Physics and STEM Heroes

Overview

PHYSICS AND STEM HEROES

Physics typically faces low enrollment in undergraduate degree programs. It is no surprise then that the number of minorities in physics is also low. However, when you break down the number of students and look at them from a percentage standpoint, the number of women and minorities in physics is incredibly low. Though Physics typically has the lowest percentages, all of the STEM fields can use some help to increase the number of women and minorities who wish to pursue degrees in these fields.

A goal to help address this issue that Dr. Rosengrant came up with is to target learning opportunities for students in middle and high school classrooms. Dr. Rosengrant believes that part of the reason there aren't more women and minorities going into Physics and STEM is that people don鈥檛 do enough to highlight the work that these individuals have done in K-12 classrooms. When Dr. Rosengrant was a high school teacher he knew the importance of this but lacked time to incorporate this into his curriculum. It is not that he didn鈥檛 have the desire, it was time. Now, as a professor in Physics and STEM education Dr. Rosengrant is incorporating this endeavor into his classes so that time is not an issue.

The goal of this project is to provide a hero for every topic a teacher addresses in the classroom. Teachers will use whatever lessons (occasionally Dr. Rosengrant will have samples loaded) from the curriculum they use but Dr. Rosengrant's Virtual STEM Laboratory has done the research to create a one page biography that teachers can print out and use. Thus in the far left column you have the overall discipline with the second column showing more specific content areas. The final column on the right shows the name of the person (with credit to the student who created it and in some cases and special explanation) whose name is hyperlinked to a Microsoft word file.

For example, John Dabiri is listed under Physics. Understanding the research behind Dabiri鈥檚 work on windfarms requires a great deal of understanding of physics and engineering which the basics is taught in middle and secondary schools (Bernoulli鈥檚 Principle, Electromagnetic Induction and Engineering by Design). If you are teaching any of these topics you can then talk about his work with vertical axis windmills. Instead of teaching concepts without applications, Dr. Rosengrant's Virtual STEM Laboratory uses the research to drive the teaching of the concepts and then couple that research with someone in STEM who can serve as a role model to minorities and women.

Please use and share these to help get more individuals interested STEM. Just keep in mind that most of these were from former students so if there are issues please let Dr. Rosengrant's Virtual STEM Laboratory know.

Anthropology 

Leakey, Mary: Fossils, Archeology

Astronomy

Burnell, Jocelyn Bell: Radio Telescopes, Pulsars

Carruthers, George: Telescopes, UV Spectography 

Ghez, Andrea: Black Holes, Star Formation, Binary Star Systems, General Relativity 

Jamison, Mae: Astronaut, Weightlessness 

Payne-Gaposchkin, Cecilia: Star Composition, Spectroscopy, Stellar Temperature

Randall, Lisa: Particle Physics, Cosmology, Dark Matter, Gravity 

Ride, Sally: Astronaut

Rubin, Vera Cooper: Galaxy Rotation, Dark Matter

Sanchez, Mayly: Neutrinos, Experimental Physics

Tyson, Neil DeGrasse: Star Formation, Supernova Explosions, Galaxies 

Whitson, Peggy: Astronaut, Bone Cells

Biology 

Bath, Patricia: Optics, Eye Anatomy 

Elion, Gertrude: Medicine, Pharmacetuicals, Pathogens, Viral Infections 

Franklin, Rosalind: DNA

Just, Ernest Everett: Cells

Omalu, Bennet: Chronic Traumatic Encephalothy, Diseases 

Whitson, Peggy: Astronaut, Bone Cells

Chemistry

Cornforth, John: Medicine (Penicillin), Molecules, Reactions, Cholesterol 

Curie, Marie: Radioactivity 

Elion, Gertrude: Medicine, Pharmacetuicals, Pathogens, Viral Infections

Franklin, Rosalind: DNA

Hammond, Paula: Polymers

Jamison, Mae: Astronaut, Weightlessness

Kwolek, Stephanie: Polymers, Chemical Bonds, Technology (Kevlar) 

Martinez-Miranda, Luz: Lenses, Liquid Crystals, Technology (Electronic Displays, GPS)

Molina, Mario: Radioactivity, CFCS, Global Warming 

Earth Science

Lehmann, Inge: Waves, Seismology, Earthquakes, Layers of Earth, Topography, Actuarial Sciences 

Molina, Mario: Radioactivity, CFCS, Global Warming

Environmental Science

Carson, Rachel: DDT, Food Chains, Island Formation, Checmicals in Environment, Populations

Geology 

Alexander, Claudia Joan: Plate Tectonics, Solar Cycles, Jovian Moons

Marine Biology 

Carson, Rachel: DDT, Food Chains, Island Formation, Checmicals in Environment, Populations

Visser, Ingrid: Orcas, Animals, Animal Rescue Programs

Physics

Bath, Patricia: Optics, Eye Anatomy

Begay, Fred: Nuclear Physics, Radiation, Lasers, Culture in Science

Burnell, Jocelyn Bell: Radio Telescopes, Pulsars

Carruthers, George: Telescopes, UV Spectography

Dabiri, John: Bernoulli's Principle, Electromagnetic Induction, Engineering by Design

Ghez, Andrea: Black Holes, Star Formation, Binary Star Systems, General Relativity

Jackson, Shirley: Theoretical 

Jamison, Mae: Astronaut, Weightlessness

Martinez-Miranda, Luz: Lenses, Liquid Crystals, Technology (Electronic Displays, GPS)

Meitner, Lise: Elemental Discovery, Nuclear Fission

Payne-Gaposchkin, Cecilia: Star Composition, Spectroscopy, Stellar Temperature

Randall, Lisa: Particle Physics, Cosmology, Dark Matter, Gravity

Sanchez, Mayly: Neutrinos, Experimental Physics

Tsui, Daniel: Semi-Conductors

Tyson, Neil DeGrasse: Star Formation, Supernova Explosions, Galaxies

Zoology