FIRST THOUGHT: Fun With Science
Let’s talk about science, baby. Now that I’m no longer forced to learn about science in school, I’m starting to get more into it. I’ll watch every Coke-and-Mentos-eruption video on YouTube, and I follow Bill Nye on Twitter. Science can be fun.
Today, be a kid again. Scour the Internet for at-home science projects you can fiddle with to spice up your weekend. Maybe you want to learn how to grow your own crystal geodes or harken back to the old Nickelodeon days and make your very own slime. Whatever your desired project, pour yourself a glass of pinot grigio, get your hands a little dirty and thank science for our modern marvels!
WOMEN IN NUMBERS: 2
Speaking of slime, can you guess which popular movie this quote is from: “He slimed me.” Of course, it’s Ghostbusters!
When the new, all-female Ghostbusters movie was released this year, many of us were taken on a trip down memory lane. Apart from the fact that the reboot version is all about women power, it’s also notable that the filmmakers strived to ensure that the science is right—at least up until the ghosts show up. That’s why they consulted two female scientists from MIT when making the new Ghostbusters. The scientists themselves hope the movie’s depiction of female scientists like them helps influence more girls and women to enter the traditionally male-dominated field. As one of the characters said, “Booyah! Emphasis on the boo.”
WOMAN TO WATCH: Meredith Perry, Founder and CEO of uBeam
Speaking of ladies doing cool stuff, meet today’s Woman to Watch, Meredith Perry. If you’re tired of having to sit on the floor to be on your phone while it’s charging, or tearing through the airport looking for an outlet, you can thank Meredith for changing all that.
In 2011, Meredith created uBeam, a wireless power system that can charge many electronic devices from a distance. That’s right, no more wires or cords. uBeam is expected to be available for purchase soon.
Meredith was only 25 and a student at the university of Pennsylvania when she created the concept and showed it off at the All Things Digital conference in 2011. She describes her first model this way: Imagine two boxes placed two feet apart, with power being transmitted between the boxes using ultrasound. Pretty wild, right?
One thing that struck me when learning about Meredith’s journey is how she describes what it’s like to create something completely new. She notes that there is no protocol and no way of Googling for answers. People were totally impressed at how it only took Meredith a couple years to come up with a concept and create the prototype. She’s clearly got the ambition and brains for it!
While Meredith was in college and coming up with this cool concept, she served as a student ambassador for NASA. Yes, NASA! There, she worked on technology to detect life on Mars, experimented in zero gravity and even published papers on astrobiology. Talk about a smart lady!
It probably comes as no surprise that Meredith has been included on Fortune’s list of 40 Under 40 Mobilizers, as well as Forbes’ list of 30 Under 30. She was recognized as one of the Most Creative People by Fast Company and received Elle Magazine’s Genius Award.
As for the future, this innovative thinker has dreamed up all kinds of technological breakthroughs she’d like to see change the world, including touchable 3-D holograms, better forms of transportation and, oh yeah, a cure for cancer.
QUITE THE QUOTE
I think we’ve sufficiently blasted through the stereotype that girls aren’t good at science. According to former NASA ambassador and Star Trek actress Nichelle Nichols:
“Science is not a boys' game. It’s not a girls' game. It’s everyone’s game. It’s about where we are and where we’re going.”
That’s all for now. Be sure to share this so more women can have a voice! Thanks for getting ready with us.
To learn more about our conversation, check us out at OnTheDotWoman.com and talk to us @OnTheDotWoman on Twitter and Instagram. We’d love to hear your voice.