- Today on extra credit, we honor the achievements of some amazing women.

Stay tuned!

(upbeat music) Welcome to Extra Credit, where we meet interesting people, explore new ideas, and discover fun places together.

I'm your host, Treasure.

Today, we are celebrating the incredible contributions women have made in science, math, literature, the arts, and more.

First up, let's learn how women contribute every day to the success of NASA missions, and pave the way for future generations to reach the stars.

(upbeat music) - March is women's history month and there are women at NASA contributing every day to the success of our current missions and paving the way for future generations to reach for the stars.

Mallory Jennings is the first female system manager for the extra vehicular mobility unit, or EMU.

The EMU is the space suit worn by astronauts during a space walk outside the International Space Station.

Mallory coordinates all the engineering aspects, from hardware to new technologies.

From communications, to thermal protection, to oxygen, all the systems work together to protect astronauts from the harsh environment of space.

NASA is designing new space suits to use for Artemis missions to the moon.

Liana Rodriggs is leading the team using new technologies to develop and build the exploration EMU space suit.

She's the inspirational leader who will help our next moon walkers.

They will have more natural mobility, and a robust life support system to explore the lunar surface and beyond.

Have you ever driven a remote control car?

Now, imagine it was on another planet.

Farah Alibay is a systems engineer working on our new Mars rover, "Perseverance."

As the rover moves across the red planet, the systems she worked on make sure the rover knows the direction it's pointed, and updates that position for teams back on Earth.

She spent last summer testing our new rover's capabilities in a giant sandbox with the replica of the rover.

Not only do we study other worlds, we also study Earth, our very own planet.

From space, the Landsat program maps Earth's surface to provide information about our resources and environment.

Melody Djam is leading the development of an instrument on the newest Landsat spacecraft that will launch this September.

That instrument will measure the surface temperatures of our planet.

Lola Fatoyinbo Agueh uses satellite data and imagery to study forests.

Her research reveals how our ecology has changed over time, and works to predict how it might change in the future.

Lola is working to make our planet a better place.

Erica Alston inspires students through the space grant program.

As an engineer, she used our satellite data to focus on air quality and climate change.

Now, she expands opportunities for young Americans to understand and participate in our space projects, just like she did.

Erica is a role model for future generations.

Did you know the skills used to build spacecraft were also used to develop ventilators for COVID-19 patients?

Michelle Easter is an expert in mechatronics, which is the design, assembly, and test of mechanisms controlled by electronics.

She was part of the team that designed low cost ventilators in response to the pandemic.

Michelle was the first female to join the mechatronics group at our jet propulsion laboratory.

(upbeat pop music) (jet engine) Laurie Grindle is responsible for flight programs and projects at our Armstrong Flight Research Center.

Laurie oversees cutting-edge aerospace concepts and technologies, including experimental aircraft and unmanned aircraft systems.

Flight research and testing is vital in the development of new aircraft.

Women's contributions at NASA reach other solar systems.

Knicole Colon's work involves the discovery and characterization of exoplanets.

These are planets that orbit around other stars.

Using several NASA observatories, she was able to study a puffy exoplanet with low density, similar to styrofoam.

Knicole's work is expanding what we know about the universe.

At NASA, women innovate, break barriers, and explore the unknown.

The list of their accomplishments is being built upon every single day.

This March, take a moment to recognize the contributions of women in the world around us, and together we celebrate Women's History Month.

(upbeat pop music) - Architreks is brought to you by the Michigan Architectural Foundation; increasing public appreciation of how architecture enriches life.

(upbeat pop music) - Where exactly am I?

Or should I say, when am I?

Oh, hey everybody!

My name's Brian and I'm on another Architrek adventure.

And you won't believe it, but I just traveled back in time.

Well, not really, but it sure feels that way, because the building behind me has been standing over a hundred years.

Think about all the changes it has seen, and the story it could tell!

It's cool to think about how architects have designed the world around us, and how every building and structure that they've designed can become its own time capsule.

When you're an architect like me, it makes preserving historic buildings a very big and important part of your job.

But there's three big reasons why you'd want to preserve a building.

One, it looks really cool.

Two, it could be adapted or recycled for another use.

Or, three, it has historical significance to you and your community.

So how would you like to become a time traveler with me, and go on an Architrek adventure into the history of your community?

(zipping sound) You would?

Great!

But first, let's go to Jess, who's an architect like me, and is at a really cool building that's a window into the past, and has been adapted for a new youth.

- Hey Brian, I'm here at The Pink Creek Cider Mill in Oakland Township.

You can tell just from looking at this building that it has been here for quite a while, and I'm sure it has many stories to tell.

The original mill site dates all the way back to 1835.

That's almost 200 years ago!

And since then, the original structure has been adapted and reused multiple times.

Originally a gristmill for most of its existence, it became a cider mill following reconstruction in the later 1950s, and today serves multiple purposes, including governmental offices.

Can you spot any of the ways in which the building may have been updated or adapted to make it a nice space to work in today?

That's right!

More windows were added in the 1950s to allow more light inside, and then skylights were added in just the past decade to let even more light inside the office spaces.

But when you're restoring a building, the outside isn't the only part that needs a lot of work.

Architects have to be creative in how they can reuse the space but still find a way to bring it up to date, while also respecting the building's unique history.

Let's go take a look inside.

The hall I am standing in was part of a bridge that was added in the 1960s.

And behind me, you can already see how the inside of the mill has been converted into a space people can work in.

But do you know what is hidden underneath the conference room?

The original gears and mechanisms of the mill.

When you look at the cider mill from the outside, you'd never guess that people come here to work every day.

But looking at it from the inside, you can see how the space has been adapted into a modern office interior, while still respecting the history of the original structure.

Remember those skylights you spotted earlier?

Those were added to allow more light in certain sections of the second floor so that they could make full use of the space.

What kinds of stories do you think the buildings in your neighborhoods and communities can tell?

You don't have to look very far.

You can look for clues in the design of a house to help tell you its age.

More squares and boxes tend to suggest a more modern house, while more triangles and interesting shapes tend to suggest an older house.

Also, look at the roof.

Is it flat?

That's more modern.

Is it steep?

That's older.

Porches can also be a good clue.

Long ago, people used to want to sit outside more before we had air conditioning to keep us cool.

So the size of the porch often hints at the age of the house.

Big long porch?

Older.

Smaller porch?

A little newer.

No porch at all?

Newer still.

And sometimes, newer houses are designed to look like they're older, so check the bricks.

Do they look older or newer?

How about the siding?

All right!

Maybe it's time for you to journey into the past on your own Architrek adventure with Brian.

Have fun!

- Hey guys!

Now that you know how to look for cool buildings with a great story to tell, it's time to get out there and do your own time traveling.

All right then, up for another adventure?

Well, let's go!

- This house behind me looks really old.

It has that big wrap-around porch, and the people that live here even told me that it was built in 1901.

- I think this house is new, because it has boxes, and squares, and no porch.

- This house behind me, it kind of has a porch, and it's made out of old bricks.

- I think this house is more modern cause the roof is flat.

The windows are also a lot bigger than all the other houses on the street.

I can see a lot of rectangles and aluminum.

- Wow, I never knew there was so much history in my own backyard.

Well, thanks for coming on Architrek with me.

If you want to be an Ar-cadet, all you gotta do is go to the Architrek website at DPTVKids.org.

and MichiganArchitecturalFoundation.org.

Log on, and you could find out more about the places and the spaces in your community.

Then, grab a friend, and you guys can go on your own time travel Architrek.

Let us know what amazing time capsules that you have found, and maybe you could be the featured ar-cadet on our social media sites.

Well, until next time, don't forget to have your own Architrek adventure.

You never know what cool things you'll find hidden in the buildings, the streets, and the parks in your community.

Do some visual thinking, and realize that it's all by design.

Well, see you later.

(upbeat pop music) (emotional piano music) - Hi, I'm Veronica Chambers, and I'm the author along with several other New York Times journalists of a book called, "Finish the Fight!"

I come to you from Hoboken, New Jersey, and I'm in my apartment.

And I'd love to tell you about the book.

"Finish the Fight!"

is a story of the brave and revolutionary women who fought for the right to vote.

When I was growing up, I studied women's history but I actually didn't learn a lot about suffrage.

And then, about a year ago, a group of us at the New York times got together.

We knew the centennial was coming up.

The right for women to vote was won in 1920, We were coming onto 2020, and we really dove into the subject.

And along with my co-writers Jenny Schuessler, Amy Padnani, Vivian Wang, Sandra Garcia and Jennifer Harlan, It was... First of all, it's super fun to write a book with other people, because you get to spend a lot of time in a room, hashing it out and thinking it through.

And we really said, "okay, what don't we know about suffrage?"

And one of the main things that we didn't know was how intersectional that movement is.

So our book really focuses on the women in suffrage that you don't often hear about.

We are often taught about Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and sometimes we hear about Alice Paul, but we really wanted to talk about women like Mary Church Terrell, and women that are thought of as "race women", like Ida B. Wells-Barnett, but who were really integral to the suffrage story.

We also really, really wanted to center the narrative of native American women into this story.

Partly because, as one of the scholars that we interviewed said, you know, women have had the vote in the United States for a hundred years, but Haudenosaunee women, which is a nation in the Native American tribe system, they have had political power for a thousand years.

So we wrote about women like Zitkala-úa, who were so powerful.

And we wrote about Asian women, and Latinx women, queer women, straight women.

And you just realize that even 200 years ago when all of this started, it was mixed up.

It was diverse.

It was messy.

But it was also a very powerful movement.

I think it's so hard to choose favorites among your favorite suffragettes.

There's so many powerful, amazing, inspiring women.

I think that one of the big surprises for me was Mabel Ping-Hua Lee, she was 16 years old.

She grew up in Chinatown, in New York at a time when the Chinese community was still really small.

She rode on a horse in the front of a suffrage parade in 1913, it was one of the biggest parades that had ever taken place in New York, or in the country.

And the thing that's amazing to me about her suffrage activism is, because of the Chinese Exclusion Act, when women could vote in 1920, neither she, nor her mother, or any of the other Chinese women who fought for the right to vote, could vote.

And she knew that, when she was attending suffrage meetings, when she was being active, she just believed she had to support women.

And she knew that there were barriers, because of certain laws, Chinese women didn't get the vote 'till later, but she kept, you know, being active and doing the right thing, knowing and hoping that the right thing would happen for her community eventually.

And she also went on to become the first Chinese woman to get a PhD from Columbia University.

So there's a lot to admire there, with her story.

(emotional piano music) (upbeat pop music) - Hi helpers!

Think of all the ways you use your voice.

- Okay!

- To say hello, - Hello!

- To sing and talk.

- Hi!

- And so much more.

You can also use your voice to speak up when something is wrong or unfair.

When something helps certain people but hurts others, that is unfair.

People have used marches, protests, and petitions to speak out against unfairness.

We can all be helpers by speaking up when something is unfair, and by doing so, we make the world a better place.

To learn more about Meet the Helpers, go to MeetTheHelpers.org.

- Meet the helpers is made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

(upbeat pop music) - Hey, everyone, it's time for our Impact at Home minute of movement.

For this minute of movement, we're going to be doing jumping jacks.

So, jumping jacks are pretty simple.

You want your feet to be together.

You're gonna jump and put your hands up in the air, and then come back down.

Okay.

Ready, set, let's go.

So we're gonna definitely get our heart rate up when we're doing this.

Make sure your hands go above your head.

You kinda gotta think of pencil, jump up into star.

That's how I teach my younger kids at school.

Now, if this is too challenging, you can tap it out, or go back to your traditional jumping jacks.

Nice job.

Keep it up.

Five, four, three, two and one.

All right.

We're finished.

Thanks for taking part of this Impact at Home minute of movement.

- Support for this message is provided by the Michigan Public Health Institute and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

(upbeat pop music) - So my name is Caprice, and I'm a graduate student here at OSU, and I study astronomy.

(upbeat music) So an exoplanet, I'm really biased, they're really cool.

So, they're these objects that are like planets outside of the Solar System that orbit a star other than our sun.

And there's all different kinds of them, which is what I study, so.

But yeah, they're basically a planet outside of our Solar System.

So basically there's lots of different types of exoplanets, right?

And so there's something called super-Earths and mini-Neptunes.

but what's really cool about these is that we don't have something that in the Solar System.

So we don't have a super-Earth, we have Earth, but we don't have...

Anything that's more massive than that can have a different type of atmosphere, so I study those type of planet.

So they're more massive, and larger, and so they can have different atmospheres.

They can have hydrogen based atmospheres, unlike the earth that's just oxygen and nitrogen.

And so, because they have different types of atmospheres, they can have different signs of life or biosignatures.

And that's kind of what I'm looking for.

I was interested in astronomy, like even in my eighth grade yearbook, I was like, "I wanna be an astronomer."

I wrote that, in my eighth grade yearbook.

And when I went to undergrad, I wanted to do astronomy major, they were like, "we don't have that."

I was like, "okay, what can I do?"

And they were like, "You can do physics, because astronomy is nothing more than applied physics."

So I was like, "all right, let's do it."

We would go to trips to my grandparents house, like in back roads, Arkansas, and I would stare out at the moon and my mom was like, "You seem really interested in that.

Why don't you like, pursue that, or study that?"

And I was like, "oh, okay."

And so she would let me watch the little science channel things, and get like a free preview or something.

She actually got me my first little telescope from like, JC Penney, and like, all you could do is really see the birds with it.

I would take it out, and, like, pretend I could see into space and stuff.

But the second person, actually, Mr. William Hall he used to work in the tutoring center where I would go to get help with physics, cause physics is hard.

So he never actually technically finished his degree.

It's kinda like one of those unsung heroes, but he was brilliant in like physics and stuff.

And so he would help me, like he would tutor me and he would help me learn how to tutor other people when I started working in the center.

So he kind of like, helped me stay on track, cause I would get really discouraged and stuff.

He's like, "You can do it, I'm gonna help you with it."

He was a Black man and it was just nice to see someone that looked like me doing physics.

So I try to do like, our outreach and stuff.

Like I try to do outreach and stuff, just to like be visible and to show people that, you know, we're here, we're out here doing astronomy.

You know, Black astronomers and astrophysicists.

Like, we do exist.

And like, I'm really involved in BlackInAstro.

So that's something that I'm really passionate about.

So I'm also on diversity and equity committee, here at OSU.

Keep going, no matter what.

If you're interested in it, pursue it.

Like, don't let anybody tell you that you can't do it.

Even if it's hard, like, you know, keep going.

Find great mentors that are gonna encourage you and mentor you and, like, find a great community of people that's gonna help nurture your love of science.

- Wanna learn more about our national parks?

Then hit that subscribe button, friend.

Stay up to date and catch bonus features by following us on Instagram, @outscider.

(upbeat pop music) (slow orchestral music) (upbeat pop music) - When I was a kid, coding was terrifying.

I wasn't really sure I could be an engineer.

I think it's the idea of being an explorer and doing something new, right?

Like what we're doing, no one has ever done before.

We're pushing the boundaries of exploration.

I get to talk to a spacecraft on Mars every single day.

All that information is really important to send other missions to Mars, but also eventually send humans.

Being an asset engineer doesn't mean that you have to be a math nerd with glasses on.

Don't let anyone tell you you can't do something, right?

I am not your typical engineer.

I don't look like anyone in Apollo 13, and yet I'm here.

And that's because I pushed forward and ignored the fact that maybe I was not the expected engineer.

(upbeat pop music) (calm electronic music) - What a fantastic show.

Which trailblazer did you enjoy learning about the most?

Be sure to visit our website for more activities.

See you next time.

- This program is made possible in part by Michigan Department of Education the state of Michigan, and by viewers like you.

(upbeat rock music)