Bibliosphere

" Consider going into a classroom and looking around, and you’re the only man there. Even if you’re totally ok with that (heck, you expected it), you notice. You feel all the women in the room notice you and see that a lot of them are glancing over at you or making comments about your presence. Ok, you knew that might happen. A woman next to you says, “Hey, cool, a guy in a CS class, good for you.” When it comes time to form a study group, half the women in the class don’t want to work with you because they assume men aren't as good at CS. The other half jockey to work with you, some for the novelty (“Hey, I’m in a group with the guy, “) and half because they want to ask you out. When you go to apply for an internship, a lot of companies seem really interested in you, but you’re not sure if it’s because they like your resume or just because you’re a guy in CS and they want to look open and forward thinking by having lots of male interns coding. You meet up with a group of ...

   Recently, 9 year old Kamryn shaved her head at St. Baldricks in support of her friend Delaney, who is battling cancer.  In response, her school kicked her out until she either got a wig or her hair grew back.    This is the response that a young girl who took a brave step in loosing her hair was given.  She should be applauded for shaving her hair to support her friend, not ostracized from her school.  This is the response of St. Baldricks: "Kamryn, by your sacrifice and willingness to be bald like Delaney, you’re demonstrating that love is more powerful than fear and that life’s most valuable lessons are often learned outside the classroom." Kathleen Ruddy, St. Baldrick's CEO, shares her support in an open letter to Kamryn Renfro and Delaney Clements. After a massive social media campaign, Kamryn's school board voted 3 to 1 to allow her back into school.  This still means that there was an adult who thought she shouldn't be allowed back. ...

So, the last two months have been pretty busy.  I'm taking some really cool classes this semester: Diversity and Evolution of Life, Drawing for Non-majors and French Conversation.  I've been spending a good amount of time in my lab.  This semester I'm going to be presenting in the Undergraduate Research Symposium, which is pretty exciting. Last night was Girl Scout Night with SWE, the third one I've organized in the time I've been here.  We had 110 girls, which is a huge event, the largest I've ever organized.  It was a bunch of fun, and we really reached a lot of girls.  We also had a forum for the parents with some of our female engineers, so we got to educate the parents too. Next week I'm going to San Diego, which is going to be awesome.  It's the SWE region B conference.  There's a big career fair, lots of workshops and keynote speakers. I'm going to apply to present at Annual conference next year, so I'm hoping to pick up some pointer...

Be a voice for children with cancer.  In the time since this video was made, four of the children have passed away.  What does that say about how "treatable" childhood cancer is? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rS5T_3OUoZo

   Yesterday, I was notified that I was approved for a grant for an awesome event for middle and high school aged girls.  I'm organizing an into to Engineering event: Edible Engineering.  I'm really excited my grant got approved, so I can reach even more girls.

    Yesterday was Christmas, and today marks the beginning of Kwanzaa. The Solstice (Yule) was earlier in the week, and Hanukkah took place early in the month.       But as hundreds of thousands of families around the world celebrate, hundreds of thousands of other families are struggling to get through the season.  For them, this is the first holiday season after the loss of a child or parent, or being jobless or homeless.  Take time to remember those who are struggling this season, and help them through.  It might only take a kind word, to let them know that you are thinking of them.   Blessed be this holiday season.

    Ahh, winter break is finally here.  I finished my final exams yesterday, then flew home.  It was an interesting set of flights, with all the hectic fun of holiday travelers.  I will be enjoying reading more Kathy Reichs novels and spending the holidays with my family.    Enjoy your season.