Category Archives: scientists

Why #GirlsWithToys Matters

Behind that Hashtag Are Very Cool People!

Me, with our dome and planetarium, working on science outreach. #girlswithtoys Image by: Mark C. Petersen

When National Public Radio sat down to an interview with astronomer Shrinivas Kulkarni, the last thing everyone expected to hear was his comment about astronomy being for “boys with toys”. One way to interpret that from the gist of the interview it is that Dr. Kulkarni said it as a way of discussing how astronomy seems to be a lot of big toys for scientists to play with.

I get that and the spirit in which he said it because I’ve often thought of our science instruments as “cool toys.” However, his comment seemed to imply that science is all just play.  That’s not really a problem, because science is also a lot of work. However, there’s nothing wrong with having fun at your job!

But, the bigger story here is that his comment mentions “boys with toys”, which casually ignores the many scientists who are women and doing good work. Of course, the comment spurred justified frustration at yet another dismissing of women in science.

Relaxing at the telescope. #girlswithtoys.  Image by F. Bauer.
Relaxing at the telescope. #girlswithtoys. Image by F. Bauer.

But, in a much larger and very cool development,  it also prompted a very clever positive reaction on social media: women scientists and science outreach professionals posting pictures of themselves with their scientific instruments,  or working out in the field (my favorite so far is the woman who studies penguins) under the hashtag #girlswithtoys—a campaign that took social media sites by storm. I posted the pic (above) of myself in our planetarium dome, and another one of me at the University of Hawai’i 2.2-meter telescope, taken by one of my observing team partners back when I was in grad school.

So far, I’ve seen many cool pics of my friends in research with their astro-toys (hi! Nicole, Christi! and others!) as well as those with other types of science machines. Everybody’s showing how much they enjoy their work. That’s great because it shows that women can do good science, enjoy it, and share it with others. It tells everybody that we’re here, we should be taken seriously, and not forgotten or ignored.

The same is true for women in science outreach who bust their buns to bring science to the public in imaginative ways, but rarely get asked to host splashy videos or get paid to write for the big online outlets. Is it because producers can’t see women as scientists or science writers? If all they hear is “boys with toys”, maybe not. Yet #girlswithtoys are doing amazing work out there in the sciences and in outreach, work that affects us all, takes us to the far reaches of the cosmos, helps us understand our health, our planet, and how it all came to be. It would be very cool to hear and see some more women explaining science.

So, why does all this matter? If you restrict science (and outreach) to half the human race, you’re losing out on a diversity of outlooks and viewpoints that matter, that see things differently and may approach solutions in ways that hadn’t been previously considered. You very likely are going to lose out on some big discoveries and advances in science if half the voices available to you are muted or not even allowed to participate in the conversation. So, why waste talent when we need every bit of it we can get to help solve the difficult problems posed by climate change, by threats to our health, to meet the challenges of space flight, and help guide our understanding distant objects in the universe?

Everybody who works in a science discipline has a reason to be there, a passion for the work, and a way of doing that work that makes a difference to everyone and everything on this planet. We ALL matter. And, that’s why #girlswithtoys has taken off. It’s a way of reminding us all that female talent counts, too. It’s way past time to recognize and include women for the science they do and share.

So, check out #girlswithtoys on Twitter, FaceBook and wherever else it’s being used. I guarantee you’re going to meet some amazing people doing and talking about amazing science!

The Continuation of Inspiration

A Tribute to Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking

When Carl Sagan’s Cosmos first hit public TV beginning in 1980, I was immediately touched and entranced by Carl’s personal vision of the cosmos. He put his finger on a lot of things that I’d thought and wondered about when it came to astronomy and space science. It was like he (and the other creators of the series — Ann Druyan and Steven Soter among them) had a pipeline into my brain.  It’s probably an understatement to say that the series inspired me. It wasn’t long before I went back to school to study astronomy.  I’ve heard others — astronomers, science writers, various scientists, teachers — say that they, too, were inspired by the Cosmos series.

Today, nearly 30 years after the first broadcast of the series, and close to 13 years after Carl’s death, the series still inspires. And, through tributes such as the one below, created  by John Boswell, it’s finding new ways to open people’s minds to the wonder and beauty of the cosmos.

This piece of video is also a salute to another visionary mind — Dr. Stephen Hawking.  I had the privilege of meeting Dr. Hawking some years ago and was immediately also touched by his work, his perseverence, and his unique insights into physics and astronomy. Both men have shared their personal insights with the world and inspired millions of people with their work. I’m glad to see that new generations are finding them relevant and inspiring.  Enjoy!