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Often when we look at biographies featuring people of color, they repeat the same themes: slavery & civil rights, music, sports. But people of color have contributed positively in every field, including the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math. These contributions should be celebrated all year long, not just during heritage months or when there’s a special focus on diversity!
Today on the blog, we feature 5 STEM innovators of color. Who else would you add to the list?
Founder of the Japanese car brand Honda, Soichiro Honda had an inventive mind and a passion for new ideas, and he never gave up on his dream. A legendary figure in the world of manufacturing, Honda is a dynamic symbol of lifelong determination, creativity, and the power of a dream.
Dr. Gordon Sato spent part of his childhood in the Manzanar Internment Camp during WWII, and later became a scientist. He created the Manzanar Project, which found a way to use mangrove trees to provide fuel and food for communities in Eritrea. With alternating verse and prose passages, The Mangrove Tree invites readers to discover how Dr. Gordon Sato’s mangrove tree-planting project transformed an impoverished village into a self-sufficient community.
Wangari Maathai was the first African woman and environmentalist to win a Nobel Peace Prize. Seeds of Change brings to life her empowering story, from her childhood in Kenya to her role leading a national movement.
Vivien Thomas was an African-American surgical technician who developed the procedures used to treat blue baby syndrome. Overcoming racism and resistance from his colleagues, Vivien ushered in a new era of medicine—children’s heart surgery. This book is the compelling story of this incredible pioneer in medicine.
Muhammad Yunus is an economist from Bangladesh who founded Grameen Bank and pioneered the concepts of microcredit and microfinance, for which he won a Nobel Peace Prize. Twenty-two Cents is an inspiring story of economic innovation and a celebration of how one person—like one small loan—can make a positive difference in the lives of many.
Diversify Your Nonfiction With These 5 STEM Innova said, on 9/28/2016 4:58:00 PM
[…] via Diversify Your Nonfiction With These 5 STEM Innovators of Color — Lee & Low Blog […]
Celebrating 25 Books Over 25 Years: Seeds of Chang said, on 10/17/2016 9:08:00 AM
[…] your nonfiction collection with books about STEM innovators of color including Wangari Maathai, Soichiro Honda, Vivien Thomas, Muhammad Yunus, and Gordon […]
The scientific method has long reigned as the trusted way to test hypotheses so as to produce new knowledge. Shaped by the likes of Francis Bacon, Galileo Galilei, and Ronald A. Fisher, the idea of replicable controlled experiments with at least two treatments has dominated scientific research as a way of producing accepted truths about the world around us. However, there is growing interest in design thinking, a research method which encourages practitioners to reformulate goals, question requirements, empathize with users, consider divergent solutions.
Pre-eminent among writers of mystery stories is, in my opinion, Dorothy L. Sayers. She is ingenious, witty, original - and scientific too, including themes like the fourth dimension, electroplating, and the acoustics of bells in some of her best stories. She is also the inventor of the voice-activated lock, which her hero Lord Wimsey deploys in the 1928 short story 'The Adventurous Exploit of the Cave of Ali Baba'.
In a British Council report Martin Rose argues that the way STEM subjects are taught reinforces the development of a mind-set receptive to violent extremism. Well taught social sciences, on the other hand, are a potentially powerful intellectual defence against it. Whilst his primary focus was MENA (Middle East and North Africa) he draws implications for education in the West.
Geordi LaForge was yesterday’s #sketch_dailies! My dad is a big Star Trek fan and recently I’ve been making my way through The Next Generation and really liking it, even though there are a LOT of episodes.
And yes, I know what you’re thinking, my dad sounds like he’s the coolest. And your right, he is!
It is becoming widely accepted that women have, historically, been underrepresented and often completely written out of work in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Explanations for the gender gap in STEM fields range from genetically-determined interests, structural and territorial segregation, discrimination, and historic stereotypes. As well as encouraging steps toward positive change, we would also like to retrospectively honour those women whose past works have been overlooked.
From astronomer Caroline Herschel to the first female winner of the Fields Medal, Maryam Mirzakhani, you can use our interactive timeline to learn more about the women whose works in STEM fields have changed our world.
With free Oxford University Press content, we tell the stories and share the research of both famous and forgotten women.
Featured image credit: Microscope. Public Domain via Pixabay.
Davis, Kathryn Gibbs. 2014. Mr. Ferris and his Wheel. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Illustrated by Gilbert Ford.
Though written in a fully illustrated, engaging and narrative nonfiction style, Mr. Ferris and his Wheel is nevertheless, a well-sourced and researched picture book for older readers.
The story of the 1863, Chicago World's Fair debut of the world's first Ferris wheel (or Monster Wheel, as Mr. Ferris originally named it), is told in a flowing and entertaining style,
George arrived in Chicago and made his case to the construction chief of the fair.
The chief stared at George's drawings. No one had ever created a fair attraction that huge and complicated. The chief told George that his structure was "so flimsy it would collapse."
George had heard enough. He rolled up his drawings and said, "You are an architect, sir. I am an engineer."
George knew something the chief did not. His invention would be delicate-looking and strong. It would be both stronger and lighter than the Eiffel Tower because it would be built with an amazing new metal—steel.
and
it contains sidebars that impart more technical information that might otherwise interrupt the flow of the story,
George was a steel expert, and his structure would be made of a steel alloy. Alloys combine a super-strong mix of a hard metal with two or more chemical elements.
George Ferris' determination is a story in itself, but it is the engineering genius of his wheel that steals the show. A "must-have" for any school or public library.
Some facts about the original "Ferris" wheel:
834' in circumference
265' above the ground
3,000 electric lightbulbs (this itself was a marvel in 1893!)
forty velvet seats per car
Ferris wheel at the Chicago World's Fair c1893. Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on publication. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division[/caption]
It's STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
Everything in the natural world has structure – from the very small, like the carbon 60 molecule, to the very large such as mountains and indeed the whole Universe. Structure is the connecting of parts to make a whole – and it occurs at many different levels. Atoms have structure. Structures of atoms make molecules, structures of molecules make tissue and materials, structures of materials make organs and equipment and so on up a hierarchy of different levels as shown in the figure. Within this hierarchy of structure, man-made objects vary from the very small, like a silicon chip to the very large like a jumbo jet. Whereas natural structures have evolved over aeons, man-made structures have to be imagined, designed and built though our own efforts.
Many people, including much of the media, attribute this activity solely to architects. This is unfortunate because architects rely on engineers. Of course the responsibilities are close – it is a team effort. Architecture is the devising, designing, planning and supervising the making of something. Engineering is the turning of an idea into a reality – it is about conceiving, designing, constructing operating and eventually decommissioning something to fulfil a human need. The fact is that engineers play a critical creative role in making structural forms that function as required. They should be given at least equal credit.
Your personal structure is your bones and muscles – they give you form and shape and they function for you as well – for example bone marrow produces blood cells as well as lymphocytes to support your immune system. Your musculoskeletal system also includes all of your connecting tissue such as joints, ligaments and tendons which help you move around. On it are hung all of your other bits and pieces, such as your heart, brain, liver etc. Without structure you would just be a blob of jelly – structure supports who you are and how you function.
In a similar way the structure of a typical man-made structure, like a building, will have beams and columns together with all of the connecting material such as joints, slabs, welds and bolts which keep it together. On it are hung all of the other parts of the building such as the equipment for heating, lighting, communication and all of the furniture, fixtures and fittings. Without structure a building would just be a random pile of components – the function of structure is to support all the other functions of the building.
Garabit Bridge built by Eiffel in France. Photograph by David Blockley.
We can think of the form of a structure from two different points of view – I’ll call them architectural and functional. If you were a building, then the architect would decide your gender, what you look like, your body shape and appearance. However the architect would not decide what is necessary to make the various parts of your body function as they should – that is the job of various kinds of engineer. In other words the architectural form concerns the sense and use of space, functional occupancy by people, symbolism and relationship to setting. It can be decorative and sculptural. The role of an architect is to understand and fulfil the needs of a client for the ways in which a building is to be used and how it will look – its overall form, appearance and aesthetic effect. But the architects who design buildings are not engineers and rarely have the level of scientific knowledge required of professionally qualified engineers. So for example structural engineers must design a structural form that has the function of making a building stand up safely. Indeed engineering safety dominates the design of large structures such as sky-scrapers, bridges, sports stadia, dams, off-shore platforms, fairground rides, ships and aeroplanes.
So what happens when the best architectural form and the best structural form are different – which takes precedence?
Safety and functionality are important necessary requirements – but of course they aren’t sufficient. We need more than that and herein lies the issue. Functionality is often taken for granted, assumed and dismissed as not needing an artistic, creative input – requiring ‘mere’ technique and ‘known’ science. But that is a misreading of being innovative and creative – engineers often do breathtaking complex things that have never been done before. Scientific knowledge is necessary but not sufficient for inspirational engineering – many assumptions and assessments have to be made and there is no such thing as zero risk. Engineering requires practical wisdom.
Some argue that form should follow function – another way of saying that the ends determine the means. However the original meaning, by the American architect Louis Sullivan in 1896, was an expression of a natural law. He wrote ‘Whether it be the sweeping eagle in his flight or the open apple-blossom, the toiling work horse … form ever follows function, and this is the law …’
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (London 2012 Velodrome Uploaded by Flickrworker) [CC-BY-SA-2.0] via Wikimedia Commons
The philosopher Ervin Laszlo pointed out the difference between form and function does not exist in natural structures. So nature shows us the way. Form and function should be in harmony. We should recognize that good architecture and good engineering are both an art requiring science – but aimed at different purposes. Their historical separation is unfortunate. If an architect specifies a structural form which (whether for artistic/aesthetic reasons or through incompetence) is unbuildable or unnecessarily expensive to build then the final outcome will be poor. The best and most successful projects are where the architects and engineers work together right from the start and given equal credit. At the most mundane level good structural design can leverage orders of magnitudes of savings in costs of construction.
Michel Virlogeux, the French structural engineer responsible for a number of big bridges including the Millau Viaduct in France, says that we design beautiful bridges when the flow of forces is logical. A good architect welcomes the engineering technical discipline to create form through structural art and intelligence and a good engineer welcomes architectural conceptual discipline to create form through aesthetic art and intelligence.
“Some people who do not possess theoretical knowledge are more effective in action (especially if they are experienced) than others who do possess it.”
Aristotle was referring, in his Nicomachean Ethics, to an attribute called practical wisdom – a quality that many modern engineers have – but our western intellectual tradition has completely lost sight of. I will describe briefly what Aristotle wrote about practical wisdom, argue for its recognition and celebration and state that we need consciously to utilise it as we face up to the uncertainties inherent in the engineering challenges of climate change.
Necessarily what follows is a simplified account of complex and profound ideas. Aristotle saw five ways of arriving at the truth – he called them art (ars, techne), science (episteme), intuition (nous), wisdom (sophia), and practical wisdom – sometimes translated as prudence (phronesis). Ars or techne (from which we get the words art and technical, technique and technology) was concerned with production but not action. Art had a productive state, truly reasoned, with an end (i.e. a product) other than itself (e.g. a building). It was not just a set of activities and skills of craftsman but included the arts of the mind and what we would now call the fine arts. The Greeks did not distinguish the fine arts as the work of an inspired individual – that came only after the Renaissance. So techne as the modern idea of mere technique or rule-following was only one part of what Aristotle was referring to.
Episteme (from which we get the word epistemology or knowledge) was of necessity and eternal; it is knowledge that cannot come into being or cease to be; it is demonstrable and teachable and depends on first principles. Later, when combined with Christianity, episteme as eternal, universal, context-free knowledge has profoundly influenced western thought and is at the heart of debates between science and religion. Intuition or nous was a state of mind that apprehends these first principles and we could think of it as our modern notion of intelligence or intellect. Wisdom or sophia was the most finished form of knowledge – a combination of nous and episteme.
Aristotle thought there were two kinds of virtues, the intellectual and the moral. Practical wisdom or phronesis was an intellectual virtue of perceiving and understanding in effective ways and acting benevolently and beneficently. It was not an art and necessarily involved ethics, not static but always changing, individual but also social and cultural. As an illustration of the quotation at the head of this article, Aristotle even referred to people who thought Anaxagoras and Thales were examples of men with exceptional, marvelous, profound but useless knowledge because their search was not for human goods.
Aristotle thought of human activity in three categories praxis, poeisis (from which we get the word poetry), and theoria (contemplation – from which we get the word theory). The intellectual faculties required were phronesis for praxis, techne for poiesis, and sophia and nous for theoria.
Sculpture of Aristotle at the Louvre Museum. Photo by Eric Gaba, CC-BY-SA-2.5 via Wikimedia Commons
It is important to understand that theoria had total priority because sophia and nous were considered to be universal, necessary and eternal but the others are variable, finite, contingent and hence uncertain and thus inferior.
What did Aristotle actually mean when he referred to phronesis? As I see it phronesis is a means towards an end arrived at through moral virtue. It is concerned with “the capacity for determining what is good for both the individual and the community”. It is a virtue and a competence, an ability to deliberate rightly about what is good in general, about discerning and judging what is true and right but it excludes specific competences (like deliberating about how to build a bridge or how to make a person healthy). It is purposeful, contextual but not rule-following. It is not routine or even well-trained behaviour but rather intentional conduct based on tacit knowledge and experience, using longer time horizons than usual, and considering more aspects, more ways of knowing, more viewpoints, coupled with an ability to generalise beyond narrow subject areas. Phronesis was not considered a science by Aristotle because it is variable and context dependent. It was not an art because it is about action and generically different from production. Art is production that aims at an end other than itself. Action is a continuous process of doing well and an end in itself in so far as being well done it contributes to the good life.
Christopher Long argues that an ontology (the philosophy of being or nature of existence) directed by phronesis rather than sophia (as it currently is) would be ethical; would question normative values; would not seek refuge in the eternal but be embedded in the world and be capable of critically considering the historico-ethical-political conditions under which it is deployed. Its goal would not be eternal context-free truth but finite context-dependent truth. Phronesis is an excellence (arête) and capable of determining the ends. The difference between phronesis and techne echoes that between sophia and episteme. Just as sophia must not just understand things that follow from first principles but also things that must be true, so phronesis must not just determine itself towards the ends but as arête must determine the ends as good. Whereas sophia knows the truth through nous,phronesis must rely on moral virtues from lived experience.
In the 20th century quantum mechanics required sophia to change and to recognise that we cannot escape uncertainty. Derek Sellman writes that a phronimo will recognise not knowing our competencies, i.e. not knowing what we know, and not knowing our uncompetencies, i.e. not knowing what we do not know. He states that a longing for phronesis “is really a longing for a world in which people honestly and capably strive to act rightly and to avoid harm,” and he thinks it is a longing for praxis.
In summary I think that one way (and perhaps the only way) of dealing with the ‘wicked’ uncertainties we face in the future, such as the effects of climate change, is through collaborative ‘learning together’ informed by the recognition, appreciation, and exercise of practical wisdom.
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Though there is an increasing focus on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education in the U.S., there remains a gender disparity among workers in these fields. According to a 2011 U.S. Department of Commerce report, women are less likely than men to have an undergraduate degree in a STEM field and they are also underrepresented in the STEM workforce.
Female role models and examples can be particularly helpful to combat this disparity and to encourage all children — and particularly girls — to pursue careers in STEM fields. Fortunately, there seems to be an increasing focus on women in STEM in children’s literature, which makes it possible to offer these role models in your classroom or library. The books below are some particularly good options for kids interested in STEM and they all focus on the contributions women have made in these disciplines. All of the books perfect for kindergarten through second grade unless otherwise noted.
Science
Rachel Carson and Her Book That Changed the World by Laurie Lawlor with illustrations by Laura Beingessner
Nature enthusiasts will find inspiration in Rachel Carson’s story of building a career as a biologist writing about the environment. The book opens in Carson’s childhood and details her education as a biologist at a time when few women were employed in the field and her struggles writing Silent Spring, her most famous book. It does not shy away from her battle with cancer, which ultimately killed her, and offers a note with additional information about Silent Spring’s impact. The book also includes numerous notes and a bibliography of both Carson’s books and other works about her.
Me…Jane by Patrick McDonnell
Jane Goodall is a particularly popular subject for books for all levels of readers, but this multiple award winner is among the best. Combining adorable illustrations, materials from Goodall’s own childhood notes, and selected photos, it shows how a childhood dream can become a reality, which is an inspirational message no matter what your goal in life may be.
Florence Nightingale by Demi
Though Florence Nightingale is a well-known historical figure, this book brings to light aspects of her life that will be unfamiliar to many readers, including her determination to pursue a career in nursing despite her parents’ reservations and her innovations in hygiene practices. The illustrations bring to life her family and the hospitals where she worked and will keep readers engaged. The book also includes a timeline of her life and books for further reading at the end.
Technology
Marvelous Mattie: How Margaret E. Knight Became an Inventor by Emily Arnold McCully
Born to a poor mother in 1838 at a time when few women had the opportunity to have a quality education or the freedom to become inventors, Mattie Knight used the toolbox she inherited from her father to start inventing as a small child. Over the course of her life, she created numerous important inventions, including a guardrail to protect workers in textile mills and a machine that is still used today to create paper bags. The book not only details her inventions but also shows her strength in defending them from those who tried to steal them from her. The illustrations incorporate examples of diagrams for her inventions and the book also includes an author’s note and bibliography with more information on Mattie.
Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women by Catherine Thimmesh; illus. by Melissa Sweet
This book, which is aimed at young readers in about second through fourth grade, collects stories of a variety of female innovators who created everything from a chocolate chip cookie recipe, to kevlar, to computer compilers. Young inventors are also included, offering great inspiration for young readers. All of the stories are illustrated with a combination of collages and paintings. The book ends with resources for young inventors.
Engineering
Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty; illus. by David Roberts
Rosie loves to invent things and hopes to be an engineer one day, but when one her inventions fails, she thinks about giving up. Her great-great-aunt sweeps in to convince her that she is wrong and to explain to her the importance of trial and error. The cute story and entertaining drawings will be sure to make this book a favorite.
Mathematics
Of Numbers and Stars: The Story of Hypatia by D. Anne Love; illus. by Pam Paparone
This book tells the story of Hypatia, a woman in ancient Alexandria whose father chose to educate her the same as boys were educated at the time. Despite the limitations placed on women at the time, she became a respected mathematician and philosopher, a process that this book brings to life through its illustrations.
Infinity and Me by Kate Hosford; illus. by Gabi Swiatkowska
Readers of this book follow an eight-year-old girl named Uma as she grapples with the concept of infinity. Friends and relatives all try to explain it through different analogies, bringing Uma to consider topics as divergent as music, friendship, and love in her quest to grasp the meaning of infinity.
You may have come to expect a full science program from my monthly posts here on the ALSC Blog. Today I’m going to share something a bit different, because my overall goal is to share STEAM programs–and science is just one facet of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math). I want to focus today on a recent school-age STEAM program we did at my library: Marshmallow Towers. It combined engineering and the creative aspects of arts and crafts. Here’s what we did:
Photo by Amy Koester.
The Opener: Talking about building. What sorts of things do architects and construction workers have to take into account when they think about building? We talked about design and knowing the materials you’re working with. I also made available lots of the library’s non-fiction titles that give a sneak peak into buildings and construction. Heavily illustrated books like those from David Macaulay and DK Eyewitness were attendees’ favorites, and many of the kids grabbed a book to take with them to the construction tables as inspiration.
The Challenge: Build marshmallow towers using mini marshmallows and toothpicks. Or, if the idea of a tower wasn’t sufficiently inspiring, kids could build whatever they wanted. In addition to mini marshmallows and toothpicks, I also made available paper and writing utensils in case kids wanted to sketch or plan their towers before building.
Photo by Amy Koester.
The Process: The bulk of the program was spent with children at tables building, and I spent my time moving from table to table and talking to the kids as they worked. These conversations are the prime opportunity to make any program’s STEAM connections explicit. All of the kids who were building were doing engineering, but they might not think of it that way without a bit of prompting. I like to point out how engineering is all about figuring out how to build something to the specifications you want. It’s about creative problem-solving, and building with marshmallows certainly offers instances of problem-solving.
When kids were occasionally struggling with their towers, I tried to make connections back to our non-fiction inspiration texts. “Structure falling down? Maybe it’s time to consider the types of shapes you’re making. Let’s look at some of these pictures of bridges. What shapes do you see in the construction of the bridge? How could you use those shapes in your building?” I like to set an example that, when we have a problem or question, we can usually turn to a book to find some possible answers.
Photo by Amy Koester.
The Result: First and foremost, the children who participated in this program had fun. They said they really liked getting to “play” with a food like marshmallows.
Beyond just the element of fun, however, kids got to truly engage in this program. They got to exercise creativity–envision a tower–as well as building and problem-solving–figuring out how to produce a desired result, making modifications as obstacles arose. That’s engaging the whole brain and demonstrating that neither engineering nor art are mutually exclusive. I think it’s very important for children (and their caregivers in the program with them) to experience the fact that all the STEAM areas are connected, and they are all interesting and enjoyable.
I have observed that there are far too many kids who come out of school and extracurricular activities thinking that they “aren’t good at art” or “aren’t good at science/math/etc.” all because of a standalone assignment or activity. In the real world, it’s all intertwined. And if kids get to experience that interconnectedness first hand, they’ll be more empowered to realize their own potential. They’ll also be able to engage in all the interesting things the world has to offer them, better understanding the world and thus enjoying it more deeply. If the library can facilitate some of those experiences? Well, that’s even better.
A week or so ago I rubbed shoulders with some of Kids’ Lit most illuminating talents at the Book Links’ QLD (The Centre for Children’s Literature) third Romancing the Stars event. The objective of these evenings is to meet and listen to as many authors and illustrators wax lyrical about their latest publication as possible in a frenzy of succinct deliveries and rotations – rather like speed dating, but with books and ultimately more satisfying.
Amongst them was, rising star, Andrew King. I first met Andrew and Engibear, both instantly likeable fellows, last year when Andrew and I were amongst the ‘daters’. I confess the first time I laid eyes on his non-typical picture book, I baulked at the complexity of its design and presentation. Perhaps it is the poor mathematician in me, but there seemed too many labels and numbers and graph grids! The detail overwhelmed me and the thought, ‘too much’ flickered through my mind like an wavering light bulb.
But Andrew’s compelling fervour for his work convinced me to look more closely. So I did, and fell in love with what I saw. Engibear’s Dream is neither too busy nor over-detailed, but rather a masterfully thought out and delivered tale of simplicity and perseverance. Engibear’s life is too full to pursue both his dreams and work. He needs help and being a clever engineer like his creator, sets out to design a Bearbot to help him achieve more. But grand schemes are rarely realised first time round. It takes Engibear several attempts to ‘get it right’ but he never gives up on himself or his Bearbot.
More than just a cute rhyming counting book about the rigours of planning and design, Engibear’s Dream covers the themes of sustainable living, finding balance in a world of progress and change and being innovative and tenacious in the face of failure. Mighty issues for small minds, but ones they will assimilate as they follow Engibear’s attempts to succeed, all superbly illustrated both schematically and in explosive colour, by qualified architect Benjamin Johnston.
I needed to find out more about the man behind the bear, behind the robot. So this week I have a bona fide, qualified engineer behind the draft table. Here’s what he had to say…
Q Who is Dr Andrew King? How would you best describe present self?
A 48 year old mixed bag: self, husband, dad, son, brother, relative, friend, engineer, co-worker, band member, aspiring author, committee member, community member, etc…
Fortunately, from my perspective, I have been very lucky and the mix has been good to me – I am trying to be good back.
Q Describe your 10 year old self. Did you have any concept then of what you wanted to do or be when you grew up? If so, what?
A 10 year old mixed bag – just a bit less in the mix – son, brother, relative, friend, school student, footballer, etc…
Fortunately (again) I had a very pleasant and carefree childhood. So carefree that I don’t think I had any real idea of what I wanted to do when I grew up. Interestingly though, I remember that a friend and I were writing and illustrating small books of jokes back in grade 6 and trying to sell them (for about 2 cents each). It has been more than 30 years since I last tried but I am now trying to write and sell books again.
Q Writing for children is not your first chosen occupation. Why take up the challenge now?
Kelly and I have been writing and drawing with our kids for years. We ended up developing characters like Engibear and the Bearbot and writing about their adventures in Munnagong. A few years ago my daughter, Marie-Louise, suggested that we should write a book.
Q Engibear’s Dream is your first picture book for children. What are you trying to impart with this book and why choose the picture book format?
The book started as a way of making engineering more accessible to young children. However, we wanted to make the book something more than an instruction manual. Therefore, we included a storyline (in this case a story about perseverance) and tried to include humour. We have also added numbers so that it can be used as a counting book.
To me drawing is a very powerful communication tool. The combination of words and pictures used in engineering drawings is a particularly useful way to communicate design ideas. The opportunity to include these types of diagrams and images of Engibear and the Bearbot meant that the book had to include pictures.
Q What sets Engibear’s Dream apart from other picture books currently on the shelves?
Engineering – in two ways.
Firstly, having a character that is an engineer, there are very few engineers in children’s literature. To me this is surprising as children seem to be very interested in the things that engineers do. Engibear provides a “friendly face” of engineering and therefore a way to introduce engineering to young children at the right level.
Secondly, including detailed engineering drawings. Ben Johnston is an architect who is used to working with engineers. Ben has created loveable characters and has also been able to contrast them with fantastically detailed design drawings of Munnagong, Engibear’s house and workshop, the Bearbot and its working parts. I think this combination of drawing styles allows children to enjoy the characters and the story and then also spend time thinking about how things work and making things (engineering).
Q How long from conception to publication did it take to realise Engibear’s Dream?
Building Bearbot was an early family story that is about 10 years old and was the basis for Engibear’s Dream. It sat in the cupboard for a long time. However, once we decided to write a book and chose this story it took about three years to get to publication.
Q It takes Engibear up to 10 types from prototype to final version before he engineers the perfect Bearbot. Does it take engineer Andrew the same number of attempts to design something new before getting it right?
If it is a book, yes – easily!
Depending on the complexity of the project I think engineering design can also take a lot of work. However, engineers have developed systems such as standards, computer modelling and design reviews to help make the design process robust.
Q Engibear’s dream is to have a life less strenuous with more time for enjoying the simple pleasures. What’s the one thing on your non-writing wish-list you’d like to tick off /achieve / produce?
I would like to read more fiction.
Q Do you have other writing dreams you’d like to fulfil?
I have a series of Engibear books planned. Munnagong is a busy place; there is a lot of engineering going on and a lot to write about.
Q Engibear is written in quatrain rhyming verse. As a first time author, did you find this difficult to pull off? Why did you choose to tell the story in this way?
We wrote the book in quatrain rhyming verse because this is how we made up verses when my children were younger – it just seemed to be a natural way to rhyme. However, while this worked for family stories, it was very difficult to do it properly. As an engineer I have some technical writing skills but I had to learn a lot about writing verse. Therefore, I did a course with Dr Virginia Lowe at Create a Kids Book and Virginia then mentored me.
Q You chose to publish your book via a partnership publishing company (Little Steps Publishing). Why? What other publication avenues did you explore if any?
I did contact some traditional publishers and received very polite rejections. I thought that rather than keep going down that route it would be better just to get on with it – self publishing seemed to be the answer.
Q What is on the design board for Andrew? What’s your next ‘writing’ project?
We have been making models of the characters in Engibear’s Dream and we have created a rsk based engineering game. I am also working on the next planned Engibear book “Engibear’s Bridge”. This book is about construction of an iconic “green bridge” near Munnagong State School which will be opened as part of the Munnagong Festival.
Brilliant Andrew! You know I can’t wait to meet your new characters and see their designs.
Like the most enthralling kids’ movies, Engibear’s story doesn’t just end with a ‘happily ever after’ moment. Keep page turning and be fascinated by full page project drawings of BBT-10, the Final Version, resplendent with some side-splitting specifications. My young miss could not go past the line drawn end pages detailing Munnagong, home of Engibear either. A fascinating read.
Designed for 3 – 8 year olds. Also riveting for boys, those with inquisitive minds, budding designers and anyone who likes to dream big.
I believe I've mentioned sometime over the years that we are an engineering family. Well, the Gauthiers aren't, but the family I married into is. Three generations of engineers among those folk. That's how I come to have a copy of PE in my house each month. The most recent issue includes an article on Emily Hunt and Michelle Pantoya, engineering professors who write the Engineering Everything series for older elementary students. Designing Dandelions is their most recent publication.
I have not read this book, but the description in PE makes it sound as if it puts instruction up front rather than story. "Designing Dandelions is their most recent book and aims to teach students that engineering involves learning from failures to design something better." Usually, I'm not drawn to the overtly instructive.
Why Designing Dandelions Caught My Interest
However, I was intrigued by a couple of things in the PE article on Designing Dandelions.
It says that Hunt and Pantoya "learned that young children have no concept of what engineers do." Yeah, I can tell you that many, many adults have no concept of what engineers do, either.
The business about engineering involving learning from failure in order to design something better is fascinating, too. According to PE, Hunt and Pantoya attended Engineering is Elementary workshops and that program "emphasizes that failure is an inherent part of the engineering design process...and that there shouldn't be a stigma associated with failure."
What I find so interesting about teaching the acceptance of failure as a part of engineering process is that it makes me wonder how that compares to the way writing process is perceived and taught. Are children taught to expect rejection of their writing? To expect critiquing, to learn how to respond to that critiquing so they can make their work better? Are they taught that some of their work may not be publishable as it is and isn't ready to submit? Are they taught that making those kinds of decisions are a big, big part of being a writer the way learning from failure is part of engineering?
0 Comments on An Engineering Possibility For Young Readers as of 1/10/2014 9:12:00 PM
Book: Rosie Revere, Engineer Author: Andrea Beaty
Illustrator: David Roberts
Pages: 32
Age Range: 4 and up
How on earth did I miss the publication of Rosie Revere, Engineer, a companion picture book to Andrea Beaty and David Roberts' Iggy Peck, Architect? I received Iggy Peck around the time my daughter was born, and I regret that I never reviewed it. But it is one of our favorites. We also adore Doctor Ted (reviewed here), and aspire to own the two sequels. So when I spotted Rosie Revere, Engineer in Books, Inc. last night, I snatched it down from the shelf, and purchased it, unread. I didn't need to read it to know that THIS was a book that I wanted for my daughter.
Rosie Revere is a classmate to young Iggy Peck (an architecture-obsessed boy who eventually uses his architecture skills to save his class, and win over his building-phobic teacher). Unlike Iggy, Rosie likes inventing objects; gadgets, gizmos, and machines. Rosie does all of her tinkering in secret, hiding her projects away under her bed, emotionally scarred by an uncle who laughed at one of her inventions years earlier. But when her great-great aunt Rose (an homage to the fictional Rosie the Riveter of WW II) comes for a visit, Rosie is inspired to try something bold.
The lesson of trying again if you don't succeed is overt:
"She handed a notebook to Rosie Revere,
who smiled at her aunt as it all became clear.
Life might have its failures, but this was not it.
The only true failure can come if you quit."
But I like how with only a bit of encouragement from a caring adult, Rosie figures out this lesson on her own, and then spreads it to her classroom. And I LOVE the more subtle message, that girls can be engineers, may even find engineering a calling.
I also like Andrea Beaty's bouncy, rhyming, non-singsongy text. Like this:
"But questions are tricky, and some hold on tight,
and this one kept Rosie awake through the night.
So when dawn approached and red streaks lit the sky,
young Rosie knew just how to make her aunt fly."
David Roberts' watercolor, pen and ink, and graph paper illustrations are perfect for this story. The second page spread shows Rosie, working away in her jammies, surrounded by hundreds or brightly colored gears and objects. A tinkerer could spend ages on this page alone. And adult readers will not miss the tiny image of Rosie the Riveter mixed in with all of the paraphernalia. The graph paper and some sections that include drawings of airplanes also remind me of the illustrations in Mini Grey's Egg Drop (reviewed here). There's a lovely spread that includes pencil drawings and hand-written notes about various achievements by women in aerospace. I also love the joy that jumps from the final page spread, in which Rosie and Iggy's classmates (a diverse collection overall) each celebrate their own inventions.
Rosie Revere, Engineer is a must-purchase for parents who would like their daughters to dream big dreams, and persevere in the face of adversity (and what parent doesn't?). I would expect this book to appeal to boys, too, of course, many of whom will relate to a love of gizmos and gadgets. I can't believe that I nearly missed this book. Score one for the face-out display at an independent bookstore. In addition to purchasing this for my daughter, I'm also sending a copy to an adult friend (a woman engineer) who I know will appreciate it. Highly recommended!
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (@abramskids)
Publication Date: September 3, 2013
Source of Book: Bought it for my daughter for Christmas
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One afternoon last week, a big box of books arrived in Miss Vicky’s classroom. After she explained to her students, who devote each Wednesday to studying science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), that the books were about “why things work and how they work”, the girls “shot up from their seats and ran over to the books.”
“Some of the younger girls didn’t understand all the words, but they kept reading,” she said. “Working hard to figure out what the book was about.”
Miss Vicky — known to the world outside her classroom as Vicky Hernandez — teaches girls, ages 6 to 18, at Girls Inc. of Metropolitan Dallas, and she strives to help them be strong, smart and bold.
Her students come from the surrounding West Dallas neighborhoods, an area known for high crime and struggling schools. Their parents have chosen to pay $5 every month so the girls can participate in tutoring and educational programming and receive a full, healthy meal each night after school at Girls Inc.
Recently, Miss Vicky received a grant from First Book, made possible by our generous corporate partner, Lockheed Martin. “We had some books,” she said, “but not STEM [science, technology, engineering and math] books.”
Despite the lack of resources, STEM is central to the curriculum at Girls Inc. They believe studying STEM improves their students’ chances for successful college and career placement.
“STEM books are so valuable, because they teach specific concepts while helping the girls develop their reading skills,” Miss Vicky said. “It’s not just reading to read, it’s reading to grow a greater knowledge base.”
First Book is grateful to our friends at Lockheed Martin for making it possible for us to provide books about science, technology, engineering and math to students like Miss Vicky’s across the country.
Thanks to partners like Lockheed Martin, First Book is helping thousands of kids in need get the books and resources they need. If you work with children from low-income families, sign up with First Book today to get brand-new, high-quality STEM books.
This week First Book is sharing stories about science and engineering from some of our friends at Lockheed Martin. Today’s guest blogger is Sarah Brown, a systems engineer with Lockheed Martin in Syracuse, New York.
I was exposed to engineering from an early age because both my parents are software engineers. But I never really understood what an engineer did beyond sit at a computer.
My freshman year of high school, I joined the FIRST Robotics team at my high school because I thought robots sounded really cool. Little did I know I was about to go through an intense start-to-finish engineering design project. After six weeks of staying late after school sanding drive rods and coming in on weekends to debug our roller mechanism, we had a complete robot that could actually drive around and pick up soccer balls. At that moment, seeing our idea finally come to fruition, I knew I wanted to be an engineer when I grew up.
Now, nine years later, I’m a third-year ELDP working as a systems engineer on a ground-based radar program. While our design cycles are a little longer than the six weeks we had on the robotics team, I still love being an engineer. Every day brings with it a challenging new problem, whether it be designing a new algorithm, debugging a problem in the lab, or dealing with a requirements change from the customer.
I’m always amazed at the new and exciting applications we find for our technology. For example, here at MS2 in Syracuse we’ve applied the signal processing techniques we use to detect targets with radar and sonar to the Mine Communication System (MCS), which helps trapped miners communicate with the surface in case of emergency.
If you’re a student, what do you think of Sarah’s job? What do you like (or dislike) about studying science and math in school?
This week First Book is sharing stories about science and engineering from some of our friends at Lockheed Martin. Today’s guest blogger is Jeff Marier, an aerospace engineer with Lockheed Martin in Syracuse, New York.
Looking for some adventure, I joined the Air Force right out of high school and got introduced to the engineering career field almost by accident when I was assigned as an electronic intelligence/radar technician. Fortunately, this turned out to be a very exciting field involving both cutting-edge technology and world-wide travel. Inspired by my superior officers, all of whom were electrical engineers, I chose, instead of reenlisting in the military, to pursue an electrical engineering degree from the University of Toledo (bachelor’s) and Syracuse University (master’s).
During my career at Lockheed Martin, my favorite part of my job has been developing very complex radar systems and delivering them all over the world. There is nothing more rewarding than to see your ideas go from the conceptual stages on paper to an actual system working on the top of a mountain somewhere around the world. The greatest inspiration for my work is that the systems we deliver typically have a direct impact on the security of those countries and our customers understand and appreciate that. Along with that, living in countries like Taiwan, Korea, Italy, Japan and Croatia for extended periods has allowed me to not only learn about many new cultures and places but has also gave me a greater appreciation of what we have here in the United States.
Engineering to me is essentially just creative problem solving. To help expose kids to the engineering career field, I visit many grade schools throughout the year and challenge student teams with open-ended projects that, given constraints on time and materials, encourage them to develop solutions by trial and error. Usually the most successful students tend to be the ones that have creative solutions and are willing to take risks by trying new things.
If you’re a student, what do you think of Jeff’s job? What do you like (or dislike) about studying science and math in school?
Today’s blog post is by Chandler Arnold, First Book’s executive vice-president and director of the First Book Marketplace:
Not long ago, First Book introduced a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) section on the First Book Marketplace, our award-winning online bookstore for programs serving kids in need. This special STEM section is made possible through our partnership with Lockheed Martin, a world-renowned aerospace, security and technology company, and their K-12 education initiative, Engineers in the Classroom.
To celebrate this partnership, we’re going to feature some special guest posts on our blog next week from Lockheed Martin scientists and engineers. They’ll share a little bit about the cool things they do every day as part of their jobs – like planning missions to Mars or delivering radar systems to clients in faraway countries.
In today’s global, high-tech economy, students in the United States face competition from all corners of the world, and they need to master subjects like math, technology and engineering in order to become the rocket scientists, aerospace engineers and computer programmers of tomorrow. Books about these subjects can be hard to come by for schools and programs serving kids from low-income neighborhoods, but, thanks to Lockheed Martin’s generosity, First Book is able to provide them – now and for years to come.
Like our friends at Lockheed Martin, we want the kids we serve to have the opportunity to become astronauts, study volcanoes and build the next generation of computers. Making these books available to them is the first step.
David Blockley is Emeritus Professor of Civil Engineering and Senior Research Fellow at the University of Bristol. His new book, Bridges: The Science and Art of the World’s Most Inspiring Structures, he explains how to read a bridge – its unique design and construction, and the way the forces flow through its arches, beams, or cables. It is also a celebration of the spectacular human achievement that has gone into bridges and therefore our living environment. It is the human aspect that Professor Blockley concentrates on in the below post, where he argues that the political world could learn a great deal from bridge-building.
In 1932 the Prime Minister of New South Wales, Jack Lang, opened the Sydney Harbour Bridge. He said:
‘The achievement of this bridge is symbolic of the things Australians strive for but have not yet achieved . . . Just as Sydney has completed this material bridge, which will unite her people, so will Australia ultimately perfect the bridge which it commenced 30 years ago at Federation . . . the bridge of understanding among the Australian people will yet be built.’
Physical bridges like the magnificent Sydney Harbour Bridge, or the wonderful Millau Viaduct in France, are built by people for people. To do that the bridge builders must form teams to accomplish difficult tasks. Teams work best when relationships are good. Relationships connect people so we can call them people bridges. I suspect whether you think Jack Lang’s vision has been achieved will depend on who you are and where you live, but the aspiration for the world is as strong now as it was then because the most difficult people bridges are those between racial and religious communities.
Physical bridges need three things; firm foundations, strong structure and effective working – so do people bridges. The better you understand something the more you appreciate it. Even if you aren’t an expert or technically qualified you can learn to read a physical bridge like a book – in other words understand the flow of forces. The firm foundations of people bridges must include an agreed set of ground rules – like not killing each other. The golden rule of most of the world’s religions ‘don’t do to others that you would not have them do to you’ is a good starting point. We should require our world leaders to negotiate such a ground rule with extremists. That is not to underestimate the difficulty of doing that. However, as Winston Churchill said, ‘To jaw-jaw is always better than to war-war’; just as a bridge fails with weak foundations so will a war on terrorism. The weakness in the ground may be in the subsoil – the weakness in the war on terror is in differing perceptions on the value of human life. There will be no long-term peace until there is some accommodation in the foundations – some agreement about common purpose. Then we can begin to set up strong structures supporting political processes and governance and people will begin to work together effectively. Even if we aren’t experts we need t
0 Comments on Bridges, and What They Can Teach Us as of 1/1/1900
Hi, my name is Tom Mittan and I’m an engineer at Lockheed Martin in Owego, NY. I began my career working as a structural engineer on the Presidential Helicopter Program, and from there have moved onto the K-MAX Unmanned Helicopter program as a systems engineer and aircraft performance data analyst.
My first inspiration to learn more about engineering began when I entered high school and joined a Lockheed Martin-sponsored engineering Explorer Scout Post (a division of the Boy Scouts of America), here in Owego, in New York’s southern tier. The Explorer Scout Post focused on hands-on activities that engaged students in the design and construction of various projects such as radio transceivers, robots, and remote controlled airplanes. The projects were not only fun and engaging, but also offered valuable insight into the engineering process and a great opportunity to interact with real engineers and learn more about what they do.
In addition to the Lockheed Martin-sponsored Explorer activity, I was also exposed to science, technology and mathematics through secondary school programs such as Science Olympiad and MATHCOUNTS, as well as Technology Education classes (a branch of traditional Shop classes). These experiences, like those in Explorer scouting, greatly helped to augment the principles I learned in my science and math classes by offering lots of hands-on experience and a chance to work in a team environment on some very interesting projects.
Without fun and educational experiences like those offered in the programs above, it’s often difficult for students to picture anything beyond all the formulas and equations taught in their calculus or chemistry classes. With them, however, students are able to experience firsthand all the exciting possibilities these fields have to offer.
Guest blogger Molly Cooney is a Lockheed Martin Engineering Leadership Development Program employee.
After 5 years at Lockheed Martin, my experiences have been varied and fascinating. I never would have imagined that upon graduating college as a Computer Science major from Villanova University, my jobs would include driving Humvees® or guiding satellite launches. But in fact, I have done all of those things and have had many other experiences that allow me to use my education in ways that make significant impacts on the world around us.
While learning on the job, I was also able to broaden my STEM foundation with a Master’s degree in Information Systems and Technology from The Johns Hopkins University. Thanks to both my foundational education and a Lockheed Martin leadership development program, I have been able to take rotational assignments in Maryland, Arizona, California and Virginia, which not only allow me to grow my skills in managing software programs, but allow me to learn about different cultures, lifestyles, and about what I want in my career and life.
I’m Matt Grecco, Software Engineer at Lockheed Martin. I received a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science from the University of Notre Dame and a Master’s Degree in Statistical Sciences from George Mason University.
One of the best things about working as an engineer is the wide range of projects you can work on. I’ve done everything from troubleshooting a computer problem on the train platform at Grand Central Station in New York City, to giving a live demonstration of our equipment to a battalion of German soldiers in southern Germany.
Another thing I really enjoy about being an engineer is the sense of accomplishment you gain when you get a breakthrough after spending days on a problem you just can’t seem to figure out. That feeling you get when the “light bulb” goes off in your head is truly unique. It gives you the satisfaction that coming up empty so many times really pays off in the end.
I’ve always been a problem solver and have always liked methodically putting things together. I grew up loving ™, which is usually the start every engineer gets. The same basic engineering principles involved in building fun Lego trucks and structures, are used daily in my work as an engineer allowing me to continue solving difficult problems.
My name is Jonathan Bredemeyer and this summer marks my fourth year at Lockheed Martin since I began working on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station near my hometown in Florida. I graduated in 2006 from the Florida Institute of Technology with degrees in Computer Engineering and Electrical Engineering. I’m scheduled to complete my Master’s degree in Software Engineering this year.
Everyone likes an underdog. Adversity makes for great storytelling after the fact, regardless of the outcome. This is one of the reasons I enjoy working on space-based systems. There are so many obstacles to overcome and only a single chance to get it right. Because of the formidable environment of space, nearly every product at Lockheed Martin Space System Company fits the ‘underdog’ story format. As a software engineer and a member of the Engineering Leadership Development Program, I’ve had the opportunity over the last several years to apply my engineering skills on three different products.
After graduating from Florida Institute of Technology, I started at Lockheed Martin in Cape Canaveral, Florida working as a member of a software team developing a test system for the Trident II missile. This involved literally walking through a missile every day to get to our test system. I learned a great deal about embedded programming and software engineering as an applied discipline, rather than the ideal practices I’ve always read about.
My next job rotation was in Sunnyvale, California as a member of the database group on a satellite program called SBIRS. During this time, it was fascinating to learn the transformation that software and data has to endure to make it onto a satellite and then be executed correctly. I also got to see a few of our satellites, which was an awe-inspiring experience. While large metal squares with antennas jutting out at odd angles aren’t pretty, they do give the feel of a technically advanced product engineered to overcome the harshest environment known to man.
Currently, I’m working on the GPS3 program in the Software group, developing a data management and generation system. Our system will collect all the data going on the satellites and process it to produce an acceptable upload file. This will allow the satellite to correctly send and receive commands that keep it functional and able to tell your car or phone exactly where you are located. As an engineer, I’m always looking for problems to solve, and working on space-based products has provided very interesting technological and scientifically challenging tasks in my discipline.
Now if only I can get on the Iron Man Suit Software team as my next job rotation…
Hello, I am Dr. Ray Johnson, the Chief Technology Officer for the Lockheed Martin Corporation.
I have a great job that allows me and the 70,000 Lockheed Martin scientists and engineers to explore and discover the wonders of science. We engineer solutions and use new technologies to protect people and improve their lives, and we constantly look for new and exciting ways to be innovative.
Technical careers rely on an educational foundation in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). My colleagues and I also rely on these technical disciplines. We are deeply concerned about the shortage of scientists and engineers here in the U.S. and about the need to reinvigorate future generations to pursue technical careers. We recognize the importance of these areas of study, and through our company’s support, we are involved in a number of initiatives to encourage students to get involved in STEM-related activities.
One initiative Lockheed Martin supports, and that I am greatly excited about, is the upcoming USA Science and Engineering Festival that will be held in Washington, D.C. from October 10-24, 2010. As the Festival Host, we hope to have a million people participate; the best part—it’s free. The event culminates with a two-day Science Expo on the National Mall featuring more than 1,000 exhibits spanning an incredible array of technical fields: aerospace, green energy, medicine, biotechnology, climatology, robotics, nanotechnology, and so many more.
The Festival will be an incredible experience for any student. We hope to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers to invest in their future and America’s future by studying science, technology, engineering, and math at their schools.
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Though there is an increasing focus on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education in the U.S., there remains a gender disparity among workers in these fields. According to a 2011 U.S. Department of Commerce report, women are less likely than men to have an undergraduate degree in a STEM field and they are also underrepresented in the STEM workforce.
Rachel Carson and Her Book That Changed the World by Laurie Lawlor with illustrations by Laura Beingessner
Me…Jane by Patrick McDonnell
Florence Nightingale by Demi
Marvelous Mattie: How Margaret E. Knight Became an Inventor by Emily Arnold McCully
Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women by Catherine Thimmesh; illus. by Melissa Sweet
Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty; illus. by David Roberts
Of Numbers and Stars: The Story of Hypatia by D. Anne Love; illus. by Pam Paparone
Infinity and Me by Kate Hosford; illus. by Gabi Swiatkowska
How on earth did I miss the publication of Rosie Revere, Engineer, a companion picture book to Andrea Beaty and David Roberts' Iggy Peck, Architect? I received Iggy Peck around the time my daughter was born, and I regret that I never reviewed it. But it is one of our favorites. We also adore Doctor Ted (reviewed here), and aspire to own the two sequels. So when I spotted Rosie Revere, Engineer in Books, Inc. last night, I snatched it down from the shelf, and purchased it, unread. I didn't need to read it to know that THIS was a book that I wanted for my daughter. 
![[INFOGRAPHIC] STEM Education Makes a Difference in Children’s Lives](http://blog.firstbook.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/infographic-promo-button.gif)
The better you understand something the more you appreciate it. Even if you aren’t an expert or technically qualified you can learn to read a physical bridge like a book – in other words understand the flow of forces. The firm foundations of people bridges must include an agreed set of ground rules – like not killing each other. The golden rule of most of the world’s religions ‘don’t do to others that you would not have them do to you’ is a good starting point. We should require our world leaders to negotiate such a ground rule with extremists. That is not to underestimate the difficulty of doing that. However, as Winston Churchill said, ‘To jaw-jaw is always better than to war-war’; just as a bridge fails with weak foundations so will a war on terrorism. The weakness in the ground may be in the subsoil – the weakness in the war on terror is in differing perceptions on the value of human life. There will be no long-term peace until there is some accommodation in the foundations – some agreement about common purpose. Then we can begin to set up strong structures supporting political processes and governance and people will begin to work together effectively. Even if we aren’t experts we need t
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