Inventing
the Future: African American Contributions to Scientific
Discovery and Invention. (1994). 30 minutes, color.
Produced and distributed by
The American Chemical Society.
|
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This video, produced
by the American Chemical Society, gives a broad basis
for African and African American contributions to
science. Starting out with contributions that ancient
Africa made, it connects chemicals they used in everyday
life to the ones that are still being used today.
Included is information about African American
scientists from the 1800s to the present day. The one
limitation of this film is that it focuses only on
African Americans in the United States and tends to
focus only on chemistry and biology.
(Reviewed by
Lauren Bailes and Gretchan Repaal from Eastern
University) |
Men
of Honor. (2001). 128 minutes, color. Directed by G.
Tillman, Jr. Distributed by Twentieth Century Fox Film
Corporation.
|
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Men of Honour
chronicles the struggles of an African American sailor,
Carl Brashear, who dreamt of becoming a U. S. Navy
Master Diver. Brashear had to learn the physical and
chemical principles behind diving so that he could
successfully dive without injuring himself or anyone
else. In addition to overcoming the hurdle of learning
the science behind diving, Brashear also had to endure
the discrimination toward him from his commanding
officer because African Americans were not allowed to be
Navy divers at this point in history. While this is an
inspiring story, based on a true story, some of the
language is objectionable and may not be appropriate for
all settings.
(Reviewed by
Lauren Bailes and Gretchan Repaal from Eastern
University) |
Websites
This comprehensive site
gives an overview as well as biographies of women in science
over the course of the world history. An introductory essay
covers how long women have been in science, how science is
defined, and why women should be studied. A large number of
biographies of female scientists, although primarily
Eurocentric, are available, ranging from the ancient Greek era
to the modern times. In addition to being informative, the site
is engaging, with fun facts about women in science, and is
interactive, with a quiz and a crossword puzzle testing
knowledge of women in science. This site provides excellent
resources for both educators or students who are interested in
exploring the subject. (Reviewed by
Lauren Bailes and Gretchan Repaal
from Eastern University)
Just Garcia Hill: A Virtual Community for Minorities in
Science
www.justgarciahill.org/webbiography.asp
This website provides a
vast number of biographies of minorities in science, organized
alphabetically by last name. This portion of the website can be
a great resource for student research on scientists of color.
In addition, it contains a database that will help minorities in
science locate summer research programs, graduate school
options, and career information. High school and college
students of color who want to explore science careers may find
this portion of the site beneficial. (Reviewed by
Lauren Bailes and Gretchan Repaal
from Eastern University)
Multicultural Math Fair
http://mathforum.org/alejandre/mathfair/
This site provides information on
the multicultural math fair initiated by the Mathematics
Department of Frisbie Middle School in California. The Fair
began in the 1993-1994 school year, but this site contains an
archive of learning center activities between 1995 and 2000.
Useful for middle school teachers are the detailed descriptions
of learning center activities designed for 6th-8th graders. The
activity plans are written in both English and Spanish to
accommodate the bilingual population of the school. Any school
that wants to start a similar program may find the tips of how
to set up a multicultural math fair useful. It also provides
various links pertaining to multicultural mathematics.
Multicultural Math
Activities
http://www.cloudnet.com/~edrbsass/edmulticult.htm#math
Multicultural Science Lessons
and Resources
http://www.cloudnet.com/~edrbsass/edmulticult.htm#science
This collection of annotated
links to multicultural math and science activities and lesson
plans is hosted and maintained personally by Edmund Sass, Ed. D.
From Egyptian numerals to the Aztec calendar, interspersed with
biographical information on African, Chinese, and women
mathematicians, the mathematics collection offers playful and
practical options for math teachers at just about every level.
The slightly smaller science collection offers similarly diverse
resources for teachers of all levels, from biographical
information to Internet-based lesson plans.
Multicultural Pavilion's Multicultural Paths Mathematics and
Science
http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/sites/math.html
http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/sites/science.html
The Multicultural Pavilion
website was founded and has been maintained by Paul Gorski, Ph.
D. The Multicultural Paths section of this website provides a
substantial collection (nearly 40) of relevant links. The
collection offers a variety of resources such as scholarly
works, activity ideas, and interactive forums for educators
interested in implementing a multicultural perspective into
their math and science curriculum. Some of the links lead to
websites that are meant to be utilized by math and science
students and can be integrated into lesson plans.
Multicultural Perspectives in Mathematics Education
http://jwilson.coe.uga.edu/DEPT/Multicultural/MathEd.html
Hosted and maintained by the
Department of Mathematics Education at the University of
Georgia, this website aims to provide resources for those who
want to incorporate multicultural perspectives into their
mathematics curriculums. This site contains an extensive,
although slightly outdated, annotated bibliography of
multicultural issues in mathematics education compiled by four
of their professors from 1990-1994. Although referred to by
other multicultural mathematics websites, many resource links
are no longer functioning.
Multicultural Supersite Math and Science SuperLinks
http://www.mhhe.com/socscience/education/multi/sites/math.html
This website is also maintained
by Paul Gorski, Ph. D. and hosted/sponsored by the McGraw-Hill
publishing company. It provides a relatively small but annotated
collection of ten links to articles, presentations, and full
websites pertaining to multicultural perspectives on teaching
math and science. Some of these sites are also listed at
Multicultural Pavilion. Like the Multicultural Pavilion, the
resources range from scholarly works aimed at educators to
interactive sites aimed at students.
Women-Related Websites in Science/Technology
http://research.umbc.edu/~korenman/wmst/links_sci.html
Joan Korenman has compiled
website links pertaining to women in science with a wide range
of topics, from associations for women in math, science and
technology to women's involvement in all areas of science. In
addition, there are resources for educators to integrate gender
equity and to break down gender barriers. At the top of the
page is a link leading to a list of sites especially designed
for female students. This particular website would be a good
resource for educators of all levels but may be particularly
helpful for those who are secondary educators. (Reviewed by
Lauren Bailes and Gretchan
Repaal from Eastern University)
