"Early in her career, it was Rosalind Franklin who painstakingly conceived of and captured "Photograph 51" of the "B" form of DNA in 1952 while at King's College in London. It is this photograph, acquired through 100 hours of X-ray exposure from a machine Dr. Franklin herself refined, that revealed the structure of DNA." - Rosalind Franklin University

Happy belated birthday to Rosalind Franklin! She was an amazing woman and such an inspiration! 

When I was unpacking my books to load up my bookshelf in my new place, I realized just how many academic books I've acquired over the years. Don't get me wrong, I love them all and treasure them (the ones that didn't end up sold at the school's buyback...girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do!) but now that I've graduated, I am really enjoying reading for FUN again! 

I've always loved non-fiction and historical-fiction books so when I was trying to start a list of science-y books for our GoodReads booklist, it was pretty easy to find some that interested me even though I'm not the uber-science geek in the family. Part of my undergrad research was on brain death and bioethics so I picked some related titles that I wanted to read while in school but didn't have time for (Spook by Mary Roach & The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot). Others, like Sam Kean's Disappearing Spoon, Julie has read and LOVED!  The others look really fascinating and have great reviews! I think it's time to head to the library! 

We'd love some more recommendations to add to the list so please share! 

☢ Jenavieve

Welcome to Friday! Since the new school year starts next week, we are busy trying to eek out the last bit of irresponsible fun while we can. I’m sure the weekend will be filled with making fun stuff, hopefully going to the beach, and staying up way too late! 

Today we would like to introduce all of you to our newest necklace, the Sally.

It is named after one of the greatest women of science, Dr. Sally Ride. I was heartbroken last summer when I heard the news that Dr. Ride had lost her battle with pancreatic cancer. Not to wax too cheesy, but the stars were much dimmer that night. 

Dr. Ride, as the first American woman in space, provided numerous contributions to science and space exploration. She was a Mission Specialist on two space shuttle flights, became a professor of Physics at UCSD, the director of the University of California's California Space Institute and authored five children's science books. Go here to read more:http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/ride-sk.html

Jenavieve and I (and one of my dear science education friends, Rachael) were thrilled to have been able to meet Dr. Sally Ride back in 1997 in Omaha at a conference where she was the keynote speaker. I distinctly remember her intelligence, her enthusiasm for science education, and her humility. She even handled my babbling “new teacher” enthusiasm when I shook her hand and asked her a somewhat goofy question, “How can we encourage girls to follow a path into science, and science education?” She gave me a very gracious smile and said “I’m doing what I can…”  It was so profound and funny.

Dr. Ride left a legacy of science education through the work of Sally Ride Science   (an amazing science education organization dedicated “to educating, engaging, and inspiring all students.”
When you have a few minutes, watch this video Celebrating Sally. 

Thank you Dr. Sally Ride for all that you did for the advancement of science, science education and especially for women in science!

"My real love for the night skies developed while observing at Palomar Observatory in California, and that love has never diminished." - Carolyn Shoemaker

The next astronomy necklace to be named after a famous female scientist is our lovely Jupiter necklace which shall henceforth be referred to as the Carolyn necklace. It is being named after Carolyn Shoemaker, who along with her husband and scientist David Levy, discovered the comet known as Shoemaker-Levy 9 at the Palomar Observatory outside of San Diego in 1993. In July of 1994, the comet broke apart and collided with the giant planet providing spectacular knowledge to scientists around the world. ..both about Jupiter itself and space debris in general. Carolyn Shoemaker received the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal in 1996. She is considered to be an amazing astronomer, holding the record for the greatest number of comets discovered (32 comets and 800 asteroids) even though she entered the field of astronomy at the age of 51.