DON’T BE BLIND TO TALENT, SAYS EX-ASTRONAUT

IPOH: Leaving talented people unnoticed will hinder development progress – be it in space or on earth, said former Nasa astronaut Dr Catherine Cady Coleman.

Bringing up Katherine Johnson, the African-American mathematician who was responsible for making significant contributions to the United States’ aeronautics and space programmes, Dr Coleman said she was a valuable, talented woman who went unnoticed for many years in Nasa.

“There were 200 other women who were doing the computing of mathematical calculations every day there as well, but no one really knew they were there.

“Without noticing these people who have the talents we are looking for, we certainly won’t find the answers we need whether it is for the development of space or development of earth,” she said in her keynote address at the Pangkor International Development Dialogue (PIDD) 2017 here yesterday.

Later at a press conference, Dr Coleman stressed on the importance of breaking down complex messages into easy to digest information.

She said she uses storytelling to attract the public’s attention to global issues.

Dr Coleman, who is also a chemist and a former United States Air Force officer, said the media could also help to explain a situation in ways others can understand.

“Let’s talk about the number of women represented at work.

“To achieve true gender equality in work fields that are predominantly a single gender, for example, the United States Congress, would take a really long time, and I’m not willing to wait,” she said.

When a nine-year-old sees a picture of the Congress, comprising so few women with many men, Dr Coleman said it does not spell out “this could be you”.

“But if you make an advertisement or a movie to tell a story where this girl can see herself in that place, she may very well grow up thinking that that could be her,” she said.

Giving another example of the power of storytelling, Dr Coleman said the movie The Martian had a huge effect in the number of people applying to become astronauts.

“I think the movie makes people think, ‘wow, we’re going to Mars and if I want to go and help the mission, I’d better raise my hand’,” she said.

Dr Coleman pointed out that when she applied to be an astronaut in 1992, the number of applicants was around 2,400.

“Around 2013 to 2014, 6,500 people applied. So you can see within these 22 years, the number was only multiplied by three.

“And then when The Martian movie came out, in just two to three years when we were looking for new astronauts, 18,000 people raised their hands,” she said, adding that storytelling is able to make people understand that everyone has an opportunity to help out and be a part of a solution.

Dr Coleman said she participated in the dialogue – which focused on sustainable development – because she wanted to encourage people to go for it.

“It’s difficult to achieve the sustainable development goals set by the United Nations, because it’s going to take a lot of hard work and a lot of talking to each other about what you need help with.

“I think this is where I can come in... to encourage people to accomplish something big, by letting them understand the principles of working together and trying to get the most out of each other through my experience in space.

“The mission is more important than whether my space crew and I like each other or not, and if we, who are often supposed to be ‘mighty astronauts’ can talk to each other about what we need help with, you can do that too,” she said.