traditional trendsetters - Central Catholic High School :: K-Space ...

20 Student Life Fall 2008Central Catholic Celebrates Women in ScienceOn March 18, Central Catholic High School held a luncheon celebrating women in science. The luncheon wasthe inaugural event in the school’s Kranz S.P.A.C.E. room, which houses the lunar sample that is part of theAmbassador of Exploration award that NASA presented to Gene Kranz ‘51 last December. Kranz dedicated hisaward to CCHS.Junior girls from Central Catholic’s upper level science classes were invited to have lunch and take partin the presentation in the S.P.A.C.E. (Stars, Planets, And Creative Exploration) Room. Appropriately heldduring Women’s History Month, the event was designed to inspire women to take an active interest in mathand science.CCHS Information and Technology teacher Paula Domitio was instrumental in planning the day’s events. Shebegan by showing a Power Point presentation about the space missions leading up to the moon landing. Sheexplained to the students that she feels strongly about women in education and science. Although she is not ascience teacher, she wanted to be involved in this presentation to the students. The day Gene Kranz presentedto moon rock to Central Catholic was the first day Domitio returned to work after her husband passed away.“I attended the Kranz assembly and received a strong nudge from above,” Domitio recalls. “The idea of spaceexploration appealed to me personally, but that day I truly felt the force. I wanted to be involved, soKim Hoffman (CCHS librarian) asked me to create the Power Point presentation. I began to do some extensive research about women and theircontributions to flight and the space program. These women had the passion and determination to try to be the first women on the moon. Eventhough they did not accomplish their goal, I identified with their struggle. Their accomplishments are worth sharing and celebrating today. Thepresentation was my effort to inspire women to feel the force within them and to find their passion.”Sloan Eberly, the education programs manager from C.O.S.I. Toledo, addressed the students next. SinceC.O.S.I. closed in December, Eberly has been doing outreach programs at schools and community centers.She demonstrated the process of heating and cooling a space shuttle tile that was donated by NASA, and shepresented several interesting experiments involving liquid nitrogen.Finally, Jordan Rhodes ‘05 spoke to the students. She iscurrently majoring in engineering at the University ofMichigan. Rhodes said her father was an engineer andthat she has been interested in science since she took hertoys apart as a child just to see how they worked. Shespoke of her research projects, research opportunities, andher involvement with W.I.S.E. – Women in Science andEngineering. Rhodes moved to Indianapolis this summerand plans to obtain a mechanical engineering degree fromPurdue University. She hopes to eventually work in planedesign for Boeing or Lockheed Martin.Rhodes talked about the minority of women in engineering and how to deal with the naysayers.“Central Catholic prepared me well academically and helped me to be well-rounded,” she said.“It helps in college if you find other women in the science fields and ban together. People withthe same values and interests can helpsupport each other.”Kim Hoffman, the CCHS librarianwho has taken an active role in planningactivities for the Kranz S.P.A.C.E.room, was very pleased with the inauguralevent. “Gene Kranz gave CCHSthe lunar sample to inspire futuregenerations of explorers,” she said.“The luncheon was the first of manyevents in this mission of inspiring ourstudents.”Left: Sloan Eberly showing herexperiments. Top right: Kim Hoffmanand Jordan Rhodes. Right: PaulaDomitio speaking to the students.One Faith. One Community. One Mission.