OPN Column February 2014: Reflections in Diversity
Making Physics Cool, Getting past misconceptions to get young minorities interested in Physics,by Brandon James Johnson, has a master’s degree from Stanford University and is a Ph.D. candidate in aerospace engineering at Georgia Tech. He is the NSBE 2014 Convention Planning Committee Chair.
Brandon Johnson outlines the situation in inner city schools in the US for minority pupils and the restricting stereotypes that make young black men reluctant to consider careers in physics or science.
He explains how the "Cool Pose" culture, a term coined by psychologist Richard Majors, an educational pyschologist, can alienate young people and cause them to lose opportunities.
He outlines a number of important factors: teachers as role models in school; finding out what is cool to students and integrating it into science programs; emphasizing real world applications from science in the school curriculum
OPNMakingPhysicsCoolBJJohnson