FYFD

Tag: women in STEM

  • #IfThenSheCan Exhibit at the Smithsonian

    #IfThenSheCan Exhibit at the Smithsonian

    I’m not normally one to talk about myself here on FYFD. This site was made to keep the focus on the science, but I’m making an exception today to share a very special exhibit that I’m a part of: the #IfThenSheCan Exhibit, which opens today at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC as part of their #WomensFuturesFestival.

    The exhibit features over 120 statues of real women in STEM careers — everything from robotics to marine biology, artificial intelligence to aerospace engineering. It is an absolutely amazing bunch of women, and I am so honored to be a part of it.

    My statue, while on display in Dallas. Photo by Regina Binz.
    My statue, while on display in Dallas. Photo by Regina Binz.

    If you’re in the DC area before March 27th, be sure to swing by the National Mall and see the statues. (If not, you can take a virtual tour, too!) Currently, they are all located at the Arts + Industries Building, the Smithsonian Castle and the adjacent Enid A. Haupt Garden, but after March 7th, some of the statues will move to other museums around the Mall. Mine is heading to the National Air and Space Museum!

    When I was twelve years old, I visited DC for the first time, and everything about that trip made a huge impression on me. I was in awe of the history, the memorials, the public transit, and, most of all, the National Air and Space Museum. My parents complained that every time we walked the Mall, I made a beeline — as if drawn by a magnetic field — right up the steps of that building. To be a part of that museum now, some twenty years later, is something I never could have imagined.

    I’m so proud to be part of this initiative full of amazing women inspiring the next generation of STEM innovators! Special thanks to AAAS and Lyda Hill Philanthropies for making it all possible. (Image credits given in each description/caption.)

  • Crocodilian-Inspired Aerodynamics

    Crocodilian-Inspired Aerodynamics

    Inspired by crocodilians, young scientist Angela Rofail designed attachments to reduce wind loads on high-rise buildings. When crocodilians swim, the ridges on their back help hide their motion from observation above the surface. Rofail wondered whether similar ridges would reduce the wind-induced swaying of high-rise buildings. Using a scale-model and crocodile-inspired knobs, the Year 10 student (read “high-school freshman” for U.S. readers) conducted wind tunnel tests that showed her modifications reduced drag on the model and kept it from moving in windy conditions. (Image credit: H. Roettger; video credit: CSIRO; via CSIRO; submitted by Kam-Yung Soh)

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    Agnes Pockels: Surface Science Pioneer

    Today’s FYFD video tells a story I’ve wanted to share for a couple of years now. It’s about the life and work of Agnes Pockels, a woman born in the mid-nineteenth century who, despite a lack of formal scientific training, made major contributions to the understanding of surface tension and to the experimental apparatuses and methodologies used in surface chemistry in general. She accomplished all of this not in a scientific lab, but from her kitchen.

    Pockels’ story is one of curiosity, determination, and meticulous scientific inquiry. Chances are that you’ve never heard of her, but you really should. Check out the full video below to learn more! (Image and video credit: N. Sharp)

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    Behind the Science

    FYFD features lots of science, but this new video gives you a chance to see the scientists, too! It’s a behind-the-scenes look at the American Physical Society Division of Fluid Dynamics meeting that took place in San Francisco recently. You may recognize some of the stories, but I guarantee there’s new stuff, even if you were there! Special thanks to everyone who helped me make the video; I had a blast doing this. (Video credit: N. Sharp)