down’ (literally) to engage in these exciting endeavors!
1 Women in Science: then and now Gornick, Vivian, 2009.
Dawn Whalen is the Owner and Technology/Education Director for COMPUTER EXPLORERS, a technology education company, in the greater Hartford area.
www.computerexplorers.com/hartford
Follow us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/computer.explorers
Follow my blog: http://computerexplorershartfordct.blogspot.com
COMPUTER EXPLORERS helps children excel and adults stay connected through their interactive technology education programs which are customized to meet the needs of both students and educators. We offer in-school curriculum technology integration programs, fun, hands-on, minds-on after school programs, summer vacation camps, preschool technology programs as well as adult and staff professional development programs.
By Dawn M. Whalen
Imagine –
A five-year-old programming a robot to move, turn and play music;
A seven-year-old building a simple machine with levers and gears;
A ten-year-old using a digital microscope to examine hair and fibers;
A middle schooler writing commands so sensors react correctly to power motors, lights, and sounds.
Did you imagine boys? NOW imagine these children in pigtails, a dress and a tiara.
Assuming that all girls wear dresses and like tiaras may be stereotyping, but how they may like to dress has nothing to do with what they like to do! Opportunity and encouragement to program robots and experiment with microscopes will give girls confidence to pursue STEM-related fields.
Women have always been interested in science (and science-related fields). In the past, however, women fell into a class of scientists hitting the proverbial glass ceiling. As recent as the 1980’s, built-in discriminations were apparent; you were either a Research Associate (most likely a woman) or in the Graduate Studies Program (all men) carrying you up the ladder to Senior Scientist.1 According to the National Science Foundation, 11 percent of engineers and 26 percent of mathematical and computer scientists in 2007 were female. Women of color make up only 2 percent of female STEM professionals.
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science (http://www.dmns.org/) deliberately considered careers girls may be interested in when creating their Space Work exhibit.
Focusing on ‘what you like to do’, the interactive exhibit takes your interests - I'm interested in airplanes and dream of being a pilot – and associates that interest to a number of careers, more specifically careers with NASA.
A girl’s interest in airplanes and flying doesn’t have to lead her to the more common career as a flight attendant; it could lead her to a career as an astronaut, spacecraft engineer, astronaut trainer, or research pilot.
Frances Kruger, Senior Exhibit Developer at the museum states, “Taking your love of something and finding a way to turn it into a career was the direct intent of this exhibit.”
Using the Internet, visit NASA’s (NASA - Careers) Digital Learning Network where students can talk to a NASA employee.
With video-conferencing and live events featuring NASA experts students learn about our home planet, the universe beyond and careers as a scientist or engineer…without the trip to Houston!
Offering “girls only” opportunities to explore and identify with these fields are popular. So, go where the girls are. Girl Scout Camps are a great opportunity to offer this much-needed exposure. After school programs with a “girl power” focus will get girls excited about these topics.
The Association for Computing Machinery, ACM (http://www.acm.org/), understands the need for women in STEM fields and provides a repository that describes over 250 projects for girls funded by the National Science Foundation click here for full PDF document. For example, the Sisters in Sports Science project helps middle school girls embrace math and science principles through sports (using five team sports and five individual sports). Sports naturally reinforce how to overcome obstacles, develop trust, rapport, tolerance, patience and persistence…life skills that are beneficial to everyone, but reinforced in a venue that girls are not always encouraged to choose.
Schools can use science (or any STEM subject) as an opportunity to attract prospective students to their school. Collette Howell, COMPUTER EXPLORERS Franchisee, Sacramento, CA, partnered with a Catholic high school to offer summer engineering classes to middle school girls. The girls, who had expressed interest in science and engineering, visited their potential high school and participated in the engineering class. “A tremendous opportunity exists to encourage those interests,” states Howell, “Parents and students should Google ‘high schools’ and ‘robotics teams’ to find schools that offer a robotics team, a sign that STEM is important at that school.”
Scholarships are available to start a STEM career in college. The University of Akron’s Choose Ohio First Scholarship Program – STEM Initiative supports undergraduate students pursuing degrees in STEM related fields.
Giving girls opportunities to experience STEM related subjects in a comfortable setting will allow them to ‘let their hair down’ (literally) to engage in these exciting endeavors!
1 Women in Science: then and now Gornick, Vivian, 2009.
Dawn Whalen is the Owner and Technology/Education Director for COMPUTER EXPLORERS, a technology education company, in the greater Hartford area.
www.computerexplorers.com/hartford
Follow us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/computer.explorers
Follow my blog: http://computerexplorershartfordct.blogspot.com
COMPUTER EXPLORERS helps children excel and adults stay connected through their interactive technology education programs which are customized to meet the needs of both students and educators. We offer in-school curriculum technology integration programs, fun, hands-on, minds-on after school programs, summer vacation camps, preschool technology programs as well as adult and staff professional development programs.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Navy Awards New Science Ship To Scripps Institution Of Oceanography; 'This Is A New Kind Of Research Vessel'
Navy Awards New Science Ship To Scripps Institution Of Oceanography; 'This Is A New Kind Of Research Vessel'
SAN DIEGO, California -- Ushering in the next era of ocean exploration, the U.S. Office of Naval Research has selected Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego as the operator of a new scientific research vessel.
The yet-to-be-designed and built Ocean Class ship—a new class of research vessel—will lead a range of ocean expeditions that will advance science and education in the decades ahead. The new ship also will further scientific knowledge imperative to the Navy and national security.
The U.S. Navy is providing more than $88 million to fund the design and construction of the vessel, and, through the Naval Sea Systems Command, will provide program management throughout the design and construction process.
"Scripps is enormously pleased that we've been selected, and we are grateful to the United States Navy and its Office of Naval Research, which recognized the need for this new class of research vessel," said Tony Haymet, director of Scripps Institution of Oceanography. "The competition was talented, very professional and very tough, and we feel lucky to be successful. We were pushed to assemble the best proposal I have seen in my professional life."
"UC San Diego is enormously pleased that Scripps Institution of Oceanography has been recognized for its fundamental contributions to science and society," said UC San Diego Chancellor Marye Anne Fox. "The award of this vital new research vessel is reflective of the stellar initiatives across UC San Diego and the University of California system, and we thank UC President Yudof as his efforts gave our proposal a crucial competitive advantage. We also express sincere thanks to Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, and Congresswoman Susan Davis and Members of the California Congressional delegation who supported our proposal."
Scripps currently operates a fleet of four oceanographic research vessels—which act as seagoing laboratories for scientists—more than any other research institution in the United States. The addition of the new vessel will benefit researchers across America through Scripps' participation in the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS), an organization of 61 U.S. academic institutions and national laboratories that collaborate to maximize oceanographic research resources.
"Scripps science is significant to society as a whole for its role in helping understand the ocean environment, but it also has important implications for the Navy because the processes we are studying will ultimately advance the design of specific applications that benefit our naval forces," said Haymet.
The new ship, which is planned to be constructed and commence operations by 2015, will be more than 200-feet long and able to operate continuously for up to 40 days at sea, a duration that will enable the ship to range across any ocean on Earth.
Ocean Class vessels are intended to be reliable, cost effective and flexible ships that have many of the capabilities of larger and more expensive Global Class vessels. The new ship will flexibly support interdisciplinary research, educational missions and engineering operations, with superior over-the-side equipment handling, station keeping and scientific system performance relative to previous research vessels of similar size.
"This is a new kind of research vessel, designed for capability and efficiency," said Bruce Appelgate, associate director for Ship Operations and Marine Technical Support at Scripps. "Scripps has a strong record of capably conducting cutting-edge research on oceanographic expeditions around the world, and this ship represents an important next step in maintaining our ability to investigate issues that are fundamentally important to society."
Examples of research that will be conducted on the new vessel include ocean acoustics, in which scientists seek to understand the physics of sound in water, including how it is generated, propagated and scattered. Such knowledge is vital to submarine and antisubmarine warfare, which the U.S. Navy recognizes as a re-emerging area of importance.
Processes associated with global climate change, including the melting of the Arctic ice cap, changes in the pH of the ocean due to the absorption of greenhouse gases and weather-related natural disasters, are key areas for seagoing scientists as well as naval operations and strategies.
The new vessel will be equipped with powerful ocean exploration equipment and instrumentation, including multibeam seafloor mapping systems for deep and shallow water, a sub-bottom profiler that will map sediments below the seafloor, acoustic doppler current profilers for mapping currents throughout the water column and precise navigation tools for tracking instruments in the water beneath the ship. An array of networked sensors will measure atmospheric and ocean properties.
The vessel will feature new technologies for efficient operation and low total lifetime costs, said Appelgate, including clean, fuel-efficient engines that meet California's stringent clean-air standards and a hull engineered to move through the water using as little fuel as possible.
Scripps began scientific ship operations in 1904 and has operated more than 23 ships.
The new vessel's home port, as with Scripps' current four vessels and research platform FLIP, will be the Scripps Nimitz Marine Facility in San Diego's Point Loma community on San Diego Bay. The facility employs more than 150 mariners, technicians, engineers and administrators devoted to scientific ship operations.
Scripps expends more than $20 million annually in support of its research vessels. The economic impact of the new vessel is anticipated to be $10 million annually.
"Scripps looks forward to continuing our role in the local marine economy and building new relationships with vendors, suppliers and service industries," said Appelgate.
SAN DIEGO, California -- Ushering in the next era of ocean exploration, the U.S. Office of Naval Research has selected Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego as the operator of a new scientific research vessel.
The yet-to-be-designed and built Ocean Class ship—a new class of research vessel—will lead a range of ocean expeditions that will advance science and education in the decades ahead. The new ship also will further scientific knowledge imperative to the Navy and national security.
The U.S. Navy is providing more than $88 million to fund the design and construction of the vessel, and, through the Naval Sea Systems Command, will provide program management throughout the design and construction process.
"Scripps is enormously pleased that we've been selected, and we are grateful to the United States Navy and its Office of Naval Research, which recognized the need for this new class of research vessel," said Tony Haymet, director of Scripps Institution of Oceanography. "The competition was talented, very professional and very tough, and we feel lucky to be successful. We were pushed to assemble the best proposal I have seen in my professional life."
"UC San Diego is enormously pleased that Scripps Institution of Oceanography has been recognized for its fundamental contributions to science and society," said UC San Diego Chancellor Marye Anne Fox. "The award of this vital new research vessel is reflective of the stellar initiatives across UC San Diego and the University of California system, and we thank UC President Yudof as his efforts gave our proposal a crucial competitive advantage. We also express sincere thanks to Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, and Congresswoman Susan Davis and Members of the California Congressional delegation who supported our proposal."
Scripps currently operates a fleet of four oceanographic research vessels—which act as seagoing laboratories for scientists—more than any other research institution in the United States. The addition of the new vessel will benefit researchers across America through Scripps' participation in the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS), an organization of 61 U.S. academic institutions and national laboratories that collaborate to maximize oceanographic research resources.
"Scripps science is significant to society as a whole for its role in helping understand the ocean environment, but it also has important implications for the Navy because the processes we are studying will ultimately advance the design of specific applications that benefit our naval forces," said Haymet.
The new ship, which is planned to be constructed and commence operations by 2015, will be more than 200-feet long and able to operate continuously for up to 40 days at sea, a duration that will enable the ship to range across any ocean on Earth.
Ocean Class vessels are intended to be reliable, cost effective and flexible ships that have many of the capabilities of larger and more expensive Global Class vessels. The new ship will flexibly support interdisciplinary research, educational missions and engineering operations, with superior over-the-side equipment handling, station keeping and scientific system performance relative to previous research vessels of similar size.
"This is a new kind of research vessel, designed for capability and efficiency," said Bruce Appelgate, associate director for Ship Operations and Marine Technical Support at Scripps. "Scripps has a strong record of capably conducting cutting-edge research on oceanographic expeditions around the world, and this ship represents an important next step in maintaining our ability to investigate issues that are fundamentally important to society."
Examples of research that will be conducted on the new vessel include ocean acoustics, in which scientists seek to understand the physics of sound in water, including how it is generated, propagated and scattered. Such knowledge is vital to submarine and antisubmarine warfare, which the U.S. Navy recognizes as a re-emerging area of importance.
Processes associated with global climate change, including the melting of the Arctic ice cap, changes in the pH of the ocean due to the absorption of greenhouse gases and weather-related natural disasters, are key areas for seagoing scientists as well as naval operations and strategies.
The new vessel will be equipped with powerful ocean exploration equipment and instrumentation, including multibeam seafloor mapping systems for deep and shallow water, a sub-bottom profiler that will map sediments below the seafloor, acoustic doppler current profilers for mapping currents throughout the water column and precise navigation tools for tracking instruments in the water beneath the ship. An array of networked sensors will measure atmospheric and ocean properties.
The vessel will feature new technologies for efficient operation and low total lifetime costs, said Appelgate, including clean, fuel-efficient engines that meet California's stringent clean-air standards and a hull engineered to move through the water using as little fuel as possible.
Scripps began scientific ship operations in 1904 and has operated more than 23 ships.
The new vessel's home port, as with Scripps' current four vessels and research platform FLIP, will be the Scripps Nimitz Marine Facility in San Diego's Point Loma community on San Diego Bay. The facility employs more than 150 mariners, technicians, engineers and administrators devoted to scientific ship operations.
Scripps expends more than $20 million annually in support of its research vessels. The economic impact of the new vessel is anticipated to be $10 million annually.
"Scripps looks forward to continuing our role in the local marine economy and building new relationships with vendors, suppliers and service industries," said Appelgate.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Schoolgirl Jessica Watson due home after solo round-the-world sail
From the Guardian: Schoolgirl Jessica Watson due home after solo round-the-world sail
A crowd of thousands will line the quayside while hundreds of boats will form a "nautical red carpet". The celebrations in Sydney on Saturday promise to rival those of its spectacular new year displays as Australia welcomes home Jessica Watson, at 16 the youngest sailor ever to circumnavigate the globe single-handed.
Or is she? As the Queensland teenager's yacht, Ella's Pink Lady, sails into Sydney harbour after an epic seven-month voyage, the TV helicopters hovering above will not be the only thing clouding blue skies. Controversy hangs in the air.
Experienced old salts have queried whether Watson, who arrives back three days shy of her 17th birthday, has sailed far enough, claiming her route falls some 2000 nautical miles short of a true circumnavigation according to the rules set by the global authority, the World Sailing Speed Record Council. She didn't travel far enough north of the equator, they have calculated.
So she has failed, they declare, in her stated aim to beat the 1999 record of fellow Aussie Jesse Martin, which he set over 328 days at the age of 18.
It's a moot point. Following the furore over allowing ever younger sailors to undertake such a risky endeavour, sparked when the Dutch courts intervened last year to prevent Laura Dekker, 13, from setting sail solo, the WSSRC no longer recognises the category of "the youngest".
So Watson will claim no record. But at stake are the millions she could, potentially, earn as a result of her highly-publicised venture. One of Rupert Murdoch's Australian papers has bought her exclusive story for a reported A$700,000 (£430,000), and a TV station has exclusive live rights. Watson, who has been sailing since she was eight, will step off her yacht and into a whirlwind nationwide "Meet Jessica" tour. A book is due out in July.
Meanwhile her website is doing brisk trade in baseball hats, wall charts and other sailing paraphernalia. It boasts 14 major sponsors, and the apple growers Pink Lady Australian hope she will become the company's poster girl.
According to navigation experts at the respected Sail-world.com magazine, Watson will have travelled 18,265 nautical miles, but a valid circumnavigation requires 21,600.
That is not to detract from her otherwise remarkable achievement and raw guts, the magazine said.
But it added that, though her log may show she has travelled 23,000 nautical miles, as claimed by her PR team, this includes "tacking and gybing", and not the straight line distances required.
Their claims have led to ill-tempered exchanges with Watson's PR manager Andrew Fraser, and criticism from the many Watson supporters gripped by her journey.
"We are not really interested in the technical concerns of a minority," wrote Fraser in an email to Sail-world.com. "The rising tide of her supporters is a millions multiple of the minority." As the council wouldn't be recognising her record anyway, her team argue, she does not need to adhere to their rules. And by their calculation, she has met all the requirements. Watson has brushed off the controversy. "Call me immature but I've actually been having a bit of a giggle over the whole thing," she wrote on her blog. "If I haven't been sailing around the world, then it beats me what I've been doing out here all this time."
Critics say they do not blame Watson but rather her PR team for the ambiguity over the world record status. Sail-world.com points out that Watson's website had originally stated she had "set her sights on beating Jesse's record", but have now replaced the world "record" with "achievement".
Unofficial polls meantime show that 75% of Australians believe she is a record breaker – whatever the rules.
Watson sailed out under a cloud. She collided with a coal freighter during a test sail, leading to claims she was inexperienced. Critics say her feat could set a bad example and encourage even younger children, and her parents were decried for encouraging her.
But waiting for her on the quayside will be her British friend and fellow sailor Mike Perham, who last year became the youngest to sail around the world, aged 17. Jesse Martin will also be there – with his record still, seemingly, intact
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Harriet Brooks Pitcher (1876-1933)
Harriet Brooks was born on July 2, 1876 in Exeter, Ontario, Canada. She had eight brothers and sisters.
In high school, both Harriet and her sister Elizabeth were interested in science. When the girls graduated, they wanted to go to college - something that was not encouraged, and indeed was usually discouraged, for girls at that time.
Harriet applied to McGill University, in Montreal, Quebec. She was accepted, and given a scholarship. (Two years later, Elibeth would follow her.)
In 1894, Harriet was only one of a handful of female students at McGill. McGill had only issued a degree to a woman for the first time in 1888. Indeed, according to Canadian law, women weren't even "persons."
Harriet had to endure rudeness from some of her male classmates and instructors, but she persevered. By her third year, she was elected class president, and in 1898 she graduated with first rank honors in mathematics and a teaching diploma.
Harriet didn't want to be a teacher, however, she wanted to work in a laboratory as a researcher.
Continued tomorrow.
In high school, both Harriet and her sister Elizabeth were interested in science. When the girls graduated, they wanted to go to college - something that was not encouraged, and indeed was usually discouraged, for girls at that time.
Harriet applied to McGill University, in Montreal, Quebec. She was accepted, and given a scholarship. (Two years later, Elibeth would follow her.)
In 1894, Harriet was only one of a handful of female students at McGill. McGill had only issued a degree to a woman for the first time in 1888. Indeed, according to Canadian law, women weren't even "persons."
Harriet had to endure rudeness from some of her male classmates and instructors, but she persevered. By her third year, she was elected class president, and in 1898 she graduated with first rank honors in mathematics and a teaching diploma.
Harriet didn't want to be a teacher, however, she wanted to work in a laboratory as a researcher.
Continued tomorrow.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Super Women in Science
Super Women in Science: The Women's Hall of Fame Series, by Kelly Di Domenico
a book for teens.
Scientists featured:
Hypatia
Mary Anning
Harriet Brooks Pitcher
Maria Goeppert-Mayer
Rachel Carson
Chien-Shiung Wu
Rosalind Franklin
Birute Galdikas
Catherine Hickson
Mae Jemison
a book for teens.
Scientists featured:
Hypatia
Mary Anning
Harriet Brooks Pitcher
Maria Goeppert-Mayer
Rachel Carson
Chien-Shiung Wu
Rosalind Franklin
Birute Galdikas
Catherine Hickson
Mae Jemison
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Bangladesh-born girl's bold fight for college
From the New York Post: Bangladesh-born girl's bold fight for college
Western women have it easy. Despite the media that still casts them in the role as sex object and nothing else, any girl with gumption can become a scientist.
IN the Eastern world - the "third world countries" - women are lucky if they are allowed out of their homes. And if they do get to go out of their homes, they can't drive. (At least, not in Saudi Arabia.) And if they're not wearing a burkha, they're harassed for being immoral. Women who are willing - at the risk of their very lives - to break that cultural taboo and seek to fulfill themselves - deserve all our praise and protection.
It's no fun studying science while hiding in your bathtub. Just ask Sharmin Mollick.
The Bangladeshi-born Marble Hill HS senior was so determined to pursue her passion for biology -- despite her mother's objections on religious grounds -- that she would hide her books under her bed and study in the bathroom.
"It makes you feel very lonely -- like nobody is there to support you," Sharmin said.
"[But] I wouldn't let my passion be killed."
It wasn't the first time Sharmin -- now 18 and bound for Cornell University with a scholarship -- had hurdles thrown in the path of her education.
Emily Berl
CLASS ACT: Bangladeshi-born aspiring scientist Sharmin Mollick is off to Cornell.
After she excelled at her studies early on in her native Dhaka, her relatives forced her to quit school in the seventh grade because the culture frowned upon educating women.
But Sharmin managed to weave together enough odd jobs -- including working as a street sweeper at age 13 -- to pay for lessons at a local tutoring center.
At 15, with help from her largely absent father, Sharmin, her mom and her younger brother moved to The Bronx.
Even there, however, the young girl found that her gravitation toward the sciences -- and to biology in particular -- ran counter to her mother's Islamic beliefs.
Lessons on evolution and reproduction were taboo.
"She would see the pictures [in my books] and ask, 'What the hell are you studying?' " said Sharmin. "I had to hide myself and study behind her back."
This included epic sessions where she would lay towels down in the bathtub and recline against the basin for hours, hampered by her struggles with the English language.
It wasnt until 11th grade when Sharmin aced the college credit-bearing Advanced Placement Biology exam - scoring a 4 out of 5 - that her mother began to come around.
Conversations with teachers like David Meek helped persuade her mom even further.
"I have taught at Marble Hill School for International Studies for five years and have never seen a more dedicated science student," Meek, an AP biology instructor, wrote in a recommendation letter for Sharmins BlackRock-Schlosstein scholarship.
Even with financial aid, however, she's still $2,000 short per year for tuition - an obstacle she has yet to overcome.
After getting into 20 out of the 26 colleges to which she applied, the aspiring bioengineer said she hopes to set an example for other women stymied by society.
"You have to stand up and show what you can do and what you deserve," she said. "You can't let other people hold you down."
Western women have it easy. Despite the media that still casts them in the role as sex object and nothing else, any girl with gumption can become a scientist.
IN the Eastern world - the "third world countries" - women are lucky if they are allowed out of their homes. And if they do get to go out of their homes, they can't drive. (At least, not in Saudi Arabia.) And if they're not wearing a burkha, they're harassed for being immoral. Women who are willing - at the risk of their very lives - to break that cultural taboo and seek to fulfill themselves - deserve all our praise and protection.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Fishing schools with a feminine twist reeling women into the sport
Fishing schools with a feminine twist reeling women into the sport
By Dene Moore, THE CANADIAN PRESS
April Vokey, founder of Fly Gal Ventures, teaches women-only fishing courses all over the world. She says spending time on the river is a lot like yoga - a peaceful meditation.
When April Vokey was a girl, her dad would sometimes take her out on a lake with a worm on a hook but he was far from an avid fisherman.
At 16, on a whim really, she decided to give salmon fishing a try. She packed up her little trout spinning rod and headed for the Chilliwack River.
It wasn't exactly a scene from "A River Runs Through It," since she broke her rod, lost the fish and went home empty-handed, but she was hooked - even if the fish wasn't.
"It's so romantic. If you can break away from the crowd . . . if you get away from the people and you're alone on the river, it's so cleansing," says Vokey, now 27 and the owner-operator of Fly Gal Ventures, a fishing school that takes her across Canada and around the world teaching fly fishing to women.
Vokey compares her hours on the river to yoga.
"You cannot believe the comparison of how much Zen and how much peace there is in fishing," she says. "You know how you get home from a hike and you just feel cleansed and refreshed and you feel at ease with yourself and at peace, because you listened and you appreciated nature all day long? It's like that with fishing, except you actually have the excitement of getting a huge fish."
Vokey is not alone. A growing number of women are taking up fishing and a growing number of guides, suppliers and resorts are trying to reel them in.
There are pink fishing reels, pretty boots and a plenty of fishing classes for the lasses. What has traditionally been the beer-friendly domain of men is getting in touch with its feminine side.
At Whistler Flyfishing, owner Brian Niska says women now make up about 10 to 15 per cent of his clientele. He has had three female guides working at his shop and one of their classes this August, on the Skeena River in northern B.C., will combine learning to bay fish with yoga.
They've had female-specific camps for about five years.
"They're growing in popularity," Niska says. "And I think we're probably on the leading edge of that, just being based in Whistler where there's a lot of outdoorsy girls and just being a younger shop."
And it's not just British Columbia. New Brunswick was one of the first provinces to see outfitters cater specifically to women and students who learned to fish at Pond's Resort in Ludlow, N.B., quickly dubbed the school "Broads with Rods." Ontario also has several resorts and guides who offer lessons specifically for women.
Vokey is finalizing details on a fly fishing school in Ontario in June, and she'll be teaching classes on the Bow River in Alberta in August. In August she'll host a three-day school at the Nicholas Dean Lodge in northern B.C., her favourite place to caste.
The B.C. Wildlife Federation is doing all it can to encourage more women to get out on the westernmost province's lakes and ocean, and into its vast wilderness.
The conservationist group offers fly fishing, basic angling and float tube fishing as part of its popular Becoming an Outdoors-Woman retreats, to be held this year in Winfield, B.C., and Mission, B.C.
The three-day courses also include instruction in shooting, archery, canoeing, orienteering and wild game cooking, among other things.
Vokey is a "catch-and-release" fisherwoman, meaning she releases a fish back into the water alive, after she's reeled it in. For her, it's not about the catch but spending a peaceful day on the river.
"A man will walk right by a waterfall when fishing. He'll look at it, but he's fishing. A woman will reel in her line and go and check out the waterfall because it's about appreciating it. The guys are all about 'we've got to get the fish,' whereas the women are a lot more easy going," she says.
For the two years she's been offering courses, Vokey has taught about 200 women how to fly fish. Last week she was in Salt Lake City, Utah, teaching and last year she was in Iceland doing the same.
She's amazed at the number of women taking up the sport. It keeps her going in what hasn't always been an easy career choice.
"I get a lot of grief because I'm a woman. I get picked on a lot. People think it's smooth sailing because of being a young woman but it is not easy," she says. "There's a lot of men who don't like me here and there's a lot of men who do like me here."
While Vokey admits she has a pink fly and reel, which she bought because they raised money for breast cancer, she urges women who want to take up the sport not to show up in pink hip waders - and, yes, apparently there are pink hip waders out there.
"(Marketers) think the answer to everything is if you make it pink they will come," she says with a sigh. "No. Pink waders are awful. They'll scare away the fish."
-
If you go . . .
www.discoverfishingbc.ca by-this website by the British Columbia Sport Fishing Steering Committee has info on everything from what gear you'll need and how to get a fishing licence in B.C., to where to fish and different species.
www.bcwf.bc.ca - The B.C. Wildlife Federation website, which includes information on their Becoming An Outdoor-Woman retreats.
www.flygal.ca - April Vokey's website lists upcoming courses, including co-ed classes for couples.
www.whistlerflyfishing.com - lists information on Whistler Flyfishing schools.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Commonwealth Women's Arctic Expedition
Found this video at YouTube, pretty interesting.
April 06, 2009 — 4 min trailer for the expedition's training week in Norway, February 2009.
The Commonwealth Womens Antarctic Expedition will see women from the Commonwealth countries of Cyprus, Ghana, India, Singapore, Brunei, New Zealand, Jamaica and the United Kingdom brave blizzards, crevasses and temperatures below -30C as they ski over 800 kilometres across Antarctica to the Geographic South Pole.
Marking the 60th aniversary of the Commonwealth, the expedition aims to demonstrate the potential of greater intercultural understanding and exchange, while at the same time highlighting the achievements of women across the world.
The women from Brunei, Cyprus, Ghana and Jamaica will be the first person from their nation to ski to the South Pole. Those from India, Singapore and New Zealand will be the first women from their country to do so.
Or for those on Kindle, go to this URL on your computer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8zJP9FoQDc
April 06, 2009 — 4 min trailer for the expedition's training week in Norway, February 2009.
The Commonwealth Womens Antarctic Expedition will see women from the Commonwealth countries of Cyprus, Ghana, India, Singapore, Brunei, New Zealand, Jamaica and the United Kingdom brave blizzards, crevasses and temperatures below -30C as they ski over 800 kilometres across Antarctica to the Geographic South Pole.
Marking the 60th aniversary of the Commonwealth, the expedition aims to demonstrate the potential of greater intercultural understanding and exchange, while at the same time highlighting the achievements of women across the world.
The women from Brunei, Cyprus, Ghana and Jamaica will be the first person from their nation to ski to the South Pole. Those from India, Singapore and New Zealand will be the first women from their country to do so.
Or for those on Kindle, go to this URL on your computer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8zJP9FoQDc
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