<p>Interesting. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.startribune.com/389/story/1051634.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.startribune.com/389/story/1051634.html</a> </p>
<p>A black woman scientist, age 60, is concerned that the current generation of students in the United States has too little interest in science.</p>
<p>bravo...and salute to her.</p>
<p>Awesome. I love to see articles like this! Here, here!!!</p>
<p>This seems to tie in with the Bill Gates thread of a week or so ago where he too doesn't think there are enough American kids aligning themselves with Math/Science/Engineering areas.</p>
<p>Ms. Jackson is sure an accomplished person and should be a role model for others.</p>
<p>She is an amazing individual. She spoke at the Accepted Students Open House at Rensselaer last year - excellent speaker and very accomplished.</p>
<p>The problem is US high schools concentrate more on sport competitions (but less on regular health education) than on math, sciences and humanities. The gyms, stadiums, playing courts are the most important and expensive facilities in schools and are underused. Students can go to play sports after school or on the weekends at anytime but cannot find rooms to work on science projects or math competitions. Schools are willing to provide school buses, festival parties,... to sport teams but require students participating in math, sciences, debates,... to provide their own material fees, transportation and snacks. Math and science teachers are willing to coach sport teams but don't want to get involved with extracurricular math and sciences activities. Students who wish to have fun and to be healthy cannot take sport lessons with school coaches to play sports once or twice per week. They have to play 5 or 6 days per week in a varsity team or no sport at all.</p>
<p>Quite frankly I think that we overemphasis interest in and rewards for science-oriented kids. How much attention is paid to young historians, writers, poets? Not much.</p>
<p>I agree with tsdad, we don't have to take away from science awards etc, but for the people like my daughters, interested in the humanities, etc., not much out there</p>
<p>And colleges recognize the science and math awards, while the few other awards, eh, not so impressed</p>
<p>And about the sports being over emphasized...yep...we have students who are missing their Prom because of a sports event....well, I don't feel TOO bad because this sport takes resources from the school to serve a few at the expense of many</p>
<p>African American and female at MIT in the late '60's? There's got to be something VERY special about her to have survived and thrived!</p>
<p>"Quite frankly I think that we overemphasis interest in and rewards for science-oriented kids. How much attention is paid to young historians, writers, poets? Not much"</p>
<p>I strongly agree. However this thread is about sciences. A different thread would bring more attention to people.</p>