Sunday, November 30, 2008
A celestial tribute to native Roanoker Beth Brown
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Shanna Flowers is The Roanoke Times' metro columnist.
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The Roanoke Valley Astronomical Society is looking for some more Beth Browns.
Brown, a NASA astrophysicist and Roanoke native, passed away last month. The first black woman to receive a doctorate in astronomy from the University of Michigan, Brown worked at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Her untimely death at the young age of 39 left a void in the science community.
As a tribute to Brown, the astronomical society has scheduled a stargazing activity for the public Monday evening at Brown's alma mater, William Fleming High School. The club wants more youth to follow the trail blazed by Brown, exploring astronomy as a hobby or potential career.
"There is a real dearth of African-American astronomers," said John Goss, a materials science engineer and Roanoke Times astronomy columnist.
"One of the most famous African-Americans [astrophysicists] is Neil deGrasse Tyson," Goss said, referring to the gregarious host of PBS' "NOVA scienceNOW." "Once you say his name, it's hard to come up with others. ... We want to try to promote science and astronomy to everybody. This is a great opportunity to do that and reach African-Americans in the process."
John Griffith, head of Fleming's science department, said the challenge these days is getting young people excited about science. Math and science, he lamented, aren't as popular as subjects such as marketing.
"It's difficult," said the veteran biology teacher. "Kids have to have some type of interest in it."
Griffith said Fleming has two astronomy classes, which collectively have about 40 students. About half of those students are black, he said. That's encouraging.
The school has promoted Monday night's activity, and Griffith hopes for a good turnout from students and the general public.
"I don't know how many will be there, but everyone who comes will have a good time."
The skies will be popping Monday night, Goss said, and club members will provide telescopes so participants can see the action.
As viewed from Earth, Venus and Jupiter, which are both bright planets, will pass each other very closely. In addition, a thin crescent moon will be to the right of the planets. The moon's craters will be easily visible via telescope.
Jupiter has four large moons of its own, Goss said, and they'll look like little stars next to the planet.
With all of that activity going on overhead, society members decided the space phenomena would be a good opportunity to expose the public to astronomy.
Someone in the society had the idea to have the event at the alma mater of Brown, who met with the club about five years ago.
About 70 people, including students from Roanoke Valley Governor's School and Fleming, showed up to hear Brown's lecture at the planetarium at the Science Museum of Western Virginia at Center in the Square.
Goss said the astronomical society has about 80 members, who are predominantly middle-aged men and all white. The members want young people to realize that astronomy and space exploration can be of interest to anyone.
"You think, 'astronomers -- Carl Sagan, Neil deGrasse Tyson -- these people are super smart. You can't speak to them.' It turns out astronomers are just like everybody else.
"When I met Beth Brown, I thought, 'She's just like everybody else,'" Goss said, remarking on her friendly and down-to-earth personality. "When I met her, it really drove home that astronomers are regular people, too.
"They have to come from somewhere. There's no reason they can't come from Roanoke."
Shanna Flowers' column appears on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.
