Old Problem, New Approach
Jackie Johnson, an instructor of computer education at Wake Technical Community College in North Carolina, has developed an educational Web site with the goal of making science “cool” for Black youth. Her “Mop Top, the Hip-Hop Scientist” Web site profiles several notable Black scientists from the past and the present. An interactive lab allows visitors to click on particular objects in a room, such as a laptop computer, a human brain or an airplane, which links them to a site that explains how they work.
In order to provide a role model for budding young female scientists, Mop Top has a female sidekick named Lollipop. Johnson hopes that teachers of Black students in public schools across the nation will use the Web site to encourage Black children to become interested in careers in science.
To view the Web site, visit www.moptopshop.com.
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