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Sally Ride's legacy: engaging others in science
First American woman in space was Stanford alum

by Lauren-Marie Sliter

Despite her groundbreaking flights into space, Sally Ride, who died Monday, July 23, of pancreatic cancer, was "very down to earth," said one of Ride's postdoctoral colleagues at Stanford University.

"She knew the impact she had already had as the first (American) woman in space," said Lynn Eden, who is now the associate director of research at the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford.

Ride, who was 61 upon her death, received her bachelor's degree in English at Stanford and earned her master's and doctoral degrees in physics there before applying to be an astronaut.

She was accepted into NASA's space program and flew aboard the Challenger space shuttle in 1983 and 1984. She also was a member of the committee that investigated the Challenger's explosion in 1986.

Following her pioneering work as an astronaut, she sought to encourage others to explore the realm of science.

Ride returned to Stanford four years after her tour of space. At the university, she was a science fellow for what was then called the Center for International Security and Arms Control (now called CISAC, the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford's Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies). This is where she met Eden.

"(Stanford) gave her the ability to refresh herself," Eden said about Ride's return to the university.

Eden said the university was very protective of Ride, something she seemed to want.

"She seemed to be craving to not be in the glare of the public," Eden said. "She was quite private."

While Stanford gave Ride a place away from the public eye, Eden said Ride gave back to the university.

"She was quite a good teacher," Eden said. "And it was great for the fellows to know Sally Ride."

Sidney Drell, a physicist and arms control expert at Stanford, told a writer for CISAC that no matter what task she performed, Ride excelled.

"She was a very private person who shunned publicity, but when she did her job — whether it was flying in space or working with me on arms control — she was A1," Drell said.

Ride founded Sally Ride Science in 2001, which aims to engage and inspire children in the areas of math and science. A key part of Ride's mission and the company's goal is to change society's perceptions of women and girls in technical fields, the organization's website states.

Ride's most important contribution to society was "the role she has played, and what I hope her memory will play, of bringing girls and women — and boys, too — into an interest in science," Eden said.

On Sunday, Stanford will host the weeklong Sally Ride Science Camp for fourth- through ninth-grade girls. The curriculum includes engineering, marine science, astronomy, robotics and ecology. The overnight camps are held at five universities across the country.

"Sally Ride broke barriers with grace and professionalism — and literally changed the face of America's space program," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden stated in a press release. "The nation has lost one of its finest leaders, teachers and explorers."

Ride received numerous honors and awards during the course of her career, according to NASA. She was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame and the Astronaut Hall of Fame and received the Jefferson Award for Public Service, the von Braun Award, the Lindbergh Eagle and the NCAA's Theodore Roosevelt Award.

Editorial Intern Lauren-Marie Sliter can be reached at lsliter@paweekly.com.

Posted by Michael, a resident of the Downtown North neighborhood, on Jul 25, 2012 at 4:27 pm

"The nation has lost one of its finest leaders, teachers and explorers."

Well put. Rest in Peace, Sally Ride.

Posted by FirstWoman, a resident of the Charleston Gardens neighborhood, on Jul 25, 2012 at 6:20 pm

Valentina Tereshkova was the first woman in space

Posted by Sharon, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Jul 25, 2012 at 6:42 pm

Sally Ride died of pancreatic cancer, as did Steve Jobs and an alarming number of local people who worked in the computer hardware industry in the last 30 years

"The disease has the worst prognosis of any cancer, with just 3% of people surviving beyond five years.

Genes, smoking, and type 2 diabetes are all risk factors, but diet is also thought to have a role, and may explain why rates vary so much from country to country, say the authors.

ScienceDaily (July 23, 2012) —

Increasing dietary intake of the antioxidant vitamins C, E, and selenium could help cut the risk of developing pancreatic cancer by up to two thirds, suggests research published online in the journal Gut.

Web Link

There is no cure for pancreatic cancer but the above research shows promise for prevention-unfortunately taking supplements does not work- the anti oxidants in the study came from food diets

Posted by an American hero, a resident of the Adobe-Meadows neighborhood, on Jul 25, 2012 at 6:45 pm

Sally Ride was a true American hero and pioneer. I am shocked that the "social conservatives" have started attacking her after her death because she happened to be gay.

Posted by Terry, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Jul 25, 2012 at 7:14 pm

I remember when Sally told me she had just applied to the astronaut program. Her enthusiasm started to rub off on me and I started thinking about applying as well, but then she looked up at me and bluntly said I could never make it. Turns out there was max height limit that ruled me out.

Back before Sally was famous, and just another fellow grad student, you could still see that she was an exceptional person.

Farewell Sally, a genuine hero.

Posted by Palo Alto native, a resident of the Charleston Meadows neighborhood, on Jul 27, 2012 at 6:57 am

My daughter and I were honored to meet Sally Ride at a science camp at NASA Ames years ago.