Moon Missions, The University Standard, I Can Do Science

Even 50 Years On, the Moon Landing of Apollo 11 Feels Extraordinary Guest: Mike Joner, Research Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, BYU 50 years ago, at this very moment, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins were speeding toward the moon aboard Apollo 11. In fact, as we speak on the afternoon of July 17, the spacecraft was 126,000 miles from Earth. Just past halfway to the moon where, if all went according to plan, Armstrong and Aldrin would become the first humans to set foot on the moon. We’re all familiar with the big moment that came on July 20, 1969. That incredible feat was by no means a guarantee when Apollo 11 got underway. So many things had to go exactly right. So many things nearly didn’t. A College Acceptance Letter is Not a Guarantee Guest: Anna Ivey, Founder of Ivey Consulting, Former Dean of Admissions, University of Chicago’s Law School, and Co-author of “How to Prepare a Standout College Application” Your kid gets accepted to the college of his choice. He’s got the letter in hand. But then some bad behavior surfaces from his past. The college gets wind and rescinds the acceptance. By all accounts this kind of thing is rare, but a high-profile case last month involving Parkland Shooting survivor and conservative activist, Kyle Kashuv, got us thinking about how colleges make these decisions –and how they decide who is a good fit in the first place. For Kashuv, the college was Harvard and the bad behavior involved racist comments made in text messages and a private online document shared with some classmates when he was 16. Kashuv apologized, but that didn’t change Harvard’s decision to rescind his acceptance.  The Way We Talk about Science Influences Students’ Interest and Confidence in Becoming a Scientist Guest: Marjorie Rhodes, Associate Professor of Psychology, New York University There was a time in my childhood when I thought I was going to be a scientist. But at some point, I became less confident that I could actually do that –not related to any specific skills r