PASADENA, Calif.— Dr. Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, will be the featured speaker at the California Institute of Technology's Presidential Lecture Series on Achieving Diversity in Science, Math, and Engineering. The presentation, "Reach for the Stars: Encouraging Girls and Women to Pursue Technical Fields," will take place on October 17 at 4 p.m. in Ramo Auditorium on the Caltech campus. Caltech President David Baltimore will open the presentation and introduce Ride.
Selected as a NASA astronaut in 1978, Ride was involved in the design and testing of the space shuttle's robot arm, served as capsule communicator in NASA's Mission Control, and in the 1980s was a member of the support crew for the second and third shuttle flights. Ride served as NASA's first director of strategic planning and the first director of its Office of Exploration.
In 1989 Ride went on to become director of the California Space Institute, and also joined the faculty of the University of California at San Diego as the Ingrid and Joseph Hibben Professor of Physics.
In 2000 Ride established Imaginary Lines, Inc., a company dedicated to developing products and programs for girls and young women to encourage their interest in math, science, and technology. A staunch advocate for comprehensive science education, Ride has written four science books for children.
Also in 2000, Ride was elected to the Caltech Board of Trustees. The recipient of numerous honors and awards, Ride holds a PhD in physics from Stanford University.
As part of Caltech's continuing commitment to diversity, President Baltimore established the Presidential Lecture Series on Achieving Diversity in Science, Math, and Engineering to bring speakers to the campus and community who have had highly successful experiences in promoting women and underrepresented minorities in science and technology.
This event is free and open to the public. No tickets or reservations are required. Free parking is available; a parking permit may be obtained at the parking structure at 370 South Holliston Avenue. Ramo Auditorium is located near the center of campus, on the south side of the Baxter building and south of Beckman Auditorium.
And on March 29, 2003, the Sally Ride Science Club returns to the Caltech campus with the highly popular Los Angeles Science Festival for Girls. For more information on the festival, visit www.sallyridefestivals.com.
