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Throughout the month of March, we are highlighting women in STEM who are making history. Today, meet the godmother of AI, Fei-Fei Li.  Fei-Fei Li speaking at AI for Good 2017 Fei-Fei Li is a computer scientist known for establishing ImageNet, a large visual database used in visual object recognition software. Li created ImageNet in the 2010s to improve the data available to train AI algorithms. ImageNet uses more than 14 million images to advance computer vision and deep learning programs.
Li is the Sequoia Capital professor of computer science at Stanford University and former board director at Twitter. In 2017, she co-founded the non-profit AI4ALL, which works to promote diversity and inclusion in the field of artificial intelligence. Li is a member of the United Nations Scientific Advisory Board. In recent years, her research work has expanded to include artificial intelligence in healthcare.
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March is Women's History Month, and we thought we would celebrate by introducing you to some women who are making STEM history now. Meet theoretical physicist Katherine Freese.  Katherine Freese is the Director of the Weinberg Institute for Theoretical Physics as well as the Jeff & Gail Endowed Chair of Physics at the University of Texas, Austin. She is also Guest Professor of Physics at Stockholm University. She served as Director of NORDITA, the Nordic Institute for Theoretical Physics, from 2014-2106.
Freese works on a wide range of topics in theoretical cosmology and astroparticle physics. She has contributed to early research on dark matter and dark energy. She has been working to build a successful model of the early universe immediately after the Big Bang. Freese received her B.A. in Physics from Princeton University in 1977, her M.A. in Physics in 1981 from Columbia University, and her Ph.D. in Physics in 1984 from the University of Chicago, where she was the recipient of the William Rainey Harper Award Fellowship. She was awarded the Lilienfeld Prize from the American Physical Society in 2019, “For ground-breaking research at the interface of cosmology and particle physics, and her tireless efforts to communicate the excitement of physics to the general public.” Freese's students consider her to be an engaging professor who makes her students feel like independent thinkers. February is American Heart Month, so we thought we would take a minute to talk about that strong muscle in your chest that keeps you alive.
Your heart is like a pump that pumps blood all around your body. Blood provides the body with oxygen and nutrients that it needs and carries away waste. The right side of your heart receives blood from the body and pumps it to the lungs. The left side of your heart receives blood from your lungs and pumps it out into the body. Before each beat, your heart fills with blood and then contracts (squeezes) to pump the blood along. Your heart is made up of four chambers. The two on top are called atria and the two on bottom are called ventricles. The atria are the chambers that fill up with blood returning from the body and lungs, and the ventricles are the chambers that pump blood back out to the body and lungs. Running down the middle of your heart is a thick wall of muscle called the septum. Its job is to separate the two sides of the heart. Movement of blood around your body is called circulation. It takes less than 60 seconds for blood to reach every cell in your body! Blood travels through your body in arteries and veins. Arteries take blood away from your heart. Veins return blood to the heart. Your heart is a muscle, so if you want to keep it strong, you have to exercise it. Try to be active in a way that gets your heart rate up for at least 30 minutes every day. Eating healthy foods and staying away from smoking and vaping also contribute to a healthy heart. Heart Pump Model Activity Materials: Small jar 2 bendy straws Balloon Tape/glue Water Bowl Red food coloring (optional) Directions: 1. Fill your jar or glass halfway with water and add some red food coloring. 2. Take your balloon and cut the neck of it off. Save the neck part. Take the top part, stretch it out a bit, and put it over the top of the jar so it is taut. 3. Poke a hole in the top of the balloon. Make a second hole about an inch away from the first. Try to make the holes as small as you can. 4. Take your straws and push one through each hole with the bendy part sticking out the top. 5. Take the neck of the balloon that you sent aside and use it to cover the opening of one straw. Place the bowl under the opening of the open straw. 6. Push up and down on the balloon between the two straws. The water will come up and out through the open straw! You found us! Whether you came here because of a social media post or just stumbled across this blog while checking out our website, welcome! We use this space to give updates on the foundation, share fun STEM activities that can be done at home, highlight cool stuff happening in science, and...well, basically whatever seems awesome and worth sharing! As an example, check out this photo:  Image Credit: NASA This is a photo from Dec. 11, 1963 of technicians preparing a test subject for studies on the Reduced Gravity Walking Simulator at NASA's Langley Research Center. The sideways position meant that a person's legs experienced only one sixth of their weight (equivalent to being on the Moon's surface!). The subject was studied walking, jumping, and running. The simulator was used to train the Apollo astronauts to complete tasks in the lunar environment, and the effect was apparently quite similar to the actual feeling of walking on the moon.
We just think it's neat! Feel free to keep scrolling to read more posts or check out our archive, located on the right side of the page. As a non-profit education organization, our donors are the backbone of our foundation. They provide the means whereby we can offer our unique brand of STEM education in our community. The funds provided by our contributors go to various different aspects of our work. When you become a donor, you can even specify what you want your money to go toward.
This month, as part of our birthday celebration, we have an incentive for new donors. A donation of $10 a month gets your name entered into our Grand Prize drawing, and any extra $5 a month after that gains you another entry. Here are a few of the different ways donations are used. Your donations matter! Scholarships: The cost of summer camps may, unfortunately, make it difficult for some students to attend. Scholarships eliminate or reduce this barrier and make it possible for many students to participate. Due to the generosity of our donors, we have been able to offer scholarships to every single one of our camps! In-classroom field trips: STAR Camp doesn't take a hiatus during the school year. Throughout the year, we bring camp to you in the form of in-classroom visits. With appearances by a cast of colorful (and maybe crazy?) scientists to missions to the moon, we provide a one-of-a-kind field trip from the comfort of your own classroom. Funds provided by donors make it possible for us to bring these fun STEM experiences to more schools and classrooms. Supplies: If you're worried that the amount you are able to contribute is too small to make a difference, you are wrong! Even the smallest contributions make it possible for us to purchase the supplies that spark the imaginations of budding scientists. Your contributions could go toward anything from the straws and tape we use to teach basic engineering principals to the tablets and headsets used in simulated space missions!  In honor of our launch five years ago, we are having a contest and birthday giveaway! Here's how it's going to work:
Don't hesitate to comment or reach out if you have any questions! January is National Mental Wellness Month, which has us thinking about how astronauts address their mental health in space. Spaceflight can be both physically and mentally taxing. Astronauts work in a high-pressure job that can be draining, often facing separation from their loved ones for months at a time. Future deep space exploration missions will require a small group of astronauts to live and work in a confined space for up to two and a half years. Here are some of the ways that astronauts deal with the psychological demands of space travel.
Physical activity: Astronauts exercise up to two hours a day. This is to counter the adverse effects of space travel on the human body, but exercise has been proven to have a positive impact on the mind as well. Training and preparation: Astronauts receive extensive training to prepare for space travel, including simulations in isolated environments, team-building exercises, and psychological training designed to help them apply self-assessment tools and treatments to maintain good mental health. Good sleep: Astronauts suffer from a lack of natural light to help maintain their circadian rhythms and get good sleep. To combat this, they use various technologies to help simulate a good sleep environment. This includes special LED lighting, noise cancelling earbuds, sleep masks, and cozy sleep pods. Social activities: Crewmembers gather for meals, holidays, and various social activities while in space. This includes activities like watching a movie or playing board games together. This helps the crew to bond as a team and having connections helps strengthen mental health. Relaxation: Astronauts have downtime built into their schedules. A week in space is designed to mimic a week on Earth, with five days of work and then two days of rest. Just to name a few things astronauts might do during downtime, they might read, play instruments, listen to music, connect with loved ones, practice their religious traditions, or spend time writing. Internet phones and videoconference systems allow astronauts to stay connected with family and friends on Earth. Care packages: Letters, treats, and gifts from home sent on resupply missions help astronauts feel connected to their homes and families. Don't you just love snow? It's so beautiful and fun to play in, but also, pretty darn cold. Here are a few "snow" activities that can be done 100% indoors.
Snowman Snowball Shooters What you'll need: White paper cups Balloons Scissors Black and orange markers Marshmallows Cotton balls Measuring tape or ruler The process: 1. Poke a hole in the bottom of a cup with the scissors and cut out the entire bottom. 2. Tie the balloon. 3. Cut the bottom of the balloon off. 4. Stretch the balloon over the bottom of your cup. This is your snowman's hat. 5. Use the black and orange markers to draw a face for your snowman. 6. Put a marshmallow in the cup, pull back the balloon, and let go. 7. Measure how far your marshmallow flew. 8. Try again with a cotton ball and see if it goes farther than the marshmallow. Igloo Engineering Challenge What you'll need: Marshmallows Toothpicks The process: 1. Create a semicircle of marshmallows connected together by toothpicks. 2. Place toothpicks facing up out of the marshmallows. 3. Place marshmallows on top of the toothpicks to form a second layer. 4. Repeat making a third ring, but this time with two fewer marshmallows. 5. Continue up to the top of your igloo. Figure out a way to make a top for your igloo that is stable and doesn't collapse. Snowstorm in a Jar What you'll need: Clear jar, like a mason jar Baby oil Water 1 tablespoon of white paint Alka Seltzer tablet The process: 1. Fill 3/4 of the clear jar with baby oil. 2. In a small bowl, mix 1/4 jar's worth of water with the white paint. 3. Pour the water mixture into the jar. 4. Break up an Alka Seltzer tablet into pieces and drop them in the jar. 5. Enjoy your homemade snowstorm in a jar! Have fun out there and stay warm! The middle of winter is the perfect time to get cozy in your house and learn about science! Check out these fun winter STEM activities that are sure to keep you busy on a snowy day! Have fun, and, as always, if you try out any of these activities, send us pictures!
Foamy Snow What you need: Two bowls Measuring cup Baking soda Tablespoon and teaspoon Dish soap Vinegar Water Instructions: 1. Put one cup of baking soda in each bowl. 2. Put three tablespoons of water in each bowl. 3. Add one teaspoon of dish soap to (only!) one bowl. 4. Mix well. 5. Make snowmen with your fake snow. 6. When you're done playing, pour vinegar over your creations and see what happens! Did the added dish soap make a difference? Detect Static Electricity with a Homemade Electroscope An electroscope is a device that can detect whether a material is charged or uncharged with static electricity What you need: Metal hanger Glass jar Straw Scissors Cardboard Tape Hot glue gun Pliers Aluminum foil Piece of styrofoam or an inflated balloon Piece of wool or wool sweater Pen or pencil Instructions: 1. Cut about three inches off of the straw. 2. Trace the opening of the jar on the cardboard and cut out the circle. 3. Punch a hole through the center of the circle that fits the straw. 4. Secure the straw in the center of the cardboard with hot glue. 5. Cut the straight part off of the metal hanger. 6. Twist one end of the wire into a spiral. 7. Insert the straight end of the wire into the straw. 8. Make a small hook at the straight end of the wire. 9. Cut out two 1-inch long, teardrop shaped pieces of aluminum. 10. Cut a hole at the top of the aluminum pieces. 11. Flatten both aluminum pieces and hang them on the hook on the wire. Make sure they touch each other. 12. Place the wire with the aluminum pieces in the jar and tape the cardboard lid onto the jar. You have made an electroscope! 13. Rub the styrofoam on a piece of wool. 14. Hold the styrofoam close to the coiled part of the metal wire on your electroscope. Don't let it touch the wire. What do you observe? 15. Move the styrofoam away from the coil. What happens? 16. Touch the styrofoam to the leftover piece of the metal hanger, then bring it close to the metal coil on the electroscope again. What happens this time? 17. Rub the styrofoam on the piece of wool again. This time, touch it to the metal coil. How does touching the metal coil change your results? 18. Try rubbing other materials against the wool and see what happens! Colorful Patterns in Melting Ice What you need: Water balloons Water Freezer Oven mitt Small plates Cup Table salt Water dropper or syringe Food coloring, preferably liquid Workspace that can get wet Towel Optional: Flashlight Prep instructions: 1. The day before you plan to do this activity, fill water balloons with water, tie them each with a knot, and freeze them overnight (or for at least a couple of hours!) Freeze at least two balloons for each person doing the activity. 2. Just before you do the activity, fill a cup with water and add food coloring. Instructions: 1. Put on oven mitts to retrieve the frozen water balloons from the freezer. Peel off the balloons so that you have two ice balls. 2. Place each ice ball on a small plate and put them next to each other. 3. Sprinkle about 1/8 teaspoon of salt on the top of each ice ball, add a few drops of your colored water to moisten the salt, and watch what happens. 4. Wait a few minutes. What happened? 5. Drip more colored water over the top of the ice ball on the left. Do you think one ball will melt faster? Which one and why? 6. Keep watching, and intermittently drip water over the left ball. Does one ball melt faster? 7. Occasionally sprinkle more salt on the top of both ice balls, followed by a few more drops of colored water to wet the salt. 8. Keep observing. Can you see patterns appear in the ice? 9. Optional: Hold a flashlight behind your melting ice balls and see how the patterns light up!  Tawnya Plummer Laughinghouse has been working full time for NASA for two decades. Starting as a materials engineer, she was recently appointed to be the director of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center Materials and Process Laboratory. Ms. Laughinghouse was recently featured in the Faces of NASA series, where she spoke about some challenges that she faced in her educational journey.
Speaking to interviewer Tahira Allen, Ms. Laughinghouse said, "When I transitioned from Spelman to Georgia Tech, it was probably the first time in my life that I had a professor that made me question if I belonged or had what it takes...I was struggling with imposter syndrome before I knew what that was, wondering, 'Have I just been in some dream world up until now? Am I not as smart as I thought I was?'...I really struggled through that and did not pass that class--the first time I had ever not passed a class--and this was supposed to be my major! "Sometimes you look around and wonder why you don't see a lot of [people of color] in some positions, and it's probably because of situations like this where we have such high standards but feel we cannot meet them. We don't give ourselves grace. We assume, 'This obviously isn't for me.'" Ms. Laughinghouse learned from this experience and didn't give up. She took the class again the next semester with a new determination and passed with an A. Read the rest of Tawnya Plummer Laughinghouse's interview for Faces of NASA here. |
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