Stargazing toward a future in STEM

Little girl standing in front of space explorer chalk-drawings.Did you know that in 2017, Lego’s "Women of NASA ," which featured female astronauts and astronomers alike, was the brand's best-selling toy? The fact that it was, tells two truths about the world today: 1) kids love space; 2) the gender gap is closing in the science fields. In 2009, I interviewed Marc Rayman, Chief Engineer for the Dawn Mission at NASA’s Jet Propulsion about his early interest in stars and how it grew into a lifelong love of and fascination with the universe. I've been thinking about that interview of late and thus chose to write a blog about what thoughts and attitudes may have changed about science in the last 11 years and what remains the same. Three things Marc Raymen said in 2009, still ring true:

1. Enforcing hard sciences before inspiring curiosity can permanently damper children’s enthusiasm for the topic. 

Marc stated that one glorious thing about astronomy is that to begin you don’t need to know anything about hard math or science. You can simply observe and trust your own experience. This is important because we are beginning to understand how low self-esteem hugely impacts academic achievement. In this Atlantic Article, Carol Dweck, a professor of psychology at Stanford University in California, explains that often many children don’t choose to pursue a STEM Career because they don’t think they are a “natural scientist” or that they possess a “math brain” and thus, psyche themselves out of the game early due to a lack of confidence. Astronomy can be a low-stress place to start developing a natural love of science and gain confidence in your abilities.

2. Astronomy is an affordable hobby.  

Not only is astronomy an easy gateway knowledge-wise, but it is also an affordable hobby. Check out this list of low-cost, kid-fiendly astronomy activities to help inspire or nurture a natural curiosity for the stars.

A telescope most assuredly can provide wonderful views, but as it gives you a deeper view of space, it also makes your view narrower. To get the feeling of the vastness of space, you need to expand your vision, not contract it by looking through a long, narrow tube. The night sky is gorgeous without a telescope.” – Marc Rayman. 

What has changed since 2009 is that most kids I see are perpetually glued to a tablet or phone. However, changing technology also helps us develop some great educational apps you can download onto their devices to encourage them to use their handheld device as a learning tool. For example, here's an amazing stargazing app. You can also bookmark the NASA blog for kids, The Space Place, that Marc Rayman has since developed. 

3. Inspiring a young astronomer is easier than you think.

 , Product Engineer at Emerson Automation Solutions,  puts it this way: “As a young girl, a fascination with aviation easily lent itself to include the stars and outer space. This materialized into me consuming lots of books on the subject, stargazing on long car rides and producing an excessively detailed 4thgrade science fair project on space aviation (which I am happy to report did win a prestigious purple ribbon). Growing up, my interests continued to evolve and were an encouraging factor in my decision to focus on STEM classes in school. Ultimately this led to a degree in Chemical engineering and my current position as a product engineer with Emerson.”

Once you’ve planted the seed it often grows naturally on its own, so you don’t have to be so hands on to ensure your child pursues an interest in the sciences. Astronomy is a very social hobby. You can find multiple summer camps, classes and clubs for kids so they can inspire each 2017 Women Astronaut LEGO figuresother.and even create long-lasting friendships. Ryan One of my most meaningful friendships began in 5th grade and was sparked by a mutual interest in lenticular galaxies, supernovas, and white dwarf stars. To find another person who enjoyed learning about such particular space facts and terms was amazing. We asked—and were allowed--- to present a science project on the different types of stars and I’m convinced we learned more because of each other’s enthusiasm.

There are many ways to make science seem less intimidating. But, astronomy is universally accessible, fun and provides a natural gateway to the discussion of other STEM topics like math, physics and chemistry. I can say that it certainly inspired my journey into STEM.

 What other fields of science do you see as a gateway for inspiring future STEM graduates? Share your thoughts below.