Math doesn't suck
Categories: Teens & tweens, Media, Education, That's entertainment
Remember Winnie Cooper from the Wonder Years? Somehow, she managed to exude sweetness while still being beautiful. I know I was rooting for Winnie and Kevin to wind up together. After the show ended, Danica McKellar, the actress that played Winnie, kinda dropped out of sight. She had a good reason, though -- she was off to college.Danica went to UCLA and got a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics. Yep, not only is she a talented and beautiful actress, but she's smart too. In fact, she's so smart that while at university, she co-authored new research to prove an original math theorem. Now she's getting ready for the release of a new book, Math Doesn't Suck: How to Survive Middle-School Math Without Losing Your Mind or Breaking a Nail.
The book is aimed at middle school girls who, traditionally, have not been encouraged to focus on the sciences. In fact, when Mattel introduced Teen Talk Barbie in 1992, one of the phrases the doll said was "Math class is hard." So I'm pretty excited to see such a fun and accessible math book aimed squarely where it's needed. The book will be available in August, and I think I know what my twelve-year-old niece is getting for her birthday.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Monica 6-06-2007 @ 3:35PM
I am lucky that my daughter found a wonderful supportive science teacher in her first year of high school. She managed to turn a nominal interest and great aptitude into a love of discovery and experimentation.
When she announces her plan to study chemical engineering at university, I am continually amazed at people who still come out with comments like "Well that's an odd choice for a girl isn't it"
Here I thought we'd come so far.
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Uncle Roger 6-06-2007 @ 3:47PM
It shouldn't be an odd choice, especially since the reason we all have computers is because of a woman -- http://www.parentdish.com/2006/12/13/happy-100th-birthday-admiral-grace/
Nor is Chemistry an unusual field for women, given that one of the great pioneers in the field was a woman -- in fact, one of her two Nobel prizes was for Chemistry. Her daughter got a Nobel for Chem too, btw.
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