Happy birthday to physicist, inventor, and engineer George Robert Carruthers! Born in Cincinnati in 1939, a young Carruthers made his devotion to science clear when he built his first telescope at the age of ten. It was no surprise then that he would choose to study physics and nuclear engineering at the University of Illinois. In 1962, a mere year after graduating with a bachelor’s degree, Carruthers earned his master’s degree in physics. Two years later, he obtained a PhD in aeronautical and astronomical engineering. The scientist decided on his postgraduate plan quickly, accepting a position at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., that same year.
Dr. Carruthers was equally interested in invention and innovation, and he first showcased his inventive prowess in 1969 with his Far Ultraviolet Camera/Spectrograph. The device could examine atmospheres in space, such as that of Earth. Carruthers’s invention was used in 1972 by the crew of Apollo 16, allowing NASA to examine the levels of pollutants in Earth’s atmosphere and observe a wide array of stars, nebulae, and galaxies nearby. For his groundbreaking invention, Carruthers was awarded NASA’s Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal.
In the 1990s, Carruthers was a member of the team that consulted on the Hubble Space Telescope Project and he collaborated on several research projects at NASA and the Naval Research Laboratory. The celebrated physicist was also actively involved in educational development, and he helped launch the Science and Engineers Apprentice Program. The program gave high school students the opportunity to work at the Naval Research Laboratory. He also taught a course at Howard University and, to this day, continues to promote the value of a strong science education. In 2003, Carruthers was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame and was awarded the 2012 National Medal of Technology and Innovation by President Obama.
To learn more about George Robert Carruthers, visit https://nationalmedals.org/laureate/george-carruthers/.
NATIONALMEDALS.ORG
George Carruthers | National Science and Technology Medals Foundation
In continuing with Advantage Testing’s Tutor Spotlight series, we have asked our tutors to speak about their favorite books. In this way, you get to learn more about our wonderful tutors, and you may even feel inspired to use their recommendations for some of your own quarantine reading!
This month we have Aranya Jain, tutor at Advantage Testing in New York. Aranya grew up in London, and then came to the United States to study English at Princeton University, where she graduated cum laude. After school, she spent a year in Cross Asset Sales at Goldman Sachs. She is currently pursuing an M.F.A. in Fiction at Columbia University and working on a novel. This month, Aranya recommends Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities.
“My favorite book is Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino. In the book, explorer Marco Polo describes a series of fantastical cities he has visited. A city where the narrator is perpetually chasing a mysterious woman through winding streets. A city of walkways and ladders suspended over a chasm. A city where every inhabitant resembles a dead person the narrator once knew. Each city-story is extremely short (one to three pages), inventive, and brilliant. Plus, it’s the most physically beautiful book I own (check out the Mariner Books edition!)”
-Aranya Jain
To learn more about Aranya, visit this link:
https://www.advantagetesting.com/tutors/aranya-jain
Happy birthday to trailblazing director Esther Eng! Born in San Francisco in 1914, Eng’s interest in filmmaking and the arts was inspired by her family background. Her grandparents had immigrated to the U.S. from Taishan in southern China, and Eng loved the language and culture of her grandparents’ homeland. She spoke Cantonese and enjoyed the Cantonese Opera, which she attended often in San Francisco.
In 1933, Eng began working as a producer for her father’s newly formed film production company. She flourished as a producer, soon taking on a more significant, multifaceted role in the company’s films as a director, writer, distributor, and producer. Esther Eng’s films were primarily romantic dramas, all with women as protagonists at the center of the plot. In 1939, she directed It's a Women's World, which had an all-female cast and told the stories of 36 women from diverse professional backgrounds. The pioneering filmmaker was well-known in Hollywood as well as the Hong Kong film industry because her films were in Cantonese.
Esther Eng was fearless in every project she took on, and her films were a form of social commentary. Eng promoted women’s rights and respect for the LGBTQ community, being a proud lesbian woman herself. She also showcased diversity within her films, hiring Asian actors and actresses to portray stories that resonated with Asian and Asian-American communities. Her last film was released in 1961. Her incredible legacy can be traced not only in the film industry but also in the gastronomical industry as Eng was also a restaurant owner, owning and operating a total of five restaurants in Manhattan.
To learn more about Esther Eng, visit https://variety.com/2019/vintage/features/lesbian-filmmaker-esther-eng-1203248585/.
VARIETY.COM
Pioneering Filmmaker Esther Eng Made Movies in the ’30s and ’40s on Her Own Terms
Happy birthday to mountaineer, author, and educator Junko Tabei! Born in Fukushima, Japan, in 1939, Tabei’s passion for mountain climbing was evident at an early age. When she was only 10 years old, she signed up for a school trip to scale Mount Nasu. In 1958, Tabei attended the Showa Women’s University to study English and American literature, intending to begin a teaching career. However, she continued to climb mountains in her spare time. To do so, she joined various climbing clubs—men’s climbing clubs. At the time, mountaineering was a male-dominated sport, and Tabei faced many obstacles as a female mountain climber.
Nevertheless, Junko Tabei dedicated herself to the sport she loved and climbed all the famous mountains of Japan, including Mount Fuji and Mount Kita. In 1969, she established the first female-only mountaineering club in Japan, naming it Joshi-Tohan (Women’s Mountaineering). At the same time, she worked as the editor of the Journal of the Physical Society of Japan, which allowed her to fund all of her and her club’s expeditions.
The Women’s Mountaineering Club, headed by Junko Tabei, undertook their greatest challenge yet in 1975: Everest. The group reached the summit of Mount Everest, Tabei becoming the first woman to climb the highest mountain on Earth. She continued making history with her climbs. In 1992, she became the first woman to scale the highest mountain peaks of all seven continents (Everest, Kilimanjaro, Aconcagua, Denali, Vinson Massif, Elbrus, and Puncak Jaya). She also considered the environmental effects of her beloved sport and publicly declared that Everest had become “crowded” and polluted by too many climbers.
To learn more about Junko Tabei, visit https://www.outsideonline.com/2252936/junko-tabei-anniversary.
OUTSIDEONLINE.COM
A Final Interview With the First Woman to Summit Everest
Attention LSAT students: the registration deadline for the LSAT-Flex exam offered during the week of November 7 is this Wednesday, September 23. Keep in mind that first-time test takers will have the option to preview their scores before deciding whether to keep them. If you are a first-time test taker who has chosen the Score Preview feature, your LSAT score will be released only after you have chosen to have it released or at the end of the Score Preview period if you have not canceled the score. Additionally, test scores will be released by LSAC only after you have a completed LSAT Writing sample on file.
To register for your LSAT-Flex, visit lsac.org/jd/lsat/test-dates-deadlines.
Happy birthday to journalist, writer, and political activist María de la Cruz Toledo! Born in Chimbarongo, Chile, in 1912, she discovered her talent for writing at a young age, expressing her thoughts through both prose and verse. In the 1940s, she published a poetry collection (Transparencies of a Soul) and a novel (Dawn of Gold), and then became both publisher and editor of the magazine Light and Shadows, which raised awareness of issues faced by visually impaired individuals.
María de la Cruz Toledo was an outspoken critic of sociopolitical conditions in Chile, specifically gender inequality. Through her daily radio program, María de la Cruz Speaks, she would advocate for greater female participation and representation in government. In 1946, she founded the Chilean Women’s Party and was one of the leaders of the women’s suffrage movement in Chile. Her efforts helped pressure the government to grant women their right to vote in 1949.
María de la Cruz Toledo’s political career was brief but impactful. In 1952, she worked as presidential candidate Carlos Ibáñez del Campo’s campaign manager, and when he won, he offered her the role of Minister of Education. She refused, nominating María Teresa del Canto from the Chilean Women’s Party to take her place. María de la Cruz Toledo then set her sights on the senate and ran a successful campaign that won her a seat in 1953. She became the first female senator in Chile’s history, serving only eight months due to a contrived scandal. After her time in the senate, María de la Cruz Toledo continued writing and ran her radio program until she passed away in 1995.
To learn more about María de la Cruz Toledo, visit: https://www.bcn.cl/historiapolitica/resenas_parlamentarias/wiki/Mar%c3%ada_De_la_Cruz_Toledo
Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional | Historia Política
El portal Historia Política Legislativa es una iniciativa de vinculación ciudadana que pone a disposición de los usuarios contenidos y documentos relativos a la historia del Congreso Nacional de Chile
Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional | Historia Política
El portal Historia Política Legislativa es una iniciativa de vinculación ciudadana que pone a disposición de los usuarios contenidos y documentos relativos a la historia del Congreso Nacional de Chile
See more at
bcn.cl
Happy birthday to educator and civil rights activist Enolia McMillan! Born in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, in 1904, McMillan grew up in the era of segregation. Due to the educational inequity that resulted from this segregation, she struggled to continue her academic career. To attend a university with resources and rigorous programs, she had to move to Washington, D.C., where she could study at Howard University.
In 1926, McMillan graduated with a degree in education, seeking to become a teacher. She was also interested in obtaining a master’s degree, yet she again faced the obstacle of finding a competitive school that was not barred to African Americans. Eventually, she applied and was admitted to Columbia University, and her studies in education became centered around inequities in the public education system, specifically in Maryland school districts. Her master’s thesis, titled "Factors Affecting Secondary Education in the Counties in Maryland," critiqued the racism inherent in Maryland schools, pointing out the drastic difference in quality between schools for African American students and those for white American students. Unfortunately, though well-researched and accurate, her thesis was not well received by high-ranking educators and administrators, and McMillan was denied promotions in the Baltimore City School System. Thus, she was forced to retire from her role and pursue a new path.
In 1969, Enolia McMillan became president of the Baltimore Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Her tireless efforts to desegregate schools and improve the level of education for students of color led her to be elected national president of the NAACP in 1984—making McMillan the first woman to hold the post.
To learn more about Enolia McMillan, visit http://amsterdamnews.com/news/2016/oct/27/enolia-p-mcmillan-first-woman-president-naacp/.
AMSTERDAMNEWS.COM
Enolia P. McMillan, first woman president of the NAACP
Happy birthday to anthropologist, educator, and museum director Dr. Johnnetta Cole! Born in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1936, Dr. Cole’s love of academic study was showcased early on. She was only 15 when she was accepted to Fisk University. However, she received her undergraduate degree from Oberlin College in 1957 and then pursued graduate study in anthropology at Northwestern University. In 1967, Dr. Cole obtained her doctorate in anthropology and applied her background and experience to work in higher education.
Dr. Cole taught at Washington State University, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and Hunter College before beginning her role as president of Spelman College. She was the first African American woman to hold the position, and she worked at Spelman College for ten years before returning to teaching—this time at Emory University, becoming the Presidential Distinguished Professor of Anthropology, Women's Studies, and African-American Studies.
Dr. Cole’s commitment to education is reflected outside of her professorial roles. In 2004, she became the first African American chair of the United Way of America and, in 2009, the director of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African Art. Dr. Cole has also dedicated her career to providing resources and educational support systems for people of color. For this reason, she was awarded the Alston-Jones International Civil and Human Rights Award along with many honorary degrees from prestigious institutions like Dartmouth College, where she was named a Montgomery Fellow.
Happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day! The movement to reframe the federal holiday known as Columbus Day began in 1977 at a conference sponsored by the United Nations and held in Geneva, Switzerland. The conference focused on the discrimination indigenous communities in the Americas were facing. However, it was not until 1992 that activists in Berkeley, California, successfully campaigned against Columbus Day and convinced the Berkeley City Council to celebrate October 12 as a "Day of Solidarity with Indigenous People."
Since then, states and individual cities across the United States have opted to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day as a way of honoring the indigenous groups in the Americas and around the world. It is also a day of reflection and awareness, meant to inspire people to learn more about the history of the Americas—from the perspective of the indigenous communities that lived on the land before the European colonizers arrived.
To learn more about Indigenous Peoples’ Day and next month’s Native American Heritage Month, visit https://illuminatives.org/beilluminative/.
Happy International Day of the Girl! On October 11, 1995, nearly 30,000 men and women from around 200 countries around the world congregated in Beijing to attend the Fourth World Conference on Women. The goal of the conference was to raise awareness of the obstacles women were facing in their search for empowerment and equality. On that day, the most comprehensive policy agenda for gender equality was created, known as the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.
In the 25 years since the Fourth World Conference on Women, women’s rights activists of all ages have fought for progress and continue to press for true gender equality. UNICEF designated October 11 as the International Day of the Girl to highlight the impactful work of young changemakers, like Malala Yousafzai and Fatoumata Touré—both advocates for education and a universal right to learn.
This year, UNICEF is organizing a digital activism campaign that will be launched on the International Day of the Girl. The campaign will be run by young activists from all over the globe and will bring attention to the valuable projects these activists are working on, including equal representation in the legal profession, in sports, and in government.
To learn more, visit https://www.un.org/en/observances/girl-child-day.
On October 8, 2004, Kenyan activist Wangari Maathai was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, making her the first African woman to receive the honor. This was not the first milestone in Maathai’s career, however, as she was also the first female scholar from East and Central Africa to obtain a doctorate in biology. Incredibly, she also became the first female professor in Kenya.
Professor Maathai was an environmentalist and an advocate for just and free democracy. She was active in Kenya’s journey toward democracy, boldly speaking out against Daniel arap Moi’s oppressive political regime. Her work in sustainable development and peace led her to win the Nobel Prize. In 1977, Professor Maathai founded the Green Belt Movement, which aimed to combat climate change and deforestation, as well as promote gender equality. Her movement encouraged women to pursue education and empower both themselves and their children, the future leaders and changemakers of the world.
To learn more about Professor Wangari Maathai, visit https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2004/maathai/facts/.
NOBELPRIZE.ORG
The Nobel Peace Prize 2004
Attention SAT students: the registration deadline for the November 7 SAT and SAT Subject Tests is Wednesday, October 7. The late registration deadline for registrations made online or by phone is October 27. Keep in mind that a late registration requires an extra fee of $30.
On the November examination date, students have the option of taking any of the following SAT Subject Tests: Literature, U.S. History, Mathematics Level 1 and 2, Biology E/M, Chemistry, Physics, French with Listening, German with Listening, Spanish with Listening, Chinese with Listening, Japanese with Listening, and Korean with Listening.
To sign up for your exam, visit: https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/register.
Attention SAT students: the registration deadline for the December 5 SAT and SAT Subject Tests is Thursday, November 5. The late registration deadline for registrations made online or by phone is November 24. Keep in mind that a late registration requires an extra fee of $30.
On the December examination date, students have the option of taking any of the following SAT Subject Tests: Literature, U.S. History, Mathematics Levels 1 and 2, Biology E/M, Chemistry, Physics, French, Spanish, and Latin.
To sign up for your exam, visit: https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/register.
Attention MCAT students: registration for January and March 2021 exam dates will open on November 10. Preregistration will begin on November 2. Additionally, the full 2021 MCAT Testing Calendar is now available online.
To learn more about 2021 testing dates and register for your MCAT exam, visit https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/article/mcat-testing-calendar-score-release-dates/.
On October 27, 1904, New York City Mayor George McClellan approved the inaugural trial of the city’s new transit system: the subway. Construction on the subway system began in 1900, and it was ready for public use four years later. In fact, on the same day Mayor McClellan tested the system, riding in a subway car himself, the system was opened to the public, and 150,000 New Yorkers used what would become the city’s primary rapid transport system.
The oldest underground train network was built in London in 1863, and America’s first subway opened in Boston three years prior to the start of the construction of New York City’s subway. However, New York City’s subway claims the honor of the largest rail system in the world. The initial line stretched from City Hall in lower Manhattan to 145th Street and Broadway in Harlem, a total of 9.1 miles; the New York City subway now covers 245 miles and has 472 stations across 27 subway lines.
Attention LSAT students: the registration deadline for the LSAT-Flex exam offered the weekend of February 20 and 21, 2021, is this Wednesday, January 6. Keep in mind that first-time test takers will have the option to preview their scores before deciding whether to keep them. If you are a first-time test taker who has chosen the Score Preview feature, your LSAT score will be released only after you have chosen to have it released or at the end of the Score Preview period if you have not canceled the score. Additionally, test scores will be released by LSAC only after you have a completed LSAT Writing sample on file.
To register for your LSAT-Flex, visit lsac.org/jd/lsat/test-dates-deadlines.
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) refers to the time standard utilized across the world. In 1972, the world’s timing centers came to an agreement and began synchronizing all of the time scales according to a 24-hour time standard measured by atomic clocks combined with Earth’s rotation.
Originally, the civil time referred to Universal Time (UT), which was created at the International Meridian Conference in 1884. The world’s time standard was then the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), with the Prime Meridian in Greenwich, London, selected as the starting point for world timing. In 1960, the International Radio Consultative Committee introduced the concept of UTC and began using it a year later. UTC continued to be altered until 1972, when the time standard was formalized and leap seconds were added to allow UTC to remain in line with the Earth’s rotation.
In 1741, Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius introduced a temperature scale we now call the Celsius scale. In the early 18th century, there were multiple thermometers in use around the world, each with a different temperature scale. Recognizing the value of an international system, the astronomer performed a series of careful experiments to calculate an accurate temperature scale.
When Celsius’ system was first introduced, it was known as the Centigrade scale due to the fact that, in Latin, “Centigrade” meant one hundred degrees. The Centigrade version had 0° for the boiling point and 100° for the freezing point. In 1742, these two fixed points were inverted by French scientist Jean Pierre Cristin. Anders Celsius had his temperature scale named after him in 1948 when the global scientific community agreed to change the name from Centigrade to Celsius.
