Margarita Colmenares was born in 1957 in Sacramento, California. Her father worked a migrant worker, and later had jobs at a cannery and a warehouse. Her mother worked at a department store. Colmenares worked delivering newspapers and selling products to help her family. She loved to read and excelled in school. She took college classes during her senior year of high school. After graduating from high school, she attended California State University. She started as a business major, but later changed her major to engineering. She worked as a student assistant for the Department of Water Resources, where she studied the effects of earthquakes on aqueducts.
Colmenares transferred to a community college, where she applied for and received a scholarship from General Electric. The scholarship paid for most of her tuition. Colmenares later applied to transfer to Stanford University and was accepted there. She continued to give back to the community by tutoring children and teaching Mexican folk dance classes. In 1981, she graduated with a degree in civil engineering. She started a chapter of the Society for Hispanic Professional Engineers in San Francisco. The organization mentors Hispanic students interested in engineering, and offers scholarships.
Colmenares got a job with Chevron Corporation, where she worked on many important projects. For example, she worked on a project to replace underground tanks to prevent leakage of harmful chemicals into the environment. In 1985, she was named environmental compliance specialist. She worked on projects to clean soil and groundwater of pollutants. She also worked to reduce emissions of air pollutants. But she was concerned that not enough Latino students were studying engineering. She made a deal with Chevron that allowed her to work full-time at the Society for Hispanic Professional Engineers for two years.
In 1991, Colmenares was named a White House fellow. She was the first Hispanic engineer to receive this honor. She worked with NASA, the United States Department of Education, and other agencies to improve math and science education.
In 1993, Colmenares began work as director of corporate liasons for the Department of Education. She was still in that position in 1997, and I have been unable to find any more recent information about her.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Flossie Wong-Stahl (Yee Ching Wong): Chinese American Medical Researcher
Yee Ching Wong was born in 1947 in Hong Kong. Her family moved to Hong Kong in 1952, where she attended a private Catholic school. The school required her to take an English name, and her father named her Flossie after Typhoon Flossie.
Wong-Stahl was the first female in her family to attend college, and her family supported her in pursuing her dream. In 1965, she traveled to the University of California at Los Angeles to begin her undergraduate studies. She graduated with a B.S. in bacteriology in 1968, and she completed a Ph.D. in molecular biology in 1972. She did postdoctoral work at the University of California at San Diego, and then got a job at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland. There, she studied retroviruses with Dr. Robert Gallo. She and her colleagues discovered the HIV virus in 1983. She cloned the HIV virus for the first time in 1985 and contributed to the genetic mapping of the virus. Genetic mapping of HIV is important because it was the first step in developing blood tests to detect the virus.
Flossie Wong-Stahl currently works at the Center for AIDS Research at the University of California at San Diego. Her research focuses on gene therapy for AIDS and the development of a vaccine effective against HIV.
Wong-Stahl was the first female in her family to attend college, and her family supported her in pursuing her dream. In 1965, she traveled to the University of California at Los Angeles to begin her undergraduate studies. She graduated with a B.S. in bacteriology in 1968, and she completed a Ph.D. in molecular biology in 1972. She did postdoctoral work at the University of California at San Diego, and then got a job at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland. There, she studied retroviruses with Dr. Robert Gallo. She and her colleagues discovered the HIV virus in 1983. She cloned the HIV virus for the first time in 1985 and contributed to the genetic mapping of the virus. Genetic mapping of HIV is important because it was the first step in developing blood tests to detect the virus.
Flossie Wong-Stahl currently works at the Center for AIDS Research at the University of California at San Diego. Her research focuses on gene therapy for AIDS and the development of a vaccine effective against HIV.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
More Info and Resources!
Check out my wiki at http://multiculturalscience.pbwiki.com
It includes information on culturally relevant curriculum and instruction, links, and a list of books you can use in your classroom!
It includes information on culturally relevant curriculum and instruction, links, and a list of books you can use in your classroom!
Frederick McKinley Jones: African American Engineer and Inventor
Frederick McKinley Jones was born between 1892 and 1893 in Covington, Kentucky. His father was Irish American, and his mother was African American. After his mother died, his father took him to a Catholic boarding school in Ohio, where he hoped his son would receive a good education. At age 12, Jones left the school to go to work at a garage. He became an expert mechanic and used his skills to build racecars.
Jones enlisted in the army in 1918 and served during WWI in France. He returned to Hallock, Minnesota, in 1919. He began a long career as an inventor by creating a snowmachine and a portable X-ray machine that could be used by doctors when they made housecalls. He also improved film projection technology and invented audio devices for the first "talkie" movies. He did not patent most of his early inventions, and others often stole his ideas and reaped the profits of his work. In 1927 he began working for the Ultraphone Company in Minneapolis.
In 1939, he obtained his first patent, for a machine that automatically dispensed movie tickets. In 1939, he and Joe Numero obtained a patent for their new invention, a portable air conditioning unit that could be used on trucks, trains, and ships. This invention revolutionized long-distance transport of perishable goods like fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables. Jones and Numero founded the ThermoKing Corporation to market their new device.
Frederick Jones continued to create new inventions throughout his life, and obtained a total of more than 60 patents. He died in 1961. After his death, he became the first Black inventor to be awarded the National Medal of Technology.
Jones enlisted in the army in 1918 and served during WWI in France. He returned to Hallock, Minnesota, in 1919. He began a long career as an inventor by creating a snowmachine and a portable X-ray machine that could be used by doctors when they made housecalls. He also improved film projection technology and invented audio devices for the first "talkie" movies. He did not patent most of his early inventions, and others often stole his ideas and reaped the profits of his work. In 1927 he began working for the Ultraphone Company in Minneapolis.
In 1939, he obtained his first patent, for a machine that automatically dispensed movie tickets. In 1939, he and Joe Numero obtained a patent for their new invention, a portable air conditioning unit that could be used on trucks, trains, and ships. This invention revolutionized long-distance transport of perishable goods like fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables. Jones and Numero founded the ThermoKing Corporation to market their new device.
Frederick Jones continued to create new inventions throughout his life, and obtained a total of more than 60 patents. He died in 1961. After his death, he became the first Black inventor to be awarded the National Medal of Technology.
Dr. Percy Julian: African American Chemist
Dr. Percy Julian was born in 1899 in Birmingham, Alabama. He studied chemistry at Depauw University and graduated as the valedictorian of his class in 1920. He taught chemistry for two years at Fisk, and then went to Harvard to complete his Masters degree. He graduated in 1923, but was unable to find work at Harvard because white students did not want a Black teaching assistant. He taught instead at West Virginia State College and Howard University.
In 1929, Julian traveled to Vienna, Austria to complete his doctorate degree. He received his Ph.D. in 1931, and returned to work at DePauw University. He and Dr. Joseph Pikl developed a process to synthesize the glaucoma drug physostigmine. After this accomplishment, he should have been named chair of the Chemistry Department, but his superiors decided not to give him this honor because of his race.
In 1935, Julian married his wife Anna and joined the Glidden Company as Director of the Soy Product Division. There, he formulated many new soy-based products. One of the most important was aerofoam, a flame retardant used widely during WWII. Julian also developed a process to synthesize testosterone and progesterone from soy, allowing these hormones to be used in pharmaceuticals. Later, he found a way to produce synthetic cortisone from soy. This made cortisone affordable for many people suffering from arthritis.
Despite his success, Julian could not escape racism. He and his wife bought a house in Oak Park, Illinois. In 1950, the house was set on fire on Thanksgiving Day. The arsonist was never caught. In 1951, someone threw dynamite at the house, and it exploded outside his childrens' bedroom window. Julian started to sit outside in the tree in front of the house with a shotgun to protect his family.
In 1954, Julian founded Julian Laboratories, where he developed a new process to make cortisone from wild yams. He later sold the company for $2.3 million. In 1964 he founded Julian Research Institute and Julian Associates. As a result of his experiences of racism, he became active in the NAACP and Urban League. In 1973 he was finally elected to the National Academy of Sciences. He died of cancer in 1975.
Do you want to teach your students more about Percy Julian? You can watch an online documentary about his life here:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/julian/
There is a study guide on the website for teachers, as well as a transcript of the program.
In 1929, Julian traveled to Vienna, Austria to complete his doctorate degree. He received his Ph.D. in 1931, and returned to work at DePauw University. He and Dr. Joseph Pikl developed a process to synthesize the glaucoma drug physostigmine. After this accomplishment, he should have been named chair of the Chemistry Department, but his superiors decided not to give him this honor because of his race.
In 1935, Julian married his wife Anna and joined the Glidden Company as Director of the Soy Product Division. There, he formulated many new soy-based products. One of the most important was aerofoam, a flame retardant used widely during WWII. Julian also developed a process to synthesize testosterone and progesterone from soy, allowing these hormones to be used in pharmaceuticals. Later, he found a way to produce synthetic cortisone from soy. This made cortisone affordable for many people suffering from arthritis.
Despite his success, Julian could not escape racism. He and his wife bought a house in Oak Park, Illinois. In 1950, the house was set on fire on Thanksgiving Day. The arsonist was never caught. In 1951, someone threw dynamite at the house, and it exploded outside his childrens' bedroom window. Julian started to sit outside in the tree in front of the house with a shotgun to protect his family.
In 1954, Julian founded Julian Laboratories, where he developed a new process to make cortisone from wild yams. He later sold the company for $2.3 million. In 1964 he founded Julian Research Institute and Julian Associates. As a result of his experiences of racism, he became active in the NAACP and Urban League. In 1973 he was finally elected to the National Academy of Sciences. He died of cancer in 1975.
Do you want to teach your students more about Percy Julian? You can watch an online documentary about his life here:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/julian/
There is a study guide on the website for teachers, as well as a transcript of the program.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Why Multicultural Science?
I am a high school science teacher. When I began teaching science, I assumed that there would be many resources available to connect science to my students' life experiences. Unfortunately, I found three major problems with the science textbooks and curricula I reviewed for use in my classes:
1. The textbooks do not tap into my students' prior knowledge. The authors assume that my students have played golf and used a carpenter's level. My students have rich background knowledge, but it is often very different from the background knowledge of the average textbook author. They may have extensive knowledge of camel herding, embroidery, herbal medicine, or lowriders, but few if any of these topics are included in the textbooks.
2. Most textbooks omit the many significant contributions made by female scientists, LGBT scientists, and scientists of color. My students need to see that people like them can be scientists.
3. Textbooks do not discuss the many ways in which different cultures have used science to meet their needs. They make science look like something that only happens when men in white coats and goggles meet up in laboratories. They rarely discuss the complex scientific knowledge required to build a temple, breed crops, dig irrigation channels, or dye cloth.
The first problem causes students to see science as boring, incomprehensible, and irrelevant to their daily lives. They can memorize the examples in the textbook, but they don't have any hands-on experiences with them. Science becomes a collection of abstract knowledge to regurgitate, rather than a way of solving problems in everyday life.
The second and third problems prevent many students from identifying themselves as scientists. They see science as synonymous with a culture and worldview that is foreign to them. They believe that the only way to be successful in science would be to give up who they are and assimilate to that culture and worldview.
These three problems are turning many of our brightest students off to science. I believe that we can reconnect these students to science if we are willing to fill in what is missing from their textbooks. Unfortunately, most of us were never taught the information we need to fill in the gaps, and it's not always easy to come by. I will be posting what I've found on this blog. I certainly don't know everything about teaching multicultural science...a lifetime of learning would not be enough! Still, I hope that what I post here can give others a taste of what is out there, if we only take the time to look.
1. The textbooks do not tap into my students' prior knowledge. The authors assume that my students have played golf and used a carpenter's level. My students have rich background knowledge, but it is often very different from the background knowledge of the average textbook author. They may have extensive knowledge of camel herding, embroidery, herbal medicine, or lowriders, but few if any of these topics are included in the textbooks.
2. Most textbooks omit the many significant contributions made by female scientists, LGBT scientists, and scientists of color. My students need to see that people like them can be scientists.
3. Textbooks do not discuss the many ways in which different cultures have used science to meet their needs. They make science look like something that only happens when men in white coats and goggles meet up in laboratories. They rarely discuss the complex scientific knowledge required to build a temple, breed crops, dig irrigation channels, or dye cloth.
The first problem causes students to see science as boring, incomprehensible, and irrelevant to their daily lives. They can memorize the examples in the textbook, but they don't have any hands-on experiences with them. Science becomes a collection of abstract knowledge to regurgitate, rather than a way of solving problems in everyday life.
The second and third problems prevent many students from identifying themselves as scientists. They see science as synonymous with a culture and worldview that is foreign to them. They believe that the only way to be successful in science would be to give up who they are and assimilate to that culture and worldview.
These three problems are turning many of our brightest students off to science. I believe that we can reconnect these students to science if we are willing to fill in what is missing from their textbooks. Unfortunately, most of us were never taught the information we need to fill in the gaps, and it's not always easy to come by. I will be posting what I've found on this blog. I certainly don't know everything about teaching multicultural science...a lifetime of learning would not be enough! Still, I hope that what I post here can give others a taste of what is out there, if we only take the time to look.
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