Sally Ride Science at UC San Diego is a nonprofit organization run by the University of California, San Diego. It was founded as a company in 2001 by Sally Ride, America’s first woman in space, along with Tam O’Shaughnessy, Karen Flammer, Terry McEntee, and Alann Lopes to inspire young people in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and to promote STEM literacy.
Sally Ride Science was relaunched at UC San Diego on October 1, 2015. It is based at UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies, and its programs are coordinated jointly by UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and the San Diego Supercomputer Center. O’Shaughnessy is executive director and Flammer is director of education for Sally Ride Science at UC San Diego.
Sally Ride Science at UC San Diego is continuing the company’s legacy with K12 STEM + Arts (STEaM) education; professional development for teachers; and online programs through UCTV. The goal is to help educators build students’ STEM literacy and make connections between what students are learning and the STEM fields that are expected to experience rapid job growth in the coming decades.
The Sally Ride Science Academy, launched in 2016, offers hands-on workshops that allow middle school and high school students to delve into a variety of STEAM subjects. Other new programs shine a spotlight on women scientists in the University of California system. The Constellation: Sally Ride Science Conversations is a series of video interviews on The Steam Channel at UCTV. Tam on STEAM is a series of online articles tracing the career paths of women doing groundbreaking research.
Sally Ride Science continues to offer its acclaimed book series, including Cool Careers in STEM, which profiles real women and men doing exciting work in STEM fields, and Key Concepts in Science, which introduces students to the big ideas in Earth, life, and physical science.
