Sally Ride encourages girls to engineer careers
Gracie Eddy could be the first woman to walk on the moon.
After all, the McCandless girl has the blessings of the first American woman in space.
Sally Ride spoke about the importance of encouraging girls to pursue careers in math and science -- and shared awe-inspiring stories of looking down on Earth while floating in weightlessness -- to more than 800 people gathered Tuesday for the 6th annual United Way of Allegheny County's Women's Leadership Council Breakfast at Heinz Field.
"When I was a little girl I always dreamed of flying in space, and unbelievably -- I still can't believe it to this day -- that dream came true," said Ride, a physics professor at the University of California, San Diego. "Now it's up to all of us to inspire and to assist the next generation of girls and young women to reach for the stars and achieve their dreams, too."
Eddy, 9, won a raffle to meet Ride, who told her that NASA would be looking for astronauts to return to the moon about the time that the Girl Scout is old enough to apply.
"I've wanted to be an astronaut for a really long time now," Eddy said, showing off the math and science badges on her Girl Scouts uniform. "Two of my most favorite subjects at school that I really like are math and science."
In 2001, Ride founded Sally Ride Science, catapulting her fame from boarding the space shuttle Challenger in 1983 into an enterprise that helps girls pursue careers in science, math and technology. Today, 11 percent of engineers and 20 percent of the scientific workforce is female, Ride said. In 1973, when Ride was pursuing an education in physics, women made up only 8 percent of the science and engineering workforce.
The goal is in line with the Women's Leadership Council's mission. The council started in 2001 and strives to persuade women -- who are increasingly recognized for work in business, banking, science and medicine -- to use their power to make a difference as philanthropists.
"I was brought up with the belief that you can do whatever you put your mind to," said Kim Fleming, co-chair of the council and president of Hefren Tillotson, an investment advisory firm with offices Downtown. "I think most women who need the services of the United Way are not given that message when growing up."
Since its inception, the council has contributed nearly $7 million to the United Way, which gives at-risk children opportunities to achieve their career dreams.
Ride -- who was on the board that investigated the 2003 space shuttle Columbia explosion -- said after her speech that she supports NASA's decision to decommission the space shuttle program by 2010 in favor of better spacecraft and missions to renew lunar exploration.
"It's very important," she said. "The space program is, at its best, a shining example of what we can do in this country when we put our minds to it."
