Jedidah Isler: The untapped genius that could change science for the better
ג'דידה איסלר: הגאונות הבלתי מנוצלת שתוכל לשפר את המדע
Jedidah Isler studies blazars — supermassive hyperactive black holes that emit powerful jet streams. They are the universe’s most efficient particle accelerators, transferring energy throughout galaxies. Full bio
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that some of the most interesting things
כמה מהדברים הכי מעניינים
occur at the intersections,
I mean the space in-between.
of not-quite-here, not-quite-there,
של לא ממש פה, לא ממש שם,
of the world come to mind,
של העולם עולים למחשבה,
of a seemingly endless stream of people.
זרם בלתי פוסק של אנשים.
in Selma, Alabama,
בסלמה, אלבמה,
in Ferguson, Missouri, also come to mind
בפרגוסון מיזורי, גם עולות
at the intersection of human beings,
struggle for justice.
landscape of our planet,
are of intersections.
intersection of gas and dust,
הבלתי פוסקת של הכבידה.
this time flung outward
הפעם מועפים החוצה
into altogether new and heavier things.
לדברים חדשים וכבדים יותר.
that have special meaning to us.
שיש להם משמעויות מיוחדות עבורנו.
at an intersection.
in the in-between,
between dreams and reality,
results in a shining example
hyperactive black holes
חורים שחורים סופר מאסיביים והיפר אקטיביים
of massive galaxies
nearby those black holes
ליד החורים השחורים האלו
to completely understand.
of becoming an astrophysicist
of African-American women in physics,
של נשים אפרו אמריקאיות בפיזיקה,
had ever earned a PhD
בארצות הברית קיבלו דוקטורט
with a PhD in an astronomy-related field
עם תואר דוקטורט בתחום קשור לאסטרונומיה
of life at an intersection:
and experience,
of victorious breakthroughs
just after my family had fallen apart.
ממש אחרי שמשפחתי התפרקה.
departure from our lives.
of middle-class life
to make ends meet.
60 percent of women of color
מהנשים הצבעוניות
to their educational goals.
בהשגת מטרותיהן החינוכיות.
provided me with full funding,
סיפקה לי מימון מלא,
my bachelor's in physics.
את התואר הראשון שלי בפיזיקה.
that I wanted a PhD in astrophysics,
שרציתי דוקטורט באסטרופיזיקה,
people and programs.
had this beautiful poster
פירסמה פוסטר יפיפה
to become physicists.
because it featured a young black girl,
נערה צעירה שחורה,
at some physics equations.
at the little girl
copy of the poster,
still hangs in my office.
my educational path,
in pursuit of the PhD.
שוב בדרך לדוקטורט.
University Bridge Program,
של אוניברסיטת פיסק-וונדרבילט,
of the master's and PhD degrees
they accepted me into the program,
הם קיבלו אותי לתוכנית,
on the path to the PhD.
the space that would ultimately give way
את החלל שבסופו של דבר יאפשר
to have that degree of liminality
מרמת הסיפיות הזו
to "do what I really came here to do"
"לעשות את מה שבאמת באתי לעשות"
from our meal in front of me to clean up.
מהארוחה שלנו אלי כדי שאנקה אותם.
and mathematics, or STEM,
of the 60 women of color
by Joan C. Williams at UC Hastings
באוניברסיטת הייסטינגס
for the janitorial staff.
interviewed for this study,
with a janitorial position,
were able to attend college
הצליחו ללכת למכללה
worked these jobs,
to put me in my place.
the acute pain of the encounter,
do not experience the same set of barriers
לא חוות את אותם מחסומים
or just people of color face.
women of color in STEM,
נשים צבעוניות ב STEM.
sum of identities.
cannot be appreciated
the liminal space between disciplines.
of understanding the physical world
in the absence of mathematics.
of basic science and math
on the foundation of math,
the critical role of Rosetta Stone,
תפקיד קריטי של אבן רוזטה,
the physical principles of the world.
את העקרונות הפיזיקליים של העולם.
without each individual piece.
of the enrichment that is realized
with other disciplines.
Latina, indigenous, First Nation
לטינית, ילידית, מהאומה הראשונה
at the blessed intersection
that you'll become an astrophysicist,
תהפכו לאסטרופיזיקאיות,
who you imagine yourself to be.
into a world you can't even imagine.
שאתן אפילו לא יכולות לדמיין.
pressing issues of our time,
their intersection with STEM.
issues of our time.
require a thorough investigation
solutions of tomorrow.
their whole lives at the intersections.
the first steps of diversity
and more robust territory
of liminal excellence
after a 10-year bout with breast cancer.
אחרי 10 שנים של מאבק בסרטן.
who spearheaded the NASA side
שהובילה את הצד של נאסא
for landing a rover on a comet,
כשהנחיתה גשוש על כוכב שביט,
Galileo mission to Jupiter,
שעלתה 1.5 מיליארד דולר,
and the world.
to states of understanding
that you can't do every day."
שאי אפשר לעשות כל יום."
the power of a liminal person.
space missions of our time,
in any place she was.
במקום שהיא היתה.
of the SOCCKET line of sports products,
קו מוצרי הספורט SOCCKET,
renewable energy as you play with them,
כשאתם משחקים איתם,
isn't just creating things,
that make this world."
and Jessica Matthews
intersectional stories,
of race, gender and innovation.
בנקסוס של הגזע, המגדר וההמצאה.
of my right to be in an elite space,
על הזכות שלי להיות במקום אליטיסטי,
to earn a PhD in astrophysics
שקיבלה דוקטורט באסטרופיזיקה
of women of color in STEM
אבל גדל של נשים שחורות ב STEM
and new ideas to life
ורעיונות חדשים לחיים
climate change, genetic editing,
שינוי אקלים, עריכה גנטית,
and Mars exploration.
we haven't even thought of yet.
שאנחנו אפילו לא חשבנו עליהם עדיין.
occupy some of the toughest
issues of our time.
and drive these conversations
of a wider variety of lived experience.
מגוון רחב יותר של ניסיונות חיים.
to the many intersectional people
להרבה אנשים רב תחומיים
in ways that outmatch
born out of a desire to fit in.
to the best possible outcomes
להגיע לתוצאות הכי טובות
distinctly experienced
the most excellent expression
להיות הביטוי הטוב ביותר
of humanity brought to bear.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Jedidah Isler - AstrophysicistJedidah Isler studies blazars — supermassive hyperactive black holes that emit powerful jet streams. They are the universe’s most efficient particle accelerators, transferring energy throughout galaxies.
Why you should listen
Jedidah Isler has been staring at the stars since she was 11 or 12. But because neither her undergraduate college or the university where she got her first master’s degree offered astronomy majors, she threw herself wholeheartedly into physics. It wasn’t until she entered a doctoral program that she was able to dedicate her time to the studying the night sky. In 2014, she became the first African-American woman to receive a Ph.D in Astrophysics from Yale.
Isler studies blazars — supermassive hyperactive black holes at the center of galaxies, some of which emit powerful streams of particles. Sometimes these are oriented toward Earth, offering us a unique perspective on the physics of the universe. Isler is a Chancellor’s Faculty Fellow in Physics at Syracuse University. She participates in the Future Faculty Leader program at Harvard's Center for Astrophysics and was named a 2015 TED Fellow.
Isler is also interested in breaking down barriers that prevent many students — especially women of color — from becoming scienists. She works to make STEM accessible to new communities.
Jedidah Isler | Speaker | TED.com