Black Horizons; 2803; Mae Jemison

Speaker1: Thanks, Chris. Hi. I'm here today with a very special guest on Black Horizons, Doctor Mae Jemison, who, among other things, is an astronaut. Welcome to Black Horizons. Speaker2: Thank you very. Speaker1: Much. You have an amazing list of accomplishments. You're a scientist, a teacher, the first African-American woman in outer space, a dancer. What gave you or who gave you the drive to do all the things that you've done with your life? Speaker2: Well, first of all, I think that it's important not to just sort of count up or tally up things that you say are associated with, you know, your careers or the things you're involved in. Rather, I was doing the work that I'm interested in and what I want to do. Who gives you motivation? People don't give you motivation. It's something that we have innately. When we're born, all little children are born motivated and adults sort of take the motivation away or beat it out of them. But we all continue to have it. It's just allowing it to be to be free, to be able to bring it back up from time to time. I've just done the things that I've basically been interested in. Speaker1: So you kind of have a well of strength that you draw from and go for the things that interest you and please you scientifically, socially, artistically, those sorts of things. Speaker2: Well, I think that without getting involved with just like, okay, why did you do this career? Why did you do this? Because it's it's very difficult to come up with a reason why. For example, why did you want to be involved in journalism? There's not necessarily only one specific reason. There are a number of aspects of anything that interest you. But I've been involved with those kinds of careers that first of all, interests me, and also that I feel that I have something to contribute.

Speaker1: Okay. You're here today and in Pittsburgh because you're part of Bayer's Making Science Make Sense program. Tell us about that and your involvement in it. Speaker2: Well, first of all, I work as the science advocate for science education for Bayer Corporation, and it's very exciting. And I have to start off by saying the reason we're working together is it turned out we have very similar interest in science literacy. Now, when people talk about science literacy and talk about science, a lot of times they start to think about, oh, we're talking about only the folks who are going to end up being nuclear physicists or biologists. But literally what we're talking about with science literacy is being able to have an educated workforce. Educated citizenry that's able to read an article in a newspaper or watch a television program on a science subject, understand it, and then vote responsibly on an environmental issue or how we're going to allocate funds to different programs. That's what we're talking about when we talk about science literacy. And that's the reason I wanted to work with Bayer, is because they are making an effort to make sure that all children have an opportunity to become fully participating members of society by being science literate. Speaker1: Because that phrase, science literacy can seem a little frightening. It seems as if you need to know chemical formulas. You need to know the difference between a genus, a class, and a species. And that's actually not what it's about.

Speaker2: Well, it might be okay to know the difference between a genus, a class, and a species, but I mean the same thing. If you talk about literacy, reading literacy, we're not saying that everybody has to be able to quote every line of Shakespeare and every other literary establishment that you would expect out of a professor of literature, right? Right. We talk about being able to read a newspaper, being able to vote and fill out a form for employment. Being able to do the things that you need to do with reading skills. The reality is it's science and technology are more and more parts of our world. They've always been there, but now they're changing so rapidly that everybody probably needs to know how to interface or interact with a computer, right? Everybody needs to know how to measure medicine to give to their child. Or everybody needs to know. When you go through a card line, sometimes you have to have a magnetic card reader and read your card or something. All these things are about science literacy and being able to be involved. And as citizens, we should be responsible for what we do to the environment, for example. Right? And we need to be able to participate. But how do you make those decisions as to which way to vote? Right. By assessing the information that's given you. Speaker1: Because so many people rely on things like not knowing why they shouldn't have this kind of tower built in their neighborhood, or why this wouldn't be a good kind of factory to have there, instead of knowing why these things might be detrimental to where they live. They rely on just the old familiar things of, well, I like that guy. The last time he was running. So I'll just vote for him again.

Speaker2: Exactly. And it's not even about knowing exactly the reason why this isn't good. Because nobody has that information. I, you know, my work has been in in science for years, but I don't have all the information needed to understand everything that might come up that I need to have some interaction with. But what science literacy is about is being able to help people get the critical thinking skills, the basics, so that they can read some information and say, well, this makes sense, or this doesn't make sense because they left out something. Right. You know, that's what we're talking about. Being able to look at something and say, hmm, does this make sense? Can I work on this or do I need some more information, or can. Speaker1: I find that information? Has the bear program actually helped you come in closer contact with the public and help get them informed about these kinds of things? You go around the country a lot. Speaker2: It seems like we've been spending a lot of time working with different communities at their sites and locations. So we have had the opportunity and I've had the opportunity to talk with many people, both in the media and students and parents and workers from Bayer who go out and work with these communities. And it's been very exciting. One of the things that goes on here in Allegheny County is the asset program. I don't know if you've probably heard of it or heard of it, but and it's a program that was started in 1992, and it's a bear partnership with public schools that help to bring in hands on science curriculum. Hands on science means that you get to do and touch and feel. Remember maybe learning the periodic table, right? And you had to memorize all that stuff. Well, that thing that soon goes away, you don't have to you don't hold on to that kind of information. But if you were to put a flashlight together, you would remember things about circuits much better, because you had to do the circuits correctly in order to put the flashlight together. That's what students are doing. They're working on those kind of programs where, yes, you learn the information about circuits and everything, but once you put something together, it sticks.

Speaker1: There's, um, one of the things. There were girls this morning at this morning's press conference from one of the Bear Associated schools, and they got to see the scientists firsthand, make the goo and make the gel that became Lucite. And they were completely fascinated with it. And you're a really big advocate of public schooling. Is there a way that parents who might see this show or might have attended the press conference, can get in touch with their schools and do things? What would you do if you were a parent who wanted your child to know more about the science and the things that were going on in the world around them?

Speaker2: Well, I do a couple of things. First of all, I would say to myself that I have to feel start to feel comfortable with things. So that's to figure out what science is. It's really about understanding, just trying to understand what things go on. And nobody has all the answers. So it's okay that when you're working with your child or you're they ask you something you don't know to say, I don't know, but let's go out and try to find out together. And also to understand that science doesn't have to be done in a big laboratory with fancy equipment, but it's in baking a cake, right? You know, because that's chemistry. You have to measure it. The ingredients have to be combined in a certain way. And then they have to blend together or cook at a certain temperature. And that's all chemistry. So understanding that science isn't just in one location. It's also when you're planting seeds and you have little things growing and little plants growing, you can grow them in milk cartons, all kinds of things. And so knowing that science is around you every day, also knowing that it's okay to say, I don't know and let's go find out. And then letting your child use their curiosity. And they all have natural curiosity to explore and find out and to help them to think through the process of what's going on. And then finally, if you talk about going into schools, parents can go to schools, find out what their children are learning in science, how science is being taught, is it being taught as something? Sit down and memorize this by rote, or do teachers have them do hands on kinds of experiments? And if that's not there, start to ask for it. And then helping to get other parents to get involved and say, this is what we want. Speaker1: We want them. One of the most things that seems to be so exciting when I see it happen, is when a parent and a kid do some little tiny experiment together and they both just get so amazed at it, and the parent feels like, look at this information I've provided for you. And it's like this great little sharing thing. We're almost at a time. I just have to ask you, you were on Star Trek The Next Generation. Were you a Trekkie when you were a little kid? Were you? Was this like a gigantic moment?

Speaker2: I don't know if I call myself a Trekkie, but I watched the original Star Trek episodes and was very familiar with them and very excited about it. I enjoyed being on the Next Generation program because it is about fantasy. Fantasy is important in being able to get to reality, because lots of times the things that we come up with that give us energy comes from our imagination. Speaker1: It's just it's very amazing and cool to be the real life Lieutenant Uhura. So thanks a lot for coming on Black Horizons and for taking the time to talk to me. You're welcome. Thanks. Back to you, Chris. Speaker3: For them and for them.

Speaker4: Cooperating in the hunt only makes sense when the kill is large enough to go around at feeding time, they will snarl and slap at one another, sometimes leaving the weaker ones without enough to eat. Okay, that was easy. Yeah. That's easy. Easy easy easy, easy. All right. Thanks. All right. Thanks. Let me know if it needs to be redone.