 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
 |
 September 2001 =========================================================================
Q: DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE QUOTATION THAT COMES TO MIND WHEN YOU NEED INSPIRATION OR GUIDANCE? WHAT IS IT AND WHO SAID IT ORIGINALLY? A: FROM MENTOR CAROL TOMAN at Lucent A: FROM MENTOR KRISTIN TAGHON at Lucent Q: WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITIE HOBBIES? DO THEY HELP OR HINDER YOUR CAREER GOALS? A: FROM MENTOR CASSIE FENOSEFF at GM North America A: FROM MENTOR CAROL TOMAN at Lucent ANNOUNCEMENT: ALL STUDENTS WHO POST A MESSAGE TO GEM-SET@uic.edu
WILL RECEIVE A COMPLIMENTARY CALENDAR CALLED Q: DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE QUOTATION THAT COMES TO MIND WHEN YOU NEED INSPIRATION OR GUIDANCE? WHAT IS IT AND WHO SAID IT ORIGINALLY? A: FROM MENTOR JATARA BROWN at Lucent A: FROM MENTOR MICHELLE MOENSSENS at GM Corporation Q: WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE HOBBIES? DO THEY HELP OR HINDER YOUR CAREER GOALS? A: FROM MENTOR MICHELLE MOENSSENS at GM Corporation NEW QUESTION from moderator Laura Stempel: FOR STUDENTS: Now that school is starting, what are you most looking
forward to? ANNOUNCEMENT: ALL STUDENTS WHO POST A MESSAGE TO GEM-SET@uic.edu
DURING THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER WILL RECEIVE A COMPLIMENTARY CALENDAR
CALLED: Q: WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE SCHOOL ACTIVITIES AND WHAT MAKES YOUR SCHOOL SPECIAL? A: FROM STUDENT SARAH D. at Girls Scouts of Chicago Q: NOW THAT SCHOOL IS STARTING, WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO? A: FROM STUDENT Melissa M. at WISE Program at U of M A: FROM STUDENT Alyssa C. at Girl Scouts of Chicago A: FROM STUDENT ELIZABETH C. at Girl Scouts of DuPage Q: WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES? A: FROM STUDENT ELIZABETH C. at Girl Scouts of DuPage Q: NOW THAT SCHOOL IS STARTING, WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO? A: FROM MODERATOR, BEAULAH VAZ at IIT I am looking forward to all the new students stopping by at the Career Development Center (Where I work). It is always very interesting to meet new people. Q: WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES? A: FROM MENTOR Mary Jo Mullen at Patrick Engineering I like to crochet and scrap book. I also love playing volleyball. And I wanted to say to Sarah D., go clarinet players! I played from 5th grade until I graduated from college and I loved being in band. I met some of my best friends in band...and I married another clarinet player. NEW QUESTIONS: How many of you are musicians? What is your favorite
type of music and favorite groups? Do you think that music talent
and math talent are correlated? =========================================================================
Q: HOW MANY O F YOU ARE MUSICIANS? WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TYPE OF MUSIC AND FAVORITE GROUPS? DO YOU THINK THAT MUSIC TALENT AND MATH TALENT ARE CORRELATED? A: FROM MENTOR JUDY MCGOOGAN at Lucent I love music, and I sing in my church choir. I definitely think there's a relationship between music and mathematical ability. Many of the folks I know who are strong in math are also musicians. A: FROM STUDENT ELIZABETH C. at Girl Scouts of DuPage I am, I play clarinet. pop/R&B I like *nsync ( I have a crush on one of the members from *nsync, I won't tell who?? that's a secret!!!) I don't know [if music talent and math talent are correlated] ! A: FROM MENTOR MOLLY WILLIAMS at Western Michigan University There surely is a correlation between mathematics and music. Many of my friends who are into music and dance as hobbies are also in technical professions. I participate in several music activities myself: English handbells (about a dozen people each with responsibility for 2 to 5 bells, all of different pitches, play tunes as a group), Shape Note Singing (a Southern US hymn singing tradition), and English and early American contra and square dancing. All of these activities require concentration, organization, and a sense of working with the rest of the group to produce a coherent result; those are some of the same skills you need in technical professions. I also have a hammered dulcimer, which I play for my own recreation. For listening to music, I like both classical and folk including bluegrass and Cajun. A: FROM MENTOR JANET DIANDA at Lucent I sing, play violin, string bass, electric bass, and piano. I'm not a great musician, but I enjoy it. I play and sing duets at open mikes with a friend of mine who plays guitar. I also play with the Lucent Folk Music Club group. We perform at charity events, Special Olympics, camps for special children, retirement homes, etc. It's nice to make people happy with live music! I was too shy to perform until I was over thirty. Too bad! If I could do it over, I would have started performing in high school. It's okay to make mistakes, to be less than perfect, as long as you're enjoying the music, others will enjoy it too. I have many "favorite" types of music. Music is my greatest passion! 1. symphonic music, quartets, sonatas, especially Mozart, Beethoven, Debussy 2. opera, especially Mozart, Verdi, Puccini, Bellini, and Bizet 3. alternative rock/pop, especially Sarah McLaughlin, Tori Amos, Kurt Cobain, Matchbox Twenty, Nina Gordan, the Cure, Depeche Mode, U2, etc. From the "new wave" era, I loved the Pretenders, Elvis Costello, Blondie, the Cars, the Ramones, the Go-Go's, the Police. 4. classic rock, such as Jimmy Hendricks, Janice Joplin, the Rolling Stones, Beetles, Heart, Steppenwolf, etc. 5. folk rock, including Joan Baez, Donovan, Joni Mitchell, Indigo Girls, Bob Dylan, Mommas and the Poppas, Simon & Garfunkel, Cat Stevens, etc. 6. world music & reggae, especially King Sunny Ade (Nigeria), Bob Marley and the Wailers (Jamaica) 7. Scandanavian folk music (I used to play in a Scandanavian band). I don't know if math and music are correlated. I'm excellent in math and good in music. One of my best friends is excellent in math, but can't carry a tune, and has no sense in rhythm. A: FROM MENTOR CASSIE FENOSEFF at GM North America I played the piano for 10 years as a child (and can still play, but I've stopped taking lessons), and I played the clarinet until high school. I think that both were good experiences and make for a more well rounded person, although I don't think parents should force children to play instruments like some do. Currently my favorite type of music is country and basically top-40, mainstream music. I actually just went and saw Madonna in concert and she was very good- she puts on a very good show. I do not think that music talent and math talent are necessarily related. However, not to stereotype, but I think that the type of student that is interested in playing an instrument also usually excels academically. Q: Any other opinions on the topic? =========================================================================
Note: Due to the tragic events of September 11, 2001 no GEM-SET posting was made yesterday. We recognize the impact that yesterday's acts of terrorism in New York and Washington D.C. had on our GEM-SET participants. We join a grieving nation as we do our best to return to our daily duties, including the GEM-SET project. NEW QUESTION: As our wounds begin to heal from the tragic events
that occurred on September 11, 2001, I ask the GEM-SET participants
to consider how science, engineering, and technology can be used
for both positive and negative outcomes. What can we do as students
and professionals to improve the positive outcomes in the wake of
this disaster? Q: AS OUR WOUNDS BEGIN TO HEAL FROM THE TRAGIC EVENTS THAT OCCURRED ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2001, I ASK THE GEM-SET PARTICIPANTS TO CONSIDER HOW SCIENCE, ENGINEERING, AND TECHNOLOGY CAN BE USED FOR BOTH POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE OUTCOMES. WHAT CAN WE DO AS STUDENTS AND PROFESSIONALS TO IMPROVE THE POSITIVE OUTCOMES IN THE WAKE OF THIS DISASTER? A: FROM STUDENT ELIZABETH C. at Girl Scouts of DuPage talk about it A: FROM MENTOR BARBARA SMOLEN at Northrop Grumman Corporation Positive outcomes. I think technology has played a major role in the investigation of events leading up to the terrorism. I am writing this September 13th early in the morning, and already: 1) electronic information stored in Airline databases, State Car Registration Records, Rental Car Company Records, and Passport Information at entry points in the United States has been instrumental in the investigation 2) FBI website (which the last I heard, had 700 leads that people typed in), had some information which was helpful to the investigation 3) much of the information on the activities of the terrorists on the planes came from cell phone calls made from the poor people trapped with them on the planes. 5) optical technology allowed police to search the Westin Hotel by slipping a camera under the hotel doors 4) cell phone calls of survivors of the World Trade Center disaster alerted rescue workers, to say where they were trapped; or if they were out safely, allowed the survivors to inform their relatives that they were safe. As we all know, the normal phone lines were (understandably) a mess, even as far away as Chicago, where I live. I'm sure that had this evil deed happened prior to all these electronic aids, the investigation would be much further behind where it is now, and many more people would be either trapped, or unable to contact their relatives that were on vacation, or otherwise hard to reach. I think technology is tool, like any other tool, and it can be used for good or evil. Negative. If we travel by air in the future, we may be subject to longer delays as further electronic searches of our baggage, or other inconveniences. I work for a Defense Contractor. We did not close, and starting Tuesday afternoon, security here was much tighter, with guards checking out all outgoing and incoming bags (usually they just check outgoing). No visitors were allowed unless they had been pre-arranged. Badges (combination photo and credit-card-like-thing we wear with a clip attached to our clothing) only allowed worn on left side of collar (we usually have more leeway on the location). All these things have taken a little more time to get through the entry doors, but as far as I'm concerned, they're all for my safety, and I'm all for them. Our society has a whole may have to do the same thing, put up with more inconvenience, that ultimately, will be for our own safety. A: FROM MENTOR CAROL TOMAN at Lucent Technology itself is neither good nor evil -- it is amoral -- outside the realm of morality. It is up to each of us to try each day to make the world a better place. While we may not have much influence on the big picture, we don't affect national policy or hunt down the "bad guys", we all have a big influence on our immediate world. For adults, peace can begin behind the wheel of their cars, when they are polite to other drivers. For you in school, peace can begin on the bus and in the lunch lines when you treat other students with respect. At this time we must be very careful to guard against the mistake made by the terrorists: we must not punish innocent people for the perceived crimes by other members of a group. Each of us chooses every day and life goes on. A: FROM MENTOR MARY JO MULLEN at Patrick Engineering Our entire company received a memo from our president that morning which gave guidelines for our personal and professional actions during this time. All employees were allowed to leave if they felt it necessary, or spend as much time as they wanted in the areas where TVs were set up to watch live coverage. He encouraged us all to spend time with loved ones, especially those who may be affected by this tragedy. The second part of the memo dealt with the potential need our clients will have for engineering assistance. During that day, there was much speculation that amid the chaos, some horrible person may attempt sabotage of water, air or infrastructure. We were charged to contact all of our clients who may be in these industries and offer our immediate assistance. No contracts, no budgets, just get out there and help however we could. I think we all as engineers and scientists have an obligation to humanity to do whatever is possible to help the country and our fellow Americans through this in whatever way we are qualified. If I were a medical professional, I would have been in my car on the way to New York that morning. This is horribly distracting to me at work. I find myself looking for updates constantly, hoping they have found more people alive in the rubble, or hoping they have found the lunatics who are responsible. I know though that I have to keep working and not disrupt my normal way of life. Otherwise they win. And beyond being engineers and scientists, I think as people we all need to come together, fly the flag proudly, and pray in whatever way is appropriate for you for the victims and their families. All of my friends in New York have been accounted for. But many of their friends are still missing. I pray for those missing, and those who look for them. A: FROM MENTOR KRISTIN TAGHON at Lucent I have been thinking about
this almost non-stop since Tuesday morning, as I am sure everyone
has. Shock was followed by fear and helplessness. I still feel very
helpless and frustrated. As a Caucasian, it is sometimes hard to
understand how it feels to be blatantly discriminated against (although,
as a woman, I sometimes feel that discrimination, though subtle).
It is hard to understand why a group of people would hate Americans
so much that they would risk their lives. Because of this, some
people are apt to act quickly and retaliate quickly, using all the
technology at their disposal. This is the negative use of technology.
Positively, we can replace communication equipment fairly quickly,
to help in communication with possible victims, between families,
and between rescue workers, etc. Technology can be used to help
bring order back to our lives, to help heal physical and emotional
wounds. It still amazes me that, as I watch the aftermath, they
are using little technology to aid in finding victims of the attack.
As professionals and as students, improving the positive outcomes
is not necessarily by using technology, but by controlling our emotions
and thoughts. What has been done against the American people cannot
be repeated against other cultures and ethnic groups, in retaliation.
I know that this event has made me realize that I still have some
improvement along these lines. I hope that others realize that actions
against whole groups of people are irrational and emotional, at
best. =========================================================================
Thank you to all participants who have responded that they desire
to continue with the GEM-SET program in the Fall as it expands into
30 states across the nation. For those of you unable to continue,
we hope that this experience has been valuable to you during the
Summer months. Anyone who has not yet responded to Nancy Chen's
letter posted on GEM-SET on September 17, please take the time to
respond before September 24th. We will be working hard to update
the GEM-SET list with new members and remove names of all participants
requesting to no longer receive the GEM-SET postings. Another change
in the Fall will be a new web site dedicated to the Girls' E-Mentoring
in Science, Engineering, and Technology program. Do you know of
links that might be appropriate for this web site? Please send them
to GEM-SET@uic.edu so they can be placed on the new web site currently
under development. Thank you! =========================================================================
Here are some web sites recommended by our GEM-SET mentors. Check
them out when you have time. Women of NASA http://questdb.arc.nasa.gov/content_search_women.htm
Here are some more web sites recommended by our GEM-SET mentors. Check them out when you have time. Space Kids Science Learning Network =========================================================================
Q: HOW MAY PARTICIPANTS ARE PART OF THE GEM-SET PILOT TEST? A: 46 participants signed up for GEM-SET during the months of June
Mentors-we are updating the GEM-SET web site and will be adding
new mentor Dear GEM-SET participant, We would like to extend our warm welcome to everyone participating in the Women's Bureau Girls' E-Mentoring in Science, Engineering & Technology (GEM-SET). Your participation is vital in making sure that the project goals are achieved. The three main goals of GEM-SET are: 1) To increase student participants' awareness of the benefits
of working in SET fields and the career options within SET. The Women's Bureau is committed to expanding the opportunities for girls and women to enter and succeed in education and careers in science, engineering & technology (SET). As we begin the 21st century, it is clear that more jobs will be created in SET than any other field. We know that women can excel in SET careers, which will provide above-average salaries and ensure economic self-sufficiency. We believe that women in SET fields can help encourage girls to take the classes in science, engineering and technology; show girls that SET careers are fun, exciting and challenging; and share experiences to help girls overcome the concerns and barriers. This is what we hope to achieve through our mentoring program, and we thank the enthusiastic support from our women mentors. Girls, we hope you will ask questions about education, careers, obstacles, peer pressure or any other issue that arises with education and careers in SET. The moderator of the day will send out discussion questions to start the dialogue. Girls and mentors can jump in and join the discussion by sending their questions and comments to GEM-SET@uic.edu. Guidelines for discussion include: SET classes, classroom problems, classroom successes Each evening a daily digest will be compiled that combines all the GEM-SET discussions into one e-mail. These daily digests will be sent out once each day, Monday through Friday, from September 26, 2001 through September 25, 2002. We want you to participate at the time that is most convenient for you. Feel free to make comments any time, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Daily digests are intended to prevent your inbox from overflowing, while also allowing the discussion to flow daily. List moderators will be responsible for approving all postings to assure that GEM-SET guidelines are followed. Thank you for being part of the GEM-SET project. We hope you find this experience rewarding and fun! If you have any problems sending to the list or receiving daily digests, please contact Sarah Shirk, Project Coordinator at sshirk1@uic.edu or call her at (312)413-1636. To unsubscribe to this list or to change your e-mail address send a request to gem-set@uic.edu. Sincerely, NEW QUESTION: As we embark on this e-mentoring program it is a good time to think about past mentors in our life. Who are the most important mentors in your life and why? ____
|
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
 |
||