National Academies

So I don't know how many of you have even heard of the US National Academies.  Yeah, me neither until I came to Washington DC. BUT! through my research of trying to find a job in DC, I realized how awesome the academies are!  Here's an overview:

There are 4 Academies: National Academy of Science, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and the National Research Council.

They are honorary service organizations. Basically, you need to be nominated to get into the "club."  Isn't that cool?!

A main point of the Academies is to educate the public.  It's great that there's an organization with 300 Nobel Laureates (that's right! 300!) to come together and get other people excited about science.

They help to consult the US Government on matters involving science (with means pretty much anything). So those people within the academy have a duty to show their view on the scientific matters.

The Academies publish about 200 reports every year. These reports help to influence public policy.  Think, you could write a report on, say, obesity, and the it's possible that this would get the attention of the media and Congress.  If interested in the up-and-coming trends of engineering, this may be a good resource.  


For more information, visit the National Academies.  Check it out, there may be something that peaks yoru interest. I'm also thinking of a field trip in the near future. :-)

Inspirations- Marie Curie

One of my greatest inspirations for science is Marie Curie.  She is one of the few women who has really shown her talent and hard work.   But Madame Curie has led the way for women to revolutionize science.

From what I've read, Marie and her husband (Pierre) received a set of bicycles as a wedding present.  They conducted their science experiments together, and when things got tough in the lab, they would de-stress by riding through the streets of Paris for hours on end. How romantic!


However, I would argue that Pierre helped to create this female revolution.  When he and Henri Becquerel were offered the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1903, Pierre refused the reward unless the committee included his wife, who stood next to him conducting the experiments. I want a husband like him.  She became the first woman to receive the Nobel Prize.

A few years later, Pierre was killed by a horse-drawn wagon (what a way to die!), and Marie took his place as a Professor of General Physics in the Faculty of Sciences at Sorbonne in Paris.  Again, she was the first woman to hold this position.  Her hard work really stood out.

In 1911, she received the Nobel Prize again, but this time in Chemistry.  She become the first person to receive two Nobel Prizes.  Afterward, she went on to promote science within federal governments and use radium for therapeutic purposes.

In 1934, Marie died of aplastic anemia due to her radiation exposure from experiments.  She is definitely a woman to devote herself to her work. 

Today, many of us women are criticized for being put into positions for simply "being a woman."  However, Madame is an example that we, too, can be exemplary in our work to show that women are equal, if not better, in STEM.