Einstein Fellows Visit the Library of Congress

The Triangle Coalition facilitates and manages the Einstein Fellowship Program, as well as provides memorable professional development experiences for the fellows. Our visit to the Library of Congress in September was one of the best “field trips” I’ve ever experienced. We were so fortunate to have the head of the Science Reference Section, Constance Carter, and Joyce Howland, the Reference Collections Librarian to meet and direct our tour. To our surprise, each fellow found several books on the table next to our nametags that were specific to our interests. These wonderful ladies had read our bios and located books in the library that they thought we would like to peruse. The impromptu conversation and the stories from these two delightful women with their many years of experience, their love for books, and their love for this extraordinary Library made our tour extra special. The ornate Italian Renaissance style architecture, history, and the vast and rich assortment of resources is such an amazing treasure in our Nation’s Capitol. Two of the greatest treasures in the Library of Congress are the Gutenberg Bible and the Giant Bible of Mainz, which were made in Mainz, Germany, in the mid 1450’s. Both are rare quality- one was the first to be printed with movable metal type, and the other was handwritten in manuscript. While at the Library of Congress, we also had an excellent and informative lunchtime speaker, Gene Feldman, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, “Observing the Living Oceans from Space.”


A View of the Main Reading Room from the Visitor Gallery

The Library of Congress, one of the world’s largest repositories of books, films, and printed materials is housed in the Adams, Jefferson, and Madison buildings on Capitol Hill. It truly is more than just a library. It houses a collection of more than 28 million catalogued books, moveable exhibits, archived manuscripts, an on-line library and websites, and other printed materials in 470 languages available to the public, researchers, educators, and legislators. ( www.loc.gov)

The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (www.loc.gov/nls), and the U.S. Copyright Office (www.loc.gov/copyright) are also here. The use of the library in person requires identification from anyone over high school age. The digital library and other resources are extensive and can be found online. The resources at the Library of Congress are varied. An on-line reference service, “Ask a librarian” is available at www.loc.gov/rr/askalib/

The eclectic materials at the Library of Congress are diverse and include such materials as Thomas Jefferson’s rough draft of the Declaration of Independence, a handwritten copy of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg address, the work of the Wright Brothers and Thurgood Marshall, the earliest copyrighted film, and even the earliest story and drawings from the original “Spider Man”. The Library has the largest rare book collection in North America, along with maps, prints, photographs, films, sound recordings, and sheet music. It also has a performing arts center (many concerts may be heard on radio or at www.loc.gov/today. ) Genealogical resources can be located at the website, www.loc.gov/rr/genealogy/

The Library of Congress started out as a small library established for the use of Congress when President John Adams signed a bill to transfer the seat of the government from Philadelphia to Washington, DC, in 1800. When the new Capitol was set on fire in 1814 by British troops, the books burned in the fire . Thomas Jefferson offered his extensive personal collection of books that he had collected for 50 years. Congress appropriated $23,950 for 6,487 books.. Unfortunately, in 1851, a fire destroyed many of the books. Today, the remaining books and replacement copies may be found in the Thomas Jefferson’s Library exhibit on the 2nd floor of the Jefferson building. This room was one of the highlights of my visit. It was easy to understand Thomas Jefferson’s words in 1815, “I cannot live without books”.

Teachers may access lesson plans, resources, and materials through programs at www.loc.gov/teachers. The Library also offers science reference services, webcasts, recent science and technology books, health and medical information, prints and photographs, and selected Internet Resources for teachers. Science Reference Guides for Latinos in Math and Science, Biographies of Women Scientists for Girls and Young Women; Girls and Science Education: How to Engage Girls in Science, and Resources for Kids, Young Adults, and Teachers are also available.

While at the Library of Congress, we met with Kris Pruzin, Digital Reference Specialist, who talked to the fellows about the digital collections and Jennifer Harbster, Science Reference Specialist, who told us about “Every Day Mysteries” – Fun Facts from the Library of Congress. “Every Day Mysteries is a place to find out answers to such questions as why pepper makes you sneeze or who invented the toothbrush. Jennifer consults experts to answer questions for K-12 written in easy –to- understand language. http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/

For Teacher Materials and Student Activities: http://myloc.gov
For Kids and Families: http://www.loc.gov/families/
For Visitors: http://www.loc.gov/visit/

Quick Reference Guide to the Library of Congress Web Site: http://www.loc.gov

I left this day with a library card to come back to visit, as well as an excitement and awe for the massive amount of resources available. This is a snapshot moment that I will remember in my life. I will remember this tour and the wonderful staff.

Why So Few?

This photo was taken about four years ago as I looked out over a lake at Katmai National Park in Alaska. Quiet moments like this have given me the opportunity to reflect over the directions that my life has taken. If someone had told me in college that I would one day grow up to be a science teacher that worked with scientists in the field, I would have been shocked. Since science wasn’t a favorite subject for me as I went through school, and since I wasn’t pulled into integrated science until 1997, I would have never envisioned that I would one day go to Washington DC to work to help diffuse gender equity into K-12 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Education. I feel so fortunate to be in DC at a time when the STEM initiative is working to move education forward in our country, especially as our nation works to build a strong domestic workforce.

On September 27, 2010, I had the opportunity to attend a meeting at the White House Conference Center concerning the 2010 AAUW (American Association of University Women) report, Why So Few? This report was funded by one of the grants awarded by our GSE (Research on Gender in Science and Engineering) program. I identified with this report and with the GSE program from the beginning. When I first read the report, Why So Few?, it gave me a better understanding of barriers that kept me from pursuing or even understanding why I would need to have science in my life.

The presentation and discussion at this meeting was led by two of the AAUW ‘s “Why So Few” report co-authors, Drs. Catherine Hill and Christianne Corbett, and the AAUW Government Relations Manager, Tracey Sherman. The discussion focused on the findings as to why there are so few women in STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) at a time when women are entering the fields of medicine, business, and law. To learn more about the eight key research findings, download the full report:

www.aauw.org/learn/research/whysofew.cfm

The report focuses on evidence of gender gaps, as well as strategies to help break through social and environmental barriers for girls and women. Gender also includes boys and men of color that have also been affected by gender-related issues that impact their interest in science, educational experiences, self esteem, and an interest to pursue STEM courses in school or to pursue STEM careers. The barriers and lack of understanding are not always conscious- stereotypes, gender bias, and the climate of learning and working environments from birth through K-12 and beyond to colleges, universities, and the workforce continue to block pathways and create barriers for participation in STEM fields.

(If interested in taking an Implicit bias test: “Project Implicit”: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/).

Barriers can be noted and changed. It begins by gaining an understanding and an awareness concerning gender-related differences and issues. The next step is working together (i.e., home, schools, workforce, government agencies, and legislators) to make the needed changes to address the issues. Our future depends on educating all of our students to become critical thinkers and problem solvers. It’s imperative that our nation works to build a strong domestic STEM workforce and economy to compete globally. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by the challenge, I feel that our nation is moving in the right direction by focusing energy and time in thinking about critical issues such as gender issues that are impairing students and blocking progress. It can’t be done overnight, but the commitment to make changes is a positive step toward our future.