What was it that inspired Elizabeth Blackwell to become our first woman doctor? Or moved Sally Ride to want to enter space? Why did Erin Brockovich (movie of the same name) keep interviewing unhealthy folk in Hinkley, California? Just what "does" it take to become "great," and can anyone do it?
In this book with 14 down to earth biographies (geared toward young people, with chapter glossaries and questions), you will discover those who helped these young women reach their potential, even with stumbling blocks in their way. Discoveries and environmental concerns are for everyone. This book will appeal to young adults, teens, and even adults, some fascinating information on these famous (and not so famous) women.
What was it that inspired Elizabeth Blackwell to become our first woman doctor? Or moved Sally Ride to want to enter space? Why did Erin Brockovich (movie of the same name) keep interviewing unhealthy folk in Hinkley, California? Just what "does" it take to become "great," and can anyone do it?
In this book with 14 down to earth biographies (geared toward young people, with chapter glossaries and questions), you will discover those who helped these young women reach their potential, even with stumbling blocks in their way. Discoveries and environmental concerns are for everyone. This book will appeal to young adults, teens, and even adults, some fascinating information on these famous (and not so famous) women.
Introduction .Millions were glued to their TV sets as the Houston, Texas Mission Control counted down for the space shuttle liftoff. “That’s 5- 4- 3- 2-1. And ignition. We have ignition. And liftoff of STS-7 and the first American woman in space. Ride, Sally Ride!” Sally Ride and the rest of the astronauts in the space shuttle Challenger could feel the rumble, their spaceship surging high into the sky. In a few minutes they would be in space, circling the earth and doing experiments. What an adventure that would be! On television, the 1960’s show “Star Trek” began with the introduction “Space, the final frontier… to explore new worlds, to boldly go where no man has gone before.” Space exploration has been a topic of great interest to men and women in America for several D. J. Mathews 18 decades. When the former Soviet Union sent up its first Sputnik satellite in 1957 around our planet, the U.S. worked to also get people and vehicles in outer space. President John F. Kennedy told the nation our goal should be to send a man to the moon and return him back safely to earth in the 1960s. No one mentioned or even thought of women in space in the beginning of what was called the space program. Not until they gave Sally Ride a chance. The Early Years.“Come on, sport, let’s go to the game.” Sally Ride’s dad Dale Ride was a big basketball fan. At Santa Monica Community College where he taught political science, there were some sports teams. Sally was the older of two daughters and more outgoing than her sister Karen. She went to ball games with her talkative dad when she was as young as five years old. Karen did more things with their quiet, more introverted mother. Sally was a California “Valley Girl.” She was born May 26, 1951 in Encino, California, a well-to-do region. It was a sunny community where Sally could become athletic by playing many outdoor sports. Dale and his wife Joyce Anderson Ride had a desire to know more about the world around them. They encouraged their daughters’ interest in science or whatever mattered to them. They also signed up to have foreign exchange students visit the family. An active child, Sally liked to skate, play softball, and tennis. This last interest her mother Joyce kept in mind when they all sailed on a big ship, the S. S. Rotterdam, in 1960, bound for Europe. Her dad visited places he’d fought in World War II; in Spain, Joyce had Sally try out tennis playing on a clay covered tennis court. “This is cool. I want to do this at home,” Sally decided. Great American Women In Science and Environment 19 “My, your Sally is like a ball of wind, always moving around, especially with tennis,” her mother’s church friend observed one day. “Does she ever stay still?” “Maybe, if we sit to watch TV,” said Joyce. “I gave her Treasure Island to read recently and she enjoyed that. But she may be getting serious about tennis as a career.” “Too bad she’s not serious about housework.” “Oh — well, Dale and I encourage the girls’ interests more than good housekeeping, I’m afraid,” Joyce admitted. Sally was so good at tennis as a teen that it helped her win part of a scholarship to pay for Westlake Preparatory School in nearby Los Angeles. Westlake was unique in that it was an all-girls school, which some believe helps female students study harder and do better overall. One of her science teachers was liked by many of the students. Elizabeth Mommaerts asked Sally after class, “Why don’t you consider a college major in science?” “I don’t know. I like playing tennis a lot,” Sally replied. Back then Billie Jean King was quite popular, proving to young women they could have a satisfying career playing tennis, and be as good as men too! From the 1940s on, science research had become a big part of American society. Scientists had created the formula to make a nuclear bomb; it killed thousands of people in Japan in August 1945. After the war the U.S. then worried about the goals of communist Soviet Union. The government worried the Soviets (now Russia) might bomb the country over disagreements with political ideas. There were evacuation D. J. Mathews 20 drills where school children hid under desks or in school cellars when Sally was in grade school. No nuclear bombs hit the United States. But the Soviets pushed ahead of us in the space program. In 1957, the Soviet launched into the atmosphere Sputnik 1 and 2, manmade satellites. Sputnik 1 was the size of a basketball and circled the earth while it monitored the earth’s atmosphere density. The U.S. decided to do something about this activity. NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, was created in July 1958. In the 1960s, NASA became important. Hard work and practice missions prepared astronauts to fly and live in outer space. On July 20, 1969, they landed on the moon. They were a quarter of a million miles away. “Sally, come to the TV, quick!” “What’s happening?” asked Sally, who had been doing homework in her room. “They’re stepping on the moon!” her mother cried. Three men, Michael Collins, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, and Neil Armstrong, had flown to the moon. Although the moon looks close by, it took them three days to fly to the moon and land. The spacecraft split into two pieces. Michael Collins flew the command module around the moon. The other two men in a “lunar” module went down to land on the surface. Later, half of the lunar module would blast off and meet up with the command module so all three could fly home. Great American Women In Science and Environment 21 A TV camera showed Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin bouncing with big steps on the moon because of its low gravity. Armstrong famously said, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind!” They moved among rocks and dirt and collected samples of it to take out. They put up a U.S. flag and also talked to President Nixon by telephone link. Although potentially quite dangerous because the moon was cold and airless, this was exciting for Sally to see. It helped her decide to study physics, which dealt with the inner workings of matter and energy. Tennis still had a pull on her. She decided to go to Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. There she could take classes in astrophysics and English. She could also play tennis when she wasn’t going to parties or reading MAD Magazine. But it was so far from home. And the winters were long and cold! Back in California, between college semesters, Sally wondered if she could be a professional tennis player. But it didn’t exactly work out. “I just can’t play for hours and hours,” she told her tennis buddy Sue. “Why not?” Sue asked. D. J. Mathews 22 “I get sore. My body is worn out. My forehand isn’t that great. Let’s quit for the day and get an ice-cream.” She later wrote boyfriend John Tompkins she was just going to play tennis for fun only. John soon went off to do science research in Moscow in the Soviet Union. Sally moved her studies from Swarthmore to Stanford University in California. In 1970, only six percent of those with a B. A. or four year college degree in physics were women. Some professors even told the coeds like Sally “you’re taking jobs away from the men!” She stayed the course, taking classes in magnetism, electricity, and quantum mechanics. In 1973, her parents proudly watched her receive a diploma for a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in English and a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Physics. She went on to get a Master’s Degree in Physics in 1975, then a Ph. D. or Doctoral degree (so she could then teach at college full time) in 1978. Getting There The U. S. stopped sending men to the moon in 1972. But something new, a space shuttle, had been developed. Unlike other spaceships that had splashed into the ocean or broken up into parts, the space shuttle could be used in outer space and re-enter the atmosphere like a regular airplane, and slow down its speed to land on a runway. And it stayed in one piece. In 1977, while at college, she saw an advertisement from NASA. The space agency was looking to recruit young women astronauts to go up in space. They were looking for science majors. “Wow, this I have to try,” Sally told her folks. Over 7,000 people applied to be astronauts, and NASA whittled it down to thirty-five; several of those would be women. Sally Ride was on the list! With any job, there is education or special training. The future astronauts had classes in geology, oceanography, and systems that work the space shuttle. They went on field trips to observe and get in jets that the military uses. Sally practiced flying techniques on a big Boeing 747. She also went up in a T-38 jet that did rolls over the Gulf of Mexico.
We must educate our youth about how people shaped our world.Â
Great American Women in Science and Environment by D. J. Mathews showcases numerous women who helped society somehow. Despite the book's name, the author reflects upon men's achievements in history. Each gender role has achieved greatness together or separately, and their achievements should be overlooked or forgotten.Â
When I opened up the reviewer copy, I scanned the table of contents. As a teacher, some of the women featured were familiar to me because I had just finished a month of educating my class on women's history. However, I'm not sure how many others will recognize any or all the names. FYI: that's a good thing. Knowledge is power, and D. J. Mathews's collected information will give you insight into the women's lives—achievements, family background, and much more. Â
While I did know Elizabeth Blackwell became our first woman doctor, I learned through chapter one that Dr. Rebecca Cole became the second African American woman (1846-1922) to become a doctor. Well done, you two!Â
Chapter 2 focused on Sally Ride, the first U. S. woman in space and physics professor. I knew that Sally excelled at tennis through my teachings, which helped her earn part of a scholarship. While at college, she saw an ad for NASA, seeking women scientists to become astronauts. In chapter two, Sally reflects upon how space life differed from life on Earth. Let's just say no curling iron or hair straightener is needed. There was also a great photo of Sally in her spacecraft.Â
I had never heard of Grace Murray Hopper before, so chapter three proved very informative. For those unfamiliar with Grace Murray Hopper, she was a computer programmer, naval officer, and member of WAVE (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service), who loved tinkering on clocks. She was amazed by their inner workings. She actually took apart seven alarm clocks to satisfy her curiosity.
As we learn more about Grace, we are introduced to Alan Turing, who came up with the idea of stored computer programs (memory). This next part is direct from the book. "He then created his own version of the modern computer, called Colossus. It helped to crack German military codes so the Allies would know when and where the Germans would strike and hurt the Allied countries in Europe."
While I knew Madam C. J. Walker became a self-made millionaire by creating her own haircare products, I wasn't familiar with "The Walker Method." Thank you for expanding my knowledge base on this superb inventor and entrepreneur.Â
I first heard about Erin Brockovich when the infamous movie came out with Julia Roberts portraying the now-famous legal assistant and environmentalist activist. After that blockbuster became a hit, I followed her work for a while. As you can see in the movie, she's quite a force to reckon with.Â
Bette Nesmith Graham's name might not be recognizable to a lot of people, but we use her invention all the time. She was the brilliant mind behind the liquid paper. You might know it as White-Out. Her son, Michael, contributed to society and revolutionalized the music industry. Read the book to find out how.Â
There were more inspiring women and men explored in Great American Women in Science and Environment. You'll be amazed at all the information you'll consume. I encourage parents to purchase this book and share it with their child(ren).Â
Teachers, this book would be a great addition to your classroom. After each chapter, there's a glossary section, discussion questions, and a collection of book titles to learn more about the various women outlined in the book.Â
Even if you do not have children or work with children, I think you'll find this book and all the people mentioned quite fascinating.Â