Brian
Grigsby
Expertise: Science Education
Expedition Role: Educational/Public Outreach
Affiliation: ARISE/SCOE/Schreder
Planetarium
Who I am and What I Do
My Name is Brian Grigsby and I am the
Educational and Public Outreach for the
Licancabur Expedition.
I am also the mentor educator for project
ARISE (Advanced Rural Integrated Science
Education), and the director of the Schreder
Planetarium. I have lived in Redding, California
nearly all my life, with the exception
of
traveling away to go to college. I find
it a joy to come back and work in the community
with the people that helped give me the
spark for science in the first place.
Expedition
role
Education and
Public Outreach. It will be my responsibility
to document for the educational community
the work being conducted by the scientists
in the field. Along with Rick Fitzpatrick
(the other EPO coordinator), we will upload
pictures, daily journals, video clips,
questions from students, as well as many
audio clips from the field. Before, during
and after the expedition, we will promote
what the scientific work is being done,
and educate students, about the implications
of studying life in extreme environments.
What did you learn from last year’s
expedition
Last year was my first experience
out of the country for such a long period
of time. My personal experiences with the
expedition I believe changed me forever.
The people I met, and countries I visited,
left a lasting impression that I will never
forget. I came to know each of the researchers
in an environment that was extreme at times.
My knowledge of what scientists do in the
field, and how they research has been completely
transformed because of last year’s
expedition. I look at pure research and
field work in a way that generates great
respect for those that push the limits
of our knowledge today, to understand what
the future holds.
How will you use information from
last
year’s expedition to perform experiments
for this year’s mission?
This year,
the website has a whole new feel and look.
Although no “experiments” will
be conducted on the website (other than
those associated with classroom projects),
my hope is to make the website much more
multimedia oriented, with video clips,
audio clips, and webcasts during our time
in the field.
Career Journey
A month after I received my teaching credential
I was hired on full time as a high school
science teacher at a local high school,
Shasta High School (my alma mater). During
that time, I was selected to join other
teachers down at the Jet Propulsion Lab
to be a part of NSTA (National Science Teacher
Association) and NASA’s NEWMAST program.
That was an amazing time, with so many other
educators with similar interests, enjoying
astronomy. I was able to see activities
and equipment I had only read about. This
really secured my feeling that astronomy
and especially space science was for me.
After teaching high school science for 8
years, I was asked to come over and develop
the educational programs through the Schreder
Planetarium. I jumped at the chance. This
was a place that made an great impression
on me. I was thrilled. Now, through this
same facility, I am able to inspire, and
educate a new generation of space scientists.
Growing Up
I was born and raised in the Redding, California.
My family (blood and extended) also live
in Redding, and I am fortunate enough to
have them here.
What made you study science?
Even before I was able to walk, my mom
placed me and my twin brother in front of
the television to watch the Apollo missions.
The year was 1969, and man had just set
foot on another world, the moon. I’m
not sure if that was the very first experience
with science, but it sure seems like it.
Throughout my childhood, I enjoyed finding
out what made things work. From clock radios,
to old television sets, I was constantly
dismantling things. I even managed to dismantle
my crib when I was little! But that curiosity
drove me to continue to try to understand
how things worked to the point I am today,
still wondering what makes things work,
but now with a little more science to back
it up!
Family, hobbies, interests,
etc.
I have a wonderful wife, Debbie and 3 heaven-sent
daughters. My wife and I have been married
for 10 years now, and our children are:
Kathleen, age 9, Hannah age 5 and Caroline,
age 2. It is always exciting around our
house, with 1 dog, 1 cat, 2 rats and dozens
of Barbie dolls. But I enjoy being taken
care of and pampered by my children. I am
living the life of a king!
My main hobby is woodworking. I love the
smell of fresh wood after it has been cut,
and then being able to sculpt anything you
want out of a plain piece of lumber. Any
chance I get, I love to go out and observe
the beauty of the nighttime sky. You never
know what might be waiting out there for
you to observe it!
Parting words for students
or teachers
It is very important to never give up,
no matter what the topic or situation. There
have been times myself that I have wanted
to quit and move on to something easier,
but I have found that struggles and failures
are a part of growing as a person. Many
persons throughout history have faced struggles,
and failures, but if they gave up, we would
be living in a different world! Never underestimate
yourself and your potential. Its not about
how much you know that counts, its what
you do with that knowledge. The following
is one of my favorite quotes:
Many of life's failures
are people who did not realize
how close they were to success
when they gave up.
Thomas Edison
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