Women in Science: Carolyn Krumrey

This week in GEMS, we learned about simple machines and how combining different simple machines allow us to construct more complex machines. Understanding simple machines and how they work are important for many careers, especially when we must predict how certain devices will behave in extreme or unpredictable environments.

Carolyn Krumrey is, quite literally, a rocket scientist! She works at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX as the Division Chief Engineer for the Space Shuttle in the Manufacturing, Materials, and Process Technology Division. In this job, Krumrey designs components of the space shuttle so they can survive in the harsh environment of space. She has worked very hard to accomplish her dream of working in science and technology. She received her Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin after switching from a major in Interior Design her freshman year. She went on earn her Master's in Environmental Management to improve her writing and communication skills so she is now able to manage the large number of people who work in her division.

In offering words of advice for young women hoping to enter STEM fields, Krumrey says:

"If you decide to choose a career in engineering, science or the technology fields, there will be so many opportunities available to you. If you are in a particular job and you don't enjoy it, don't hesitate to change jobs. I have not stayed in a job more than two years. I am constantly changing jobs to ensure that I am always learning new skills. This is one of the great things about engineering; there are so many jobs available to you that you can always do different things. Study hard in your math and science courses. There is a world of opportunities available just for you!"

Read more about Carolyn Krumrey and other female scientists on the Women of NASA website.

Click these links to learn more about careers in Mechanical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering

Catapults and Marshmallows!!!

Another great meeting and GEMS is growing! About 35 girls participated in the GEMS club today. Check out the great pictures of the catapults that we built. We launched marshmallows (BIG and small)! The record was 36 feet and we had one "failure to launch." Megan, a graduate student at Georgia Tech, helped us learn about simple machines. We had three Inman teachers, a Grady High Schooler, two professors from Georgia Tech and a Georgia Tech undergraduate taking part in the activity. We also learned from last week's survey that most of us like math more than we like science. We also found out that most of the GEMS girls want to participate in community service projects. So...... if you have an idea about what we should do, please add a comment or two. Next week we will learn about a "not so simple" machine .... a chicken wing. We will dissect the chicken wing and learn how the muscles and bones work together. Not to worry if dissection is not your "thing," there will be other things that you can do at the meeting on Tuesday!

If you like these pictures, check out the GEMS boards located at Inman Middle School to see even more pictures from Tuesday, August 24.

Dr. Realff

Woman in Science: Elaine Fuchs, PhD

This week in GEMS we tested make-up brushes to determine what type of brush is the best buy based on performance and cost. One of the ways that many of the GEMS girls tested the performance of the brushes was to see which brush type applied eye shadow to their hands the best. Did you know, though, that there is a lot more to make-up design than just picking pretty colors? In fact, cosmetic scientists must consider what type of skin make-up is being applied to so they can create make-up that is safe and non-toxic. This is a lot more difficult than it sounds because skin is actually a very complicated organ with special properties and behaviors.

Dr. Elaine Fuchs does research at the Rockerfeller University to better understand how the special “baby cells,” called stem cells decide what kind of cells to become, such as hair, fingernail, or epidermal (ie skin) cells. She hopes that by gaining a better understanding of how skin develops its unique properties, doctors will be able to understand how this process can go wrong, like when cancer cells begin growing out of control, and how to correct these errors.

You can learn more about Dr. Elaine Fuchs and her research on her website here

You can also learn about some of the requirements all make-up must meet before it can be sold at the FDA regulation website here

First GEMS meeting!

The first GEMS meeting was a great success. We had 34 GEMS girls, two teachers from Inman, two professors from Georgia Tech, two Georgia Tech students and even an exchange student from Germany at the meeting.

We learned about designing things and how to figure out the important properties so that we can make better (more quantitative) decisions about what product to buy. We looked at pencils and make up brushes. In some cases, our qualitative choice did not match the one that we choose using quantitative measures.

Enjoy these pictures and join us on Tuesday in Ms. Price's room!

Dr. Realff

GEMS Girls Survey

Hey Girls,
We want to know what types of activities that you want to do this year in GEMS. Here is a URL for a quick survey. Please get your parents' permission to do the survey and then give us your feedback! (You may have to copy and paste the link in a new window) See you on Tuesday!!!!

http://vovici.com/wsb.dll/s/17486g46192


Debbie and Dr. Realff

Information for Parents

Hey Parents, I am Debbie Ziskend and am an undergraduate student at Georgia Tech. It was great to see and meet everyone last Friday at the meet and greet! We are very excited for our first meeting of the year on Tuesday August 17, 2010. Well be meeting in Ms. Price’s room on the 7th grade hallway. Ms. Raines, Dr. Smith-Greene and Ms. Price will be the teachers involved in GEMS this year. They are the 7th grade science team!

We will be posting important information year round as well as updates on what we have been doing in GEMS. We love taking pictures, so add the blog to your favorites so you can look for pictures of your daughters throughout the year.

We can't wait to see everyone next week. If you have any further questions, you can always contact us at inmangems@gmail.com.

You are always welcome to join us at the GEMS meeting!

Thank you to the four parents who have volunteered to bring snacks for our first few GEMS meetings.

Debbie

Meet and Greet at Inman - Aug 6, 2010

It was great to see all of the girls from last year at the meet and greet at Inman on Friday. We saw a lot of new girls who are interested in joining us this year! Let your friends know that our first meeting will be on Tuesday, August 17! We will go camping and horse back riding this year and will go on a field-trip during school on January 6th. Here are some photos from the meet and greet.

Dr. Realff, Debbie, and Penelope have been busy putting the finishing touches on the GEMS bulletin board! (Debbie is the girl in the picture, shes an undergraduate student at Georgia Tech that's going to be helping out with GEMS this year) There are plenty of pictures from the past 2 years, so you should stop by and see if you recognize anyone. One of the boards is on the first floor on your way to the cafeteria, and the other board is in the 7th grade hallway.

For past GEMS members, we have created a mini GEMS Yearbook featuring our best activities. The little booklets are 20 pages long. Come find us to learn how to order one for yourself.