Scientists offer chat roomsto support Black History month Scientists offer chat roomsto support Black History month (February 04, 2000)

High school students from across the nation will be able to 'chat' via the Internet with at least nine African-American scientists from NASA during February, Black History Month.

During the chats, students will be able to use computers to direct questions and receive "live" answers from the scientists, who will describe their roles in the space program. The sessions are scheduled throughout the month on NASA's Quest website: http://quest.nasa.gov

"When I was a kid in the southeast Bronx, also known as Fort Apache, I didn't know that the kind of job I now have existed, and I didn't know that there was any possibility I could do that job," said Dr. Patricia Cowings, a research psychologist at NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field. Her chat session is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m., , February 9. "I'm going to give kids the message that they can do those jobs, and that it's important to follow your dreams," Cowings added.

"NASA Quest's annual series of Black History Month chats offers K-12 students and the general public an opportunity to interact with various African-American men and women who support NASA's mission and goals," said Oran Cox, who organized the chat series at NASA Ames. "We believe this exchange is significant in providing role models for young people and will help in reaching populations historically underrepresented in science, engineering and technology fields."

Scheduled NASA participants include two aerospace engineers, an electronics engineer, a biomedical engineer, a nutritionist, a computer scientist, a psychologist, a chemist and a physicist. Cox expects that more sessions will be added throughout the month. First-come, first-served pre-registration via the Internet is required in order for students to participate in the chat sessions. Other people can observe the conversations without registering.

"We design and build custom-made lasers to investigate the makeup of the atmosphere," said Julie Williams-Bryd, an aerospace engineer from NASA Langley Research Center, in Hampton, VA. She will take part in a two-day "forum," that will begin on February 8 at 8 a.m. PST.