Special
Features / April 2004
Taking
Flight with Sally Ride
Sally Ride. |
By Pat Lawrence
When Sally Ride tells young girls they can reach for the stars,
they believe her because she’s seen the stars firsthand.
The former NASA astronaut made her mark as the first American woman
in space, but changing the face of science may be her greatest legacy.
As President and CEO of Imaginary Lines, Inc., Sally Ride is applying
her considerable energy and intellect to support and encourage young
girls interested in science and technology. She says it’s
her most important mission yet. “Up to fourth grade, girls
like science and math just as much as boys. But, by eighth
grade, girls’ interest and confidence in their abilities have
eroded, even though they perform as well as boys.” She believes
what is missing is confidence, mentors and role models. “Girls
need to know they can be successful.”
Despite worldwide fame as the first American woman to orbit Earth,
Sally Ride rejected a life of product endorsements. In training
for her third shuttle mission when the Challenger exploded, she
was selected as a member of the investigation team, served as NASA's
first director of Strategic Planning, then created, and was the
first Director of, NASA's Office of Exploration. Leaving NASA,
(“There weren’t any missions planned until 2010”)
she joined Stanford University, taught physics at the University
of California, served as Director of the California Space Science
Institute, and pursued her own research in “the theory of
nonlinear beam-wave interactions”. She published work
on the single particle description of conventional free electron
lasers and explored space plasma physics. In her spare time,
she wrote four science books for children.
Concerned about the lack of women scientists and engineers, (less
than 20% of US scientists are women) Dr. Ride focused her attention
on a solution. In 2001, with four friends who shared her commitment,
Imaginary Lines, Inc., was launched to provide support for girls
who are, or might become, interested in science, math, and technology.
Space physicist, Karen Flammer, Ph.D., Professor Tam O'Shaughnessy,
Ph.D., Alann Lopes, software engineering and Internet systems specialist
and Terry McEntee, EarthKam project associate and Dr. Ride’s
assistant, are all committed to encouraging the curiosity and creativity
of the next generation.
Sally Ride says, “We want to keep young girls engaged in
science by connecting them with people, information, attitudes and
support that can nurture their interest during the critical time
in their lives. It’s set up as a business because we
thought it was a better way to have an impact quickly. I've
been reluctant to use my name for things - haven't written my memoirs
or let a television movie be made about my life. But this is something
I'm very willing to put my name behind.”
Imaginary Lines initiates and directs education projects and events
designed to fuel girls’ fascination with science, to help
girls get through middle school years with their science interest
intact. Dr. Ride says, “We do it by creating programs
that are fun — science festivals, science camps, science clubs
— that girls can enjoy with their friends and connect
them to each other and to role models. Our goal is to make girls
feel they belong to the scientific community and help them connect
to it and stay involved. "
Through Imaginary Lines, hundreds of girls gather to attend Sally
Ride Science Festivals, a festive day of science and socializing.
Each festival features a well-known astronaut, oceanographer, engineer,
or zoologist who kicks off the day with a presentation describing
her work and a variety of workshops for girls given by local professionals—physicists,
microbiologists, veterinarians, astronomers, engineers, and ecologists.
There are special workshops for parents and teachers, including
how to support girls' interests in science, math, and computers
and a lively Street Fair with hands-on activities, sponsor booths,
science demonstrations, music, and food. Sally says, “We help
them put a female face on interesting careers -and give them cool,
hands on stuff to do! It’s important for girls to meet
other girls who are just like them. During a festival, girls experience
science as a natural outgrowth of their own curiosity. The
message is there are lots of girls who can go on to do great things.”
Despite a Ph.D and an early marriage to another astrophysicist,
Sally Ride is a far cry from “nerd”. She majored
in English, too, likes Shakespeare, hiking and has taken up golf.
She learned to fly a jet and participated in the design of the remote
mechanical manipulator arm used to deploy satellites. Now
she flies commercial, with little fanfare.
She says, “I dreamed of being in space when I was a little
girl and I still can’t believe that I made it. I wanted
a chance to ride the rocket. I wanted the chance to look out at
Earth. And now I want to make sure that any girl who has that dream
doesn’t lose it.”
Quotes from Sally.
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