Like so many other children, Fabienne Bastien didnot like to go to sleep at bedtime <\/p>\n
She recalls her mother lying alongside her, telling her to look out her window into the night sky because her guardian angel was there. And as she searched for this elusive guardian angel, what she found instead was the moon and stars, among other astronomical delights. <\/p>\n
Despite Washington, D.C., metro-area light pollution that can restrict one's view of the cosmos, Bastien pinpoints that moment as the one when she got hooked on astronomy, knowing it held her future, if not an actual guardian angel. <\/p>\n
Many astronomers and astrophysicists speak of that same source of inspiration. But, while our solar system's immensity and beauty have an almost universal appeal, the astronomy and astrophysics career field has had very little representation from minority populations. <\/p>\n
In a study done by the American Astronomical Society, which includes most professionals and many students in these fields, only 21 percent of its members is female, which is light-years ahead of the representation of African Americans and Hispanics\/Latinos--1 percent and 3 percent, respectively. <\/p>\n
Not surprisingly, those numbers have prompted a call for diversity within the astro community. <\/p>\n
In 2008, the National Science Foundation (NSF) started a program called Partnerships in Astronomy and Astrophysics Research and Education (PAARE, pronounced \"pair\"). Its goal was to identify and explore ways to repair \"leaks\" in the astronomy\/astrophysics career pipeline for minority students. In many cases, minority students would start out studying astronomy, but they weren't making it all the way through the pipeline to pursue science careers. <\/p>\n
When Bastien finished her undergraduate degree at the University of Maryland, she too wasn't sure whether she was appropriately prepared for the rigors of a grad school education in astronomy. <\/p>\n
\"I was petrified of grad school,\" she said. \"I hadn't taken advantage of research opportunities as an undergrad largely due to personal challenges. But also because our department was so big, I fell between the cracks there.\" <\/p>\n
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See the rest here: <\/p>\n
Making stars: Astronomy program provides tools, support to enhance diversity<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Like so many other children, Fabienne Bastien didnot like to go to sleep at bedtime She recalls her mother lying alongside her, telling her to look out her window into the night sky because her guardian angel was there. And as she searched for this elusive guardian angel, what she found instead was the moon and stars, among other astronomical delights. Despite Washington, D.C., metro-area light pollution that can restrict one's view of the cosmos, Bastien pinpoints that moment as the one when she got hooked on astronomy, knowing it held her future, if not an actual guardian angel. Continue reading